Switchback Spring, June 16-18, 2026 in New Orleans, LA
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Switchback at TRE, December 1-3, 2026 in San Antonio, TX
On the west side of San Antonio, TX, Kel-Lac Tactical + Outdoor lies less than a mile from Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), a major training facility known as the “Gateway to the Air Force.”
This geographic relationship has continuously guided the evolution of Kel-Lac Tactical + Outdoor, a 75-year-old business.
Founded in 1951, the company was originally a high-end tailor specializing in fitting and altering uniforms for the officer corps. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Kel-Lac Tactical + Outdoor transformed into a supplier of tactical gear and apparel and launched an online shop for deployed soldiers worldwide.
The store’s ability to adapt has led to its current focus on the outdoor and running specialty markets. Recognizing that active airmen at Lackland AFB need high-performance, technical gear, Kel-Lac has successfully bridged the gap, evolving from a military supplier into a store that serves the community’s military needs and their outdoor pursuits.
Established in the 1940s, Lackland AFB is home to about 24,000 active-duty members and 10,000 civilian employees. Each year, approximately 80,000 students train at the base. From the 1950s to the 1990s, Lackland AFB was the home of the Air Force Officer Training School. Air Force officer J.Y. Golden and his wife Claire established Kel-Lac Uniforms Inc. to tailor and fit dress uniforms for trainees.
“That was our niche,” says Chris Hancock, owner of Kel-Lac Tactical + Outdoor. “We had tailors on staff who made the officers look really sharp, and it just drove people to our company.”
Chris Hancock’s father, John Hancock Sr., took over the business in 2000. According to Chris, the transition went smoothly because the company had sustained an excellent reputation over many decades. “We had a lot of goodwill among the Air Force officer corps, and that continues to this day,” he says.
In the early 1990s, the Air Force Officer Training School moved to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL, stripping Kel-Lac Uniforms of its primary revenue source. “That’s the first time the company had to reinvent itself,” says Hancock, noting that Kel-Lac survived by securing new contracts to alter uniforms for incoming trainees at Lackland AFB. Also, Kel-Lac won a contract to manage T-shirt and jacket shops on the base.
The company pivoted once again when terrorists attacked the United States in 2001. As the military deployed people to the Persian Gulf, the Air Force changed its daily uniform from “dress blues” to the Desert Camouflage Uniform, also known as fatigues. As a result, Kel-Lac Uniforms shifted from altering dress uniforms to sewing name, rank, and insignia patches onto fatigues for troops heading to the Middle East.
In 2002, Kel-Lac Uniforms became an early adopter of e-commerce, launching kellac.com to serve as a one-stop shop for military customers deployed overseas. “Our website allowed us to benefit from a new sales channel,” says Hancock, noting the website business has grown steadily over the years and now accounts for 35% of Kel-Lac’s sales.
In the early 2000s, Kel-Lac changed the name on its storefront to Kel-Lac Tactical, signaling to consumers the new focus on deployment-related equipment, footwear, and apparel.
As Kel-Lac focused on troops abroad and those preparing to ship out, the store noticed that members of the Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs were increasingly favoring products from outdoor industry companies.
“When these operators were deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq, they gravitated toward highly technical gear and apparel from outdoor brands,” says Hancock. In response to this growing demand, Kel-Lac Tactical added products from Lowa, Salomon, and Outdoor Research.
To build relationships with more outdoor companies, Hancock and store employees began attending outdoor industry trade shows and conferences. Gradually, the shop expanded its roster of outdoor brands to include Garmin, Nemo, Smartwool, and Arc’teryx. By 2021, the outdoor market was so important to the store that Hancock rebranded the business as Kel-Lac Tactical + Outdoor.
The store’s growing collection of outdoor products not only attracted troops heading overseas but also shoppers looking to explore San Antonio’s parks and other recreation areas. Over the past 20 years, the city of San Antonio has created several greenways that allow people to run, walk, and bike on paved and natural trails along creeks flowing through town. Also, a few minutes outside of the city to the northwest, Government Canyon State Natural Area offers more than 40 miles of trails.
The robust trail system has spawned a healthy trail-running community, and Kel-Lac Tactical + Outdoor has responded by expanding its selection of specialty running footwear to include top brands like Altra, Topo Athletic, Mount to Coast and Speedland. This strategic expansion is dual-focused: while the store is courting trail runners, it is also stocking more road shoes to serve the thousands of Air Force trainees at Lackland AFB who incorporate running into their Physical Training (PT) routine. As Hancock notes, the store has custom-printed PT apparel for Air Force members for over 15 years. “So, it dawned on me, why aren’t we selling them running shoes?” he says.
Kel-Lac’s strategic focus on footwear and outdoor gear not only deepens its relationships with local trail runners and Lackland AFB personnel but also significantly strengthens the store’s ties to the broader San Antonio community.
Each year, Kel-Lac works with Band of Runners, a nonprofit that encourages veterans to embrace healthy lifestyles through trail running. The partnership includes both financial contributions and hands-on volunteer work, with store employees assisting at the nonprofit’s annual Trail Camp, where veterans and family members receive instruction in trail running, training, and nutrition.
Kel-Lac not only supports veterans but also assists an often-overlooked demographic: spouses of military members. Every year, the store provides financial support to Military Wild, a nonprofit organization that helps spouses get outdoors and connect with other members of the military community.
In addition to his company’s charitable work, Hancock provides hands-on support to strengthen ties between the Air Force and the city of San Antonio. For the past decade, he has participated in the military’s Honorary Commander program.
“As an Honorary Commander, you become an advocate for the installation in your hometown,” says Hancock. “You learn in depth the mission of the base and its challenges.” In his advocate role, Hancock has met with business leaders and local politicians to discuss the economic impact of Lackland AFB and ways the base and the community could support one another.
For 75 years, Kel-Lac has remained focused on serving its military neighbor, Lackland Air Force Base—the “Gateway to the Air Force.” From its early days of tailoring classy dress blues to selling today’s latest trail-running shoes and specialized outdoor gear, Kel-Lac has always followed the needs of the military community right outside their doors. That physical and emotional connection to Lackland AFB has been its compass. It’s what allowed the business to constantly evolve and remain a necessary part of the community, not just as a military supplier, but as a trusted, high-end outdoor retailer.
