I love military surplus. In fact, if you were well versed in flaws of the human mind you might want to sell me to a scientist for profit! I spent more than my fair share outdoors and have found mil surplus to be a crucial part of my gear no matter the occasion. While none of it is exactly "perfect", it certainly provides the best bang for your buck overall and I am always on the hunt for new stuff! Always!
I find that sites like Craigslist.com are generally the best way to find awesome deals locally. I also used to frequent local auctions.A few years ago there was an auction for literally semi truck trailers full of two sizes of ammo crates. A few flat beds worth of 105mm art shell crates and smaller m203 (the older brother of it) crates. A neighbor of mine ended up buying them after they were lumped in with a military trailer because noone bid on them. He let me purchase them anytime I wanted for 50 cents for the smaller ones and 1.00 for the larger ones. Local auctions are the way to go because even if you dont bid or win, you can always ask the winner to buy a specific item if it is a lot of items. Cheaper then dirt at its finest.
On the net I prefer to google "military surplus" for the shopping results it brings up. You can usually find some new deals every few days because it also feeds in from ebay. Speaking of Ebay, it is great! While I am not a fan of ebay/paypal they do supply a HUGE variety of surplus from all over the world usually at rock bottom prices. I have found more than one gem of an item from ebay and find that the prices there are almost always lower than other sites like Cheaperthandirt.com and similar. I especially love old soviet electronics and gear and I have purchased more than my share of awesome finds over the past few years. Frequenting forums and similar websites with a classified section is also a good idea. I have found many good deals from people on forums and best of all they sometimes trade with you for the items!
We no longer have one close to me, but when I travel I try to see ahead of time if there are any along the way. I've used Ebay, but since everyone seems to require PayPal now, I don't so much. I usually go with Google searches, and I get a few catalogs in the mail from companies.
I have a weakness for ammo cans. I use them for everything, ammo included. I especially like the ones perfectly sized for my CD collection.
cheaperthandirt.com
sportsmansguide.com
gun shows
AR15.com equipment exchange
glocktalk.com
thefiringline.com
local stores
garage sales - i always ask if they've any "sporting goods" or military surplus
estate sales
My army surplus store is more expensive then if I were to order from an online army surplus store and pay for the shipping too. So I get my stuff online, amazon and ebay just to name two.
I've learned to curb the "I want it now" gene I have. I don't order online except if I can find more than 2-3 items in one place. YOu have to be smart with shipping. I may find a gov issue surplus canteen for example for $2.00 but their mess kits are $19.95 which I also may need. I mentioned it once before that gas prices now make it less economical to drive all over versus shipping charges. However, when I go visiting someplace or have to travel somewhere, I check out what is in the area (army navy stores, dollar stores, surplus stores) and while I am ther I try to make a stop, thus countering the "I want it now" gene. It may take some time, but if you are starting out and have some cash, then try and order from oneplace with good shipping rates and NOT the places that charge $8.00 for a $2 canteen orper item. Nothing is more frustrating than putting together an order and seeing shipping charges almost equal to the order size. That's laziness on the part of the store. The just drop everything in a box and just add it up and charge you. Shipping rates are online and you can see how much. "excessive handling charges" are a bunch of crap and make sure they are NOT just ordering when they get an order, check if it's in stock. I'm not above canceling an order with 1/2 on back order and I won't pay shipping back to them without a fight. It's not just $5-10, watching what you do could mean up to $40 and that buys a lot of gear.
Call/email and ask for shipping discounts if you spend so much. I love FREE shipping places that say "for a certain amount it's free shipping"
Iv bought a lot of nice surplus coats from the sportsmans guide. A few years ago I discovered there was a really nice military surplus store nearby and I went in there to buy some stuff. I wish I had bought more that day because they closed a week later.
Good thread. There are fewer and fewer genuine surplus outlets areound, good to know names, address and phone/web site of the ones that give good products for fair prices and good customer service.
I nominate this thread for a sticky.
I go to a variety of places. When I travel without the Wife Unit, I'll stop at some of those flea-market/antique places along the road and look around. I've found so far:
10 MRE's for a buck a piece (still within the dates)
2 Five gallon Jerry cans @ $3.00 each (and hold fuel to this day, I just got out the old krylon OD green & tan paint and shot them up).
50 rnds of 1944 .30 carbine (still in box) for $20.00 (I had to clean them up a little)
1 1968 Ontario Pilot Survival knife for $10.00
1 Cattaraugus USMC Hand Combat knife w/sheath for $25.00
2 Safariland New Leather Magazine holders @ $5.00 for both.
3 2 qt collapsable canteens USGI @ $1.00 each.
Thats not to mention some snags I've made on e-bay.
I've also stopped at a couple of going out of business sales..
Brand New Outboard Motor covers (Outer Banks Outfitters) as well as boat fitings and parts on the cheap. I'll list the covers in the classified section...
I go to a place in Edwardsville IL not far from me. Its the most organized surplus shop I've ever been to. Been doing bizz with them for almost ten years IMS Plus
I used to get most of my milsurp from disposal stores but over the last 20 years or so, here in Aus, most disposals stores either closed or became camping shops.
Most milsurp gear available now is becoming too expensive or it is in really bad condition or just a cheap copy, sometimes though, I find real gems in a dark dusty corner of a disposal store.
I still get some reasonably priced stuff from gun shows and gun shops or off eBay.
Lately, ebay has outstanding NEW surplus. gruntgear is a great honest vendor with new surplus. Buyer beware, there are a few poor bad ones also on ebay with wrong discriptions and fake items.
Same here with Allegheny Surplus Outlet. They gave me a good deal and fast shipping on an ALICE pack I ordered around the holidays. I'd definitely do business with them again.
I made an order from Allegheny Surplus Outlet on the 24th of March. I did not get a tracking number until March 31 because it took them 6 days (4 business days) to box and ship my items. Once UPS had my items, it took them 2 days to ship them to me. I opened my box to find that 6/8 products I bought are not even close to the condition described:
•1 Military CAMO Alice FIELD PACK Backpack w/Straps M GOOD:
It was in excellent condition (no complaints).
•1 US Military Surplus Army DUFFLE Cordura Nylon Duffel Bag NICE:
This item was covered in bleach stains and a very thick coat of mud covering the inside and smelled and looked like it was used as a trash bag. No hole or tears but it was NOT in nice condition.
•1 USGI MILITARY Trigger Finger Mittens w/ Liners MEDIUM NICE SPECIAL
Ok shape but the mittens were a large and the liners were a medium.
•1 USGI MILITARY ARMY Cotton Sateen Coveralls Button Closure VERY GOOD
Good shape but they were an extra small. I have a 30 inch waist and I could not button them up
•1 US ARMY Molle OD 3L CAMELBAK HYDRATION PACK SYSTEM NICE
Poor shape. Not nice, but the real problem is that it says CAMELBAK HYDRATION PACK SYSTEM. It is not a system, it’s just the case for the system to go in.
•1 US MILITARY 1 QT CANTEEN OD W/ CASE & ALICE CLIPS NICE
Good shape, no problem.
•1 US GENUINE MILITARY Camo LBV Load Bearing Vest WORKS GREAT FOR PAINTBALL VERY GOOD CONDITION
Plastic buckles were broken.
•1 US ARMY WET WEATHER PARKA WOODLAND CAMO COAT VERY GOOD CONDITION
This one smelled so bad I had to take it outside. No holes or tears but covered in sticky glue-like substance and smelled like it been soaked in deer-in-heat scent.
Because I was disappointed in 6/8 items, I called to find out who in the hell packed this box. I told the Supervisor about my problems. I explained that I would like to keep the alice pack and canteen. She then said these are surplus items, if you have a problem with your order send it all back or nothing! So then I had to send back all the items, including the only 2 items that were as described that I would have liked to keep. I never once received an apology. I am now waiting on a refund! I will keep you updated. I was told I would get a full refund and repaid up to $15 for return shipping. I returned the items and first recieved a refund of $41.69. I called and complained about not getting my full refund. They owed me $27.29. Then I recieved another refund of $9.00. I contacted them again, telling them that they still owed me $18.29. I called every day for a week to get ahold of the manager. I got ahold of her today, April 9. I was told to "shut up and listen" if I want to recieve all of my money back. I told her
all the military surplus stuff i got came from when i was active. when i got out, i took a bunch of old stuff i didn't want to the local military surplus guy, where everyone took their stuff.
if you live near an army post, there are always pawn shops and military surplus shops where you can get stuff relatively inexpensive, not to mention the garage sales of joes getting ready to PCS/ETS.
It's hard to find true military surplus stores where I am at, so I have to go on the "online" route. Usually googleing "military surplus" will bring some results, but you have to sort through the riff-raff. Someone else on here mentioned Cheaperthandirt. They are a good dealer. Another is www.majorsurplus.com
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