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We hit this topic a few weeks back--good places to order some kick-ass gear. One of my favorites is Major Surplus & Survival, 435 West Alondra Blvd., Gardena, CA 90248. They are actually open seven days a week--Mon to Fri 9:00-6:00, Sat 9:00 to 5:00, and Sun 11:00 to 5:00 (jeeze do these people ever take a day off or what? I hope they rotate days off or something.) They have a toll-free 800 line, 1-800-441-8855. GET ON THEIR MAILING LIST. They offer the absolutely best, rock-bottom prices on outdoor equipment, military surplus shit, boots, tarps, foul-weather gear, uniforms from various countries, etc. that you ever saw. USGI night camo parkas from Desert Storm, $19.95. Nomex helicopter crewman's gloves, size 7 only, $19.95. USGI olive-drab wool blankets $16.95, German Army wool blankets $14.95, cast iron grain grinder from Columbia, $16.95. ALL-AMERICAN BRAND 15-1/2 QT. pressure canner cooker, $159.95 (this is the absolute best canner and field expedient autoclave in the world, bar none.) All kinds of kerosene lanterns from all over the world; "Dynamo"solar powered-radios $14.95, 300 feet of USGI "550" 3/16" shock cord $22.50, USGI rappelling gloves, $7.95. USGI ALICE pack, medium, with straps & no frame, $39.95 (hoppers, TAKE NOTE), USGI P-38 can opener 10 for $3.95 (this is the one that fits on your key ring.) USGI Intermediate weather sleeping bag, $39.95, French Army F-1 trapezoidal sleeping bag, $19.95, MA-1 flight jackets from $24.95 to $34.95 depending on size. USGI M-65 Field Jackets (new) $59.00, Dutch cammo parkas (used) $29.95
If you see a value in military surplus, then these guys are for you.
KaBaR- I dont know too much about outdoor survival but I'm learning. Do you have any comments on the store 'REI'? I've been in there atleast 2 dozen times and everything seems so nice and handy, but it's just too expensive. Theres quite a few surplus stores in the spokane area(where i live). I'll check them out and see what I find. Thanks for the info and your knowledge. p's
Gor--REI started out as a sort of co-op, in that they sold camping gear, climbing gear and so on at virtually wholesale prices. Eventually they got this good reputation for the best gear at the lowest prices. But even so, their stuff is still pretty high. You used to have to be an REI member to shop there, and also at first it was all mail-order, but now it's just kind of a very hip sporting goods store.
Some stuff I still buy at places like REI. I have a Svea stove (a little brass gasoline backpacking stove) (now called Optimus) that I bought at REI in 1967, I think.
But for cheap, "Can't-Bust-Em" gear, you can't beat military surplus. The real deal is called USGI (United States Government Issue), or "mil-spec" (military specifications.) Foreign military gear isn't as well made, unless it's British or Canadian. You can get ex-Soviet gear, East German Communist gear and Swiss military gear DIRT CHEAP. The Swiss stuff, especially, is rugged as it comes. I love the Swiss. They thumb their noses at the United Nations and tell them to suck it. I love that. I wish to hell the United States had that much sense. We ought to tell the U.N. to pack their shit and GET OFF OUR SOIL. But we won't, because there are too many idiots in the U.S. who just love the idea of the U.N. and a global Government.
Anyway, MS&S is just one place, but they sure have good equipment.
Asid--Nomex gloves are fire-resistant. Groundpounders love them because they are lightweight, they breathe pretty good, they resist oil and dirt and garbage, and they work great for protecting your hands in the field. They are NOT, I repeat, NOT good cold weather gloves. They are maybe, adequate for milder Southern climates. But MS&S sells plenty of Arctic gear, so check 'em out for some ECW (extreme cold weather) gloves. They have good parkas and stuff from time to time. I've seen Arctic combat swallowtail parkas with a wolf fur collar for less than $50. Just keep your eyes open.
i live off army surplus shit.. clothes are cheap and tough...
as for REI... stuff is way over priced, however, they throw "bad" equipment out. just go behind the place, sew up the slash the workers put in the gear, and youve got yourself a free $200 sleeping bag, frame pack, whatever...
i need a good back pack and jacket that won't hinder my movements when running and ducking and jumping.
the people who make that shit never consider the adventurer who will use the product for more than wearing on yer back to school or walking down the street. geez.
those gloves sound good. can u paint with them adn the fingertips won't obstruct the paint flow?
MFFS--Nomex gloves are wore by air crew because they are fire resistant. Air crew, especially helicopter air crew, often survive the crash itself because they are wearing protective gear like flight helmets, boots, nomex flight suits, etc. Back in the early days they would survive the crash, but get burned when the fuel went up. Or they might get burned trying to rescue one another from the crashed chopper. I don't know if they still wear Nomex gloves and flight suits or not--they may have better and more fire resistant material for flight equipment now. I was in the infantry. We were always trying to swap the airdales something for Nomex gloves because they were more comfortable and cooler than regular Marine Corps cold weather leather gloves, which is what we wore if we couldn't get something better. I bought U.S. Army gloves at a Surplus store. USGI DA-3 glove shells with the fingertips cut off work pretty well for combat gloves too, and might work okay for graff, but your fingertips would still get painted. The Nomex gloves are pretty "sensitive" but not as good as latex surgical gloves.
Major Surplus and Survival -
02-13-2002, 09:17 AM
