The Military Surplus Thread

Aussiemike said:

I watch a lot of hunting shows made in NewZealand and a lot of guys wear these 100% wool and look cool I mean warm and comfy but not cheap but would last a lifetime I reckon.
https://nznaturalclothingshop.co.nz...bM6LPaIuzV7wgecJfhJ7DxPEF_VlDPaRoCpIUQAvD_BwE

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx said:

I've seen those somewhere, but I can't put a finger on where. I don't dig deep into bushcraft or militaria, but because surplus has always interesting to me, I run into oddities by chance all the time. Aren't they called a cagoule? Patagonia had them in the 80s that I've seen in collectable blogs, both of early rain fabric and then another in their early fleece synchilla fabric. The Swedes also had some version of it in the winter military gear? I get the utility of it, but it also looks like sleepwear.

Click to expand...

Aussiemike said:

https://www.thrudark.com/en-au/products/scout-smock-jacket-obsidian-black

View attachment 22637
Sub note edit. This gear is made of the same stuff as tier1/special forces would be familiar with from what I have seen. I am thinking the market is for them and maybe other people that have a camo hat with national flag morale patch that may want to feel what good kit is like? or people that just like quality kit that is getting very rare these days?
Me I am rich, I can buy anything and whatever takes my fancy from Kmart.
I hope I am still on topic peter not surplus but kinda.

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx said:

https://www.eventfabrics.com/products/outerwear#bio

at first, I thought eVent was another term for ventile, which is great stuff, military related, and notoriously expensive. It is not. Looks like another goretex alternative. The prices on this stuff are simply absurd. Another example is the very cool, marketed to the new school of offgridders and hunters, Fjallraven Anorak No 8 M (how's that for militaria mind manipulaton of a name?). This anorak is right in my wheelhouse, but again, I'm NOT paying $500, no matter how much I like the garment and the company's ethics.

https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us/men/jackets/trekking-jackets/anorak-no-8-m/?_t_q=&_t_hit.id=Luminos_Storefront_Web_Features_Catalog_Product_Domain_CommonProduct/CatalogContent_f977bb93-d7d8-487c-9688-6f7414d12ce7_en-US&_t_hit.pos=1&_t_tags=andquerymatch,language:en,siteid:162d49d9-f0ac-4d2d-a110-e8143f6ca828&v=F83242::7392158941179

Click to expand...

Swede said:

It seems the G-1000 fabric uses a wax of theirs for refreshing the water resistance. Could what is old be new again, i.e , a waxed garment... I have an xBay sourced Filson tin cloth loggers coat and hat that uses their wax.
https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us...oducts/greenland-wax/?v=F79060::7392158015450

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx said:

That Fjallraven wax isn't too terribly priced. Some of them can get ridiculous (big surprise, huh?) with their pricing. You can also make it. There are many recipes, but I happen to have this one bookmarked. Never tried it myself. I'm guessing a hairdryer is a must, but I always use one when I'm even waterproofing boots/leather.

https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=405_434_515&language=en

Click to expand...

Swede said:

Here's a picture of the Swedish pack.

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx said:

I love those old surplus rucksacks. They're all similar in basic configuration, but with small tweaks here and there. A couple years ago, I looked to get a backup for mine, but they were no longer cheap. I have a real problem wanting backups to my favorite pieces of clothing, gear, etc. My old rucksack looks like the day it was bought for nothing, but I want a backup in case I wear it out. So silly, because I'm never going to wear it out unless I slip and it flies off my back and into a wood chipper.

I'd love to see more pictures of that ruck, and if anyone else has photos of theirs, I'm interested in those as well. I remember those being one of the items in surplus stores sitting in giant boxes on the floor for less than $10.

Click to expand...

Singed said:

Posted this previously in another thread. Firing pin from Ordnance QF-6PDR-MK1, serial 4056-1. My grandfather, father's side, was in the first artillery unit to test these cannons in North Africa, June 1941. He salvaged it and mailed it home as an ashtray. Since this image was taken, my brother and I cleaned up the piece, I will post fresh images of it soon.

View attachment 22731
View attachment 22732

NB: not an image of my grandfather's crew, stock photo.

Click to expand...

Swede said:

@Zeno Marx here are some more pictures, and it is about 21-22 inches tall. To me, the suspension is sturdy. I once went pretty far down a hill to a spring creek to find some unique rocks with areas the water had carved out, and this pack held them and was stable as I climbed out up the trail. I may have given $35, but memory is foggy on that. It's some of the toughest canvas I've ever seen. There is some writing on the leather where the straps join in the first picture. A quick image search brings up results some of which date a pack like this to 1959.

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx said:

I have a dream...with a 99.5% likeliness that it will remain a dream...of having this (now) very expensive British anorak being patterned and made out of old military blankets. I'd have to find a seamstress who is keen on making patterns without disassembling the garment (who wouldn't charge an arm and a leg). I've called around to the wool mills (a couple years ago now) to get the super heavyweight fabric, and 1) it is no longer made by any of them that I can find and 2) the heaviest I can find, from a couple different mills (Pendleton is one), are blends with nylon and cost a ridiculous amount to buy by the yard. Nobody makes 100% super heavyweight wool fabric anymore. My memory is a little hazy, but I think I could only find 24oz or 26oz. The old stuff I had in mind was closer to 30oz. If I'm going to settle for a blend, I'm not paying exorbitant rates, so I figure why not a couple military blankets for the material? I know some of them weren't made to be washed, but I did find some that were OK with being washed.

dream bubble now popping...

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx said:

Thanks for the extra pictures. That's such a cool pack. The history of that fabric is interesting (made from flax and nettle).* I have a question: is that pack loud? With all the clips and metal-on-metal pivot points, is it noisy? The Swiss didn't seem to prioritize noise with their stuff. I have an M70 jacket,** which is unique in design, and while I like it, there's two notable things about it: 1) the snaps are LOUD and clang/cling/rattle as you walk 2) the cotton is thick and robust, but it would take days for it to dry out once wet.

While I'm just going to use all this stuff to hike in the woods, and fascinate on like toys, I don't appreciate hearing clothing/gear noise over the natural sounds and peaceful vibes of the outdoors. For me, it is a significant distraction that is not welcome in the experience. It's also a problem with some of the new snowshoe designs. Sure, they're very light and smart, but they're also LOUD...so loud that they drown out the winds and calm of snowshoeing/backpacking in the winter. It's really not that different than the cacophony of the big city. It has a time and place, and in backcountry, it ain't it.

*"Stinging nettle is a very high performance fibre with immense breaking strain beyond that of carbon fibre. The Flax provides waterproofing and suppleness to the material. Together they present a speckled appearance known as ‘salt and pepper’ or ‘salz & pfeffer’."

** http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2011/07/m-70-swiss-alpenflage-jacket-backpacks.html

Click to expand...

Aussiemike said:

My grandfather had one identical to that but was natural colour he was a swiss border guard in the war. I fear it has been tossed or lost in many garage clean outs

Click to expand...