BIG SAVINGS
+EVERYTHING SHIPS FREE
Learn More
What is Military Surplus?
On a certain instinctive level, we all know what it is.
Aka milsurp, this is the kind of gear worn by outdoors-lovers, contrarians, punks, and malcontents. Not to mention musicians, A-list celebrities, the unhoused, even the occasional military service member.
But if you really want a definition, then here it is:
Military Surplus: The clothing, supplies, and equipment a military organization no longer wants, needs, or has room for. Often these items are then sold off on the secondary market.
The shortest answer.
Now, for a longer answer we must use an analogy.
The Military Surplus Elephant
There's a story, told across many cultures and for at least a couple thousand years, about a group of blind men examining an elephant for the first time.
This is obviously some place that doesn't normally have elephants. Maybe it's Cincinnati.
One man reaches up and feels the trunk and says, This elephant is like a snake.
Another man feels the elephant's side and says, This elephant is like a wall. Because walls are typically hot and wrinkly, right?
A final third man feels the tusk and says, This elephant is like a spear.
The elephant, of course, sighs at this point. This is just another Tuesday for him. But, on the other hand he thinks, there's worse ways to make a living.
Military Surplus is much like that elephant.
The first person might examine an old sleeping bag. They might say Military surplus is warm and soft. Also, it smells a little funny.
The second person might examine a backpack made from 600-denier CORDURA ripstop. They might say Military surplus is durable and well made.
The third person might examine a Romanian Horse Gas Mask. After a long pause, they might remark Military surplus is very strange.
Is Military Surplus super-durable, high-performance equipment? Sometimes. Is it just plain unusual? Sometimes.
Is Military Surplus collectible? In the milsurp world, there's a saying.
To the right person, everything is a collectible.
And much like the elephant, there are many other parts of military surplus that, upon examination, might yield entirely different results. Infinite variation. Infinite diversity. Perhaps a trip to Human Resources. Sorry, elephant.
It is our job to describe each piece to the best of our ability. Yet we are human. Fallible. The full, complete picture of a surplus product may not reveal itself until it arrives at your house and Stares. You. In. The. Face.
No matter how much you buy, how much you break, or how much you rave enthusiastically to the voices in your head, you will never understand it fully.
You will never know the full elephant.
But at least it's better than shopping at REI.
Helpful Links
Sportsman's Guide Military New Arrivals (the stuff we just got in stock)
Sportsman's Guide Military Clearance (the stuff we're practically paying you to take off our hands)
Further Reading
The Art of Manliness's chronicle of the rise and fall of surplus stores