Other than firearms.......

[Mr. 16 gauge]

...what goodies do you find at the military surplus store that you use for hunting (or everyday life)?
I have a few military/government surplus stores in our area that I go to. I have found camo material & netting (used for making duck blinds), camo clothing (deer, duck, turkey hunting), wool gloves & socks (hunting or working outdoors in winter), rope (variety of uses), bungie cords (again...multiple uses), canteens (camping/hunting), .30 & .50 cal ammo cans (storing ammo, cameras, tools, ect), paint (blinds/other projects), metal jerry cans, and survival manuals.

In addition, I've found that some items can be used for other things: for example, the old canvas web pouches that were used for the 15 rd M1 carbine mags is ideal for carrying spare Remington 742/760 magazines....almost like it was made for it. Some other magazine pouches (cant remember the number) are handing for carrying first aid supplies.

What goodies have you found?

[Gil Martin]

I use many of the items that you have mentioned. On handy item is the canvas gas mask bags that make very nice possibles bags when shooting or hunting with surplus arms or muzzleloaders. I make my own survival kits and like the G.I. surplus signal mirrors and match containers. It is interesting just to shop surplus stores to see what is available. All the best...
Gil

[Dan Morris]

Lessee....last weekend...at a moving sale, I came across 2 of the old GI
cot....wood and canvas.....NEW....$20 for both....threw away my aluminum ones!!
Dan

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

Excellent post.

I have shopped military surplus stores all my life. I use surplus backpacks, mag pouches, bayonets, camo paint, belts, slings, holsters, ammo cans and other stuff I can not recall.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Hi Adam;
I never really thought about it, but I probably could have used an old bayonet for a machete when it came time to build duck blinds, get myself out of a thicket, ect. I'm sure that those things are commanding top dollar now for collectors.
Take care......................

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

Back in the Glory Days, I bought many nice bayonets for $1.00 or $2.00. The MkIII bayonet was a buck and is a nice machete. The best is the Swiss sawtooth bayonet that cost a whopping $5.00 in 1961. At the last gun show here a rusty sawtooth was priced $600.00!

Adam

[Seawolf1090]

I have three Spanish CETME bayonets - one for each of my rifles (CETME and FR8) and a spare. The bolo blade is a nice all-around camping knife, once properly sharpened.
My repro Finn M39 bayonet is a good camping knife too - the Finns designed it for 'multi-tasking'.
I got a Vietnam-era B44 Rocket Pack (Warsaw Pact issue) that makes a dandy tent carrier. Got several GI canteens and two stainless canteen cups - I camp in a somewhat minimalist way, and I cook my food in the GI cup.
The East German plastic canteens are great too - they don't impart the plastic taste to water like the GI canteens. I keep a couple in the tank panniers of my motorcycle - I ride the back roads and forest roads a lot and I like to keep water available.
GI blankets, for camping and home use - Having spent ten years in the military, I grew to like them. No wool allergies.
I have a good collection of various small pouches, magazine pouches, etc. I have two different Swiss surplus rifle cleaning kits. My shooting bag contains a US GI AR-15 cleaning kit with extra tips included.
Of course, my Bug Out pack is the tried&true Alice Pack. Got four of them, and have one set up on a comfortable civilian frame set.
I am always looking for GI surplus stuff to add to the stockpile.

[GoodOlBoy]

50 or 30 cal Ammo cans, and Korean war era entrenching tools are two of my favorites. I have an east German mess kit somewhere in my old camping gear that was great, a few small belt pouches,, etc. Grenade boxes are good when you can find them.

GoodOlBoy