A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Military Surplus

Shopping for military surplus can be exciting and lots of fun. Not only do you have the chance to find quality gear at low prices, but also to find cool vintage gear from our nation’s history. However, with so many options, and differences buying military surplus we know it can also be a bit overwhelming at first

If you’re ready to dive in but aren’t sure where to start, this guide will walk you through what you need to know to find genuine gear and make smart purchases.

What is Military Surplus?

Military surplus is gear that is no longer needed by the military. Instead of throwing these items away, the military sells them—typically in large liquidation auctions—and the buyers then resell the items to the general public.  It is a mistake to also think that all Military Surplus is always used. Most items are; however, a good percentage of what is called “Surplus” can be in new unused condition or has never issued which is called “Dead Stock”

Typically, it consists of older items that were discontinued because of upgrades or simple changes to standards. However, you can also find some current issues that the military had too much of because of overproduction. Learn how military surplus gets to the market for a good understanding on how it  got here to begin with.

What Can You Find at Military Surplus?

The military uses a huge range of gear, so there is almost no end to the types of items you can find at military surplus. Some of the most common types of military surplus are:

• Clothing: Jackets, parkas, combat pants, hats, gloves, socks, shirts, long underwear, accessories like belts.
• Footwear: Combat boots, duty boots, snow boots
• Gear: Large rucksacks, smaller military backpacks, tactical Vests, pouches, field gear, mess kits
• Outdoor Gear: Sleeping bags, tents, woobies, ponchos, MREs, lights, shovels, field furniture
• Personal Equipment: Gas masks, helmets, ballistic goggles, hearing protection, knee and elbow pads, hydration systems, first aid kits

Terminology to Know

When shopping for military surplus, you'll come across a lot of terms and acronyms. You’ll need to know these in order to make sure you are getting genuine military surplus gear.

Issue / Issued Gear
Refers to items that were officially issued to service members. This gear is authentic and was part of a soldier’s standard kit. If you see “U.S. Issue” or “G.I. Issue,” it’s the real thing. USGI is also a common term (United States Genuine Issue)

DRMO (Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office)
This was the former U.S. government agency responsible for disposing of excess military gear. While now renamed (it's part of the DLA Disposition Services), the term "DRMO" still floats around and refers to genuine military surplus. It also used to be a place on bases where civilians can walk in, however this has gone away and is now placed in a centralized auction or scrapped. 

DLA (Defense Logistics Agency)
The current agency that handles the distribution and disposal of U.S. military surplus. Items marked as DLA property or with DLA stickers are authentic.

NSN (National Stock Number)
A unique 13-digit code used by NATO countries to catalog and track military items. If a surplus item has an NSN, it’s almost certainly genuine and traceable to a specific military contract. It is easy to simply Google a NSN number and you can also look them up in a database.

DEMIL (Demilitarized)
Indicates an item has been modified to make it safe or legal for civilian use (e.g., removing optics from a scope or deactivating a weapon). DEMIL items are still genuine surplus but have been altered. In most cases DEMILed of clothing and some gear has been cut or made not operable in its original form.  Often We can rebuild and repair some of this gear for a new life for civilian use.

Turn-in
A term for gear returned by service members at the end of deployment or duty. These items may show signs of wear but are typically still functional and authentic.

MIL-SPEC (Military Specification):
This refers to equipment or clothing that meets the technical standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense. MIL-SPEC items are built to be rugged, reliable, and uniform across branches—but it does not mean it was issued by the military and thus is not real military surplus.

Commercial Spec or “Military-Style”:
These are civilian-made products that look like military gear but don’t meet the same standards or specifications. They can be a good budget option and oftentimes may be imported. We find they can still work well and serve your purpose in civilian use. Not all copies are bad. 

CIF:  Central Issue Facility:  This is basically the name for the current Turn-In facility for all soldiers across all branches.  Gear needs to be in somewhat serviceable condition and cleaned prior to turn-in. Soldiers turn-in military gear to CIF when they either get out of service or need to upgrade existing gear. It can be a big process and if not done right costs soldiers money to replace missing gear. Due to this there are now CIF Cleaning shops that help soldiers do this. 

Here is an example of How to turn in gear to CIF from the U.S. Army we thought would be interested to see

Why Are Some Military Surplus Items Cheap While Others Are Expensive? 

When shopping for military surplus, you’ll notice that there are often huge variations in prices. Just because it is all used does not mean it was all the same price in the supply chain. Just like any market prices may also be based on supply and demand as well as other factors. Even on the same items you can see big differences in stores on the same item.  You may see prices for example on our site even fluctuate.  When we have a lot of inventory, we are not worried about running out and may mark even expensive items down so as many people as possible can get them.  As we also wrote about how military items get to stores there could be a lot of waste or needed repairs when items are procured.  There are other main reasons including the condition and collectible or vintage status of an item. 

Does the Original Cost Matter?

Keep in mind that each item was also manufactured and had an original cost which in some factor is still passed down through the supply chain.  Many items that were made for the military from known brands like Eagle Industries or Specialty Defense (manufactured for military contracts) are still available in new condition from the brand on the market.  For us at Army Navy Outdoors we consider surplus a value that is in good condition when we can sell it for about half of the original retail or less.  It is common for us for example to sell a used MOLLE pouch for $15 that sells for $40-50 in new condition. 

Condition

A lot of military surplus items are used. Because military items are made to be durable, this usually doesn’t affect the functionality of the item. However, the used items may have stains, fraying, holes, or need minor repairs.  Sellers will typically label and price their surplus items based on the condition.  However, it’s worth noting that there is no official system for grading the condition.

For more on this, read our Guide to Military Surplus Condition Grades.

Collectible Status

Some military surplus items, especially ones from Vietnam or WWII, have developed cult statuses and are popular with collectors. These items, even in bad condition, will likely be much more expensive than similar items. The more patches you find the cooler they are.  We love vindate and each item can really tell a story about where it has been and even by whome.

How to Tell if It’s Genuine Military Surplus

When you’re new to buying military surplus, it can be tough to tell what’s the real deal and what’s just made to look like it. Here are some ways to know you are getting real military surplus:

1. Know Your Terminology: Remember that MIL-SPEC, “commercial spec”, and “military style” are not real military surplus.
2. Find the Branch Markings: Tags may say “U.S. Army,” “USMC,” or other branch names. Look for official-looking stamps or stencils rather than flashy commercial branding.  This is not always the case so it can be a marking but if it's not there do not just dismiss the gear. 
3. Look for Contract Numbers:  These are usually found on tags inside clothing or stamped onto gear. They show that the item was made for a military contract.
4. Be Wary of Cheap Gear: If the price seems too good to be true, especially for vintage or collectible gear, then it is probably a knockoff. Many copies also replicate the look of the real label but unlike real issues they have to print on that or another tag where it is made. 
5. Buy from Reputable Sellers: The best way to avoid knockoffs is to only buy from sellers that have good reviews and clearly state the condition of their products.
6. Limited Details: Most real U.S. Surplus will not have “made in the U.S.A” or even the contract manufacturer or brand on the tag. This is mostly done for two reasons.  1. Security operations.  If gear is found or on a solder they may not want to be known as to where they are from. And, the contract manufacturer can change and the item should be the same no matter who makes it. 
7. Color and Fabric Feel:  Online it may be hard to tell the true color however when questioning authentic surplus the first thing we look at is how the material feels.  Original U.S. fabric has its own feel and texture that is not easily copied.  The color may also be a tell tale sign especially when it comes to camo.  Olive for example is also hard to copy when the U.S. used for example OG-107 and that material is still expensive and hard to match.  Remember when an item is used, colors change. 
8. Off Supply Purchasing: Over the years military units had the ability to purchase specialty items not carried in supply as long as they met the standards needed for Berry Compliant (U.S. Made) or TAA currently (Trade Agreements Act).  At our warehouse we may get a variety of items that were not general issues to the branch but did come directly from a military unit. Does that still mean they are “Military Issue”?