where to buy gear

i personally like to buy items from military surplus stores or cabelas never over the internet dont use credit cards always pay in cash theres a real nice military surplus store around idaho falls id. plus buy stuff from a gun dealer he orders stuff from www.chearerthandirt.com

reply to post by Papa Sierra


Those are some pretty decent ways of acquiring gear. Luckily I get all of my stuff issued to me and what I don't get I can buy at the places you mentioned. Another place you should check out is Army/Air Force DRMO. If you live near an Army Post or AF Base they are always selling stuff really cheap.

reply to post by PrepareForTheWorst


All my duece gear was supplied to me courtesy of the U.S.M.C. but thats just the basics I travel alot and I'm always looking for new places to shop for differant survival gear plus if people start listing places to find gear others will be able to go there as well thats for the input on finding gear near bases pawn shops near military bases are a good place as well to score some cheap gear

I've spent about $4,000 in the past couple months at local military surplus and outdoorsmen shops. You should be able to break out the yellow pages or google maps to find yourself one. Small stuff like phosphorous / magnesium flints can even be purchased safely at Communist-Mart. Oh, I meant Wal-Mart.

Yes, pawn shops near military installations are always a good place as well. Unfortunately where I live, most places will not ship there so I have to buy most of my stuff at Sportsman's Warehouse. We also have some pretty good local shops so all is good.

For those in the lower 48, cheaperthandirt.com or shotgun news magazine is always a good bet.

Best of luck in your search!

I get a lot of my stuff from Entrygear and Blackhawk as well as some local stores and importers. Hope this helps.

I get the bulk of my gear from brigade quartermasters their website is actiongear.com, I have ordered from cheaperthandirt.com but you get what you pay for, I got a tactical vest for 130.00 and the imitation was in cheaperthandirt but for 40.00, Im not gonna go the cheaper route with gear that my life may depend on. I send brigade money orders so it wont show up on my credit card. Also try lapolicegear.com and uscav.com. I dont know about the surplus stores where you at but the one by my house charges way too much, I mean they want 60 for a sure fire light that only costs 35, They think that people can only buy from them so they make it expensive

Since other people are posting commercial website addresses here with no warnings from mods, I would like to add one as well:

Survival Gear Outlet

They have a lot of stuff. Not always the cheapest place, but very high quality stuff.

If all you bought from them was a survival straw and a hatchet you would be better off than the 98% of the people in this couuntry who are unprepared.

You can purchase from most online retailers, via money order in the mail.

Ranger Joes is another decent place for gear, simular to US Cav store, they offer slightly different stuff. It is always best to shop around and keep in consideration multiple retailers for a wide variety of supplies.



[edit on 7-1-2008 by ADVISOR]

I find surpluss stores to be a terrible rip off. Everything in there is way more expensive than it should be. I will have to check out some of these online retailers.

Wow, haven't even thought of Ranger Joe's in years. Seeing that name took me down a road I haven't traveled in a long time.

Any big store can get you the basics, surplus and specialty stores are good for specific items, maybe a little pricey. I stick with cheaper than dirt.

$4000 in survival gear purchases? bloody hell!

The thought that's going through my mind right now is how would you replace your gear should you lose some/all of it post-X with no stores to buy from, and the only option is to make/adapt your own?

Forget shelling out notes for gear that will make you look like a very attractive target for law-enforcement, opportunists and muggers, forget dependancy on store-bought items as the only source of equipment...learn to adapt existing materials and tools whilst you have the luxury of time and lack of urgency to do so!

reply to post by citizen smith


While I agree with you in principle, it pays off in this case to have a hobby like Paintball or Airsoft, this way you can invest into nifty combat gear without raising too much suspicion.
At worst, people think of you as a jackass military wannabe, but nobody will take you too serious.

And having the gear in the beginning might give you a little headstart when the SHTF. But you are correct that people should focus on getting used to little or no helpful gear, as you never know when you have it available.

reply to post by Swordbeast


The only three items in my kit that were any kind of expense are my goretex lightweight jacket and trousers and my boots...the rest of my clothing and toolkit-gear is improvised at minimal cost

thank you all for some geat sites its been very helpful. Ive been looking for some upgrades to what ive got but dont see the reason to pay alot for it considering the if sitx happens i dont want to be the guy with all the nice gear that everybody wants, to me thats like painting a bulls eye on your back,

Originally posted by craig732
Since other people are posting commercial website addresses here with no warnings from mods, I would like to add one as well:

Survival Gear Outlet

They have a lot of stuff. Not always the cheapest place, but very high quality stuff.

If all you bought from them was a survival straw and a hatchet you would be better off than the 98% of the people in this couuntry who are unprepared.

I am going to second that survival straw. If you have ever been out of bounds backpacking and ended up out of water and fuel, its the handiest thing to have. No pumping or prep. No stopping to boil with twigs and sticks. Just drink and stay safe from bugs and viruses.