When You’re In the Wild It Pays to Be Prepared

Heading out into the elements is a favorite pastime of many. In fact, retailers well outside the world of sporting goods sell camping equipment, often covered with superheroes or other fun designs. Kids love them, and that may be fine for a weekend at the beach, but for durability and comfort there’s a much more reasonable choice: Consider getting your camping supplies from an army surplus store.

Military surplus is what it sounds like. Products were made for military use, and there are leftovers, sometimes used but often brand new. This means two great things for consumers: Durability and price. In terms of their staying power, these products are a steal.

Army surplus is designed to withstand grueling conditions in locations all over the world. If a product is intended to be waterproof, no rain is getting inside. Just look at how many stores selling tents and other outdoor gear dedicate space to waterproofing sprays and sticks; it’s a real problem while camping. Wind can be a doozy as well. If you’ve ever gone for an idyllic stay at the beach and had your tent take flight and land in the water, you know it puts a damper on things. Surplus products offer good wind resistance and also spikes that will actually grip the ground and help keep your camp intact.

Even if a surplus tent costs a bit more than a department store look-alike, spend five minutes exploring the two and it’s clear which is the better investment. Things like sturdy snap-down seams to cover zippers mean warmer clothes and a better air seal on tents, and offer an easy way to close up if the zipper snags. Funny how that rarely happens with these items, though--again, they’re created for ease of use in adverse conditions, which means relative luxury while in the woods.

As brand-name outdoors products have had a gradual decline in quality to meet lower price points, it’s hard to look at them as investments that will last a lifetime. This is where army surplus really has no competition. Sturdy products that can bounce back again and again with basic care and maintenance are an investment that pays you back in more ways than one. Using the same equipment year after year makes camping a ritual; just seeing it fires up the imagination (and maybe the belly, since food does taste better outdoors). Knowing it’s come through for another year makes that time more special. Visit this website to get Army Navy items in San Diego to use as camping supplies.