Sit down, buckle up and hold on. Today we’re gonna visit my brother from another mother Sean. He happens to be the gatekeeper of my favorite store in the whole wide world- The Military Depot. This place is “The Bomb” baby! Why?? Cause they be havin’ REAL MILITARY SURPLUS. They are one of the last places around me that is, in fact, the real deal. Sean has been outfitting me for decades. If you want the best customer service on the planet, from a guy that knows his stuff, look no further. Over the years I’ve learned so much from him and he’s always been genuine, sincere and trustworthy. He listens to my needs and has always come through. If he doesn’t have it, he finds it. If something comes and he thinks it fits the bill for me, he stows one away, gives me a call and smiles when I walk in the door. When my friends need a piece of kit, he hooks them up with the same service. It doesn’t get any better than that y’all. I’m Honey Smack Diggin’ It…
Over the years I’ve developed a great relationship with this man. A few weeks ago I approached him about talking to the owner about passing on the savings to SARCRAFT students. I’m more than excited about what we came up with. So here’s the deal- you come take a class with us, take a picture with me and I’ll let Sean know you’re “in.” Obviously they have more wiggle room with certain products. We talked about certain items that they have on the regular, and potential items they would have in the future. The end result is savings on your part. I feel truly blessed and want to express my gratitude to these guys. Now that you know the drill, it’s time to continue our journey. Let’s see what my friend Sean has for us today. Whadya have, whadya have???
Before we go any further, we’re going to need a pack. I find that in my own life, if I get a big pack, the pack just gets heavier and heavier. I call it the goldfish principle. Goldfish will grow in proportion to the environment you place them in. Keep them in a small bowl and they stay small- larger bowl, they grow. We tend to fill our own environments in the same way. If we have the space, we feel the need to fill it up with stuff. I’m going to set the tone with the best pack I’ve ever owned. In 2001, I purchased my first Rothco three day MOLLE assault pack. This is a medium transport pack made from heavyweight 900 denier nylon. As far as organization, I haven’t found one better. Everything is easy to get to and this bag is modular and fully adjustable. I’ve had A LOT of bags over the years. This one is, by far, my favorite. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone- man, woman or child. This bag could easily be used for a bug out bag, a go bag, a hunting bag, a jump bag, a get home bag, a 72, 24 or 12 hour bag, a hiking bag, a camping bag-you get the picture bag. At just under $60, this fits everyone’s budget, especially when you consider I’ve had mine for 17 years. By setting the tone early on, we will be forced to prioritize and find a few high quality items to fill our needs rather than putting a bunch of junk in the trunk. The less you have, the less you will have to keep up with and maintain. Keeping things simple is the way to go. For this journey, the choice is clear for me. They come in all kinds of colors now, I choose coyote tan and black this time. Keep It Simple SMART!!!
One of the items I get the most use out of is my Army poncho. Besides being useful for keeping the rain off of you, I use it as a tarp. I can “fly it” or “pitch it” in a variety of configurations. If your friend has one as well, you can make a tent out of it by buttoning them together. I carry mine on the bottom of my pack so when I set it down, if the ground is saturated, my gear doesn’t get wet. I also use it as a ground tarp to organize my gear and keep things clean. My favorite use for it is firecraft. I stack my tinder, kindling and fuel wood on it so that if it rains, I can quickly cover up what I’ve processed to keep it dry. You can use it to transport leaves to make a debris bed. You can use it to collect water. The list goes on and on. A good guideline when deciding what to carry, is to make sure each item in the pack has multiple applications. My poncho has served me well my whole life and I highly recommend one. For an item that fills this many needs, I have no problem spending $30. Score…
Speaking of multi-use items, what kit isn’t complete without cordage? Making natural cordage is a great skill to have, but anyone who has made a significant amount of it will tell you it takes a significant amount of time to make. Not to mention that the materials with which to make cordage seem to be scarce when you need them. Do yourself a favor and buy some military grade paracord. Don’t buy the cheap stuff- not all paracord is the same grade. I prefer to have 100’ of 550 cord at all times. I usually have some orange to make lanyards for certain items (this makes it very easy to spot what you set down in the woods) and some other color for ridgelines and guy lines etc. This time I chose to purchase 50’ of braided coyote brown extraction cord to go with my kit ($5.99). Even the best paracord is inexpensive and the multi use applications are worth every penny. Just do it…
Continuing on the multiuse items, the shemagh is my next choice. This is not a terrorist towel. The S.A.S. has been using them as a standard issue item since WWI. Stay away from gold, red and blue patterns and you won’t get shot. Ignorance is rampant these days unfortunately. The original terrorist towel is actually the bandana. Don’t believe me? Check out its history before you jump to conclusions. The origin of the “Turkish Red” paisley bandana is from… Here’s your sign. Research what Martha Washington used them for along with cowboys (rednecks) and miners (blue collar). Did I mention gangs? Don’t believe me, find out for yourself and discover why one of these shemaghs is a must have. Multiple uses are limited by your imagination. Thank the Cahuilla Indians for this prize. I use mine for making a haversack, a tourniquet, towel, multiple bandages, a water filter, an arm sling, making char cloth and I haven’t even got started. They can even be wet down and used as an improvised gas mask. Take your American Express, spend $13 and don’t leave home without one- the shemagh of course…
The next thing to catch my eye is a good full grain leather duty belt ($26.99). I love my tactical riggers belts, but I was using leather long before they came around. They have multiple uses as well. My favorite alternative use for the belt is as a strop for my knife. Maintaining your blade is a BIG DEAL. A few strops on the belt will keep your most important survival tool in sharp working order. I also use mine to hang my pack off the ground while I’m asleep. I simply wrap the belt around a tree and through the carry handle of the pack. You could also use it to strap firewood together in a bundle to help you carry it back to your base camp. Imagine the look on your rowdy children’s faces when you rip it off your waistline as well. I certainly remember that sound. Buckle up! There’s a new sheriff in town…
Protecting your hands is very important. I’ve been utilizing the military tactical leather gloves and wool liners for quite awhile now. The leather gloves hold up extremely well considering what I put them through and the benefit of having wool liners is that even when your hands are wet, they still stay warm. I prefer the wool liners that are cut off at the fingertips so I can still maintain a degree of control and feel for what I’m working on. If you use your phone, you also don’t have to keep taking your gloves on and off. Either way, they have them available with or without the fingertips. The tactical leather gloves were $19.99 and the liners were $6.99. I have purchased many name brand tactical gloves that cost a ridiculous amount of money and just haven’t lasted as long as these. Now I have a handle on things…
Ok. I gotta stop now. I could spend an entire paycheck here. My goal is to stay around $100 each trip. Last time we spent $76.34 at Goodwill. With my SARCRAFT discount, I ended up spending $122.00 with Sean. Not bad actually. We got a pack, rain gear, gloves, belt, cordage and a shemagh to go in the kit. The stuff I purchased was designed to be in the worst environments in the world. Who knows? Maybe some of it was. I always wonder about the stories behind my surplus gear. Who wore or used it? Where has it been? What on earth has it done? At any rate, it has history and character and I think that’s cool. Now it’s been repurposed to help others PREVAIL in their own unique adventures. Our kit is growing and we still need a few items before we can get out and practice our skills. Tune in next time for our trip into the Matrix and we’ll see just how far that rabbit hole goes…
- Jonathan
