MILITARIA

Call it a MASK unit. This faux-military “Minor Surgery” kit from Voodoo Tactical® comes in a 7" x 5" x 2-1/2" canvas pouch containing: 6” wound probe; 3-1/2” stitch scissors; 3-1/2” tweezers; 5-1/2” bandage scissors; 5” straight and curved forceps; a #3 scalpel handle with disposable blade; pupil flashlight with mm gauge; alcohol pads; antiseptic towelettes; some 5/0 monofilament; and a gram of antibiotic ointment. Pouch will be OD, Black or Coyote; we'll spin the wheel of fate to decide. And remember: reenacting actual combat surgery without a license is still not allowed.

You will survive, too, just like Gloria Gaynor, and in the woods, even. But only if you have this U.S. Army manual, cleverly titled: SURVIVAL, Department of the Army Field Manual FM21-76. It's 287 heavily illustrated pages of techniques for staying alive (add your own BeeGee jokes here) including orientation, food & cooking, fire- and shelter-making, rafts, animal, insect and plant recognition, and much more. This is the 1970 edition, but staying alive in the woods hasn't changed a whole lot since then. In soft-cover.

Survival bracelets, actually. These are braided paracord, and quite attractive, but unbraid them and you’ve got (7) feet of military-grade (per the mfr) paracord with a safe working load of 100 lbs and a max working load of 550 lbs. Bracelet closes with black snap closures. Mildew and abrasion-resistant. In black, royal blue, red, purple-ish gray with black edges, and camo. We’ll pick, but order two or more and we’ll try to send different colors.

Peace, brothers and sisters. If you’re on the peace train, you might like this sky blue 100% woolen beret from the United Nations, just like the UN peacekeepers wear. Inside, the label says “United Nations Property,” which will cease to be true when it’s your property. Assorted sizes from M to 2x, 7 to 7-3/4. Drop us a note with your approx size and we’ll see what we can do. No promises, though--you get what you get without throwing a fit.

It’s like the Swiss one, but different. This used soldier’s pocket knife is brown, olive green or black, and made by Amefa for the Dutch military in 1966. All versions feature a real carbon steel blade that can be polished and sharpened to a razor’s edge and the extra tools may include combinations of can opener, bottle opener, marlin spike, wire stripper, slotted screwdriver or second smaller blade. We'll randomly select one for you. The whole unit is about 4-1/2” long, plus a handy little attachment ring on one end. They are genuine military surplus and will need a little TLC to get them looking pristine. 

The light-duty, light-green, lightly used canvas combat pack is probably Romanian. It was used so gently we’re confident in calling it “almost new.” Measures approx 11” x 10” x 5” with an inner side compartment, a large shoulder strap, a strap to close the front flap, and (2) bonus straps to wear it as a backpack.

When you need to keep your powder dry, you'll wish you had this army-green rubberized bag from the Dutch military. Measures 12" tall x 14" wide x 5" deep, with tri-fold top flaps for extra waterproofing and heavy-duty embedded feet on the bottom corners. No carrying straps, but it has plastic buckles on the back and sides to add them. Easy conversion to a messenger bag or a pair of panniers.

Blank dog tags, ready to punch. Each set measures 2" x 1-1/8" x 1/32" thick in matte stainless steel with (2) ball chains, one 24" long and one 4-1/2" long. You get (2) sets of (2) tags, with (4) chains altogether. Made in the USA.

Wrap this digital camo cloth tape around your camera, rifle stock, spotting scope, lunch box, selfie stick or brother-in-law and make them all disappear in the woods. Our each is a roll of 2” wide x 33 feet of “Easy-Peel” tape.

We don’t have the canopy, but we’ve got genuine British military braided parachute chord. And you know the Brits make some solid cord. This bunch is 1/4” dia, in olive drab, and we’ll send you a 50-foot hank—even if your name’s not Nigel or Hank. Originally used in the support system for parachutes, this ultra-strong braided paracord is nearly twice the thickness of the standard commercial 550 cord.

These gray rubber gas masks from the Russian military fit over your entire head and lend a very insectesque appearance. Eye lenses measure 2-3/16" dia and the front of the mask ends in a snout-like fitting for a filter, which you won't get because we don't got. (We think it is a standard size) As usual, don't wear these masks into any "situations"--they're for decorative purposes only.

Take a quick look at this cylinder-shaped olive drab heavy canvas duffle bag and you’ll think it’s standard issue GI. But surprise, soldier—it’s from the Chinese military. Measures 36” long x 12” dia, and has the standard (3) eyelets on top, with the hook and loop system that keeps it loosely closed. Circular flap inside the bag keeps contents covered and protected. Thick handle and shoulder strap make it easy to tote, plus there’s a little outside pocket with a window for a badge or ID.

From the U.S. Navy stock of unused Gob hats (no, we don’t know where that name comes from) or more familiarly “dixie cups,” in white cotton twill. We’ll pick from sizes 7.5, 7.75 and 8 if you’re going for the Cracker Jack look, but if you turn the sides down like Gilligan, one size fits every noggin. Upright, it should be squared up for authenticity. Group discount available for drama teachers staging South Pacific.

t’s not big enough to fit a snare, or even an 8” concert tom, but this Chinese military drum pouch did carry ammo drums for the SKS rifles used in the Vietnam War. Vaguely triangular, the pouch measures approx 7” tall, 7” wide at the top and 2” wide at the bottom. Has an adjustable shoulder strap, and cool Chinese lettering on the inside of the flap, which has a toggle closure. In classic olive drab, of course.

Joseph Cornell would have loved this one. Remember him? The assemblage artist who put boxes on the art map? Look him up. And then imagine the possibilities for this his handsomely rugged, hinged-top 7” x 7-3/4” x 1 3/4” wooden box from the U.S. Army. Painted olive drab on the outside with brass hardware, it used to be a GI artillery gunner’s quadrant instrument box. Has interior wooden bracing, perfect for a Cornell-style piece, and the words “CHEST, PACKING FOR GUNNER’S QUADRANT” stenciled in white on the hinged lid. If you’re not into making art, use it for anything you’d use a wooden box for (duh), or just as a cool, authentic display item. Made in the USA, natural

From the mid-20th-century German military, this is a fully functional field phone. Weighs in at 8.2 lbs, and comes self-contained in a 10-1/4" x 6-3/4" x 4-1/4" dark brown Bakelite case with a handset on a 4-foot cord, a 52” 2-pin jumper, 25” TT plug cord, ringer crank and a battery holder for the battery you’ll need to add. Should work with standard stereo speaker wire, and we’d get a pair of these phones if we were you. Small quantity available. These are surplus and have wear and tear on them. We will pick the nicest of the lot. 

Back in the USSR, they made sure every bicycle (that’s “velosiped” to you, comrade) had a proper light set. Forty years later, we’ve got those classic bicycle light sets in “new” old surplus. New, as in never used. Don’t expect LEDs, folks. This is the real McCoy, straight from the USSR. Headlight is 3-1/4" diameter with a clear front lens and a single metal mounting bracket but no hardware. Rear light is a red reflector style, 3-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 2, with bulb inside and no hardware. But the herring and borscht of this set is the classically styled bike generator with an included spring-loaded bracket.

Get in touch with your inner Schweizer with an aluminum Swiss military canteen cup. Surplus, and yours might even have a genuine Swiss dent or two. In a perfect oblong, unlike the U.S. kidney shape, they hold 14 oz and measure 4" x 2-3/4” x approx 4” tall with a pair of 2-1/2” folding handles that work better than the U.S. cup handle. All in all, the Swiss seem to have been way ahead of us, canteen-cup-wise.