On Saturday the Missus and I went to Augusta. If you’ve been a reader here for awhile you’ll know that usually means that she goes to Goodwill and I wind up at the Topkick Army/Navy store.
I’d been looking for a light rain coat for my BOB and was hoping to pick up something relatively inexpensive while I was there, but as is sometimes the case I didn’t see anything worth picking up in the rain suit category. However, I did find an excellent polypropylene winter shirt for about $30 (once the governor got his share). It’s a Rothco G.I. Plus ECWCS (Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System) top and it’s good and heavy. I wore it out into the woods that night and was real pleased with its performance. Although it wasn’t colder than 40 degrees it was rainy and wet and with this shirt on I was very comfortable. I have some other polypro undershirts, but this one is much thicker and durable feeling than the other ones I have.
I think if I pair this up with a wool shirt and a Goretex shell I’ll have a winning combination. I love stuff like this because you can experiment with different items to see how well they work together.
After Topkick I went to pick up Mrs Jarhead at Goodwill. She was still shopping so I decided to check out the men’s section and wouldn’t you know it – Score! I found an LL Bean rain coat that was in excellent condition for $7.99. Perfect!
Ya know, if you look around you can put together a bug-out bag for a reasonable amount of money.
Later That Evening…
Once I got out to my camp I brought out my hobo stove and used it to heat up the water. It was a combination between a mist and rain and I was wearing my new shirt under my new rain coat. Hell yeah!
I had a fire going in the fire pit, so I shoved the logs aside and put the hobo stove in next to the burning logs. After that I put some sticks in the bottom of the stove and used that to heat the water. Once again I was really pleased at just how fast it brings the water to a full boil. Within five minutes the water was ready for my coffee bag and I sat back and enjoyed a hot cup of the dark nectar (black of course.)
Check out the hobo can stove pics below:
All this is simply to prove that you don’t need to buy the most expensive gear in order have a good, useful kit.
Do you look around for good deals or ways to make your own gear?
Sound off below!
-Jarhead Survivor
I’m hoping to get a good deal on some Gore-Tex, the next time the army changes cammo patterns.
I like the West German pants I got from Sportsmans Guide, but failed to buy the matching jacket at the time. availability of “fat guy” sizes is limited to begin with, and they sell out quickly every time.
Whenever we go by the SA or Goodwill, I try and keep an eye out for well made clothing that is sold for a song. Linen shirts are comfortable (well, MORE comfortable lol) in the humid south, so I try and keep an eye out for those, I occasionally find. When we go on vacations at military base towns, military clothing can be often found for little money – have several pairs of Wellco desert boots bought for less than $20 – shoes will become VERY important when / if things go south. Meantime, I use them for hunting so it isn’t wasted money.
My rule of thumb is IF you havent USED IT it DONT WORK. Wat mean is that when you aquire a new piece of gear, you ned to use it for the purpose you itend for which may not always be in linbe with the manufacturers intended purpose. If it doesnt work for yor inteded purpose or work in conjunction with your other gear, then it DOESNT WORK. TEst it people, live rn on te run is not the way to find out your gear has failed, by then your life depends on it.
Excellent advice Jarhead:
I have learned to avoid “all purpose” tools, weapons, everything.
Respectfully, Yoda / US Air Force – US Army
“Yoda/s Little Known Tactics To Avoid Being A Target:
http://www.magnifiedview.com
I like hitting the local thrift stores. Some days there is absolutely nothing and other days you score big. This weekend it was a 4 person tent (one torn screen window-easy repair) for 5 bucks and two Coleman lanterns for 3 bucks each. No brainers!
Oh… And this week is bulk trash pickup. Always find something useful by just driving the neighborhoods!
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or
something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the
message home a bit, but instead of that, this is excellent
blog. A fantastic read. I’ll definitely be back.
Polypro ,like nylon,melts , and VERY easely too. wool, cotton ,silk and leather . The modern stuff , not so much for me. For raingear I got Helly Hanson. Never fails. That & good boots and I’m good to go. I want gear that will still be of use in five years. Without large duct tape patches.We don’t have what y’all would think of as winter . Its more of a realy damp fall to you. The deepest snow we’ve ever had was 16in. and that melted off in four weeks. That only happens once every 10 years or so. For us zero is a realy big deal .This is what ya’ call the “cold wet” enviorment. wool+ longjhons are king . Winter camping is about keeping dry. January is the only “winter” we get. We only get snow for Christmass ’bout every 5-10 years.The big danger is Ice Storms, They bring down the tree limbs and the trees. Big thing in the winter wood for us is MUD!!! Greasey , sticky, red and yellow ,stuck to EVERYTHING mud. You need a plastic tarp( or part of one) for everything having to do with the ground,that is unless you just WANT big patches of yellow orange goo on you and all you have.(now you understand the Hellys) Yes camping In Kentucky in the winter is somthing . To quote Bill Mauldin “An expereanced field sojer will find a way to sleep warm and dry–let me know when ya do”( Up Front 1944)
Ray – wet weather camping is the kind I try to avoid. Once the temperature drops to about 20 everything dries or freezes up and it’s much easier to operate.
I can remember sleeping out for weeks in temps around 32 to 40 degrees F where it rained 85% of the time. Miserable!
Give me below zero temps instead and I’ll be a happy camper.
Yeh Jarhead, thats ky. Nov- early april or may 20 to 55 +WET. If we get 6in of snow+ 0 temp. the whole commonwelth STOPS . Nothing moves for days.
$5 for Timberland sweatshirt (was looking for a new fishing shirt)…it WAS OD green, but the prior owner must have got bleach on it or something…now its “homemade” camo…couldn’t have done a better job if I tried!
Army/navy, good will, clearance racks at the end of the season (now a days that’s 2 months into the season when you can still use the stuff) and yard sales/ swap meets. All good places to find ‘preps’. I got a plastic bin full of camp cook ware for 10 smackers at a yard sale this spring. Hundreds of dollars worth of pots and pans for the attitude adjustment site out back. But the real score in the bin was an old Safety Chef camp stove. It pairs great with the Jarhead Survivor alcohol stove ( I finally made one). It boiled water in 3min 15 seconds for my brown nectar , black no cream no sugar. Next week end it takes on fried eggs!
Good article. Glad to see I’m not the only miserly soul out there. I love thrift stores and army surplus… jarhead, have read about the alcohol stove, but couldn’t find it. Want to make some up…
Try this >http://www.shtfblog.com/ if I’m technical enough you’ll get there. They work great. Making one for each vehicle and backpack.
Nope. I’m a techno weeny I guess. It is here. The article is DIY- build your own alcohol stove.
Lol, thanks
Let me help ya’ll out:
http://www.shtfblog.com/diy-how-to-build-your-own-alcohol-stove/
When I get new gear , I try to pass on the old stuff to folks I know will make use of it . Sometimes you do have to make your own because either the commercial version is inadequate for your needs in some way ( either too expensive , too big , too small , too heavy , it doesn’t break down , made of cheap ass materials , etc . ) or it simply does not exist .