Does anyone go out of their way to have their bugout gear, etc, look more like camping stuff than military or police gear? Staying away from MOLLE stuff, BDUs, leg holsters, etc? Or is this an unfounded concern of mine?

Military gear is cheap and cheerful and good value and reasonably functional but not the highest performance. As for the latest ACU type military uniform, I personally think they look like camo jimjams so I wouldn't want to wear them outside in public.

An 82nd Airborne patch or two might come in useful along with some pips (pips and or crowns in the UK) in the same way a 'Qui audet adipiscitur' cap badge might work out in the UK. Could get you through those TAs or the National Gaurd checkpoints to freedom a whole lot quicker but you would probably need a goatee and some Oakleys as well. (plummy southern accent is required for the UK, unless your trying to escape from Glasgow of course, which could well prove to be difficult.)

Anyone else remember those sneaky Jerries changing the signposts to point in the wrong direction in the film 'Battle of the Bulge'.

I have a complete set of the military equivalent of camping gear, minus tent and stove, but I only use it whenever I'm told it is my duty to do so. Not because it is bad, but because my civilian alternatives are just as good or better in functionality, but has much less volume and weight. And my civilian gear is by no means in the ultralight category. I know for certain there are newer and better military versions than the old stuff I have lying around.

For my use, I see no need for lots and lots of molle webbing, pouches and the like. I like my gear inside my pack, thank you very much, with some exceptions, like my GPS and map case.

I think it is a good idea to shy away from gear that screams "GUN!". Doesn't matter if you have a gun or not, the impression will draw attention of the kind you don't like, both from representatives of the law and the not so nice kind of people. My view is that weapons are either in plain view or very discretely hidden.

I've also heard that having backpacks, clothes and bags with camo colors will cause you all kind of trouble in certain Latin Amerika and African countries. Not so surprising if you read up a bit of their latest 50 years of history, they have very good reasons to be paranoid about people traveling around with "military" equipment.

Civilians wearing or importing camouflage gear even in certain European countries is illegal, such as Cyprus for example. If memory serves me you need to have a hunting license to wear camo in Cyprus. Its also illegal in Cuba and even in Barbados.

The assumption is often that military gear is somehow special. In a few cases, things like sights and communications, it may be.

But you have to understand that mass produced USGI field gear ,like packs and uniforms, is seldom state of the art. It is designed to equip a large army of draftees. Ease of manufacturing and cost are often held higher than durability, comfort and effectiveness.

A good example of this is the venerable K-bar. They were designed to fill a need for a handy and functional, but expendable, utility/fighting knife that could be produced quickly, wouldn't use up strategic materials or require too much productive capacity. It is a good and effective knife but by design it was never supposed to be the finest knife out there. The military typically shoots for adequate and functional instead of 'best'.

The blade is common high-carbon steel that is vulnerable to both breaking and rusts in a few hours after a dunking in salt water. The leather rots in salt water and tropical jungles. The galvanized steel staples and stitching used to hold the sheath together rusts or rots.

Given all this vulnerability one has to wonder how any of them survived. Examples are still around because better than a million were produced and they were reissued frequently and in great numbers. In combat these knives were full expected to get lost, blown up, broken and, because there was little time for TLC, they deteriorated rapidly. Which is pretty common for all the field gear a combat unit had through Vietnam. The expectation is that at regular intervals essentially all their field gear would be disposed of, cleaned and patched if practical, and new issued.

Some of this dynamic has shifted as we moved away from a massive army of draftees toward a much smaller force of volunteers. Even the concept of USGI gear has slipped. Back through the 70s the vast majority of field gear was government issue through a government contracting and supply system issuing government approved designs. Now most units get money allocated that allows units to purchase gear directly from civilian suppliers. Most combat units purchase some portion of their field gear from civilian suppliers.

Many of the manufacturers of standard camping gear, and a considerable number of companies catering primarily to military users, cater to this lucrative market with a specialized product line. They fully understand that offering a backpack in camouflage and using military terminology allows you to double the price.

Typically servicemen get the best and worse of both the service supply system and whatever the civilian providers can supply. USGI field gear is usually pretty good. But seldom exceptionally good. It can be both functional and a bargain to equip a group with it. A good example of this is the venerable ALICE packs and frame. They work, are still used within the military, and they are inexpensive for what you get in capability. But they were never as comfortable, refined, or effective as they might have been. That is pretty much standard for USGI field gear.

All my camping gear as a kid was army surplus because it was cheap and durable. As others have said, today's camping gear is affordable and great quality. Don't have a need for camo patterns on my gear, but if for some reason you don't wish to be seen, neutral colors seem to blend in just as well. The only camo I'm interested in is mosquito camo, which pretty much means staying away from dark colors.

I wasn't clear in my original post. I was just thinking that in a bug out situation I wouldn't want to look like I'm associated with the military in any way, because I'm not. And I realize that anyone can buy military looking stuff, but I fear the masses might not recognize that.

If you have to bugout,It will probably be from some sort of weather related disaster.The National Guard will have been deployed thruout the area,& I would like to think that people would recognize them as Help.What could possibly be wrong with wearing bdu's or Having military equipment?It's Highly likely where ever you have bugged out to,Is gonna' be someone's Private Property,& In that case,I wouldn't want to be seen nor found!Making yourself noticable,would make it Just that much easier for Big Brother to round you up with everyone else or Your bivouac can be found much easier as well.I would think MOBU camo would be your Best option!

<Could get you through those TAs or the National Gaurd checkpoints to freedom

Unless you are planning on wearing a full uniform and have the military jargon and info to carry it off, you are going to scream 'fake' to any military you meet. Good way to get arrested. A 'soldier' turning up with no companions, no weapons and no ID is not going to last long.
No TA or National guard units have ever tried to force people not to go to 'freedom' (whatever that means. you think they are going to arrest liverpool or somethiong?)
This is a way of creating a real problem to avoid a non existent one.
The Sock

I agree with TheSock, don't try to dress up like military personell. They - as well as the police - have nothing but a profound contempt for para-military looking "wannabees" that dress up and act in a military manner. Do you wish to be viewed and treated as a crazy survivalist who view this disaster as nothing but the perfect opportunity to try his bug-out techniques - perfected through hours and hours of internet research - for real? Worst case scenario, they will think you are a crazy gun wielding survivalist that will flip totally and violently when faced with withdrawal from coffee and internet quality time.


Focus on functionality and I would be VERY surprised if the resulting outfit isn't more or less all civilian with some "tacticool" items here and there.


If you want to score sympathy points from the police or the national guard, you could have some discrete "support our troops" or similar statements on buttons, patches or stickers, but don't overdo it.