Somehow I am not surprised that some dealers in mil surp are rather shady. As a starving student, I bought a lot of mil surp and it worked fairly well - I could see the goods and select good stuff.

In general, civilian items are better for outdoor pursuits unless you are planning a conflict. There are a few exceptions,like the P38 can opener. I have a great mountain cook set, vintage 1951 (!) that I prize, and I fondly recall a pair of snowshoes, all of $7.50, that served quite well. But most mils surp is low grade, heavy, and rather clunky.

I probably would have frozen in Korea walking guard if it were not for the insulated civilian underwear thankfully sent from home...