Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.
The new Sportsmans Guide HQ catalog showed up the other day. The HQ catalog is different from the regular SG catalog in that it is almost exclusively military-surplus and related stuff. In short, a very cool catalog. SG has been hit or miss in terms of order accuracy and value for many people but I’ve had pretty good experiences with them. What I find interesting in this catalog may not ring your bell, but heres some highlights that I think are worth pointing out:
German Sniper Sleeping Bag – #FXM-158691 – $29.97
I got a couple of these and theyre either new or like-new. Theyre a quilted bag with an outer vinyl cover. I have no idea if they really are ‘sniper’ sleeping bags but if you had to sit out in the cold somewhere for a period of time these would be nice. I could easily see myself in one of these while on a high point overwatching a small valley or ravine waiting for Bambi to show up. Definitely a good choice for those days duck hunting where its hours of sitting still in the cold. Whats cool is that in addition to sleeves, theres a zipper across the waist allowing you to keep your lower half outside the bag, so you wear it like a parka or as a sleeping bag. For thirty bucks, a fun piece of gear to play with. Good for tossing in the truck ‘just in case’.
800m Swiss Military Phone Wire – #FXM-182432 – $49.97
Ive a stash of TA-312s and this would go very nicely with them. Also great for running wire to your seismic sentry probes or impromptu ….devices. Often when you find surplus wire its been used which means it is tangled, knotted, spliced and probably not going to carry a current for its entire length. New wire is great because it lays out easily. A half mile of wire can be a handy thing.
10 New US Military Lashing Straps – #FXM-177549 – $19.97
Ten straps to use on rolled up blankets, ponchos, tarps, etc. Cant go wrong there.
US Military 120mm Cylinder Container – #FXM-183933 – $29.97
If you can afford the shipping for this thing, they are, hands down, the best firearms container ever. Better than the Pelican case. Many guns will need their pistol grips removed to fit inside, but these things are as bombproof as you can imagine. The perfect container for storing a rifle/shotgun, some ammo and a few essentials. If youre the type who likes to cache stuff around this thing is exactly what you need. They can even be padlocked shut. I have one of these that I picked up locally and I wish I had a dozen more. Airtight, watertight, crushproof, capacious, and perfect for housing important gear in inhospitable conditions. You could make something similar, I suppose, from PVC pipe or somesuch but no way will it take the raw, brutal abuse that this thing will. Cannot recommend these highly enough. Major drawback: heavy and expensive to ship. Try to find locally first.
Used Austrain Military Glock Bayonet – #FXM-175397 – $62.97
This is a case where SG drops the ball. A used Glock knife for $62? WTF? I have a vendor selling brand new ones right now for $21. This is why you should always shop around folks. The Glock knives are great general purpose field knives and are cheap enough to buy ‘em by the bunch. They are of excellent quality but are remarkably affordable – a rare treat in this world. This deal is so absurd it makes my teeth hurt. I point it out not to encourage you to buy, but to encourage you to keep your eyes open…everything that glitters and all that jazz.
2 New US Military Canteens w/ Covers – #FXM-148181 – $19.97
Ive switched over to Nalgene for ‘soft canteens’ and for hard ones I prefer the Nalgene bottles, but these have a lot to recommend to them. For me, theyre a secondary or tertiary level item – good for use as backup, loaners, stashing or expendable. Good for a day of gopher shooting or fishing, the major attraction is the cover with its sling.
Theres plenty of interesting stuff in the catalog, I just hit the stuff that looks like it fills a need. Its very easy to see stuff that looks cool and then fabricate up a need. Bad move. You’ll go broke in a hurry that way.
