Military Surplus vs New Gear: What’s Worth Buying? Surplus is real military issue, often decades old, pulled from storage and sold off when specs change or contracts end. New gear is made to current commercial standards, sometimes by the same…

Boonie Hat vs Patrol Cap: Which Fits Your Needs? Sun protection or low profile, that’s the basic tradeoff between a boonie hat and a patrol cap. Both have deep roots in military surplus gear, but they serve pretty different purposes…

Soft Shell vs Hard Shell Jacket: Which to Choose? Picking between a soft shell and a hard shell jacket comes down to one question: are you dealing with active movement in changing conditions, or do you need a barrier against…

MOLLE vs ALICE: Which Gear System Wins? If you’ve spent any time around military surplus gear, you’ve run into both of these systems and probably wondered why there are two competing standards. MOLLE and ALICE represent two different generations of…

Plate Carrier vs Tactical Vest: What’s the Difference? Confusing these two is common, and it matters because they solve different problems. A plate carrier is built around protection. A tactical vest is built around carrying gear. Some vests do both,…

Tactical Pants vs BDU Pants: Which Should You Buy? If you’re standing in front of a rack of pants trying to figure out which pair will actually hold up to whatever you’re doing, the answer comes down to what “tough”…