I have so much tactical clothing I have to watch I don't look like a commando. Most of it I got while working in a surplus store but i did get the job because I was there so much and knew the gear. I have mostly Canadian military stuff which is usually very good. Most real soldiers tend to hate issued gear on principle and also because minor issues can be a much bigger deal in combat than out camping.
As I said on the TAG thread I like a mix of real army gear and civilian with the occasional Tac item. Surplus real army gear especially fatigues are almost always better than commercial stuff except for the very expensive brands like Tag and Crye. I especially like the old style canadian pants. They are plain OD and were replaced by the new CADPAT ones while I was at the store so I scored some brand new ones. The stitching is fantastic and the material first rate. When they get wet they dry very fast and never rip. I read that it would cost at least 160$ to have pants made to that standard. The new ones are even nicer but unavailable yet. Also I don't like CADPAT for civilian wear nearly as much as the much more subtle OD.
So if you can find real army gear definitly go for it. One problem though is online sucks for prices. Usually it is much cheaper to buy it froma store because it costs a store lots to have someone else root through all the gear and put it online. There are some things worth getting though. The Canadian stealth suit is ubercool especially the top. It is a single layer of goretex ,the really good milspec stuff cut like a hoodie. It is always better to layer but it is impossible to find just a good single layer goretex hoodie anywhere I could find. The stealth top is about 160$ online. It makes a fantastic midlayer with a merino wool layer under and a hardshell over. It is also this cool charcoal colour.
Another cool item I have been looking for for a long time is silk glove liners. BMW makes some for motorcyclists but they cost a LOT. The BMW Carbon fibre helmet is 1200$ and my nicer HJC CF helmet is 450$ to give you an idea of the BMW markup. So if anyone knows a good source for silk glove liners please let me know?
