Military surplus tent camping; consider your needs before you buy

April 19, 2019

I’m sitting in an all night diner waiting for it to get close enough to dawn for me to head towards the state park and nature preserve and launch out onto the lake.

I’m going to be going on a five day foray which will be a combined survival trip and photography assignment and I am going to take my trusty old Osagian canoe, the Lil Missourian, with me.

I have two packs assembled. One holds two camera bodies, three lenses, two lens extenders, several batteries for both bodies, water tight bags, and a monopod with an extendable base.

The other holds two mre’s, paracord, matches, a compass, a sleeping bag, some coffee, some salt, a cooking kit, a canteen, fresh socks, a spare blade, and odds and ends.

I’m also taking my military surplus GP small tent. This tent is about two hundred pounds with the poles and it all fits nicely into my 16’ utility canoe.

This is the magic of military surplus, the fact that there is something available that is suited for every task. My GP tent for instance, is fitted with a hole for a smokestack, and though I’m not taking a small stove with me on this trip, I certainly could if I wanted because my canoe can handle up to 1,000 pounds they say. So far I have 430 pounds between myself and my tent, about 40 pounds of camera gear and 20 pounds of survival items. That’s less than half capacity for my canoe.

So make sure you do your homework before you decide what type of military surplus tent to buy because it will depend a lot on what your desired outcome is going to be. However, let me assure you that there is a military surplus option for each and every need.

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