Why does army surplus kit all smell the same?
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widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I don't know for sure but there are several options:
- stuff used to treat canvas against mold (smells even worst, duh..);
- possibly the use of InfraRed Reflective coatings (?);
- other preserrvation agents used during storage;
Good topic, I'm curious as well...
- stuff used to treat canvas against mold (smells even worst, duh..);
- possibly the use of InfraRed Reflective coatings (?);
- other preserrvation agents used during storage;
Good topic, I'm curious as well...
It's really quite simple...most surplus is sold as job lots, usually if it's clothing it's either bundles of shirts or trousers etc, these then are inevitably container stored or warehouse stored until the auctions are set up. Usually there are disposal contractors who do this for the MOD and having been to a few warehouses in my time, they are just stored in some of the worst conditions exposed to humidity, condensation etc so it's all down to he buyer (surplus shop usually or distributer) to sort the wheat out from the chaff in these bundles.)
So it's no surprise that they have this musty smell...
So it's no surprise that they have this musty smell...
Isn't it just a warehouse smell? Most surplus here come from mobilisation depots (our defense relied on a vast drafted reserve and most military kit was stored in hidden or camoflauged depots) so they have been on the shelf for decades.
i have never had a norgee shirt smell of perfume, perhaps the REMF's had ncie helly hansen tops instead LOL, i never found out as like an idiot i quit officer training
I think it's the canvas. i bought a brand new canvas tool bag, in packaging, at the bovington tank museum. I'm slowly modding it into a nice holdall for camping gear. when I got it out of the packaging it smelled very simmilar to the "army surplus" smell. or I suppose it could be the ropes in the handles that make the smell. come to think of it the stores at scouts smell the same, with a little petrol mixed in. but that could be the damp, what with them being stored in a girt big container like you get on the back of lorries.
that smell is "stackers bum", the worse the smell the more stackers have sat on that piece of kit for tea breaks while it's on its way through the system.
I doubt vey much that its due to Swaddies feet or bums.
Its just the smell of common mildew that you'ld expect from most materials stowed away in a badly ventilated area.
Canvas and rope, even when treated against it, will succumb eventually; and will whiff very "mousey". After a while, the dry mould will be visible in welts and joints as a whitish/yellowish powdery dust,
Ceeg
Its just the smell of common mildew that you'ld expect from most materials stowed away in a badly ventilated area.
Canvas and rope, even when treated against it, will succumb eventually; and will whiff very "mousey". After a while, the dry mould will be visible in welts and joints as a whitish/yellowish powdery dust,
Ceeg
Eau de Surplusstore, Mon cher!
I'm a fan of that smell too!
Although it has changed over the years!
When I first started buying surplus kit it was a real Camphor / Moth Balls smell. Nowadays, with the CS95 webbing, there's more of a hint of new plastic in the mix........
Still Luurrve it though!
Ah, moldy canvas. What memories it brings back. Why, I can almost taste the powdered eggs and feel the blisters on my feet.
Glad other people like the smell. Not that i'm a kit sniffer 
but there's something about it that brings back memories, some good, some, interesting and some painful 
Tis a lovely smell
but there's something about it that brings back memories, some good, some, interesting and some painful Tis a lovely smell
the reason all the kit smells is becuase all british army kit goes to the same warehouse and can be stored in the same surroundings untouched for over a year... hence why all kit smells the same.
I am around army surplus good everyday and i even come home smelling of the kit.. which isnt always good for the ladies!!
People always say it smells 'musty'... fact of it is.. if you left your kit unwashed and in a box for a year your personal kit probably would smell a bit 'musty'. Just give it a wash n more often than not the smell goes.
I am around army surplus good everyday and i even come home smelling of the kit.. which isnt always good for the ladies!!
People always say it smells 'musty'... fact of it is.. if you left your kit unwashed and in a box for a year your personal kit probably would smell a bit 'musty'. Just give it a wash n more often than not the smell goes.
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