Anybody collect Modern Gear?

[THAT GUY]

I thought that was interesting. Collect now for cheap, and you will have it good later on. I went to Ft. riley Kansas and my cousin took me to the PX. I bought new issue field gear and everybody looked at me like I was nuts. But I will keep it in mint condition since I have heard all the stories from old collectors about how WW2 stuff was used and abused. Esp. the rare stuff.

 

Sam

[Nkomo]

Been collecting modern gear for some time now. Built a relatively nice collection with small amount of funds. :thumbsup: However, don't plan on selling mine though.

[THAT GUY]

Been collecting modern gear for some time now. Built a relatively nice collection with small amount of funds. :thumbsup: However, don't plan on selling mine though.

 

I would not sell mine, well, I would. I guess I would sell it when I am old as dirt.

 

Sam

[AustinO]

I just cant say no to nice SF/unique patched up BDUs, though I limit myself to the 3-5 dollar range.

[jgawne]

I recently started collecting it as I don't see anyone doing any good documentation of the stuff, and you can not write about without in front of you. Some of it really is dirt cheap, but then some is really expensive! I'm trying to find a good medical molle pack and they are pretty high. Same thing with the small pack- they are so useful they sell for $50-60. And I can't find a coyote brown vest for less than $80!

 

 

I don't think they will ever be worth all that much. A lot fo the 56 gear I picked up back in the day is still not really worth much- except for the rare items. That's the trick. Figure out what will be desired and hard to find in the future and stock up on them. But then the day after you buy the stuff the Govt may sell off a few crates of the stuff for next to nothing.

 

I expect the DCU and ACU gear to never really bring much as there should be mounds of it unused. Now the white stuff. I have not yet seen one peice of that for sale.

[BOLO]

if the item was actually used in combat I would collect modern gear, like the stuff used in Iraq or Afghanistan

 

especially gear captured from the enemy

[Nkomo]

I recently started collecting it as I don't see anyone doing any good documentation of the stuff, and you can not write about without in front of you. Some of it really is dirt cheap, but then some is really expensive! I'm trying to find a good medical molle pack and they are pretty high. Same thing with the small pack- they are so useful they sell for $50-60. And I can't find a coyote brown vest for less than $80!

I don't think they will ever be worth all that much. A lot fo the 56 gear I picked up back in the day is still not really worth much- except for the rare items. That's the trick. Figure out what will be desired and hard to find in the future and stock up on them. But then the day after you buy the stuff the Govt may sell off a few crates of the stuff for next to nothing.

 

I expect the DCU and ACU gear to never really bring much as there should be mounds of it unused. Now the white stuff. I have not yet seen one peice of that for sale.

I think you have a good point. Some of the gear will be highly sought after, while other items will not be, I think that the Special Forces gear will still be sought after by people and the prices will remain high. While the MOLLE vests and pouches will still remain relatively cheap in comparison to the SF items.

 

Good case and point. ALICE gear was issued to all branches of service and was issued throughout the mid-1970's all the way up until recently. How much does a complete ALICE set run you (minus the pack)? You can go to about any surplus store and put together a set for well under $50. NOW......take a look at the SF vests made by AWS, Eagle, American Body Armor, etc. They were issued and used in the exact same time frame as the ALICE gear. How much do they go for? Well, if you are lucky enough to find one on Ebay......you will be paying in excess of $200. I have seen some of the SF vests/gear sell for over $600. There will obviously be some exceptions where a vest is mislabeled or poorly advertised and sell for much less, but you get my point.

 

Current gear will follow the same trend as the above mentioned example. Of course, there will always be some hard core collector out there who will be buying the pouches to complete a MOLLE or MOLLE II vest for a display. We see this same behavior today with the WW2 collectors who have to find a specefic pouch to complete a mannequin.

 

I think the trick for modern collectors is to know what to look for, what to buy, and what to steer clear of. A very thorough book would be wonderful, but that just don't exist right now. There are two books I use for reference and they are written by Eric Micheletti. The titles are as follows: "Special Forces in Afghanistan" and "Special Forces in Iraq". Are they a perfect reference? No. However, they are one of the few out there. Osprey also did a couple of books along the same lines, but the drawings are subpar. That being said....not much for the modern collector to go on. Most modern collectors have to find their own reference material by trolling search engines looking for examples of what is being worn in pictures.

 

I am not an expert on modern gear, but I've collected it for some time and know a bit. :thumbsup: If anyone needs help or has questions, they can feel free to contact me and I'll offer my assistance. I may not have all the answers, but I may know someone who does.

Arch

[FMRguy]

I am new at collecting modern military uniforms and being outside of the United States, I was wondering if there were do's and dont's about buying stuff. I'm not exactly sure what are the regulations about exports on that, and I'd be glad to get any advice.

[jgawne]

I actually know Eric Micheletti, and he's mainly working from photos an in-theater photog sends him.

 

But as to ALICE gear, it is actually getting tough to find new unissued stuff. And that's what I have been collecting.

For the extra bit of hunting and a few extra bucks it seems logical.

 

Of course if someone can tell me how to get rid of the awful smell you get from that horrible rubberized material they used in ponchos and water proof bags I would be forever grateful !

 

And as for exporting material to Canada? I think everyone is afraid to do so becasue it is only a matter of time before you Candians invade us ! (and yes I am kidding).

[Battling Bastard]

I am a beginner in modern USMC. I concentrated my collection in WWII and Vietnam USMC.

[Longbranch]

With modern gear, the most valuable items will likely be those actually used in-theatre, with good provenance, and from units that are popular in the militaria collecting hobby. Theatre-made patches will also likely be desirable (especially the earlier desert-subdued versions with hand-guided embroidery). This is generally very similar to collectors of Vietnam War related items.

 

However, as I have said before, right now people should REALLY focus on what they enjoy collecting, and NOT what will be desirable in the future. There are lots of market factors that will greatly affect the values of these items over the next 20-50 years, none of which can be easily predicted. It's simply not worth the time to travel around seeking out certain items, store and care for them for several decades, and then HOPE to liquidate them at a price that has at LEAST kept up with inflation.

 

I always pick up DCU jackets if they are complete and have interesting attributes, like theatre-made patches, CIB/CAB badges, etc. However, I only have about a dozen jackets at this time, because I'm very picky about what I keep.

 

It's also important to pick up low-production and limited issue items while they are available on the market, at least if it's something a collector would really like to add to their collection. I've had a few field-used CCU/CU uniforms, UCP-Delta pieces, trial/experimental uniforms, SF used foreign camouflage uniforms, etc. that I somewhat regret selling, as I'm sure they'll only get harder to find in the future.

 

Anyways, these are just the thoughts of someone who has been buying/selling/collecting OEF/OIF related items for about the last 10 years. I've had quite a bit of experience in this market and have bought/sold some neat and very rare items, and I look forward to seeing how it develops in the years to come.

 

EDIT: I wanted to add that there is currently a surprising and complete lack of interest in modern dress uniforms. Again, this is very similar to many collectors of Vietnam War era items, where they generally would prefer to have a fully patched & field-used jungle jacket compared to a complete set of dress greens with all of the insignia/ribbons. The "been there done that" factor is very important.

[mhalstead1950]

Agreed, most modern stuff won't have much value unless it has been there and done that because so little actually has. But ever once in a while it is fun to pick up as it often grants you the ability to actually meet the veteran, and it is often cheap as dirt. An example I have is I got a ranger medics patched field uniform, some field gear along with tons of first aid supplies and the first aid bag etc. for 10 bucks, and got a kick out of the guy.

[Battling Bastard]

Good tips Longbranch!

[bheskett]

I too collect modern gear. I do think that it is a crap shoot as to value in the future. There is plenty of gear out there sold to law enforcement, paintballers, of those that just like having tactical gear for personal use it will hard to sort out just what was issued and what was not. Also if we think of the WWII stuff that was cheep and is now worth quite a bit remember those old collectors stored it for 50 years and you can bet that most of what they stored is common stuff. I guess what I am saying is collect for today, if you like it grab it if not leave it.

Bob

[hbtcoveralls]

What concerns me about the modern gear is the possibility it will degrade with time

 

I used to collect 50s to 1980s flight helmets, but the foam, nylon, glues and laminates used were all starting to become brittle or fall apart entirely sometimes in as little as 10 years

 

I see that being an issue with the new field gear in the future.

 

Tom Bowers

[bryang]

While my passion has always been vintage military items, a little over a year ago I decided to go ahead and pick up items related to the Global War of Terror. My logic - already voiced here in this thread - has been that it'll only get more scarce as time goes.

 

Also, as a retired career Soldier with multiple combat tours (First Gulf War, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan), I understand the significance of many of the items I pick up - what it was used for, what unit used it, etc.

 

 

To this end, I've been buying up patched DCUs (unit patches and name tape) - and especially the modified DCUs commonly used by SOF elements (although several conventional units also wore them while deployed). On average, I've paid anywhere from $3 to $10 per top, depending on the insignia affixed to it.

 

I'm buying up field gear, however only that which has been well used. Like other collectors, I've been picking up used field gear which has been painted.

 

 

However, I've really gotten interested in collecting military unit and overseas deployment shirts. Started about a year and a half ago and have so far accumulated over 1400 different shirts!

 

I've come to see these as 21st century version of 'nose art.'

 

Just a couple examples:

 

 

 

[mhalstead1950]

Those are neat, i actually haven't seen a lot of those, (then again it's not like I actively look for modern stuff) , nonetheless they are very cool.

[Nkomo]

What concerns me about the modern gear is the possibility it will degrade with time

 

I used to collect 50s to 1980s flight helmets, but the foam, nylon, glues and laminates used were all starting to become brittle or fall apart entirely sometimes in as little as 10 years

 

I see that being an issue with the new field gear in the future.

 

Tom Bowers

That is a very real and very valid concern. I have already seen pieces with elastic start to deteriorate. Some of the plastic buckles, especially with theater made items , are starting to crack and break.

[RedLegGI]

When I got back from Iraq I switched my focus from WWII US to modern because it needs to be saved. Whenever possible I get the history of the item along with the item so that it will stay with it in perpetuity. One huge bonus of modern collecting is that google exists and that alot of information can be found easily, if you know how to look. I've turned up pictures of guys wearing the uniforms I own in country etc.

 

I think modern guys will stick with combat used and salty pieces over mint gear because this stuff isn't like the canvas and what not of other time periods. Fifty years from now you'll be able to walk in to a surplus shop and pick up a 2 quart canteen and it'll be in the exact same condition as it was when made (had one from 1968 issued to me in basic).

 

Lots of guys are also getting rid of their stuff, just like after Vietnam. Its a sad but true part of this collecting. Sometimes it ends up in the trash, others it ends up in the right hands luckily.

[BOLO]

I like modern military firearms, those are nice for collecting, handguns of the world.

[Polski303]

I have been collecting modern gear for so long it is no longer modern.

I do it more to see the evolution of it as time progresses. If you look at the change in ALICE gear from its inception to the later issue items you'll see what I mean. There have been so many changes in MOLLE equipment since it was introduced not that long ago. It's just an interesting aspect of field gear collection.