Warehouse Finds: Six Odd Treasures Unearthed

Every warehouse has a corner where things go to think about what they have done. Ours is stacked shoulder high, smells faintly of canvas and cold concrete, and occasionally produces items that make you say "huh" out loud. This week we crawled in with a torch and came back with six of them. There is no unifying theme here, no clever curation. Just things that soldiers actually used, now looking for a second career.

Start at the bottom: laces

Nobody writes poems about shoelaces, which is strange, because a snapped lace has ruined more marches than bad weather. Round laces became the military standard because they survive being yanked by cold, angry fingers and do not fray into sad little tassels. Our PAIR OF ROUND SHOELACES FOR SHOES - 160 CM - MILITARY SURPLUS ARM are the boring hero of this list. Buy two pairs. Keep one in the pack. Thank yourself later in a forest.

The modular Dutchman

Berghaus built its reputation on mountain packs, then brought that engineering to military load carriage. The MMPS system, Military Modular Pack System, was the idea that a soldier should be able to bolt pouches onto a rucksack like Lego rather than carrying one enormous immovable sack. The Pouch, bag DUTCH OD BERGHAUS MMPS - Military Surplus is a piece of that puzzle. Olive drab, purposeful, and equally happy holding a stove, a camera or an unreasonable quantity of snacks.

Leather that outlives trends

Leather belts have held up trousers since roughly the invention of trousers, and armies standardised them early because a belt is also a tool: something to hang kit from, something to cinch a coat, something to bite in the movies. The BROWN LEATHER BELT WITH BLACK BUCKLE - MILITARY SURPLUS ROMANIAN ARMY - IN has that honest, worn-in quality that new leather spends years trying to fake.

One small star, one large responsibility

Rank insignia is compressed information. A glance tells you who to ask and who to avoid. The second lieutenant, historically, is the officer with the most enthusiasm and the least experience, a combination that has produced both heroism and legendary confusion. The OFFICER RANK INSIGNIA, LAND FORCES - SECOND LIEUTENANT WITHOUT BRANCH INSIGNIA, COMBA is a collector's piece, a reenactor's detail, or a quiet nod to everyone who ever led a patrol while pretending to know exactly where they were.

Barracks comfort, unglamorous and essential

Armies figured out long ago that boots come off eventually, and that floors are cold. Hence barracks slippers, the least tactical item ever issued and possibly the most appreciated. The SLIPPERS - MILITARY SURPLUS ROMANIAN ARMY - VARIOUS COLORS - USED are used, yes. That is the point. They have already done the hard part of becoming comfortable.

The flag with a serious job

The Red Cross marking on a medic's position was, under the Geneva Conventions, meant to make that spot the one place nobody shot at. It worked more often than cynics expect and less often than it should have. Our WW 2 Combat Medic Flag medium FLAG 1970- Vintage military surplus carries that history in cloth form.

Six finds, one dusty afternoon. Have a look and see which one belongs with you.

Products in this article

• PAIR OF ROUND SHOELACES FOR SHOES - 160 CM - MILITARY SURPLUS ARM
• Pouch, bag DUTCH OD BERGHAUS MMPS - Military Surplus
• BROWN LEATHER BELT WITH BLACK BUCKLE - MILITARY SURPLUS ROMANIAN ARMY - IN
• OFFICER RANK INSIGNIA, LAND FORCES - SECOND LIEUTENANT WITHOUT BRANCH INSIGNIA, COMBA
• SLIPPERS - MILITARY SURPLUS ROMANIAN ARMY - VARIOUS COLORS - USED
• WW 2 Combat Medic Flag medium FLAG 1970- Vintage military surplus