Level 3 Repairs - Surplus DIY

 

If you have not checked out the other entries in this series check these out first:

So You Want to Fix Your Surplus Gear? - here.

Level 1 Repairs - Surplus DIY - here.

Level 2 Repairs - Surplus DIY - here.


And if you have made it to this entry then you must have some really beaten to shit gear. That or you are thinking about diving into fixing what is considered non-repairable grade 3 surplus. More than likely because its dirt cheap.

Level 3 repairs will include large holes, missing parts, closures like zippers are non operational, or they were turned down for repair by CIF. 

Because the CIF has to determine if the item is worth the time and energy to fix for the vast majority of grade 3 gear is considered cannibalize grade only. Meaning, you utilize the parts you can to fix other gear that is in better shape.

Grading systems by the equipment issuing departments is open and varies greatly. The repair level system I have explained here is very much so piece by piece basis. It isn't always directly related to the graded condition it is sold as. It is how I personally rank repairs due to difficulty. And how I gauge if its worth it for me to spend the time and energy to complete it. 

For your average person to be frank, repairing grade 3 gear is only good if you are wanting to learn, cannibalize, or to just take on a new challenge. And most people who have seen grade 3 examples would say it isn't worth the time. It is a rewarding skill to pick up and learn however.

Something I sort of neglected to mention was, why surplus?

Well its the same reasons why anyone would bother spending the time to fix grade 3 gear.

Its cost effective.
It has a huge sustainability impact.
Preservation of history.
Maintaining authenticity and quality.
Personalization through customization. 

And the damaged surplus is a great way to do all of these things. It pushes people to be resourceful, socially and and ecologically responsible, and to honor military and historical significance of equipment of the era.

Okay. But what about the really bad repairs? Get on with it.

Large tears can be fixed. Its dependent on location but chances are if its a grade 3 then its going to be drastically lower in its durability, possibly even with a repair. The worn out, UV beaten fabrics will also have poor color and poor durability overall.

If a piece is missing important parts then if the equipment is harder to find you may have an expensive project that you have to find multiple items to build one single functional one. 

Zippers, closures, snaps, and integral parts of how pouches and bags work are a common problem to fix. These can be somewhat difficult to learn how to do in the beginning but you can do it. It takes a little time and practice. If all else fails and you just want to get the thing working you can always take it to a place that does alterations and you can try to see about the price to have someone fix the item for you if its outside of your skill base.

If an item has a combination of these problems they will consider the part not repairable. A culmination of factors can go into the decision but overall may end up being a item to use for parts if it is too much to repair for the given task you would like it to perform optimally and sufficiently.

On another note there is a split about permanently modifying surplus gear beyond returning to the original condition. As surplus is sold and used and militaries change their equipment the gear becomes scarce, more expensive and harder to get. Lots of people will modify gear to their liking. And that's cool. Some people like to just return the item to its original glory, and that is cool too. But its smart to take gear that would more than likely never be able to be used again and working on it to make it yours. 

These items have character and giving them a second life is by far the coolest thing you can do for it. Regardless of how you choose to do it.

The hope is that if you somehow stumbled on this blog that the entries in this series help give an idea what it may take to fix some pouches, bags or some battle tested gear. If you are worried about cost or screwing something up get some damaged gear for pennies on the dollar and practice. There are so many great YouTube channels to help with sewing. And it doesn't take much to get going and learning an awesome skill that can help you later.

Remember Rambo? Just sayin'.

Modern Belt Harness Prototype

 

 

For my friends running modern battle belts you probably have done the exact same thing I have. You got a new belt, you loaded it up, wore it for 5 minutes and you said to yourself, "this isn't what I expected".
 

What I've experienced is something like this. I got my belt on at the range and then realized the weight was too much for it and my pants were starting to slowly and annoyingly sag. Even with the modern belts being two piece design. Where the inner belt is velcro and the outer belt is the belt your gear attaches to. It still somehow does not work optimally.

I have reduced it down to being afflicted with "Hank Hill butt" and unfortunately unless I get cash for a sketchy Brazilian butt lift I am stuck trying to find a better solution.

Enter the Eagle Industries low profile battle belt suspenders.

This project was able to be done with the help of One Thief Surplus. On a facebook post they had posted something about harnesses so I commented if they could help me with a sagging modern battle belt. Quickly to my surprise they private messaged me and he came up with this design I am testing out.

Just for clarification. I paid for my harness but the owner was cool enough to send me the attachments free of charge to test out and to give my honest opinions on. And for that I am super grateful.  

What do I need to try this out?

You need your belt you would like to attach this to. Mine is a Ronin Senshi belt for this example. And then all you need is an Eagle Industries H harness, and 4 pigtail adapters.

The suspenders on their own are made to mate with other gear but it can be used for a bunch of different things if you have an imagination and willing to try something new out. The pigtail adapters are actually from bag repair accessory kits. Each normally have 2 but for this project you would need to procure 4 total. This is because the harness on its own only has male clips and you need 4 female clips to connect them up.

Setting it up was fairly straight forward. My belt had to be totally disassembled to accommodate and place where the pigtail adapters would fit. After doing a mock up test fit it was apparent that it was going to be a big change up.

Immediately the two piece belt was very easy to take on and off. Where as I have fumbled around in the past trying to get it on and off and lined up properly with the inner velcro belt. With the harness set it lands right where it needs to and all you have to do is clip the main buckle and go. 



Some speed tape later and shifting my gear around a bit, I had to also make some room on my belt. Because of where the pigtails had to go the real estate had to be open for them. As in you cannot run the pigtails through the molle on your belt. They simply run over your outer belt. I had to omit an AR mag pouch and also had to drop the fixed blade knife off from the original pre-harness set up. Which was fine because I didn't plan on getting in a knife fight anyways. This freed up the space I needed to run this. Take that into consideration as your belt may need some shifting and changing.

Currently now I keep 2 pistol mags, dump pouch, IFAK and my pistol. No frills.

The one thing I noticed was the loops for the pigtails were just big enough to weave the outer belt through it no issue, but too large to keep the 4 points from moving around the slightest bit. This caused some fitment and comfort issues during set up.  The solution I have was to speed tape the adapter to be a bit tighter. This way I did not have to permanently modify them to get them to work for the time being.

In the little time I was able to wear it the harness and belt was pretty comfortable and easy to adjust on the go. I felt more confident in the new set up to hold the weight of the gear I decided to don. 

What are the pros and cons of running this set up?

Pros
Low profile. Harness can be worn under plate carriers, chest rigs or other gear.
Better support and fitment.
Flame retardant.
Quick on/off after set up.
Battle tested and trustworthy manufacturing.
On the cheaper side for the harness.

Cons
Set up a bit of an initial hassle.
May require more time to fit and set up over other battle belts.
Optimal fitment may require permanent modification to pigtail adapters.
Not cost effective to purchase multiple bag repair kits with adapters.
Pigtail loops are a bit odd. Infinity loop type deals. Not simple loops.

But that is why this is a prototype. I have a handful of ways I think that modifications could make this type of set up a long term rig to run. The fact it can be ran low profile is super nice for those of us who may want to train in different environments with adverse conditions. I can see under duress this harness rig set should work awesome. Before I would not feel comfortable running around with the Ronin belt on its own. Now I feel like it would work no problem. But It will require longer term testing to determine if this is the case.

While we haven't seen many rigs like this yet for modern 2 piece belt sets, maybe we will in the future. Its unconventional right now but with how gear has to be worn, for my personal taste this makes sense. Only time will tell if this will start to be a thing. As far as I know I have yet to see a similar set up like this available.

Sometimes, utilizing parts and pieces you already have to make a battle system work is part of the game. This is especially true for military surplus gear. Like our troops will do, sometimes its about making something from little or nothing. Being inventive and creative has huge benefits in the world of gear. Especially when comfort is involved.

Over time I will report back my findings and maybe show some of the modifications I make to the set up if there is an interest in such a thing.

Big thanks again to One Thief Surplus for the idea and hooking it up with the pigtail adapters and the idea for this prototype. Check out their website and add them on facebook and youtube if you would like to snag the parts to make this, watch some videos, or to just get some surplus gear in your grubby hands.

Go train.

One Thief Website
On Facebook
Check out their YouTube

Level 2 Repairs - Surplus DIY

 "Surplus collecting is just gambling for people who like camo and history."

If you are here to learn about fixing your surplus gear and have not read the previous 2 entries and installments in the series, you should. Primarily because the way this is laid out is according to an arbitrary level system I use and broke down for clarity and ease of understanding.

Sure, you can jump right in here and check out what I have to say but it may not make much sense because the levels of repair are not directly related to surplus grading. Well, it is but it isn't.

If you do want to check out the first entry you can click here. And if you would like to see what it takes to make level 1 repairs and see the previous post you can click here.

With that out of the way lets dive right into it. What is a level 2 repair? A level 2 repair is going to be:

Moderate tears. Zipper issues. Seam problems. Very Worn or damaged equipment.

If you are dealing with a reputable surplus company chances are that you will not encounter these sort of defects and damage on anything unless its Grade 3 condition gear. I say hopefully because lots of large retailers simply do not have the manpower or time to go over large quantities of gear. Sometimes pouches, bags and surplus items may slip through the cracks and written off as grade 2 normal surplus with these sort of issues. It happens.

The vast majority of all surplus is going to be grade 2. Its used gear but totally functional, complete, and sound.

Be careful buying online. In the ads and listings it should have the specific retailers condition guide clearly listed or linked. And the listings should have the info about the lot you decided to purchase from. If your item is badly damaged and it was listed as general used surplus, its not out of line to contact the seller.  Be prepared to send pictures of the evidence that the item is not as described or listed. 

In the level 1 repair post I went over the general order of operations I go through to fix minor superficial repairs. This is typically through patching, sewing, and gluing. In that order.

For new people getting into the repair game, level 2 fixes are where it could get hairy and a lot of learning can be done. So don't trip just yet. A lot of these problems are able to be fixed with some careful planning.

Sometimes the difference between a level 2 or a level 3 repair could be simply based on the location of the damage.  

Level 2 repairs should be challenging but not out of reach to get back to snuff. Tears larger than a quarter will be common for this level. Issues related to zippers will plague your nightmares. Seams may be starting to come apart and cause problems. And finally the materials of said gear may be badly worn and faded.

The method I use a lot of the time are patching and sewing together. You can patch the backs of the gear and then hand ladder stitch the materials together for basic holes and tears. You will quickly see why ripstop is awesome if you take the repair path. It makes life a lot easier for you during the learning phase of this skill.

"Protip: a free way to get surplus gear is to scavenge the wastelands riddled with war. Be sure to avoid the throngs of drugged up blood thirsty marauders."

Zipper issues are awful. There is no way around it. These can sometimes be a level 3 repair. These wont be discussed here.

Issues with seams can be problematic also as they are usually not easily hand sewn to fix. If you have a heavy duty machine you might be able to fix the seam issues you will see and run into. There is also the possibility that because the heavy denier materials you wont be able to do this by hand. Smaller economy sewing machines may have problems attempting to get through the materials also. Leaving you with the option to hand sew it and use pliers to pull the needle through safely.

Use common sense about these level 2 repairs as they will require more thought and planning than the other superficial repairs.

Very worn or damaged gear presents its own problems. Sun bleached and sand beaten gear will show that whatever piece you got had a rough life. I own many Tan and coyote surplus items that were so sun beaten that they actually changed the color to white. Yes. That is UV damage.

UV damaged gear will have a host of durability problems. Take this into careful consideration for what job and task you have for the item.

Anything that is very sun damaged will NOT provide the same length of service for you as one that was stored in a crate somewhere. If you have a lower stress job for those items its much more likely to last a long time for you. Don't splurge on a huge inventory of "salty M4 mag pouches" and expect them to run in tip top shape for a daily beater piece of kit. Its just not realistic.

A lot of level 2 repair items will be able to provide a budget friendly way to build a kit or rig and have a great time running it. In doing so, it takes some realistic expectations of what each piece of gear is expected to do.

Budget friendly used and damaged gear is a great way in general just to learn the ropes of repair. After you learn, you have usable gear and have some skill acquired. Its a win, win. Pretty rewarding to say the least.

If you carefully mend and repair your pieces and pay attention to detail you can have a cost effective and earth friendly gear option. Up cycling surplus gear is what cool people do.

"My collection is never complete. My soul belongs to the unobtainium."

Level 1 Repairs - Surplus DIY

 

 

If you have not caught the previous post in regards to military turn in grading and my general levels of repair you should. So click here.

As discussed level 1 repairs will be most of the types of superficial things seen on grade 2 military surplus. Meaning, the items should be fully functional but may have marker written on them, have oil or stains on it, and most commonly they will have small holes or tears.

For the average person items in grade 2 or what I consider normal surplus condition will have no problems running these pieces right out of the box. There are a few exceptions though. People who tend to train seriously or run them very hard may want to consider making the repairs themselves before hand.

Level 1 repairs are the most basic of repairs. And since small tears and holes are the most common I will cover how I fix them.

Small holes and tears turn into big ass holes and tears when you are ripping and running through the wood line. For me it's not smart to even attempt doing because ill be frank, my luck sucks. I opt to fix the gear first.

 
Holes are the biggest problem for the long haul. The other surface problems surplus gear has can easily be solved with a good wash and scrub. Really you should do that anyways before the repair part starts to come to fruition. This is why I am skipping any tutorials about that here. You can find tons of videos on how to wash and scrub surplus gear on youtube.

With holes and tears I assess how large they are first. Then I look at the location of the damage. And make a plan of attack on how to approach the repair.

3 types of repairs for holes are usually:

Patching
Sewing
Gluing

In a perfect world self adhesive patches would fix ALL the problems. But sometimes it isn't a good option on its own. A lot of holes will require some stitching to get it usable. And if the tear is in a bad spot, like near a zipper or a high stress area, it will take all 3 repairs to fix.

Here are some things you will need supply wise.

A small sewing kit
Bondex peel and stick patches
Bondex iron on patches
Fabric glue
3600 industrial glue


I have managed to fix nearly everything with these items and they have lasted me a long time. You could start out with just a cheap starter sewing kit, they are like $4-5. These will usually have thread, needles and little things to make the whole learning process easier.

It should be noted I am not going to teach you how to do basic sewing. I can show you my methods I use but chances are you probably wouldn't be happy with how your project turned out if you care about how it looks. I am totally about functionality. Not how it looks. My repairs are typically overkill but do not look pretty. Functionality > appearance.

If you care about final outcome and how it looks take your time and follow some very detailed basic sewing guides. Like this one.

Basic Process

So you got a hole on a pouch. You take a gander at it and see its a small dime sized area that needs fixing. Sweet. If you got Bondex stick on patches you can patch the outside and the inside. Make sure the edges of the patch are smooth and stuck on good and boom you are done.

That same hole might be in a place where its needing a little more help. Might need to start with using some of the Bondex stick on patch on the back on the hole for reinforcement. Then you have a little more material on it and you can still stitch it. Boom, done.

And worst case scenario for level 1 repairs is the hole is in a high stress rough use location. Do all the same things as before, but now glue the patch in place first and then glue over the stitching itself on the back and front. This seals the work in to the material.

Glue

Some people may look at the supplies in the picture I posted and say, "why do you use two kinds of glue?" Simple. Regular fabric glue dries in 2-4 hours. The E6000 is very tough industrial glue. It takes 24-48 hours to totally dry in my experience. It takes time to cure and bond to everything. Both hold pretty well but the E6000 is incredibly strong.

I choose to glue a lot of my repairs into place. It looks awful in some cases but the fact remains that these methods work. Through rigorous testing not just from me but numerous friends and acquaintances these efforts are worth it. Many pieces of gear I have sold have held up to rough treatment, potentially worse than they seen during duty. I am confident in my layered repair approach that it will work for you too.
 

Patching, stitching, and gluing are entry level skills to fixing your surplus items.  I am confident you can do basic repairs on your surplus equipment and gear with a little practice. Buying grade 2 or even grade 3 surplus gear with the purpose of learning to repair is also a cheap and rewarding way to gain a skill that could come in handy. Not just for your gear, but who knows. Maybe you will end up having to use some of these sewing skills on your homies. For their sake lets hope it doesn't come to that.

Remember. This repair method is the same steps I use to take unusable, sometimes irreparable gear and making them work for another lifetime. It may not look pretty but I can tell you the gear works. With a little attention and minor follow up repairs along the way it will serve you well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So You Want to Fix Your Surplus Gear?

Being able to repair your gear is important out in the field. In austere conditions you probably will encounter missing buttons, holes, and damage and will more than likely need to have the basics of sewing to be able to make sure your gear is in tip-top shape to continue on.

Like most military surplus gear there are usually different grades or conditions of the gear. Unlike new gear the grading is incredibly important and will dictate the price and work that may or may not need to be done as soon as you get it. The subject of grading has been discussed in other entries here on this blog but for the sake of making it easy for new comers this is the way it works, generally.

Grade 1 - New or nearly unissued condition
Grade 2 - Used. Seen field use. Faded, stained, marked up. May have small holes.
Grade 3 - Damaged. Large holes. Not considered repairable by CIF turn in.

Grade 2 will be the most common grade of surplus gear on the market. For the most part Grade 2 will be in complete functional use but will definitely show signs of wear and tear. Knowing this ahead of time having basic repair knowledge can make the whole hunting for harder to find gear cheaper and overall a better experience. A lot of the used grade 2 items I have purchased have needed repairs. The most common is fixing small holes.

Large resellers of surplus items usually have a lot of stock and not a lot of time to go over each piece to assess damages.

Like the grading system implemented by our military branches equipment distribution centers, the repairs I run into I rank by level. This helps with clarifying the degree and skill necessary to be able to properly return it to full functionality with no worry. This is especially true when it comes to selling, trading, or buying gear with people as well. Typically this is how I personally rank repairs.

Level 1 - Superficial. Small tears or holes, laundry marks, dirt or stains.
Level 2 - Moderate tears. Zipper issues. Seam problems. Very Worn or damaged.
Level 3 - Large holes. Missing parts. Closures not operational. Cannibalize grade.

Similar to the grading system set forth by the equipment issuing departments, the level system I have used to aid in reselling or trading gear helps gauge the experience level needed to make repairs. This also helps explaining if you are trading or selling the gear to give the new owner an idea of the actual condition for the pieces they are receiving.

Remember. Grading system is very open and varies greatly. With a repair level paired to the items there is a much more clear picture of the individual unique state of a piece.

Buying surplus is a gamble. When trading or reselling its better to note and document and take pictures of every possible details that could potentially be scrutinized. Almost the same way Ebay outlines listing policies regarding the condition of an item. There should be no surprises for the end user.

Assessing damage and wear is imperative to making a decision about repairs. And ultimately helps with listing and resale practices if repairs are not worth your time. Is it worth the time or energy to fix this item or not? Will it be better to sell as is for parts or for cannibalizing materials for other similar item repairs?

Repairing gear is a great skill to have. Lots of militaries issue sewing kits as part of their load outs and have basic skills to make superficial repairs in the field.

There is the outline about assessing potential repairs and grading. The next entry we will go over the basics of Level 1 repairs.