Vol. 05 No. 02
The zoomerification of military surplus
Since the 1980s, surplus stores have been in a slow decline. They became chockful of newly produced knockoff military wares and workwear, usually run by older “boomer” owners, with moldy piles of old canvas and often inflated prices. But, over the past few years, a new breed of surplus stores have popped up, exclusively online and run by young people fluent in social media. This small but influential contingent of surplus – or “milsurp” in their parlance – sellers are reshaping the surplus market and catering to a much younger demographic than your standard brick-and-mortar Army Navy Store. This is the “zoomerification of military surplus.”
Some examples of these shops are Americana Pipedream (founded 2021), Kruschiki Supply Company (founded 2019), and Misty Mountain Supply (founded in 2020), All exclusively selling online and enthusiastically on social media. Americana Pipedream has amassed over 200K followers on Instagram, posting nearly exclusively memes promoting their products and short form Tik-Tok (they and the other shops are active on Tik-Tok as well) style videos demonstrating and explaining their products. While Americana Pipedream is the most successful in terms of social media following, the other examples all have a strong social media presence with posts that reveal a deep understanding of memes, online humor, and subcultures.
Americana Pipedream self describes itself as “just a few 20-something dudes with a warehouse,” where they receive, process, post, and ship their surplus. The Zoomer surplus shops stock a wide array of military surplus sourced from around the world and mostly items issued within the past 20 years. Recent examples of surplus items stocked at these shops are British MTP parkas, Polish rations, French camouflage fleece shirts, and Sadam Era Iraqi uniforms.
Outside of true surplus, shops like Americana Pipedream and Kruschiki Supply Company stock what could best be described as adjacent products, like Japanese pocket knives, Afghan war rugs, and maybe most famously Servis Cheetah sneakers – the sneaker of choice for Afgan militants over the course of the US War. These non-strictly speaking surplus items help create the “vibe” or lifestyle of these shops. Americana Pipedream and Kruschiki Supply Company have also dabbled with making their own products as well, producing camouflage combat smocks, “woobie” hoodies, and branded merch.
The very nature of surplus means there is a built-in scarcity of quantity and sizing. These shops can only get their hands on so much rare Irish camouflage uniforms or Omani DPM camouflage. With this and orders always coming in, it lends itself to social media posting, showing followers new pallets of surplus just arriving and emphasizing the limited availability of items. The Zoomer surplus store operates like many streetwear brands, releasing products not on a seasonal cycle but in limited “drops,” that can sell out quickly.
These shops operate at the intersection of a dizzying amount of online cultures and markets. The products appeal to anyone from military collectors, tactical gun enthusiasts, “milSim” types, Eastern European military fans, Gorpcore outdoorsy types, and even vintage clothing enjoyers. Their social media content hints at online Zoomer gun culture but is more generally in the realm shitposting and features mainstream meme formats that most online 20-somethings can follow along to. Many of the shops shy away from political posting but come across as generally libertarian-leaning, pro-2nd amendment, and have a generally irony-coated outlook of the American political system and government. As with so much of online posting, it can be hard to parse where the bit begins and ends.
While old surplus stores traded in anonymous merchandise, the Zoomer surplus store is building a recognizable brand with content that has a point of view and sense of humor which the customers can align themselves with. The would-be customer can identify as more of an Americana Pipedream person or a fan of Kruschiki Supply Company. With often the same or very similar products (something the stores have joked about), the customer is deciding which shop to patronize as much for the brand’s vibe and marketing as anything else. These shops interact with each other, creating discourse and competing identities, further solidifying their image and creating a community around themselves. The genius of these shops is taking something designed to be anonymous and creating a strong brand around it.
There really is a lot more to discuss about this emerging culture, and I hope I get an opportunity to discuss it further!
Till next time,
C.W.M.
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A commercial?