franx

Fellas,

My eldest son attended West Point for three years before leaving (it was the mid-90s, build-down time, and they never required him to serve). He has a continuing interest in military affairs and tactical sims. I'm looking for some authentic Soviet military memorabilia as a gift for him, maybe Afghan War/Spetznaz stuff. Any ideas about a reliable source where I could find some?

Thanks for any help!

Elwenil

Ebay is a good source for medals and so forth. There is some gear and clothing to be had, but it can be expensive. I have a few places that I buy Russian camouflage for airsoft if you are interested in that sort of thing. It has no historical value, but their patterns are interesting compared to ours. russiancombatgear.com is one place but it can take a while to get your order since it is shipped from St. Petersburg or Moscow. A stateside retailer of the same items in Texas is redsoldier.com.

One cool thing to have is a nice Ushanka. The typical fur hat worn by just about everyone in Russia, especially the military. They can be bought with the emblems in place, or you can pick them up separately on Ebay. They are very warm and I love to wear mine in the winter. There are a few belts and things that can be had from majorsurplusnsurvival.com and there are many if you Google "Soviet Military Memorabilia" but be careful ordering from Russia and other former USSR countries. The language barrier can be troublesome and if you get ripped off, there is nothing you can do.

I myself found a combat uniform that was used by a Soviet soldier in Afghanistan during the invasion. It's a little worn, but a nice collector piece that I wear occasionally. Be aware that clothing from Russia has a few quirks like the high waistband that easily comes up to your ribcage on most pants.

Good luck!

__________________
|TG|Elwenil

franx

Thanks Elwenil for the quick reply. I'll check these sites out.

War.mongeR1

When I was in Kyrgyzstan (former USSR) for the first time, they were selling old army winter hats. The big furry kinds. I needed one desperately bad, so I took off the cane and sickle pin and used the hat. Worked fantastic. Kept the pin too. The Russians have no problem selling off all their old surplus stuff, so there should be plenty of sources. I've seen some cool Soviet stuff at gun shows before too.

__________________
"Common sense is not so common." -Voltaire