The Local Surplus

When I was younger, I thought the only way to get a nice military beret was to enlist in the military and join the particular unit you were interested in. I later found out about this particular Army surplus store from my old photography mentor, and I’m happy he showed this place to me. The prices are fair, and though the cleanliness isn’t of the same caliber as some larger department stores, this store is pretty well organized.
So far, of things I’ve been looking for, I’ve been able to find:
— a shemagh
— a bobby whistle
— long johns (base layers)
— shirt stays
— a gas mask
— ballistic goggles
— a Safari Hat
— all sorts of historical military helmets
— mess kit, MREs, and knives
— trench coats (most are too big for a small Asian guy like myself, however!)
I’ll definitely be coming back here in the future if I need any other hiking equipment.
On another note, keep in mind that this might look like a nondescript garage, since it’s right next to a gas station.

Organized, kind customer service. Brought my 10 year old all the way from Brentwood for some things he wanted. Will go back again.

I used to love this place. I don’t come in as often anymore since they scaled back their camping supplies. But over the years I have found many treasures here. Most of which I can never find again. I guess thats the nature of the products they carry.

I’ve been here a number of times and always find what I want. Organization is amazing here prices are also great. Staff Is very friendly especially if you have some dumb Civvy questions.
I’ve gotten everything from hiking equipment (camel backs) halloween costume stuff (fatigues gas masks) and some stuff for camping.

This is a cool little surplus store that carries alot of what you need to survive a blackout or some terrorist act. The ready 2 eat meals are cool as well as all the camo and gear. I like to buy the metal ammo boxes and personalized dog tags they make there too. Also for the zombies, i recommend the machetes behind the counter!

I had an awesome experience here and felt totally welcome. Even met the owner and one of his employees who is a young guy. They were so helpful and patient with us helping us find what we needed.
I’ve recently gotten into the whole survivalist thing and pick up neat survival gear whenever I see something cool. I also love the outdoors and camping. It’s overwhelming upon walking in as they have stuff up to the ceiling. It was fun to walk through the isles… it was like part museum part treasure hunt. They have one of the largest collections of Coghlan’s outdoor supplies I’ve ever seen. Oh and vintage stuff? Wow. It’s like walking into heaven. They have gear that I’ve actually never seen before in sporting good stores. They might not carry 10 types of everything for you to choose from… but chances are they do have that one hard to find item on hand. Sure there’s always more selection on the internet. But there’s no better experience than being able to see the products up front and also being able to contribute to the local economy. Also a plus, I found their prices very reasonable! I will definitely be back!

Pretty much the go-​to place in the Bay Area for military gear and surplus uniforms. A full set of BDUs (depending on the sizing and pattern) can be had for as low as $ 30, while other more «expensive» patterns such as PLA Tibetarn could run you $ 60 for just the top.
I picked up a surplus set of DCUs for $ 40, and the staff was kind enough to find me a matching helmet cover for my PASGT as well as a green elastic helmet band. I bought my Red Rock assault pack from here, as well as my first set of Woodland M81 BDUs.
The variety they have in-​store is pretty good, German Budeswehr Tropentarn boonie caps I saw were on sale for $ 14.99, very tempted to pick one up. Without a doubt this is a place I’d highly recommend for anyone that’s looking for gear to complete their airsoft kit or reenacting impression.

I needed a sailor hat for the boy for Halloween.
A quick Unilocal search turned up Army Navy Surplus.
Aye aye sailor!
A quick perusal of the numerous accoutrements led to me finding exactly what I wanted. A vintage sailors cap, perfect condition, for under ten bucks. What? What?
Army Navy was clean and well ordered and the service was friendly and upbeat. They had a ton of pieces being sold for re-​enactment and costuming, essentially much more than I’ve ever come across with Stevens Creek Surplus.
One sailors cap and one happy Meg T. equal definitely returning!

I like this place, I pretty much like all surplus stores, to be fair. :)
They have a great selection of both surplus, and new military gear. Additionally, they have a lot of really great quality camping and hiking gear. They also have some decent prices, I like being able to find obscure camping supplies there.
I also really like their selection of LODGE cast iron. You can’t go camping without cast iron!
The staff is friendly, and always willing to help.

This place was rad! A ton of cool items packed into this place. The prices weren’t bad either. One of my family members is into military items, so checking this place out was a must. We weren’t disappointed. They had a great supply of uniforms and clothing in a variety of sizes — even larger sizes XL and up. The guys working there were cool too. They were knowledgeable about the items and friendly. We will definitely be back to check this place out.
Thanks Army Navy Surplus!

I am a gas mask nut. You can find an assortment of gas masks from various military periods (albeit placed high up where you can’t reach them yourselves except to involve an associate). They don’t have everything, but the variety pleased my eyes. There are military clothes, camo fabric, camping gear, hunting hats, gloves, and other types of masks, even some for Halloween. We got a few thicker tent stakes, an aviator style hat, a military cap, and some camo face paint.
Nice quiet atmosphere, unlike the Stevens Creek Surplus Store. For an introvert like me, I likes very much.

So you may be asking, why are you reviewing a surplus store? Well, first thing and the most important thing… When zombies do take over the world, you better know where to get your cheap survival needs and I did us all a favor by checking this Army Navy surplus store for your essential needs.
Things they have (that is a must have for you):
MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) — A must have for the zombie apocalypse for when everyone starts to get really hungry especially you. you’ll be ready. So do yourself a favor and get some prepared. Basically a meal sealed in a bag that is easily heated by adding water. Meals typically carry around 3000 calories.
Ghillie Suit– A standard for snipers in the military to use as a tool to blend their entire body with nature. You’ll need this for traveling around town gathering supplies. If you see a zombie blend with nature my friends!
Forever Flashlights: Just because zombies aren’t the only things that are scary as hell. My personal worst would be the dark. so do yourself a favor and have a forever flashlight ready. All you need is to shake and you’re all set for the dark.
First Aid Kit: A necessity for the apocalypse when you get hurt and need to stop the bleeding, this could save you life and person next to you.
All of the thing above are available at the Army Navy Surplus Store. They also have the biggest collection of new and used military gear around. The staff are friendly and extremely helpful when you aren’t sure where things are located. Just ask and the staff are more than welcome to help.
I recommend this surplus store for all you’re survival and collectable needs. Hell. you can find me here on the Zombie Apocalypse. BE PREPARED!

If you want a authentic surplus store, you go here. The high majority of their items are genuine issue, depending on which branch of the U.S. military. MOLLE vests, ghille suits, holsters, Soviet helmets, you name it. I bought my desert MARPAT cammies here for less than $ 40. It’s real, and it’s made in America.
Fall 2013: Bought two hats here for ~$ 20, one patrol cap and one boonie hat.
Winter 2014: Bought Chicom chest rig, 1 ct. BPA free 27 mL stainless steel bottle, and one polypropylene thermal in black.
Spring 2014: One OD bandana and one roll of 100MPH tape.

One of the last «real» surplus stores around. I’ve noticed many surplus stores now only carry Dickies, and other name brand clothing items and no military stuff. This place has you covered and on the cheap. Whether you need snowboarding socks, a backpack to travel around South East Asia, or a gear bag for your mountain bike gear you can find it here. The people who work here are friendly and very helpful, so just ask if you need ideas or can’t find an item.
Sometimes I forget to come here first and end up at some department store sports store where I usually overpay and the gear under delivers.

This place is just plain creepy. Like walking into a Ruby Ridge complex. An old grizzled Vietnam vet (says his hat) and a young fat wanna be vet run the place. They never take their eyes of you.
OK…they have some pretty cool stuff. Even some real surplus stuff that served in some armed forces, or some war. Some of the stuff even has stenciled names remaining. Swedish messenger bags, Korean war ammo pouches, body bags (i think that’s what they were). Yeah. and a good selection of LE tactical vests, pistol bags, rent-​a-​cop gear and badges, knives everywhere. Some vintage army great coats. You get it, pretty cool.
Clientele is eclectic. Grunge punkers, a sister looking for a sling for her assault rifle (she says she lives in Oakland), a few Reno 911 rent-​a-​copy LE types.
I’d be careful if you’re Asian. Remember Vietnam? Otherwise, a fun 1 hour of browsing under shifty eyes.
+5 for the stuff, –2 for the creepy front men.

This place is GREAT. The botton line is that this place has EXCELLENT selection, FAIR prices and FANTASTIC customer service.
background: I’m an Army ROTC cadet about to enter the Army. I accidentally lost a few military equipment items and had to replace them. Specifically, I had to replace my 1 quart olive drab canteen and two cat eyes. Cat eyes is a band with reflective material that you put on top of your Army Combat Helmet.
The competition: My first instinct was to go to the closest place to my house, which was Stevens Creek Surplus near Valley Fair Mall. Stevens Creek Surplus only had what seemed to be cheap Chinese knockoff items instead of military issued items. They were also ridiculously overpriced in comparison to what was available online.
I called ahead to see whether the items were available at Mountain View Surplus. Not only did they have the specific items I needed, but they also had a stock of those items that were used (cheaper). They also have a 10% discount for those with military IDs. This ended up saving me some money.
I ended up taking a good 10 minutes more than I budgeted to buy my things just to check out the other surplus equipment that they had. They definitively have a great selection of Army things.
The employees are friendly and knowledgeable. The employees actually remembered what I called about on the phone helping spee me through my shopping. One of the two employees I interacted with had been in the Army.
Advice: I would absolutely recommend coming here if you need surplus equipment. Remember to call ahead to check prices and availability.

This surplus store is crammed full of fascinating military paraphernalia. It would have been a great place to rummage around, except that the folks running this place seemed somewhat hostile.
I’m not sure if it’s a racial thing or if I’m just paranoid, but I got a vague, uneasy feeling that I wasn’t welcomed here. As much as I was intrigued by the merchandise, I’m very reluctant to come back.

I just love army navy stores and mountain view surplus is a GREAT one. I love this place. It has everything. New and used galore!
Selection is seriously shocking. Even if you are not planning on buying anything its an awesome store to look around in. And most likely you will find something that you want.
Came here to looking for some great camo for paint balling. Found it! A super sweet fire retardant US Army zipper pocket covered jump suit! I will be the queen of the ball in this thing.
And I will definitely be coming back to grab some new boots and a camel back for hiking. Also has a surprising cool selection of different army messenger bags and a lot of camping equipment.
A must visit for any outdoor loving man or any army/​navy store aficionado.

Dude, if you need surplus come here. Don’t bother anywhere else. BUT try and go before it is hot because otherwise you will sweat yourself down a pant size!!!
I love this place and it hasn’t changed in as long as I can remember… I started coming here when I was 13 I think and it hasn’t changed a bit. Same smell, same packed shelves, same mix of people working, same hard to explain «stuff» everywhere.
DEFINITELY stop here before your next camping trip, you will everything you need and stuff you never knew you needed!

Fun place! This store is jam-​packed with all manner of camping and outdoor gear, and just as much military surplus stuff. Much of the military gear is authentic — used but in good condition. My son LOVES this store and could stay here for hours. Service has been spotty — sometimes it takes a long time to get help, or the the attitude is somewhat surly, but the last time I was there, the guy who helped us dig up a certain size shirt gave all sorts of interesting info about how the patterns are chosen for the military clothing.
I went to another surplus store in SJ and didn’t find it nearly as comprehensive as The Mountain View. Prices here were better too — bonus!