>>1098971I often buy military issue gear because they fall under the Berry Amendment which stipulates preference for domestically made or sourced materials.
For example, I got this PCU Level 5 soft shell jacket, which is made by Patagonia in the USA, unlike all of their civilian crap which is sourced out to Asian slave factories, so the company can earn a higher profit.
A lot of the items overlap with the civilian lines. For example the Level 6 Goretex hardshell jacket was nearly identical to their popular Torrentshell.
And I can get them for less than retail on the Asian slave factory shit.
Some other good US brands I've gotten gear from:
ZPacks (sleeping bag, pack)
GoLite (not all US made)