>>2457772I have bought a lot of Austrian milsurp from Varusteleka. Rugged stuff and very civilian-presentable (literally just looks like normal clothing in a green color). My personal favorite kind of surplus due to its quality + neutral looks. Compared to Bundeswehr surplus it is miles better, German stuff tends to be very worn out. My personal favorite so far is the fleece jacket (pic related). Its markings say it was made only 2 years ago and is unissued.
I also have a GTX jacket (unissued from the '90s, looks brand new) but sizing is sketchy as hell because it's meant to be worn as an outer layer. Wearing it standalone feels like wearing a trench coat, still works fine but I would have gone for 1 size lower if I had known.
In terms of used Austrian surplus, I have a transparent bottle (came with a holder but holder is quite torn up, needs some repair + I have nowhere to mount it), some field shirts and a pair of non-waterproof pants (they were like 10 bucks lel). Condition is great even on the ones that have clearly seen use (pants have repair marks for example). I would generally trust Bundesheer surplus over most brands in terms of quality, but surplus is surplus and there is always exceptions.
No experience with Austrian backpacks specifically but I would assume a similar standard. However, I have spoken to an ex-mil guy from Germany who has done some pretty intensive training and his most important advice was not to cheap out on shoes or backpacks. I have a Jääkäri L + GTX Salomon Quest 4D Forces 2.
