Ranger Surplus Plus

Customer service improved drastically in the two years between my visits. I’ll be sad to see them finish moving to Rockville. Inventory is decent, even if I think I’ve seen better prices on the bags elsewhere. This time I was greeted by two staff members, both of whom switched between chummy testosterone and polite gentleman approaches as appropriate for the customer. All my noob questions were answered promptly and patiently.
Patches, pins, and messenger bags for the hipsters. Knives, nunchaku, riot batons, flashlights for the boys. Sweats, jumpsuits, jackets, t-​shirts, hats, aviators sized for men. Pepper spray, tank tops, ladybriefs, handcuffs for… nevermind.

First of all let me say, ANYTHING YOU WANT FROM THIS STORE YOU CAN FIND ON AMAZON FOR A LOT CHEAPER.
Now, I love the concept but I do not like anybody there at the bethesda store. If you want to go to the ranger surplus store, do yourself a favor and go down the street about a few miles to the one in rockville. Let me tell you why:
YOU CANNOT RETURN ANYTHING AT THIS STORE. ONCE PURCHASED YOU OWN IT FOR LIFE NO MATTER WHAT.
THE STAFF IS DISRESPECTFUL (I tried to return some mag pouches the morning after I bought them. I bought 3 sets of mag pouches and over $ 100 worth of other stuff and was the last to leave. I decided I spent too much money and didnt need the mag pouches so I went to return them and the guy wouldnt take them back. He remembered me but gave me a hardcore attitude and when I was asking him questions he wouldnt answe me and ingnored me WHILE STARING AT ME IN THE EYES. I said to him «Well??? can you hear me???» Such a jerkoff. Dark skin fuzzy hair guy I dont know his name. But I think he likes startrek. If you see him you would know why.
LIE ABOUT PRODUCT OR MISINFORMED: Told me the Bomb book would tell me where to get materials and how to do it all blah blah blah. Basically he said because of that book, I could «go to home depot and get everything and blow up whatever you want». Exactly what he said.
«COULD YOU PLEASE LEAVE? IM TIRED AND I WANT TO GO TO HOME AND SLEEP» said the dark skinned guy behind the counter. Seriously? This was right after I paid for everything which exceeded $ 100.
THEY FOLLOWED ME AROUND THE WHOLE TIME LIKE I WAS A THIEF.
BOTTOM LINE:
Go if you are a girl and you can charm them into not treating you like your garbage. Other than that go to the Rockville store, they are so much nicer and they actually make you feel good about being there. But get everything on amazon. TRUST ME. I only write this review because they made me feel like crap. Nice going guys.

I went to the store looking for a headlamp to wear while biking. The guys were very knowledgeable and honest. When I told them I needed some more time to research what I wanted, and maybe look around at some other places, they didn’t try to sell me on what they had. I ended up buying the light elsewhere, but really appreciated how I was treated as a customer.

Oh where to start? Well, I have been going to Ranger Surplus in Bethesda (the only location I care to go to. Just don’t like the others) Since my dad would take me there as a Boy Scout. As a young kid, Ranger Surplus was a bonanza of awesome stuff and honestly they do have some unique things. As an adult I still visit the store a few times a year. One thing to take note of is their terrible prices for certain items. I’m pretty sure Ranger Surplus only makes money these days off of selling overpriced chinese knives, airsoft guns, and t-​shirts. That being said they do carry enough quality knives like some SOG stuff. Although their pricing is WAY above what Amazon or Dick’s Sporting Goods. I will continue to buy a couple things once in awhile out of the whole «supporting your local brick and mortar store» mentality but they could do with some price adjustment. One last thing would be their idiot sales staff. It’s a bunch of over tattooed punks that always seem too busy messing around with merchandise. They can be nice, they can be helpful, and sometimes they just suck. The store and management has sure not changed much in the last 10 years. I would say I have a love/​hate relationship with the store but honestly it’s the best military «surplus» store in the D.C. area and I get nostalgic going there.

Decent place for military/​outdoors kind of items. Staff is friendly and helpful. Most of the inventory is not actually surplus but new stuff from distributors and made-​in-​China. If there’s a certain item you need to buy locally and to see in person, this is a decent stop for that.
Once in a while you’ll find some uncommon stuff that may be worth your trip depending on what you need. Maybe you need something for an outfit/​costume or maybe you need an old piece of military gear. They do also carry airsoft guns and weapons like knives and batons for self-​defense, 18+ to buy.
Small parking lot in the back of this location, no returns on items.

People saying you can get items cheaper on Amazon explains what is wrong with this country. What ever happened to supporting small businesses? I love Ranger-​how many stores out there offer everything from funny t-​shirts, to bug-​out bags, knives, camping gear, clothes, survival books, Halloween costume ideas that don’t come out of a bag already assembled, and paracord bracelets? I’d much rather see/​touch what I’m buying than order it online and MAYBE it’s the right thing, and I have to wait for it and pay for shipping. No thanks. I find the staff extremely helpful, and I returned a pair of boots I bought for my husband that were the wrong size, so not sure why people think you can’t make returns. Support your local businesses and stop being such babies.

Racist staff couldn’t even wait until my friend and I left the store to mock and ridicule Native Americans (her ethnicity). They did it right to her face. In addition to that, their selection was poor and the place had an unpleasant smell.

This place has most items you would need for this type of items. I participate in the local Mud races and events, I pick up supplies here for my events. My kids got all of their summer camp items here too.

This is your military, outdoor, post-​apocalyptic zombie wasteland store. One person mentioned guns and this in NOT correct they sell airsoft toy guns but no real firearms. They do have a nice selection of knives and military tools. I noticed that they also had things marked around the store as «prepper» essentials, things like water storage and camo netting. Prices all seemed very reasonable with some very outstanding deals.

Absolutely loved this place. I was going to an 80s party and I decided I wanted to look like Colonel John «Hannibal» Smith from the A Team.
Army shirt — check
Army jacket — check
bandana wrapped round the neck and worn in Ascot fashion — check
black gloves — check.
I already had the chinos, the boots and the cigar.
I love it when a plan comes together.
I did not love 2 different people at the party asking me if I was J Frikkin Peterman. WTF? (A) No (B) Hell no and © thatg was the frikkin 90s.
Seriously great selection of stuff, fantastic prices and brilliant service. Guy who helped me was awesome.

Less a military surplus store and more a novelty shop, with cheap plastic joke items and che guevara t-​shirts as well as a poor selection of overpriced, common military surplus items.

Remember this place for emergency supplies! They saved the day with their supply of lamp oil and an emergency candle with 3 wicks. I had tried every other place in town. Helpful staff, too.

I don’t know much about, or have much need for commando gear, military surplus, etc., but for camping, outdoor gear, basic hiking boots, flashlights, etc., that don’t cost a fortune, this is the place. Staff is friendly, and always helpful. Where else could you get thermal underwear in the summer?
Best of all? — you can go by metro. Bethesda red-​line is a few blocks south. Real nice being able to get these things without having get in your car or fight traffic. They’re open until 9 in the evening, and will special order stuff for you if it’s not in stock.

Ranger Surplus is full of interesting finds. I’m no gun/​knife/​hunting person, but they also have camping gear! Ok… I admit, I don’t like camping either. But they DO have a large variety of winter hats that my bf and I enjoyed trying on, including those Russian furry ones (fake fur, of course.)
There’s also a variety of apparel to appeal to your inner child and outer commando: military jumpsuits, jackets, socks. It is also a great place to pick up a Halloween costume. You could dress as anything from Maverick & Iceman from Top Gun to Swamp Thing (with the full camo) to… a Russian person who wears a furry hat. Anyway it’s a cool place to wander around.

How can you not love a place that has a people-​sized ceramic bear placed by the door?
Last night, which was the second to last night I’ll be in town before my big Costa Rica trip, I had one of those oh-​my-​god-​I-​need-​to-​pack panic attacks, followed quickly by a oh-​my-​god-​I-​have-​nothing-​to-​pack meltdown.
I still needed bug spray, a fanny pack (ewwww), a poncho, a raincoat, binoculars, pants-​that-​become-​shorts (double ewww) and a digital memory card. I bought five of those items at Ranger Surplus, on my lunch break, for $ 50 (I bet you can guess which).
My last review involved me skipping down aisles of alcohol like a kid in a candy store. This was more like me in a toy shop. I didn’t NEED an emergency water-​sterilizing kit or a flare gun or Vietnam-​style swamp boots, but they looked awesome! This place had women’s underwear that said «ANCHORS AWAY» on the butt. Why did I not know about this before Sail Away?
Other stuff: Knives, patches, sleeping bags, and camo gear as far as the eye can see. The bug spray I bought was 96% DEET *and* TSA-​compliant. Awesome.
Props to the super-​attentive all-​male staff — I got the feeling they didn’t have very many female customers, and I was treated like royalty ;).

this place freaks me out, but in a funny kind of way. if you ever find yourself in need of israeli grenade covers, batman-​shaped ninja stars, guns, che guavara t-​shirts or sailor hats, this is the place for you.
we came here looking for some camping gear, and it that sense, the store fell short. sure, i understand it’s not called «camping surplus» but typically these stores have a good selection of camping related equipment. when looking for a good compact shovel for pooper scooping, we found a few, but many of them were quite large. when looking for a hatchet for wood cutting, they had 2 options. when looking for a compass of higher quality than the dollar store kind, there were only a handful of pocket sized compasses. when looking for a water filtration system and camelbak type water bag, they had very few options as well. they did have a few mess kits and tons of random little accessories… but on the whole, Hudson Trail Outfitters had more items to choose from and REI had even more of a selection than both.
i was, however, very impressed with the selection of ninja stars and grenade covers.