Federal Army & Navy Surplus

This surplus store is a trip down memory lane. They have old flags, former military items and items which are ripe for civillian life. It is near Pike’s Place Market and it is of a medium size. Prices are moderate.
I had first seen this several years ago. At once, I went just recently. They have lots of inexpensive items, but they don’t have the clearance that I’ve seen at another surplus store. This is some great competition to REI, however. Clothing, gear and military memrobilia dominate the store. I found the employees to be friendly.
Federal Army & Navy Surplus is a welcome part of Seattle.

Great shop. Organized with vintage and new clothes, interesting bags and other items. The folks that work here were kind and helpful.

Dropped by today while I was on a break from work. And I must say, although I didn’t purchase anything today, I’ll be back in the future. Previously, I’d frequented the surplus store in SoDo. It’s a nice enough store, but everything there is just chaos in terms of how the store is laid out. Enter Federal Army & Navy Surplus. A damn fine establishment. Things are laid out and displayed neatly. I can find things! I’m in the neighborhood quite a bit for work. I’ll be back soon.

I buy a lot from this place online and have it shipped to my house in Nevada. Stopped in today as I was visiting Seattle and had a 10% off free tax «check in» offer. Brought it to the attention of the cashier when I was buying about $ 100 worth of supplies and he hadn’t heard about it. Called the manager from the back. The manager informed me the discount expired in July. It’s August 18^th. An expiration date wasn’t listed on the offer. The guy was a jerk. We are talking about 10% here… I will re-​evaluate my future online purchases from this place. Truly disappointing.

I really enjoy shopping here. They have an excellent selection of a large variety of items despite the small space. Their items are a very good mix of surplus to new items and their service is top-​notch. Super friendly and very helpful. If you’re looking for anything you might use outdoors hiking, hunting or other, give this place a go, there’s always something new and they have some fun «Not for Sale» historical uniforms etc. that are fun to look at.

[updated 2÷27÷15 due to good customer service response after they reviewed my initial review]
Hi Henry,
Thank you for your detailed reply, albeit, a little on the defensive side. I would have liked to see you acknowledge the issues I’ve experienced and commit to making your policies better for the customer instead of citing other customer’s experiences and previous awards in an attempt to discredit my experiences.
I agree that the majority of your employees are very helpful. I have had great experiences with many of them and that has kept me coming back for years. And I have read many of the 5-​star reviews of your establishment. However that does not mean that every employee is an excellent customer service agent and other customers’ reviews certainly do not have anything to do with the personal experiences I have had in your store recently.
I still contend that the specific Pelican cases you are currently selling (1450 model) are overpriced when you take into consideration that new foam inserts need to be purchased if someone wants to make use of it as if it was anywhere close to «new.» I was misled to believe that they were «half the price of a new one.» And I believe misinforming your customers to try and make a sale is unethical.
The online pricing is quite frustrating. I understand that customers can order line to receive the lower price and then pick up in-​store. However, due to your return policy, it makes it very difficult to take this approach. For instance, if I purchase an ammo can I have no idea what condition they are in ahead of time. If the ammo cans available when I arrive in the store are not acceptable for what I need them for due to condition, etc., there is no guarantee that you will refund the purchase and I may be stuck with in store credit or a product I would not have otherwise bought if I had seen it before making an online purchase. I hope you can understand my perspective. I suggest that you take a more customer-​centric approach and allow customers to mention the online price when in-​store to receive the online price.
Since you quickly replied to my concerns and addressed them in detail, I am adding a few stars to my review. Clearly you care about the reputation of your business and read the feedback customers post. Thank you for your time and consideration of suggestions.
—
I’ve been coming to Federal Army & Navy Surplus for a long time. The store is full of cool items — new, old, and used. They have a good selection of ammo cans, but many of them are rusty. Watch out for bent lids. The prices have always seemed a little high, but were often worth stomaching because there are not many places to get these items in Seattle. Most of the staff is very friendly and helpful — but there are always a few staff members that are surely and appear lazy and unhelpful.
However, I recently had two experiences that made me think second-​guess my decision to buy from this establishment and also the honesty of the people that run it.
I was looking for a hard-​plastic case and the only one that fit the items I needed to protect was a used Pelican case. When I looked at the price tag ($ 65.00) I had a feeling it was too high. When I mentioned the price to an employee, I was told that these case retails brand new for «at least double that price.» So I bought one, took it home, cleaned it thoroughly, and then went online to order a replacement foam insert. B+H Photo is a company I trust for Pelican products so I checked on their site. The foam set was $ 24 (+shipping). And the same case, brand new with foam, was $ 88 – 94 depending on the color (free shipping). At that moment I knew I had been taken advantage of by Federal Army & Navy Surplus. The price on the used, beat-​up Pelican that needed new foam was a complete rip-​off. And, of course, their return policy is awful. Exchanges or store credit only. NO REFUNDS. A clear signal that they know they are taking advantage of customers. I was disgusted.
Additionally, I looked on their website and found that many of the items had prices that were substantially lower than the price they ask their customers to pay on the same item when purchased in-​person. I mentioned this and asked if they would honor their online price for my in-​store purchase. They rudely said, «Absolutely not» and told me that the lower online prices are to help offset the cost of shipping. Well, I have to pay for gas and my time to get to the physical store, then parking. Where is the offset for those costs? Having lower online prices is unethical. Shame on Federal Army & Navy Surplus.
Because of these poor experiences, Federal Army & Navy Surplus has lost a bit of my trust. I will try to find the items I need elsewhere in the future and if I need to buy something from them I will certainly do more research on the price before I do so.

My kiddo had a hard time figuring out a Halloween costume last year. Finally, I got word that a soldier was high up on the list. Now, I could look for a cheap plastic costume that looks fake and doesn’t hold up to the October weather. I decided not to do that and went to the surplus store instead.
Yes, I spent more money buying real camouflage clothes. But, the quality was good and my kiddo was able to wear them after the holiday. Additionally, they had great suggestions on realistic accessories such as hats, belts, and boots.
Overall, a really great store and staff members were amazing!

Great store.
Only minus the musty smell gives me raging headaches. Ill deal for the deals.

Five stars for being a convenient, well stocked source of handsome stuff to wear for my aging punk household. They mostly carry classic military wear (and reproductions of the classics, for substantially less), with some random other stuff that makes sense for people who wear pea coats, berets and tight black German military sweaters: non-​military athletic merino long underwear, Smartwool socks, Carhart brand everything and an array of Leatherman pocket tools. We left with the best peacoat I’ve ever owned (Navy issue, couldn’t be more perfectly tailored), an awesome boiled wool sweater German army turtleneck, and a tshirt (Hanes beefy t’s for $ 4.50!).
Many army surplus stores I’ve been to are just a random bevy of whatever came in this week. These guys intentionally carry a few classic items in each category (with the original and then some cheaper knock offs). This seems to disappoint some reviewers, but it’s a plus for me. I like the kinda retro nature of the trench coats, scratchy wool sweaters, bomber coats, fur lined parkas, &c, that remain. It’s not the cheapest but these clothes far exceed anything you’d find at Nordstrom or next door at Patagonia. And I’d much rather put my money in the pocket of a local business with insanely helpful people like the dudes who work here.

I buy stuff from here pretty regularly. If you’re looking for vintage military items and military inspired items, this is your one stop shop. The prices here are very competitive with just about any Surplus store out there (if you can even find them.) My wife and I have been very happy with the purchases we’ve made periodicially. We have made it pretty much a habit to walk in this place anytime we goto Pike Place Market, as it’s only a 2 block walk. If you like military wear, this is a good place to goto as they have different supplies of various items. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! Check it out, I find it difficult to walk out with nothing.

I sadly don’t find what I was looking for. The selection is solid, the staff is amazing. Everyone was offering to help and willing to put up with questions. Which is super impressive. I’ll say this. They did have what I was looking for just not in the price I was hoping. That said, it’s not a knock on them. I didn’t realize surplus and surplus looking clothes are trendy now. The N35B they had with real fur was in great shape for he age.

Helpful staff, good selection, and convenient location. Everything is really only a few bucks more expensive than most surplus stores I’ve been to which is totally permissable given the fact that it’s downtown in a major city. I’ve grabbed some really cheap camping gear here in the past and will continue to visit for camping fuel and incidentals. Thanks!

These guys are super knowledgeable about everything they sell. I went in Saturday morning looking for some bug out bag /​hiking supplies. I needed a good knife and am a little ignorant on the different types of metals used to make knives. I did not feel intimidated or like I was wasting their time. They were more than helpful and eager to explain the questions I asked. Friendly and professional. give those boys a raise! Id want them on my apocalypse survival team for sure.

I’m pretty sure this is as good as an indie army & navy store gets. It’s big, but not overwhelming; the sales peops are the most friendly, helpful people ever; the merchandise was organized, well marked and very reasonably priced. I wanted some of the sweet vintagesque army bags; I couldn’t decide between the 12 varieties, so I got none (womp womp).
They have the basic goods one would get at a store of this kind and so much more. All merchandise seemed of the utmost quality, no flimsy goods here. I picked up a sweet Carhart beanie that was $ 7 and change on sale… Sweet! Definitely a great stop for locals and tourists (like me!) alike.

This is without a doubt the BEST military surplus store I have been to. This place has so much equipment (both new and used) that I guarantee you will find what you’re looking for. The pricing is decent (I’d say moderate) but the selection is definitely where they win. The staff is helpful but you usually need to ask for assistance. This is great for me because I hate telling people I’m browsing when they bother me but if you’re shy it could be an issue.
If you’re looking for a MIL Surplus store then THIS is the place you need to go. You will be blown away.

Good find when/​if you need it.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been in, do they still have Ben Davis shirts?

I love this place. I am not really connected to it, but I am a soldier in the U.S. Army. I am an E-​4, and my MOS is 68K. I think it’s still fair for me to write this review. This place has just about everything related to the military that anybody, soldiers and civilians alike, could possibly need. Don’t expect to walk in here and come out carrying an M16 and grenades, though. It’s more supplies that you’ll find here, and they stock plenty of everything you could ask for. That’s the reason I’m giving them five stars. Until I find a more thorough store that carries military supplies, this is as good as it gets.
Let’s see, on my multiple visits here, I’ve purchased an MRE, pouches of emergency water, an Army t-​shirt, a baseball cap that says «Proud to be an American,» a flag, and a flagpole. Those last two items don’t come together, unfortunately. But I can’t think of a more obvious or a better place to get things like this. Plus, what’s a better way to show your patriotism than buying those things here?
There are also a lot of things here that I’ll never need and/​or that exceed my budget. One of the people in my recruiters’ office mentioned that he got a rucksack (one of those backpacks for ruck marches) for $ 300 at this store. There are also lots of knives and other camping materials that I have no use for, but it’s probably worth mentioning them in this review anyway. They have tons of military-​related clothing; I don’t need them as my ACU is provided for me, but if you really need those items and have the money to spend, there’s no better place than this one!

On our trip back to Seattle i told my honey we need to go here. We got there 15 min. before they opened and there was already 6 people waiting as well. This was well stocked army surplus store that had a lot more than used military clothing & supplies. They had great brand new clothing like Knox armory & alpha military clothing. Lots of boots, sleeping bags, knives, flashlights, and lots of military memorabilia. I spent over 100 dollars here, and i cold have easily spent more if i would have had the time. If your in Seattle & looking for a good military surplus store, you need to get to this place.

As with any Army/​Navy surplus stores, Federal carries everything you can possibly need in regards to camping and survival gear. Literally! You will find that they have a lot of reasonably priced/​used gear, but the same item new right next to it if used is not the route you want to go. Not all military items offered here is strictly U.S. Government Issue, but you will find stuff from other NATO and former Soviet bloc countries. They have an impressive selection of Carhartt clothing, too! I do stop in on a semi-​regular basis to see if they have any suitable bags to carry my camera gear. I purchased a tri-​fold medical kit bag here that works great, but you can never have enough bags!
I don’t want to rehash a lot of what others have said about this place, but it really is worth a visit if you are in the area. Hell, you can even get a set of personalized dog tags (two stainless steel tags, long/​short chain and silencers) made right in the store for $ 5!
Federal Army & Navy Surplus has been a Seattle fixture since 1917.
Below you will find a glossary of some military terms with its civilian counterpart. What does it have to do with this review? Nothing — but it is always good to learn something new!
GLOSSARY
IT IS (A /​AN) NOT
BDU/​ACU Camos, Fatigues
(Battle Dress Uniform/​Army
Combat Uniform)
Bivouac Camping
Briefing Meeting
Bunk/​Rack Bed
Cover Cap/​Ballcap
Deuce And A Half Truck
(2.5 ton truck)
Entrenching Tool Shovel
(Base) Exchange/​Commissary Store
Field Jacket Coat
Field Manual Book
FTX (Field Training Exercise) Excursion/​Field Trip
GP Small/​Medium/​Large Tent
(General Purpose)
Latrine (Army)/Head (Navy) Restroom
MRE (Meal Ready-​to-​Eat) Brown Bag Lunch (of sorts)
POV (Personally Owned Vehicle) Your Car
PT (Physical Training) Working Out
Road March Walking
Rucksack Backpack
Side-​Straddle Hop Jumping Jack
Go /​Affirmative Yes
No Go /​Negative No
Say Again What?

There are many cool shops in Belltown district, including this cool military surplus store, which is also not far from my hotel and Pike Place Market.
The shop sells military gears and equipments to all five armed forces. The shop also sells items that I’ve never seen used in the military. Whether you’re active in the military or an admirer, there is something for everybody.
Assumingly, there is a military station in the state of Washington. These military personnel get a discount on every purchase made here.
Other than the military stuffs, the shop has a huge selection of Carhartt clothing. With the Pacific Northwest is cold and occasionally windy, I bought a Carhartt beanie for $ 10.00 and a couple of memorabilia of my days in the Marine.
Despite my military days is a distant-​memory, I still enjoy going to these military stores to revisit the recollections of all the apparatus and gears for all the men and women worn and used for our beloved country.