Going back to the earliest days of the Cold War, people who wanted to prepare for attack inevitable sought out military surplus. Early on, it made sense since the military were the only ones producing gas masks and shelf-stable rations. Sometime around the Vietnam war, the gold standard for any item meant for when the SHTF became "mil-spec". Your firearm, compass, knife or blanket wasn't the best unless it meant mil-spec standards.
But if you stop and think about that for a moment, mil-spec really means "lowest-cost bidder manufactured to the lowest common-denominator that can be purchase in bulk". There is nothing magical about mil-spec. The first M-16 rifles jammed frequently and it was only through civilian aftermarkets that the true potential of this rifle was finally realized. Mil-spec GPS are clunky, overbuilt pieces of tech meant to be abused and lost by young troops in the field.
Kydex is the worst offender. It does not protect your knife or sidearm as it fits to loosely allowing the elements easy access to your weapon. It's also noisy as the loose fit means your knife or pistol sloshes around letting other people know that you are around.
I admit that at nearly 52 years of age, I'm old school but a properly fitted leather holster or sheath for your weapon cannot be beat. It holds your weapon snuggly, protects against the elements, is silent and best of all looks great! The sheath Michael made for me is lined meaning the inside won't scratch the finish on the blade. How many Glocks and Sigs have you seen with holster wear? If we are dealing in a SHTF situation, I don't want my weapons getting marred up anymore than necessary.
That brings to one other issue about the mil-spec mythos. Every mall-rat ninja wannabe has to have a knife with a black blade. They will claim some shit like "that's what the special forces carry" or "because it doesn't reflect light". Really, well if you are an assassin or special operator go for it. Otherwise you are just kidding yourself.
Every black blade I've owned likes to get scratched or the finish begins to wear off. That part of the blade then becomes prone to rust. All of this before I've ever had to "deploy" one at night time.
On the other hand, ever plain finished knife I've owen has maintained its finish. Even for those stuck in a drawer, a little time with some oil and fine steel wool and its as good as new. I've also learned recently the importance of someone actually seeing your knife. I was training a student on some basic knife techniques. The big shiny blade kept the student's eyes focused on the blade and not the attacker. Deception and distraction are much more useful to me than stealth.
So beware, mil-spec is not a silver-bullet. It is mainly a marketing tool and often better, less expensive options are available.
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