Surplus tents are often more suitable choices than any commercial camping supplies sold in the market. They were designed to take on the roughest of climate circumstances. And since they're on surplus, you generally get them at a lower price. To get more details about military shelters, you can explore online sources. 

However, not all these tents are sold at an identical state of quality. Of course, most of the stuff that you will find in third party shops are checked for acquiescence with management rules, but there are shops that sell traditional tents at a cheaper price. Some tents could be about 15 years old, but don't be shocked if you find some that are as much as 60 years old. In case you plan to buy this kind of camping supplies, you'll need to patch things up with a little repair work.

You can start by taking a good look at the ropes. The durability of the ropes is necessary, to lessen the of your tent falling on you while you're inside it. 

Check for molds, rots, or mildew. These things will only weaken the ropes and cause them to break if you use them at their current state. Ropes like these are easy to clean – simply immerse them in a liquid made up of 8 parts water and 2 parts bleach. After that, have the ropes dried out in the sun.