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Mountain Khakis at Champaign Surplus. (Photo by Anne-Marie Cheely, Buzz Photographer)

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Champaign Surplus »
Address: 303 S. Neil St. Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 356-4703
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You’re flipping through the pages of this week’s Outdoor/Recreation issue, and, for some of you, excitement starts to creep over your whole body as you realize it’s finally nice enough to be outside! Many of the activities that people turn to as they shed their winter coats don’t need much preparation — a Frisbee, skateboard or just a blanket to spend a day on the Quad. However, some more intensive activities require more preparation, and that’s where Champaign Surplus on Neil Street comes into play.

“Enjoyment of any activity is paramount ... whatever we endeavor to do, we need the best equipment we can get in order to do it and in order to have the experience be pleasurable,” said Ira Wachel, who owns Champaign Surplus with his wife, Lynn.

Champaign Surplus, which features army surplus goods, camping, backpacking and other outdoor gear, has been open since 1947, when Lynn’s parents, Leo and Ann Weisel, opened it as an army surplus store. Since then, the store has evolved while still keeping in touch with its origins.

“I felt from the beginning that we needed to maintain our roots. So it was important to me to keep our name, Champaign Surplus, and it was important to me to continue to sell that category of merchandise,” said Wachel.

Around the 1960s, camping and backpacking equipment were becoming popular among student groups, cuing the store to expand its camping equipment section. Into the ’70s, military fashion was en vogue, and most of the surplus goods sold were to students. Because of heightened security, it has become harder to get surplus supplies from the army. The store currently carries some foreign surplus goods and gear that are up to army specifications, though it might not have been ordered through the army.

You could, of course, decide to go to larger chain stores to find the gear you’ll need for your next outdoor excursion. But Wachel said although he can’t always compete with chain-store prices, Champaign Surplus can offer something better.

“When a customer comes in Champaign Surplus, it’s not self-service, [although] it can be if they want it to be,” said Wachel. “Basically, we feel we have an obligation to contact the customer, find out what brought them into the shop and do the best job we can of answering their questions and guiding them in making a good decision.”

Wachel commented on Champaign Surplus’s customer-friendliness.

“When a customer is uncertain of what it is they want, they know they can come here, look over the category, learn about the category and have a lot of choices,” he said.

Each staff member is highly trained in assisting customers with getting exactly what they will need for their outdoor adventure. Champaign Surplus’ business plan allows the customer to find the best choice for their needs: No products are ever promoted above others because of promotions or sales — the staff will always recommend the absolute best product for the customer’s specific needs, and the store’s selection is kept to offer a diverse number of choices.

Even their Web site, which you can check out at http://www.champaignsurplus.com, offers trip plans, gear lists and other helpful information, all with the goal of making your outdoor experience as enjoyable as possible.

Many of the trips found under the “favorite destinations” tab are trips taken by the Wachels, Ira and Lynn, who met on the steps of Folleinger Auditorium while they were students here at the University. Together, they love traveling around the world and experiencing nature. Among their experiences are a dog-sledding trip, hiking in the Swiss Alps, hiking in Peru on the royal Incan trail and canoeing in Ontario.

“I find that when I’m in the wilderness and I’m able to shut off technology that I really have an opportunity to, in a sense, personally reboot,” said Wachel. “The brain gets clearer, the pressures disappear and I get out of the wilderness and I really feel as if I‘m able to face life, family, work, whatever it is I’m engaged in doing with a much clearer head.”

Wachel spoke of the importance of being in tune with his surroundings.

“We have lots of opportunities to experience different things, but if we’re going to keep our minds sharp and our bodies fit, we need to exercise, we need fresh air, and I think that to be in touch with what our role is in this world, we need to be outdoors more often than we’re indoors.”