Abercrombie & Fitch tent find, need help

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Loosearrow

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Apr 14, 2008
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I was at a swap and shop this weekend and I came across a tent made by Abercrombie. It has no directions, no poles, and is made out of a brown oilcloth. The bag that it came in is stenciled Crusier. The company had been a premier supplier of outdoor gear in it's day. Any help or references would be appreciated so I can figure this out. It does have a small screened access with a zipper. It smells but then so does my oilcloth coats. I think it was a find at 5.00. I will eventually figure it out. Any help would be appreciated. Just some old school, vintage camp gear. I have checked out Kepharts book and I may be on the right track. Regards
 
I was amazed to read in a book recently that Abercrombie was once a premier supplier of outdoor goods. What the hell happened? Much like North Face, who was once a big supplier to mountaineering folks...now every frat guy/sorority girl on my campus has a North Face fleece jacket, and they think they're fashionable. Hmm. Times change, I guess.
 
About thirty years ago I happened into an A and F store in NYC and it was awesome beyond words. I do not know how it turned into what ever it is now, but it makes me sad.
 
BA_Colt said:
http://www.tentsmiths.com/period-tents-whelen-tents.html
This company makes vintage tents, perhaps they my be able to help you out.
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You were right on. Thank you very much. I set up before I read your post and figured it out. Internal poles, external poles and ridgeline. It's the Kepharts SnowTent , Abercrombie's Explorer/Crusier same tent. I took some pictures and will be posting them on this thread. Thanks again.What a find to be able to have acquired an original. Looks like it would still work. I really like old school. Regards Loosearrow
 
Abercrombie & Fitch was THE high class sporting store in NYC up into the late 60's or 70's. Hemingway, Ruark etc bought their safari gear, guns & fishing rods there.

Was in it once in the late 60's and an entire floor was devoted to guns, another to fishing rods. Not in the style of a big box store, but almost like a museum. I believe they went bankrupt but could be wrong. May research it.
 
Frostyfingers said:
I was amazed to read in a book recently that Abercrombie was once a premier supplier of outdoor goods. What the hell happened? Much like North Face, who was once a big supplier to mountaineering folks...now every frat guy/sorority girl on my campus has a North Face fleece jacket, and they think they're fashionable. Hmm. Times change, I guess.
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A&F went bankrupt in the late 70s and the company name was bought up in the 80s. Obviously the new A&F went in a different direction.

TNF still makes some good gear but along the way it became trendy to wear their clothing. I think that came about from rappers wearing it on MTV. However, a lot of TNF's stuff is more about fashion than function.
 
panicotr said:
Was in it once in the late 60's and an entire floor was devoted to guns, another to fishing rods.
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Me too, my dad used to take me there occasionally in the sixties. Wealthy people would call A&F, tell them they were going to Africa on safari for six months with a party of however many, and EVERYTHING they needed would be crated, on the dock, and ready to go when they were. It was an amazing place.
 
sick, I have a Parker Hale rifle that was imported by Abercrombie, it's a beautiful rifle. They were the real deal, the REI of their day-but even more specialized in just as many sports. That was a good find.
 
brizbane said:
About thirty years ago I happened into an A and F store in NYC and it was awesome beyond words. I do not know how it turned into what ever it is now, but it makes me sad.
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Yep. I remeber walking into the A&F store in downtown Chicago with my Dad back in the early 70's. It was like an outdoorsman's heaven. Sad. :(
 
I remember seeing them mentioned on I Love Lucy. :) Now the stores give off this odd smell that makes me want to run in the opposite direction. This some new marketing thing?
 
Loosearrow - That tent sounds like a great find. hopefully you can get it all worked out and we can see pics of you using it.

I have often wondered how a store that sounds like outdoor nirvana turned into that slim-fit preppie supply store? I think A&F was the first retailer to carry Loveless knives, they also carried Randall Made Knives, that says alot about what kind of quality they worked with.
 
Please take pics of that tent for us. It'll be like memory lane. When I was In high school in Wisconsin my mother knew I loved that catalog, so she copied to a T a fishing vest that was in one and gave it to me for my birthday.
 
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mdauben said:
Yep. I remeber walking into the A&F store in downtown Chicago with my Dad back in the early 70's. It was like an outdoorsman's heaven. Sad. :(
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Great place for spending most of a cold Saturday afternoon! Abercrombie & Fitch in Chicago had taken control of Von Lengerke & Antoine (VL&A) sometime in the 60's.

The first floor off Wabash was team sports, golf, game room stuff and knives. Puma, Buck, I think they had Scagel and some private label.

Second floor (?, long time ago) was entirely the finest firearms in the world lined up behind glass.

Third was clothing.

Fourth (maybe fifth) was fishing and camping. You were greeted out of the elevator by a huge Grizzly mounted on his hind legs with the front paws extended wide open.

Abercrombie in it's day was Cabela's, Orvis, REI, and The North Face along with some Sharper Image tossed in. They were incredibly expensive but had the absolute best of everything, or so they claimed. Unfortunately they went broke in the mid-seventies and The Limited bought out the name.
 
My dad loved A&F, he'd roll over in his grave if he knew what the brand has become.
 
I'll trade you a bunch of knives for it! Sounds grand!
 
A&F is a sad story. Cool store that turned into an overpriced crapola. The tent is very cool though, need to save my pennies.
 
Had no idea about the history of A&F, interesting, but I can't stand going into that store now.
 
Maybe it'll turn back, we can always hope. That and if Cabela's does the same thing, I am arming up and we are doing a hostile take over to restore order lol. Would be interesting to find out the full details as to why/how they changed to clothing.
 
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