- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
Well, I can still remember a lot of the useless camping stuff from the 70's we trucked out when I was kid. I don't know if it was bad technology or just my parents buying cheap crap for camping because they didn't know much better. Probably a little bit of both. But lets look back at the heavy canvas tents that required you drive a thunderbird in order to fill the trunk with just the tent. Coleman multi-burner white gas stoves - the older ones. The new propane ones are light years ahead in terms of convenience. The white gas ones are also. I'm not sure why, but my dad used to manage to start the picnic table on fire every time he cooked with his coleman.
1970's fishing rods - they sucked compared to the rods of today.
1970's sleeping bags - remember the ones with the dear flannel on the insides. They were cold and always smelt like mildew. They packed just a bit smaller than the tent that filled the Thunderbird trunk and were just as heavy.
1970's sleeping mats. Ultra suck. Back then, if you could get blue foam you were in 7th heaven. Mostly it was a crappy inflatable that doubled for use as a pool. Oh yeah, they were about as heavy and about as packable as the damn tent that required you to drive a thunderbird in order to fill up the trunk.
1970's back packs. All of them were external frame. They were all heavy. Padded arm straps? - yeah right. Functional waist straps? Doubt it. We were all clammering U.S. surplus alice packs for crying out loud.
1970's - folding chairs. I'm pretty sure that the folding chairs in the 1970's actually took up the same volume of space in the folded state compared to the unfolded state. Plus, everybody went through the UV-damaged nylon were your butt ripped through the seat at least once. Your knees got caught on front bar causing the chair to fold on you....You were caught helpless having to yell for help. Yep the venerable KGD trap. Everyone got a chuckle out of it. Now I know this happened to lots and lots of people. Why? Back then 30% of all folding chairs had their original nylon material replaced with recycled seat belts.
Good stuff about the 1970's
The memories...the memories. Unloading the big ass canvas tent (that leaked despite yearly application of toxic treatment) out of the trunk of the thunderbird. My dad, proudly displaying his bottle of Mirex ant repellent. 'This stuff lasts for years!'.
Freezing my ass off on my uncomfortable pool toy/sleeping mat and deer printed sleeping bag that smelt like last years mildew. Watching my dad yet again light the picnic table on fire. Having my mother lovingly detangle me from the satanic lawnchair that managed to fold up around me.....AGAIN. Watching my dad try in vein to catch fish with his 'pocket fisherman'. When the fish hit, it usually managed to pull out all the line because of too loose a drag, then snap the last little knot at the end of the spool. No more line.
Finally, last, but not the least, my awesome "molecular steel" hollow handled rambo knife with vinyl sheath and sharpening stone. I might add that the vinyl sheath was absolutely free and should I have chosen to send the knife back, I could have kept the sheath for absolutely no extra charge. That knife was something pretty damn good about the 70's! ---Okay, the rambo knife was '80's schlock...But it was all good!
1970's fishing rods - they sucked compared to the rods of today.
1970's sleeping bags - remember the ones with the dear flannel on the insides. They were cold and always smelt like mildew. They packed just a bit smaller than the tent that filled the Thunderbird trunk and were just as heavy.
1970's sleeping mats. Ultra suck. Back then, if you could get blue foam you were in 7th heaven. Mostly it was a crappy inflatable that doubled for use as a pool. Oh yeah, they were about as heavy and about as packable as the damn tent that required you to drive a thunderbird in order to fill up the trunk.
1970's back packs. All of them were external frame. They were all heavy. Padded arm straps? - yeah right. Functional waist straps? Doubt it. We were all clammering U.S. surplus alice packs for crying out loud.
1970's - folding chairs. I'm pretty sure that the folding chairs in the 1970's actually took up the same volume of space in the folded state compared to the unfolded state. Plus, everybody went through the UV-damaged nylon were your butt ripped through the seat at least once. Your knees got caught on front bar causing the chair to fold on you....You were caught helpless having to yell for help. Yep the venerable KGD trap. Everyone got a chuckle out of it. Now I know this happened to lots and lots of people. Why? Back then 30% of all folding chairs had their original nylon material replaced with recycled seat belts.
Good stuff about the 1970's
The memories...the memories. Unloading the big ass canvas tent (that leaked despite yearly application of toxic treatment) out of the trunk of the thunderbird. My dad, proudly displaying his bottle of Mirex ant repellent. 'This stuff lasts for years!'.
Freezing my ass off on my uncomfortable pool toy/sleeping mat and deer printed sleeping bag that smelt like last years mildew. Watching my dad yet again light the picnic table on fire. Having my mother lovingly detangle me from the satanic lawnchair that managed to fold up around me.....AGAIN. Watching my dad try in vein to catch fish with his 'pocket fisherman'. When the fish hit, it usually managed to pull out all the line because of too loose a drag, then snap the last little knot at the end of the spool. No more line.
Finally, last, but not the least, my awesome "molecular steel" hollow handled rambo knife with vinyl sheath and sharpening stone. I might add that the vinyl sheath was absolutely free and should I have chosen to send the knife back, I could have kept the sheath for absolutely no extra charge. That knife was something pretty damn good about the 70's! ---Okay, the rambo knife was '80's schlock...But it was all good!
I think Joe is trying to introduce the law of diminishing returns here, W&SS style that is! 
! 
But I don't buy all the fancy stuff. Just get what works, and use it.