Hobo EDC

stabman

stabman

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Joined
Sep 17, 2007
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You may or may not have heard the term "Hobo Tactical."
But I'm more interested in Hobo EDC.

It took me 6 months, but I finally got a pretty decent EDC collection from a local hobo.

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First I got the fighting ring.

Traded him a couple of stainless steel rings for it (he likes rings). Took a bunch of cleaning, including a bit of sanding to remove the skin that had adhered to the inside of the ring (he had been wearing it for quite a while).

Got the knife next. Traded him a brand new Mora Companion for it.
Stamped "Hobo Knife" with letter punches into the scale, but due to the knurling it can only be seen in certain light at the correct angle. You can see from the broken then rounded tip and the attempt at sharpening on concrete and rocks that he carried it quite a while. Originally from the local gun store; I recall seeing them for sale there many years ago.

Next was the dog ring. This is a pretty nice stainless steel one. Traded him two rings for it...once I found him again! It took a month and a half and at least 50 miles of walking to find him because, you know, hobo life.

Traded a skull ring for the skull ring. The one I traded him was far better quality, but this one was authentic hobo EDC vibes to it. Hard to put a price on that.

The 1972 "silver" dollar I got by trading him another ring. Some guy owed him $40, and paid using this coin. Due to the condition it is in and the fact that it contains no silver at all, he did not get his $40 back. At least the value of the ring I traded him gets him closer to what he was owed. :)

He also has a hatchet and a butane torch lighter lighter as part of his EDC, but I don't need those things. I feel I got a pretty decent Hobo EDC kit out of the adventure, and got to hear some pretty wild stories while drinking some Tim Horton's coffee, many of which I'm sure only happened in his imagination. ;)

Just about all the homeless folks around here carry some sort of knife, and many have a hatchet in their backpack.
Seen a few with a crowbar sticking out of the pack, but that is not nearly as common.
Just as with the general population, folding knives are most common, but you do see some belt knives as well, generally in the 4-5inch blade range. Some carry longer ones though.
 
Smithhammer said:
Um, don't take this the wrong way, but are you a hobo? Or an aspiring one?
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I do volunteer homeless outreach, on my own, and also with a group that started doing the same thing late last year.
It is ironic, because in my job I have to occasionally make the hobos leave the property, then on my off time I'll bring them a coffee. :)

It has worked out well when one of the folks I've met before in my charitable role comes to a site I'm working at; they say hello, talk for a minute then leave. :cool:
No hassles, no conflict, and no report writing involved.

It also meshes well with trying to find neat urban wooded areas.
I've also found some cool things like a 25 pound vintage wrecking bar at a site where an encampment had burned down. Was going to make knives out of it till I did an internet search to identify it.

But no, I do not aspire to the lifestyle.
Having seen a lot of it over the last 10 years I can safely say that it is insanely rare that a person actually is enjoying living life that way.
I did learn a couple of camping/survival tricks from some wily hobos though; one can find knowledge in the weirdest of places.
 
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Lol I have never heard of hobo EDC before, so thanks for the laughs. I thought maybe you were talking about "hobo knives", ya know the pocket knives that come apart into a knife and fork and spoon. I have never thought about a hobos EDC before, but a good knife really would be a big help to one. I think the one that you traded with will be a lot better off with that Mora that you gave him. :thumbsup::)
 
CVamberbonehead said:
Lol I have never heard of hobo EDC before, so thanks for the laughs. I thought maybe you were talking about "hobo knives", ya know the pocket knives that come apart into a knife and fork and spoon. I have never thought about a hobos EDC before, but a good knife really would be a big help to one. I think the one that you traded with will be a lot better off with that Mora that you gave him. :thumbsup::)
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Yep, first thing he said was "I can eat with this!"
Amazing how much better a knife with an edge that cuts things is. :)
 
A hobo would not want an expensive knife since anything they have would be more vulnerable to theft, both surreptitious and forced, than the rest of us.
I once read on a "hobo site" that many hobos carry steak knives.
 
stabman said:
I do volunteer homeless outreach, on my own, and also with a group that started doing the same thing late last year.
It is ironic, because in my job I have to occasionally make the hobos leave the property, then on my off time I'll bring them a coffee. :)

It has worked out well when one of the folks I've met before in my charitable role comes to a site I'm working at; they say hello, talk for a minute then leave. :cool:
No hassles, no conflict, and no report writing involved.

It also meshes well with trying to find neat urban wooded areas.
I've also found some cool things like a 25 pound vintage wrecking bar at a site where an encampment had burned down. Was going to make knives out of it till I did an internet search to identify it.

But no, I do not aspire to the lifestyle.
Having seen a lot of it over the last 10 years I can safely say that it is insanely rare that a person actually is enjoying living life that way.
I did learn a couple of camping/survival tricks from some wily hobos though; one can find knowledge in the weirdest of places.
Click to expand...
Now that's an honorable man. Not too many left of them
 
timberweasel said:
Mark,

Don't get bit.

-Brett
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Couple times have run across camps with large dogs that were on the bitey side.
Approaching the one time, this girl says "He does bite."
Luckily there was a leash on it.
I did not worry about her safety as long as she had that dog. It was pretty huge. :eek:
She also had a pretty decent hatchet which helped for setting up camp. Would probably work for other things too.
 
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