Maximum Minimalism.

Wouldn't it have been more instructive to allow the scouts to make some their own gear choices? Then if what they brought didn't work out, the leader could it explain why and show his method. If it did work out, perhaps everyone could learn something(like there is often more than one right way to do a job) I know as a boy I wouldn't like having my gear picked through and jettisoned based on the prejudices of the scoutmaster. Personal preferences shouldn't be presented as law.
 
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:cool::) I am surprised that no one has mentioned the useful pocket clip screwdrivers that can fit into a shirt pocket and have a reversible bit that is both small straight slot and small Phillips head. Many companies make them (Ace hardware is one). They easily handle the small recessed Phillips head, electrical outlet screws and other common problems. I usually carry one in my shirt pocket, along with AAA penlight and ballpoint pens. Another good MacGyver gadget.
 
Great story, Living a minimalist life can be very rewarding to some.

In comparison to my surroundings and who i am with almost everyday I feel like a modern day macgyver. I was a scout and learned the minimized philosophy and some of it surprisingly stuck.

Seth I completely agree with you, scouts should be able to learn what works and doesn't. It is the best way to Learn IMHO. Learning is a skill that never goes away & is applied to much more than scouting
 
Carl--

What a delightful post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You write well, tell a story well, and you sound like you had a wonderful father.
 
RobbW said:
I also carry a P-38 rubber-banded into the inside of the County Comm Pico Pry Bar--the 2" version. It fits right inside the continuous curve of the pry bar, eliminates all sharp edges and accidental opening of the P-38, and gives me an emergency rubber band to boot.
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I found that a safety pin also works, and like a rubber band it adds it own utility - splinter removal, "CZER" (Catastrophic Zipper Explosion Repair), etc.



Small is good - Victorinox Classic SD, Case Peanut, Fenix E01 light, Photon light, mini Sharpie, etc.
 
powernoodle said:
I found that a safety pin also works, and like a rubber band it adds it own utility - splinter removal, "CZER" (Catastrophic Zipper Explosion Repair), etc.



Small is good - Victorinox Classic SD, Case Peanut, Fenix E01 light, Photon light, mini Sharpie, etc.
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I really like your idea of using a safety pin to keep closed the GI folding can opener (P-38 or P-51). Groovy:cool:
 
Because I like to be prepared (or to LOOK like I am prepared), I am a sucker for little pocket gadgets that supplement a pocket knife or my Swiss Army Knife. I have already mentioned small pocket screwdrivers that have both a Phillips head and a straight slot tip and will clip into a shirt pocket (NAPA and Ace carry items like this). For MacGyver wannabes they are great.

My latest acquisition is an Ace Hardware screwdriver set that clips onto a shirt pocket and is only about 3 inches long. Inside the handle that acts as a bit holder are FOUR small screwdriver bits - 2 Phillips and 2 straight slot -that should handle most small electronic gadget and eyeglass frame screws. The bit holder is magnetic and holds the screwdriver bits securely. I do not know a specific model number or name, but I purchased this at Ace for only about $4. Right on.. :cool:
 
Great story as always Jack knife. As an old scout myself I love these scout stories. So thanks again, for bringing back some great memories of earlier and better times.

I agree with the minimalism drift of the thread, but maybe with a bit of a drift of my own. I consider my leatherman a minimalist tool. I work on big complicated equipment and alot of times I've climbed the big jungle-gym of a machine to get to the top and realize that I forgot the one tool I need for some specific little task. Now I've got a big ol tool kit with everything I need to handle whatever I need to handle on these things, but the one that you forgot down in the tool box 15 feet down over a bunch of pointy stuff is the one you always need right then and don't want to, or can't go down to get. My leatherman wave rides in an ugly black nylon tool pouch with bright yellow "safety" edging on it all the time, most of the time with this or that other tools stuffed in there too. When the one I really needed to bring up isn't in there, the leatherman almost always helps me get it done without making the trip back down. The pliers are actually pretty good, knife blade isn't my favorite thing, I keep thinking of replacing it or regrinding it to something useful. But overall there are a bunch of tools in there, be it a tiny screwdriver, or a file, or the cutter on the pliers, that can get the job done and done correctly without having to make the trek back down and back up. So having that not perfect, but perfectly serviceable tool with me saves me alot of time and annoyance on a pretty regular basis. You could make an argument that I should plan better and make sure I bring the correct tools up there to begin with, and that's valid to a point. But the wave helps to get it done pretty regularly, so I could just as easily make the argument that I did.

I will agree though, unequivocally, that a knife is for cutting and not for tool use. So I carry a proper pocket knife(ok, often a couple or a few, depending) and use it for what it was designed for and nothing else. After the use I've gotten out of my Wave I would venture to guess that you could get an awful lot done on a survival situation with it and a knife and little else. That's pretty minimalist, and not a spec of plastic to be found.

I Really do enjoy the stories sir, thanks for sharing them with us.

Jon
 
Depression era thinking is encapsulated in the phrase, “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.”

That actually ended up on patriotic WWII posters, exhorting depression weary Americans facing wartime shortages.
 
Raymond1000 said:
Depression era thinking is encapsulated in the phrase, “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.”

That actually ended up on patriotic WWII posters, exhorting depression weary Americans facing wartime shortages.
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Sounded a lot like something my dad would have said. Both dad and mom experienced the great depression, and it influenced them the rest of their lives.
 
It wasn't so much that goods weren't available during the depression, few had any money. My Dad graduated from high school in 1929, my Mom in 1931. They lived during the peak of the depression, their memories were still vivid about the hardships. They saved religiously and were relatively frugal. Still, they enjoyed a life rich in memories and experiences.
 
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Pass the salt? WE never had salt! If we wanted salt we had to lick our own sweat as we walked 30 miles to school barefoot in the snow! (loose paraphrase of a Jay Leno bit from his black hair days). Not to say we haven't gone too far in the other direction.
Speaking of maximal minimalism, I was surprised to see this bit of luxury with the BSA seal on it:
5Yb2q7yV

I finally had to buy it, though.
 
New cars were rare during the depression, and unavailable during the war. Car companies had turned into tank companies. Reconversion to suit civilian needs took time. After the war most people drove junkers.

My dad was no exception. He drove what he could get. He’d been a refrigeration mechanic in the Navy. But nobody in civilian life wanted guys with military training. Dad went back to carpentry. At day’s end he and his brother drove away from a job site. They heard a thud and dragging noise. It turned out the car battery had fallen out of the engine. It was only attached to the car by the battery cable. Good thing this happened in the parking lot, not on the highway.

In those days carpenter’s toolboxes used heavy wire for shoulder straps. They pulled the strap wire from their toolboxes, and wired the battery back where it belonged.

That battery was still wired in place when dad eventually sold the car.
 
Carl, great story, great topic.

Looking back on my scouting days (ending over 30 years ago), I recall the simplicity of tools. A knife, a small shovel (usually a surplus e-tool), and life was good. Patrol gear was simple too. Full size axe, hatchet and saw (and a file for longer trips). What else did we need?

My scoutmaster in AK was of the same school of thought regarding eating utensils--leave the nested knife and fork at home. Just bring the spoon.

Re multi-tools: I've found them handy when I've deployed to austere locations. Back home, they usually sit in the tool box, unused.
 
Liberando said:
Carl, great story, great topic.

Looking back on my scouting days (ending over 30 years ago), I recall the simplicity of tools. A knife, a small shovel (usually a surplus e-tool), and life was good. Patrol gear was simple too. Full size axe, hatchet and saw (and a file for longer trips). What else did we need?

My scoutmaster in AK was of the same school of thought regarding eating utensils--leave the nested knife and fork at home. Just bring the spoon.

Re multi-tools: I've found them handy when I've deployed to austere locations. Back home, they usually sit in the tool box, unused.
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When I think back on those times it was all about simplicity. Our gear we just a simple scout knife, with maybe a 2 1/2 inch blade, a hand ax, and maybe a sheath knife. The knives were made by companies long gone now, like Schrade, Camillus, Imperial, PAL, and others. We didn't have any tactical gear, and we didn't know how under equipped we were by not having the latest 'hard use' knife. But those old Camillus scout knives held up to the heavy use that 12 and 13 year old boys could dish out. I think it was a very valuable learning experience in how to do the best you could with what you had, where ever you were. I fear that the kids these days are not getting a good education in real life.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
When I think back on those times it was all about simplicity. Our gear we just a simple scout knife, with maybe a 2 1/2 inch blade, a hand ax, and maybe a sheath knife. The knives were made by companies long gone now, like Schrade, Camillus, Imperial, PAL, and others. We didn't have any tactical gear, and we didn't know how under equipped we were by not having the latest 'hard use' knife. But those old Camillus scout knives held up to the heavy use that 12 and 13 year old boys could dish out. I think it was a very valuable learning experience in how to do the best you could with what you had, where ever you were. I fear that the kids these days are not getting a good education in real life.

Carl.
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Fully agree, Carl. Not only were the knives simple and tough, the other scout gear was as well. Surplus canteen and web belt...yucca pack...canvas tents. Primitive by today's standards, but they got the job done. Great memories, too.
 
What a wonderful thread. I do believe this the most enjoyable thread I've read in a long time. I sure do agree that life has become FAR too cluttered and complicated. People accumulate far more things than they ever could use.

I'm guilty of it too, but I do try to live as simple a life as I can within reason. I fully believe in the premise of Carl's message here.
 
I used to live a simple uncluttered life but then I got married. ;)
 
I used to live a simple uncluttered life but then I got married.
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"klutter" thy name is "babies". There is no such thing as a "minimal kit" when traveling with the diaper set.
 
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