New school gear versus Old school gear?

metalhead357

metalhead357

Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
281
We've all seen that there is an obvious line down the "Traditional" and "Modern" knife people, but I was wondering how far that stretched?

Are the traditionals more likely to like Carhartt jackets over Milspec jackets?

Old Honda Rancher 4 wheelers over new flashy Polaris ones?

Older wooden, straight handled rifles over pistol grips and rails?

Older Snapper Lawn mowers over the new Zero turn ones?

A pair of levis over 5.11 Tactical khakis?

A pair of Justins, or Ariats over Milspec Combat boots?

An old Leatherman PST over a SOG powerlock or the type?

Older ALICE packs over MOLLE packs?

If I could get some opinions I think it would be pretty cool. DO your likes fit one category? Are you in the middle? :confused:
 
I like stuff that works the way I want it to. Doesn't matter if it's new, old, or cobbled together from the two. Oh, I also like stuff that I can afford, so old school often gets the nod in that regard.
 
For mowing, my zero turn is light years beyond my old craftsman mower, but a good lawn tractor with attachments can still do a lot more. Also, I can't believe that I lived without HDTV for so long.

I like new school, but I tend to buy old school, because mainly I'm cheap. I don't really do anything intensely enough that the added performance of new school is worth the added cost.

As far as appearance, not performance, goes, I prefer the old school aesthetic of carhartt's and levis over technical high performance wear. No glock will ever be as pretty as a blued steel revolver. The lines of a 55 Chevy are much cooler than the aerodynamic ovoids of today's cars.
 
I feel mixed on the subject. Old worn Carhartt, then a ZT0350TS.
Ariat work hog boots, then brand new smart phone.
Old snapper lawnmower, then a Mossberg 500 with a telescopic stock and pistol grip.
 
Mixed breed here.

Blued guns but with black plastic furniture/slabs/stocks. Leather holsters though.
Traditional knives but carry a Spyderco Centofante III half the time.
Carhartt jacket and coat but modern button down casual shirts made of newer materials (Columbia Boneheads, etc).
Tactical black LED flashlights but regular Zippo lighter.
Newest top of the line Norelco wet-or-dry cordless shaver but a manual can opener in the kitchen.
Still like printed books but haven't bought a real printed newspaper in years.
 
I'm old school with a mix of new. For things like knives, boots and coats I'm into old school. For pants I rock 5:11s because they are comfortable and strong. The new Levi's are crap. If I could afford more traditional pants I'd try em. I've been eyeing some of filsons pants :). I love my smart phone, but like being without it too. I wear redwing boots and a filson jacket (own a carhartt too :)). So yeah, a mixed bag but my heart is with traditional
 
I'm definitely more new school. I always carry a modern 'tactical' folder (usually my XM) and I think I only own maybe 4-5 traditionals just for the collection. I don't go all out with wearing milspec clothes- just usually jeans and t's but I do wear my 5.11 boots even when I'm not on an EMS tour because they're just so damn comfortable. :D I also have a Condor Sierra jacket I wear a lot which I guess is sort of 'tactical'. For my EDC bag I use a First Spear Comm Pack which falls under the milspec category although its much more subtle looking than a lot of other milspec/tactical packs. I'm not a fan of having molle webbing all over my stuff since I don't really find that i need it. I do however carry a zippo, use a USMC Ka Bar in a leather sheath for camping, and LOVE classic American muscle cars so I do still appreciate the old school stuff.
 
As far as electronics goes,I don't think you have much choice but to keep up with the rat race and I do like some of the new stuff from Leatherman and Kershaw but beyond that I'll run old stuff until I can't find parts for it anymore,then see if I can make my own parts.I wear Wrangler and Carhart almost exclusively,my newest vehicle is a 1987,I grow a 1 1/2ac garden with a garden tractor built in the 1960s but I am thinking about getting a 1940s small farm tractor to use as a backup.When it comes to machinery,I'll take the simplicity of old over the headaches of new any day.Oh and most of my weapons are old school also,Stevens double barrel,Remington and Winchester rifles,I do own a modern model 37 Ithica.:D
 
Old school vs New school. I think it is more of an attitude than gear. Today many are obsessed with the newest thing available. C
They would rather show off their new gear on utube than practice the basics.
 
I'll take wool over synthetics any day.

Traditional bows. No training wheels.

Shotguns? Double-barreled, thank you very much.

Liquor? It better be brown. Clear alcohols are for rich women on diets (thank you, Ron Swanson).
 
I have a great appreciation for old-fashioned stuff. I like slipjoint knives, lever-action rifles, and revolvers, and I think blued steel and walnut is the prettiest look on a firearm. One of my favorite pistols is a 106 year-old 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless that I picked up a few years ago for a song.

That having been said, I've got Glocks, Kel-Tecs, AR-15s, Spyderco Knives, and other high-tech gear too. Some old school gear still works as well as it ever did, or even better than the new stuff in some cases (cast iron cookware, axes, etc). and sometimes old-school stuff just doesn't cut it. Flashlights, in particular, have acome a long way in a short time. Maglights used to be the best of the best, but nowadays they are sadly behind the times.

As far as your specific questions go:

I don't own any Carharts, but do own a few milspec jackets (then again, I was an infantryman).

I don't own a 4-wheeler but I Honda and Toyota vehicles are the only cars I will buy.

I have old fashioned straight gripped rifles and newfangled plastic guns too (Kel-Tec SU-16).

I have an ancient Craftsman lawnmower.

I have BDUs and jeans, but make no effort to buy any particular brand.

I haven't bought any boots since I was in the army (jump boots).

I prefer Leatherman tools to any of the SOG tools. I EDC a Leatherman KICK, and have a WAVE for those occasions where I need more functions.

I prefer Alice to Molle gear (though I think Molly is a better girls name ;)).
 
it comes down to quality and ease of repair. dont like new cars carburated for me. Do not like fancy things, do not really like change. with that some things are nice once you get accustomed to them, like cell phones, yez i cant fix it, odds are wont save my life. also i find nothing more irritating when you are having a conversation or dinner or interaction with someone and they start to text. for knives, dont really care either way as long as i dont have to plug it in at night. that being said one new gismo has me hooked and thats my kobo good stuff
 
some things I go traditional, some things I go modern, but for folding knives I go completely modern

Are the traditionals more likely to like Carhartt jackets over Milspec jackets? for me Carhartt or NorthFace

Older wooden, straight handled rifles over pistol grips and rails? I like the aesthetics of a good Winchester 92 or 94 but I appreciate the accuracy of a good match AR15

Older Snapper Lawn mowers over the new Zero turn ones? I have an older Snapper mower in my garage

A pair of levis over 5.11 Tactical khakis? Levi company is too liberal for me, I wear strictly Wranglers

A pair of Justins, or Ariats over Milspec Combat boots? I wear Justins, or Raichle hiking boots, most of the time I wear NorthFace tennis shoes

An old Leatherman PST over a SOG powerlock or the type? I have a Leatherman PST but my favorite is a Leatherman Charge

Older ALICE packs over MOLLE packs? I rarely use packs. I have an old Kelty external frame backpack, and a simple Adidas day pack

I started with a Hoyt recurve bow but I also did a lot of shooting with Jennings and PSE compounds

I started with a Canon SLR and developed and printed my own film. I've also used 2 1/4 TLR cameras and 4x5 view cameras. Now I use a Nikon DSLR.

I drive a car with a V8 and 6-speed manual transmission

I build and program my own desktop computers, I also frequently use my laptops, ipad and iphone

Most days of the week I wear automatic watches, occasionally on weekends I'll wear a quartz watch

I ride steel framed bicycles
 
Carhartt over Milspec? Pendleton or Lined Flannel.

Rancher over Polaris? Gator

straight handled wood over pistol grips and rail? The AK47 is wood with pistol grips...and made in 1949.

Snapper mowers over Zero turn? John Deere or Craftsman

Levis over 5.11's? You are "invisible" in Levis. You are "visible" in 5.11s

Justins, or Ariats over Milspec? Simple boots blend in best.

Leatherman PST or a SOG powerlock type? Leatherman

ALICE packs over MOLLE packs? MOLLE is limited to the ground.

Guess I'm a traditionalist...or Retired Army...haha...
 
While I admit that technology has made life better in some regards, I still hold to the old school in some things. While I want my doctor to be as cutting edge as possible, I don't want all that computer stuff in my car. The cars we used to have needed a tune up very 6 months to a year, but we could do it in the driveway in aboyt a half hour and for almost pocket change. A half dozen new spark plugs, a set of points, and a timing light, and you were good to go. Maybe adjust the carburetor. Yes, the new cars now go 80 to 100 thousand miles before a serve, but when something goes wrong, you ain't gonna fix it in the driveway. Grab your ankles and be ready to squeal like a pig.

I tried the new clothing. The miracle fibers and synthetic stuff. At my age I feel the cold now in winter more than ever. After two winters the better half and I gave all the new stuff to the Salvation army and went back to our wool sweaters and Carhart or Filson coats. Wool, for when you want to be nice and warm. If it's raining hard, I put on my waxed cotton duster.

The new guns don't do a thing for me. Give me nice blued steel and walnut. Definatly a revolver over any black wonder gun of the month. If something goes bump in the night, I take great comfort in the feel of a 1917 Smith and Wesson .45 revolver in hand. Or my 12 gauge side by side.

All of my knives that fold up are slip joints. They work for me. I like the old materials that age along with the owner. Stag gets that nice buttery yellow, and jigged bone feels so good in the hand. And I'll never say no to a nice grained tropical hardwood. Black plastic is boring to me, and I just don't see the point of all my knives looking the same.

But I do have to admit that all my hiking now, is done in New Balance all terrain shoes. Love the lightness, quick drying, and comfort that shoes never had in the old days. In the old days you had to break in new shoes, and it was a PITA. Now, just put 'em on and go walking. I love the new technology for shoes.

So I guess I use some of the new stuff, mixed with a large dose of old school. They can have my wool sweaters when they pry my cold dead hands off them. :D

Carl.
 
Its a mixed bag, some things have improved but many things have not and are more complicated than ever to use such as electronics such as cell phones and computers. In the past it was common to find single cylindar snowmobiles that were simple reliable and fuel efficient, today they are complex, hard to work on, and use far too much gas and too much power, and good luck getting out when stuck due to their weight. On the other side of the coin, comfort has improved allot.
 
i am mostly old school because if its worked for 50 years its probably good enough for me
i really enjoy pre-64 Winchesters over many modern guns and i always love the look of a little lost bluing
 
i also use stuff from both camps, unless its molle cause that's just stupid.
but i do use modern backpacks from bergans and haglöfs.
and you can't mean there actually is people prefering plastic on hunting rifles and shotguns.
i kind of get it on military guns.
and yes the bolt action was perfectioned in 1898, if it ain't broken don't fix it.
(i once had a sweet K98K made in 1939 which had the action/magazine modified and rebarreled to .30-06 in 1945-46.
it wasn't the prettiest, not the most accurate, or the smoothest action, but it would always go bang)

i love these modern full tangs like esee, fällkniven and many others.
but i don't think old fashioned has been superseded in any way, they both have their place.

:)
 
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