Come on, Ol' Timer...

[Humakt]

Yesterday I was having a rummage in the shed and I came across the plastic bin I put my old camping stuff in.

And there it was.

An old, faithful, friend who I've shared many an adventure with.

My old rucksack.

It's a Snugpak Sleeka Forces 35 and I must have used that bag more than any other item (hmm...the exception would probably be an old £1.50 frying pan from Wilkos I bought forever ago and still use!).

I took it out the bin, gave it a wipe down, and just thought of all the times we'd had together. I haven't used it for at least a couple of years. I've long since given over to MOLLE style bags.

And you know, I thought, 'come on, buddy - let's me and you go out together again and remember all those times and have some new ones!'

I took it indoors with me, gave it a clean and a bit of a smarten up, put some dry bags in it, a rain cover in one of the pouches - all ready for a weekend stroll and brew up. Probably take it to my new sit spot, which this bag wouldn't have seen yet, and show him and see what he thinks.

Yeah.

That'd be good.

So that's what I'm going to ask/suggest/entreat you all to do. Have a look through your old kit and see if there's an old, neglected, friend who would like a day out again.

And take a picture and post it here showing the two of you re-living fond memories.

[OakAshandThorn]

From this....




To this....




Haven't really given this beauty the work she loves...she hasn't seen much use since last winter after I restored her. It was great to swing the axe again . I'll need to refine my chopping skills before I leave for my career in the National Park Service.

[saxonaxe]

'Ol Timer in this case is most appropriate....

Autumn 1961, I was just 17 and 'paying off' my very first Tramp ship after a six and a half month voyage. We had gone outward bound via Panama to Australia and New Zealand and then via the Suez Canal from Japan and Ceylon (Shri Lanka) and been expecting to pay off in London but were diverted to Hamburg, where we discharged a small amount of cargo and then received orders to go to John Brown's Shipyard on the River Clyde.

The voyage from Hamburg to Glasgow took us round Cape Wrath and down through the Western Isles, I'd never seen Scotland before, other than photos and I was struck by the sheer beauty of the land and so I decided that I would spend my shore leave there once I had been paid. A couple of days later found me in an Army Surplus shop somewhere in Glasgow City, all I can remember is it was situated almost under a railway bridge which crossed over the busy street.

I bought a new cotton canvas pup tent, a surplus sleeping bag, and a 'Gas Cape' to use as a ground sheet. The typical camping cooker of those days was a brass Primus type that had a fuel tank with a hand pump and often came in a tin box, but on the way to the shop I had glanced in an Antique Dealers shop window and seen a stange little 'Cooker' with a kettle on it.
I returned to the shop and was shown an identical cooker which came with a sauce pan...











I spent 10 days in the hills North of Loch Katrine and the little cooker made the brews. Proper cooking was done on an open fire and after 10 days on the delights of packets of Vesta Curries I returned to Glasgow almost fluent in Chinese...

Over half a Century later the little cooker stills lives in a big box with the latest fandango Butane fueled, lightweight modern gizmo cookers..

I don't think it was intended as a camping cooker, more probably part of 'A Gentleman's picnic set' possibly from a Willow Hamper with china plates, proper tea cups and saucers etc:...

[rik_uk3]

Its a 'Ghillie stove' and usually came in a leather carry case, most often used for a brew when out on a shoot and burns meths.

I still use brass Primus stoves.

[saxonaxe]

Great, thank you Rik.. I knew it was far too smart for the average camper of those days. It appears to be chrome plate? Over brass and couldn't be called lightweight. I used meths and it worked really well too. Ghillie stove explains it being in a Scottish antiques shop.

[Humakt]

Well, it turned into a multiple 'old kit' ramble!
Not only did I use my old bag but I also took my Crusader mess kit with me! Ah, a nostalgic afternoon..!

[bopdude]

The pack still looks good to go a few more miles

[Bernie]

Loved that story because it shows how attached we get to some things. Having them stolen might mean we get new kit, but "the patches make the goodbye harder still". Hoping you share many many more happy days with the ol' timer.

[shepherd]

made me want to dig out some old kit! thanks for sharing!