The test of time – "old" gear that keeps on working

[eidsvolling]

As I was cleaning and conditioning a pair of boots this evening, it occurred to me that I have a sizable collection of old gear that keeps on working.

Here's my list. You are encouraged to list your own old reliables. Being listed requires that the item is at least twenty years old, still serviceable and still being used. No safe queens allowed.

Boats
1996 Old Town Penobscot 17 canoe, rigged for solo paddling with a heavy load
2006 Folbot Greenland II tandem kayak, paddled solo 95 percent of the time on Lake Superior and sailed solo on smaller lakes the other 5 percent

Boots
2002 Limmer Standards

Sleeping bags
1970 (not a typo) THAW down bag
Pre-1995 Moonstone Maxima Polarguard bag

Tents
1984 North Face VE-24
Pre-1990 North Face Tadpole

Firearms
1948 Savage 3B in .22 LR
1952 Marlin 336 Sporting Carbine in .35 Remington
2000 Mossberg Mariner in 12 gauge
2004 Mossberg ATR in .30-06

Bows
1943 (not a typo) Buck Doran longbow, 66", 48 lbs. at 28", made for my father and featured in my avatar photo.
1958 Bear Archery Kodiak recurve, 60", 58 lbs. at 28". (If Fred had made this bow brown instead of polar white, ain't nobody who would be talking about the '59 these days.)
1960 Bear Archery Kodiak De Luxe recurve, 60", 48 lbs. at 28".
1966 Bear Archery Kodiak Magnum recurve, 52", 52 lbs. at 28".
1996 Dave Paxton Talon Classic longbow, 64", 60 lbs. at 28".
Two pre-2000 Dave Paxton Talon Swift recurves, both 60", 55 lbs. at 28".
Pre-2000 Bob Morrison Dakota longbow, 58", 55 lbs. at 27".
Pre-2005 Herb Meland Pronghorn longbow, 60", 55 lbs. at 28 ½ ".

Binoculars
1983 Swift Audubon, 10x50

Vehicle
2005 Toyota Sequoia

Fishing gear
1976 Fenwick Voyageur spinning pack rod, wedding gift from:

1976 spouse who (mostly) allows accumulation of gear without complaint.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

-1993 spouse who puts up with all my crap
-circa 1986 monster sleeping bag that keeps my sorry ass comfy no matter what ( not a back packer)
-many 40+ year old rifles
-knives that I have no idea how old they are
- An old propane Coleman lantern that is more than 40 years old

I could go on.

 

[RockAndSage]

Ruger 10/22, made in 1976, with "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty" stamped on the barrel. Countless bricks of ammo put through it.

 

[Pony Soldier]

You have what you gathered on the trip plus what you inheirited from family and inlaws and what your wife and family bring along. Its an interesting adventure on things that just appear.

 

[def90]

As I was cleaning and conditioning a pair of boots this evening, it occurred to me that I have a sizable collection of old gear that keeps on working.

Here's my list. You are encouraged to list your own old reliables. Being listed requires that the item is at least twenty years old, still serviceable and still being used. No safe queens allowed.

Boats
1996 Old Town Penobscot 17 canoe, rigged for solo paddling with a heavy load
2006 Folbot Greenland II tandem kayak, paddled solo 95 percent of the time on Lake Superior and sailed solo on smaller lakes the other 5 percent

Boots
2002 Limmer Standards

Sleeping bags
1970 (not a typo) THAW down bag
Pre-1995 Moonstone Maxima Polarguard bag

Tents
1984 North Face VE-24
Pre-1990 North Face Tadpole

Firearms
1948 Savage 3B in .22 LR
1952 Marlin 336 Sporting Carbine in .35 Remington
2000 Mossberg Mariner in 12 gauge
2004 Mossberg ATR in .30-06

Bows
1943 (not a typo) Buck Doran longbow, 66", 48 lbs. at 28", made for my father and featured in my avatar photo.
1958 Bear Archery Kodiak recurve, 60", 58 lbs. at 28". (If Fred had made this bow brown instead of polar white, ain't nobody who would be talking about the '59 these days.)
1960 Bear Archery Kodiak De Luxe recurve, 60", 48 lbs. at 28".
1966 Bear Archery Kodiak Magnum recurve, 52", 52 lbs. at 28".
1996 Dave Paxton Talon Classic longbow, 64", 60 lbs. at 28".
Two pre-2000 Dave Paxton Talon Swift recurves, both 60", 55 lbs. at 28".
Pre-2000 Bob Morrison Dakota longbow, 58", 55 lbs. at 27".
Pre-2005 Herb Meland Pronghorn longbow, 60", 55 lbs. at 28 ½ ".

Binoculars
1983 Swift Audubon, 10x50

Vehicle
2005 Toyota Sequoia

Fishing gear
1976 Fenwick Voyageur spinning pack rod, wedding gift from:

1976 spouse who (mostly) allows accumulation of gear without complaint.

I have/had a 2002ish north face tadpole tent that was great while I used it but it shit the bed a few years ago. Probably used it 3-4 times a year at most.

No way you are shooting a long bow from 1943 with any seriousness.

 

[displacedtexan]

As a guy primarily shooting a 6.5cm... I'd argue that virtually every modern gun fits this description. If it takes cartridges and functions it works.

I'll add-

Filson tin cloth chaps
Acme Thunderer whistles

Canvas wall tents

 

[RS_Non-Res]

I had a liquid fuel two-burner camp stove that said it worked with regular or leaded gasoline. As in when leaded gasoline was novel and premium, so not older than ~1925. I currently use the green two burner propane stove that my parents bought decades ago.
My Yakima roof racks are on their 5th truck and second human generation ~1980.

 

[Slickhill]

It sounds like you’ve been shopping bows at my house. I have a bunch of those old Bears I need to send to new homes.

Tons of great old guns around here I still shoot regularly.

Pendleton, Swanndri, and Filson wool and tin cloth shirts and pants.

Our elk camp tent is a surplus GP Med from the Korean War era. We upgraded from the WW Eleven model about 20 years ago.

Caught a limit of fish this morning out of my 1983 Gregor skiff.

Many more vintage things related to the outdoors around here. I should start my own museum.