Vintage Camping Equipment

Edward_Lindey · Sep 27, 2010

The kelly kettle is a bit diferent than the Swiss one. The swiss one is flat bottomed where the Kelly is hollow so that the flames are literaly inside the canister.

Edward

H.Johnson · Sep 27, 2010

Daniel,

I have used one of these for years.

DanielJones said:
Ok, a bit more searching with different combinations seemed to help. I was right. it is Swiss Military surplus. They are called Volcano Bottles. Apparently they use a fuel tab but you can also burn wood, dried peat or any other fuel under it.

Here is a blog about it: http://scottishcanoeing.blogspot.com/2008/12/swiss-army-ranger-volcano-stove.html

Do any of you folks have these and what kind of use do you get out of them? Have you used them on hikes or camping trips?

Cheers!

Dan

Nighthawk · Oct 9, 2010

Check this out:

It seems that both Kelty and Jansport will be offering "retro" packs next summer (summer 2011) based on their original designs from the 1960s.

http://gearjunkie.com/vintage-backpacks

It seems the Kelty is already available in Japan.

NH

DanielJones · Oct 9, 2010

Well I managed to find a volcano bottle at our local surplus store for $14. Now I just need to find a couple of Swedish mess kits with a trangia here in the states.

On another note... My parents used to have in their camping stuff in the trailer some camping/picnic cups. This was our official camping gear & they had it around for years before I ever came along. When My Pop sold his property the camping trailer went with the property, and I believe sadly so did a lot of his camping gear like the cups. I may have to take a trip over to the old house to speak with the new owners and see if they may have kept those cups around & if they would be willing to part with them. Heck, I'd even pay for them just to get them, lot's of fond memories surround them.
If they don't I suppose I can try & find them in an antique store or on-line. Some research I've done pointe me in the direction of melamine or melmac cups. But nothing like we had. These particular cups were a salmon pink color, and they had three little ridges around the middle of the out side of the cup so you could stack them flat.
It looks like this one, but like I said, salmon pink. I've been looking around but have played heck in finding the pink version.

If any of you know of a source of these could you point me in the right direction? Thanks!

Cheers!

Dan

Fitzcarraldo · Oct 18, 2010

My three treasures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7434591@N02/4458556168/in/set-72157623556138349/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7434591@N02/sets/72157623556138349/

griffer · Oct 18, 2010

At my Grandma's house, we have unearthed a Telescope cot, camping fridge, stove, chairs, a wonderful glass thermos that needs a cork, etc. Evidently, great gramps was quite the camper. Lots of road trips.

Mike K. · Oct 18, 2010

DanielJones said:
If any of you know of a source of these could you point me in the right direction? Thanks!

Dan, I have one of those cups! Mine is a light green color and has only a single ridge on the side opposite the handle. The bottom is marked - U.S. - Halsey, Inc. Scranton, Pa.
I assumed it was a military mess hall cup, and an ebay search turned up similar ones designated as mess hall cups from the 1950s-60s (most are listed as being made of bakelite).

Fitzcarraldo · Oct 20, 2010

ETSY.COM: The queen of vintage shops.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/angelune
http://www.etsy.com/listing/5268424...&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=1&order=&includes[0]=materials

http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=all&includes[0]=materials&search_query=vintage+melmac&ref=related&page=1

DesertDan · Oct 27, 2010

I still have my old Boy Scout rucksack, made from kakhi canvass. Used it for my schoolbooks back in Jr.high and High school plus a whole lot of weekenders and overnights. It's a bit patched and frayed but still going strong.

DanielJones · Nov 2, 2010

Still on the hunt for a Swedish Trangia Mess Kit. Those little suckers are pretty hard to find in the States. Ebay had a slew there for a while and they had real high price tags for ending bids, now they've dried up. Most likely because I want one now. Always the way.
Id love to be able to get a couple of them for outdoor activities like winter snow shoeing and other day treks. They would be great for that short rest to have a small hot meal & drink.

Cheers!

Dan

nobodyspecial · Nov 5, 2010

Are you looking for the military surplus version?

DanielJones · Nov 10, 2010

Yep! The ones that pop up on ebay go for a small fortune and there isn't a vendor in the U.S. that has any in stock. There are a couple in the U.K. but after exchange rates, shipping & customs it is a small fortune again.

Cheers!

Dan

DanielJones · Nov 20, 2010

Well, I finally won a Swedish Trangia mess kit on ebay. Who knew it could be so hard to win one of those or that the market seemingly dried up? It's like I wanted one so all of a sudden they became overpriced and scarce. When I first looked without interest they were all over the place. Luckily because of an odd listing this one was not on the main search list and it was an accident I found it. Only one other bidder. Managed to get it for $24. So now I can give it and the Swiss volcano bottle a go and see how they perform. Hopefully it's all it's cracked up to be.

Cheers!

Dan

DanielJones · Nov 22, 2010

Well, I also managed to find the pink melmac coffee cups that I was looking for. My folks had these years ago when we used to go camping a lot, but I had no idea where they went to. Probably lost in a yard sale before my Pop had sold his house & the travel trailer with it. Anyway, I found a perfect set of four for our camping adventures that will bring back great camping memories of my childhood. And at $4 I couldn't beat the deal.

Cheers!

Dan

DanielJones · Nov 24, 2010

This is a new manufactured stove for the large canvas tent, but I think that it can be used in a lot of camping situations. They are made by Four Dog Stoves out of St. Frances, Mn. The company has been around since 1988 but base their stuff off of vintage and primitive stoves. Plus you can cook on them.

Cheers!

Dan

nobodyspecial · Dec 10, 2010

Four Dog stoves are the real deal, they are very highly regarded by winter trekkers in the area.

David Conwill · Jan 6, 2011

Mrs. Merl said:
And a word on cast iron. If you get the new stuff, like Lodge, it is cast in a much courser sand than antique or vintage cast iron. We had a lot of problems with the seasoning cracking out due to this. If you have the same problem don't despair. We ground ours down to a more smooth finish and they are beautiful now. Cook superbly.

What did you use to do the grinding, a die grinder? Any suggestions on an electric equivalent for those of us who are air-compressor deprived?

-Dave

Icthruu74 · Jan 6, 2011

Lodge used to produce a line of cast iron that was machined smooth on the interior, I still have a 9" skillet and a round griddle that came this way.

JohnnieT · Jan 16, 2011

Here are a few suppliers that I use regularly. Some may have already been mentioned.
- Panther Lodge
- Sportsman's Guide (many surplus military items)
- Blockade Runner (a Civil War-era sutlery with a great selection of period camping gear)

As an aside. BudK (www.budk.com) occasionally carries surplus canteens and other small items, to include the volcano bottles previously mentioned. You just have to sift through all the other stuff they sell to get to it. If you sift through all the flea market style stuff, they have a decent selection of reproduction knives, too.

Hope that helps.

botty · Jan 31, 2011

This company offers a good choice of tents in the US:

http://www.tentsmiths.com/

and this one in the UK:

http://www.pathfinderdistribution.com/

Both companies products would be good for that period camping look.

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