Wow, Gerry, That sure takes me back! 8) Old canvas umbrella tent, enamelware pots, pie tins for plates,surplus army cots for the grown-ups. Kids were tough,and slept on the ground. no pads Beat up enamel cups full of cowboy coffee , bacon,eggs, and pancakes. Maple syrup in the little tin log cabin. cast iron skillets The bunch I backpacked with didn't have stoves, we used wood. I do remember the first time I saw a 123, seemed pretty complicated to me!. Not to mention expensive then! In the late 50's and early 60's, we used a lot of boy scout and army surplus stuff. I also remember the first 'real' backpack I saw, a Kelty.None of us kids could afford one. The good old days... sigh
It has to have a brass tank and three legs, I reckon it's either the Primus 210 or the Optimus 00 both great stoves
Arch I've been watching the thread and wondering who would say it first and it was you 8) For me, Classic Camp Stove = The Pocket Primus Outfit \ Mine is 1927 (R) and the tin awaits the electrolysis treatment. My first stove was a 96 in 1953 .
Yes David, if you mean "retired/pensioned" - but definitely no if you mean "too old to be useful" . Got my 96 when I was 15 8) - but sadly don't have it now .
Bummer! I've got my old man's 96 somewhere, which I found in the garage just after he died. Some time later, I bought a lantern from Ross and happened to mention the 96, which he then fettled for me. The rest, as they say, is history...
Well said, indeed, Gerry. My Coleman experience is very similar in the 50s and early 60s. We had the big three-burner; one of my brothers still has it after all these years. My dad seldom could take real vacations when we were kids; often we would camp at state parks in the South Sound, and my dad would commute back and forth to the campsite. So the Coleman is indispensible, but the Optimus 45 is my icon for a CCS. Got mine as a present from my folks in 1962; used it in Scouts (though we mostly cooked on fires then), and used it in the ravines of Tacoma on Saturday morning excursions of the Royal Order of Mountain Beaver, my local gang of deadend kids....
