Carl Levitian
member
I'm not sure where to put this, so since it sort of is about pocket knives in part, I'll try here.
Growing up as I did in the happy time known as post war America, was alot different than today. We had just won a major world war, and the economy was good, and most of all, there were lots of pocket knives. The Army-Navy surplus stores had the real stuff then. All steel scout knives that later were called demo knives, TL-29's, real Camillus made MK-2's, Case made army knives, machete's, English comando daggers. The stuff of dreams to a knife loving 11 year old. I saved up my allowance and got a brand new, still in the brown paper wrapper, one of those MLK all steel army scout knives. Used it for most of my childhood and adolesense. Maybe that why I love Swiss Army knives so much, growing up with a screw driver and can opener on my pocket knife.
I recall every member of my family having a pocket knife of some sort in thier pants pockets. I don't think I was any taller than the the brown and white mutt we had, when daddy told me there were certain things every man should have on him. First of that list was a pocket knife. Daddy put a great store in having a pocket knife on him everwhere. To the office, church, family picnic, hiking in the mountains where he would add a sheath knife. I never saw a person get so much milage out of a pocket knife before or since. And he didn't believe in having more than one pocket knife. He was one of those frugal old timers who since they have one in thier pocket, why on earth would he need another one?
I remember my first rabbit hunt. Daddy had his old Winchester model 69, and when the first rabbit was shot, daddy took out that little knife and went to work. He always carried a little two blade Case pen knife, and I think it took him all of a minute to field dress that rabbit. Opened up in a jiffy with small razor sharp blade, and him telling me to always examine the liver for any white splotches to check the health of the rabbit. Then it went into his game bag.
When the knife resembled a folding toothpick, daddy would go down to the store and get another little Case pen knife just like the one he had. He only had to do this a couple times in his life, as he would take years to finish off a knife. To him it was just a tool to be used up and then replaced. I guess he did not have the knife collecting afliction.
Bandanas.
Daddy always told us to have at least one bandana on us. I think he got more uses out of a bandana than Carter had pills. When we'd go to a ball game, or fishing, or anyplace out in the hot sun for a while, he'd put the bandana up under his ball cap so it hung down like the cloth on those Japanese soldiers caps, to protect his ears and back of his neck. If we were out in the boat on a lake, he'd wet the bandana first. Sometimes he'd use the bandana to bundle up small loose objects like .22 rounds, nuts and bolts, stuff.
Fire.
Daddy always told us to have a sourse of fire on us. Being a pipe smoker, he always had his Zippo fueled up and ready to go. He carried that beat up old Zippo his whole life. I have to admit, they are good lighters. Since I swiped one of daddys old pipes from the back of a drawer and snuck over in the woods next to the house at age 12, I've been a pipe smoker as well. I carried a Zippo for 30 years, but switched to a modern Bic. Got tired of running out of fuel at a critical moment like trying to light my pipe out someplace, and no fire. At least with the Bic, I can hold it up to the light and see how much fuel is left, so I can start making plans to carry a back-up. They're nice and light, so two still weigth less than my old Zippo. The white and yellow ones are best for seeing how much fuel is left. The big failing of the Bic is, its hard to get my pipe lit in the wind, unless I hold the pipe under my hat. Which is the next thing daddy always told us to have.
Hats.
Ball caps, Tilleys, boonie hats. All are good at keeping nature at bay. Cuts down on U.V. rays in the eyes, keeps rain off glasses, sun off head, heat in head. I read someplace that 80% of our heat loss is from our heads. Heck of a big heat sink. hats are handy.
Flashlights.
Recent technology has made really small but effective flashlights common place. I've found myself kind of captivated by the tiny LED lights we have available now. For the past couple of years I've had a Gerber sonic single AAA in my pocket right next to my Swiss Army knife. It's come in handy so many times, I can't recall how I got by without it. I see where some are no bigger than a quarter and go on the keyring. Let there be light.
Any of you guys have things you won't leave the house without?
Growing up as I did in the happy time known as post war America, was alot different than today. We had just won a major world war, and the economy was good, and most of all, there were lots of pocket knives. The Army-Navy surplus stores had the real stuff then. All steel scout knives that later were called demo knives, TL-29's, real Camillus made MK-2's, Case made army knives, machete's, English comando daggers. The stuff of dreams to a knife loving 11 year old. I saved up my allowance and got a brand new, still in the brown paper wrapper, one of those MLK all steel army scout knives. Used it for most of my childhood and adolesense. Maybe that why I love Swiss Army knives so much, growing up with a screw driver and can opener on my pocket knife.
I recall every member of my family having a pocket knife of some sort in thier pants pockets. I don't think I was any taller than the the brown and white mutt we had, when daddy told me there were certain things every man should have on him. First of that list was a pocket knife. Daddy put a great store in having a pocket knife on him everwhere. To the office, church, family picnic, hiking in the mountains where he would add a sheath knife. I never saw a person get so much milage out of a pocket knife before or since. And he didn't believe in having more than one pocket knife. He was one of those frugal old timers who since they have one in thier pocket, why on earth would he need another one?
I remember my first rabbit hunt. Daddy had his old Winchester model 69, and when the first rabbit was shot, daddy took out that little knife and went to work. He always carried a little two blade Case pen knife, and I think it took him all of a minute to field dress that rabbit. Opened up in a jiffy with small razor sharp blade, and him telling me to always examine the liver for any white splotches to check the health of the rabbit. Then it went into his game bag.
When the knife resembled a folding toothpick, daddy would go down to the store and get another little Case pen knife just like the one he had. He only had to do this a couple times in his life, as he would take years to finish off a knife. To him it was just a tool to be used up and then replaced. I guess he did not have the knife collecting afliction.
Bandanas.
Daddy always told us to have at least one bandana on us. I think he got more uses out of a bandana than Carter had pills. When we'd go to a ball game, or fishing, or anyplace out in the hot sun for a while, he'd put the bandana up under his ball cap so it hung down like the cloth on those Japanese soldiers caps, to protect his ears and back of his neck. If we were out in the boat on a lake, he'd wet the bandana first. Sometimes he'd use the bandana to bundle up small loose objects like .22 rounds, nuts and bolts, stuff.
Fire.
Daddy always told us to have a sourse of fire on us. Being a pipe smoker, he always had his Zippo fueled up and ready to go. He carried that beat up old Zippo his whole life. I have to admit, they are good lighters. Since I swiped one of daddys old pipes from the back of a drawer and snuck over in the woods next to the house at age 12, I've been a pipe smoker as well. I carried a Zippo for 30 years, but switched to a modern Bic. Got tired of running out of fuel at a critical moment like trying to light my pipe out someplace, and no fire. At least with the Bic, I can hold it up to the light and see how much fuel is left, so I can start making plans to carry a back-up. They're nice and light, so two still weigth less than my old Zippo. The white and yellow ones are best for seeing how much fuel is left. The big failing of the Bic is, its hard to get my pipe lit in the wind, unless I hold the pipe under my hat. Which is the next thing daddy always told us to have.
Hats.
Ball caps, Tilleys, boonie hats. All are good at keeping nature at bay. Cuts down on U.V. rays in the eyes, keeps rain off glasses, sun off head, heat in head. I read someplace that 80% of our heat loss is from our heads. Heck of a big heat sink. hats are handy.
Flashlights.
Recent technology has made really small but effective flashlights common place. I've found myself kind of captivated by the tiny LED lights we have available now. For the past couple of years I've had a Gerber sonic single AAA in my pocket right next to my Swiss Army knife. It's come in handy so many times, I can't recall how I got by without it. I see where some are no bigger than a quarter and go on the keyring. Let there be light.
Any of you guys have things you won't leave the house without?
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