A blast from the past

I’ve mentioned here or there that I’m not quite desperately trying to clean out the basement from years worth of this and that that’s been crammed down there and get it to a donation site or the dump. As I excavate the layers, some of the darnedest things show up, like an LBE (Load Bearing Equipment) setup that I built for use after I got home from the Army. I liked the ease with which one could carry a decent load, especially with the buttpack.

Some parts are long gone, like the buttpack and the gear it held and the poncho and liner that should have been secured to the web gear. But a couple of pouches were still there and still contained the items you see above.

The Victorinox knife, an Explorer, was unrusted and the blade still sharp from when I suppose I sharpened it and put it in. I’m glad I know a little more about knife sharpening. That blade will take some work to bring back.

The matches still sort of strike, but I don’t think you’d ever start a fire with them. The signaling mirror is still as good as when I bought it. I have to laugh at the tiny card deck of survival suggestions–I’ve forgotten more than is on there by now. As you might expect, the candle stubs are still just fine. As you might not expect, so is one of those Cricket lighters. The reservoir is what I remember as full and the flint still sparks. The sharpening stone, in the leather sheath, has some weird white crap on it, but still seems useable. The compass still points north, but without liquid damping takes forever to settle down. The P38 and the mylar blanket are still dandy if a bit discolored.

And bonus points for those of you who can identify where those little rolls of TP came from. If the LBE doesn’t date me, that surely does. 🙂

2 thoughts on “A blast from the past

  1. No idea of the vintage, but at least I recognized what all the stuff was – except the mini rolls of TP. All good things to keep in a get-and-go bag.

  2. Thanks for sharing. I feel a little less ancient now.
    My thankfully-little exposure to 30-year-old rations during training featured crumbled-to-dust cigarettes but no butt wipes. Logical, as the consistency of the “food” guaranteed constipation. My P38 is in my GOD daypack.

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