Historic Hillwalking

[Mysterious Mose]

It's useful accoutrement for an eccentric's barcrawl anywhere.

 

[grundie]

I recently attended my good friend's stag do in the Peak District.

We did a fair bit of hillwalking including some very technical scrambles. Of the 11 people in attendance I was the only one to wear not only a tie, but also breeks, tweed jacket and matching hat in to the hills.

The others were praising some strange fabric called gore-text. Do they not know anything? Tweed is the ultimate mountaineering fabric.

 

[Mike1973]

Hiking in post-war Britain

I visited my great uncle Walter at the weekend and managed to borrow his family photo album. I had already copied and documented his wartime experiences in 2004 but stopped at the end of his military service in 1946.
These photos are of his time in the Erdington Social and Cycling Club, (I think) and must be around 1947 / 48. (Most of my family are from the Midlands originally, Erdington is in Birmingham.)

All the photos are up on my flickr account now -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29051501@N08/sets/72157623662548545/
Some shots that stand out (bigger versions on flickr if you want to pick out details)
Details to note - there is very little specialist kit here, mainly army surplus, or their own kit from when they served a short time before. Lots of dyed battledress, army rucksacks, and hobnail boots and anklets/web. (My just post war cycling mags have adverts for army battledress suite - 10s)

Plenty of large packs here!

My great uncle in anklets and army boots. I still have the rucksack he is sporting in this photo

Ike jacket in the centre?

My Uncle, on the right, appears to be wearing something very similar to an M-41, but I don't think it is. It looks to have two button down ****** pocket flaps?

 

[Creeping Past]

Wainwright is hip

Apparently proper outdoor clothing is in demand. Naturally, it's only being used rus in urbe by 'adventurous' style 'discoverers', but you never know, I may yet meet other wool and canvas-clad souls on the hills before too long.

 

[grundie]

Apparently proper outdoor clothing is in demand. Naturally, it's only being used rus in urbe by 'adventurous' style 'discoverers', but you never know, I may yet meet other wool and canvas-clad souls on the hills before too long.

I was in a branch of Debenhams recently and noticed something that looked like a serious pair of very traditional looking hill walking boots in amongst the regular fashion footwear. On closer inspection it became clear these boots would never stand for any use beyond the pavement. They were just poorly made fashion boots.

What really disturbed me was that they were lined with a pink floral pattern, yet the label described them as "Mens Hiking Boots".

 

[Methuselah]

Debenhams says sales of its chunky walking socks are up 15 per cent; walking trousers up 148 per cent; flat caps up by 180 per cent; walking boots by 30 per cent and Fair Isle knits by 25 per cent over the past two years.

Err... just looked on their web site, they don't sell any Fair Isle knits, so what would they know!?!? Unless they're sold out of course. [huh]

 

[H.Johnson]

I was recently browsing 'Mountaineering Techniques' by JED Wright (published in 1950). There are some interesting photographs of climbing and hiking gear, among them a picture of the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team handling a Thomas stretcher. The photograph is obviously posed, but it's reasonable to assume that the enthusiastic volunteers are wearing their usual week-end walking and climbing wear.

In the photograph I see:
- a rather up-market long zip-up jacket (probably a Grenfell);
- two battledress blouses (probably late-war pattern denim);
- a late-war pattern camouflage windproof smock;
- A, M1941 field jacket (I'm reasonably sure its an ex-US army version),
- a dark (probably woollen) short blouse-type jacket (worn by a young lady).
This compares with the variety of clothes worn in Mike's post-war 'snapshots' of a hiking party. Only the Grenfell (?) jacket and the young lady's woollen (?) jacket could remotely be described as civilian outdoor wear.

 

[Mike1973]

Just found this and thought I'd post up here, apologies if it has been covered before. (I don't find time to get on the Lounge anymore)

Looks fantastic! Just can't find the £160 for it right now ... Available in the yellow show below, and a dark blue and olive version.

http://www.merrowclothing.co.uk/shop

 

[PADDY]

Nice Mike! Though at that price it might be worth going for ventile.

 

[randombloke]

found this interesting looking Belstaff smock on ebay...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300743404...LX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_500wt_1413

 

[Mike1973]

Cadet Smock

I found a Cadet Smock on ebay earlier this year, but didn't get to wear it until last weekend when we had some chilly weather in North Devon. I had initially thought it would be too small and only got it to use as a potential pattern, but it just fits me as long as I don't have too many layers on underneath. Wasn't until I went to post a photo up here that I realised I didn't actually take any decent ones of it. Apologies, this is the best of a bad bunch.

Also, saw this on ebay, very similar to the Belstaff posted up. A Selrigi? Sold for £185.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vtg-50s-N...sSC2NyzkgWKa3YvHmMntcEQ=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

And this looks identical to the Cadet Smock, a British Army Patrol Smock, sold for nearly £92
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280989280810?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649




GOPR7863 by zombikombi1959, on Flickr

 

[PADDY]

I had several of those cadet smocks in the early 80's. Cut them up into strips to make a shooting jacket! I didnt know then what a waste of good vintage jackets that was.

 

[jswindle2]

I thought I'd try to revitalize this thread by mentioning two very(in my not so grand opinion)wonderful finds I've made recently. The first is beige Merrell Wilderness hikers on sale for $89.99 at the Sportsmans Guide. These are the ones made in Italy with the Norwegian welt. The other find is a seller on Etsy out of Bulgaria that sales WWII and newer canvas waxed "TinTin" style anoraks and canvas vintage rucksacks. I pulled the trigger on both the Merrells and an anorak. I can attest to the greatness of the Merrells. They have the 50's classic style and fit like a glove. The quality is breathtaking. I won't recieve the anorak for some time so I can't testify to the quality, but the seller does have perfect feedback. I'm not good with attaching links and the such in posts, however you should be able to find what you are looking for by entering the names in the search bar. I thought this post may be a good way to reserect this thread. Good luck to all on their walks and climbs.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I'm keeping an eye out for a ventile jacket for hillwalking & other things like fly fishing (I'm a tweedy outdoor kinda gal I guess!). Barbour in the UK produced a ventile recently and Hilltrek ? There was also an older Brit company in the 80s/90s called Survival Aids and their used jackets sometimes come up for sale

 

[jswindle2]

I was looking at old Boy Scout pocket knives the other day and it got me wondering as to what were the knives carried by hillwalkers and climbers of yesteryear? Was there a standard type or brand or was it a case of anything that was available at the moment. I tend to carry some type of folding camp or scout knife, preferably with the a big bail that I can tie a lanyard to. I do carry a sheath knife in my pack for any larger chores, but I rarely need it.
Any thoughts?

 

[fireman]

I was looking at old Boy Scout pocket knives the other day and it got me wondering as to what were the knives carried by hillwalkers and climbers of yesteryear? Was there a standard type or brand or was it a case of anything that was available at the moment. I tend to carry some type of folding camp or scout knife, preferably with the a big bail that I can tie a lanyard to. I do carry a sheath knife in my pack for any larger chores, but I rarely need it.
Any thoughts?

I am no expert but I am willing to bet a lot of Brit hillwalkers carried something like this.

http://onlinemilitaria.net/products/4669-UK-British-Army-Style-Jack-Knife/

I bet a lot of them were surplused off or just went home after WW2.

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

I'm keeping an eye out for a ventile jacket for hillwalking & other things like fly fishing (I'm a tweedy outdoor kinda gal I guess!). Barbour in the UK produced a ventile recently and Hilltrek ? There was also an older Brit company in the 80s/90s called Survival Aids and their used jackets sometimes come up for sale

If you want Ventile try country innovation, they have a smock and jacket in Ventile, have tried one but do not own one........yet!

http://www.countryinnovation.com/clothing/jackets/kestrel-smock.html

 

[esteban68]

They did indeed fireman, being 8 miles from Sheffield there are still often to be seen, I think the EBay ones were made for the Belgian army in the 1950's to the WD pattern that changed little from the Boer war....careful the blades are sharp and can snap at fingers as tight yo get in and out when new!