Found this 1939 gear list/discussion at random while searching for ponchos.. I found it fascinating.
He starts off by saying there are "There are two ways of being miserable in the mountains", bringing too little, and bringing too much(heavy).
Some things have changed dramatically:
"If you travel with a pack animal, it is advisable to carry an extra pair of rubber heels and some nails."
And some things have not:
"A good poncho is one of the most useful pieces of camping equipment."
There is a long discussion of something new which we would now call an 'external frame pack':
"The principal of suspension in this pack is ingenious and merits some description. "
Then, as now, the best light-weight gear was to be had by contacting the manufacturer directly. Just like I contact George "Tin-Man" at Trail Designs to order the world's only Caldera Cones, he wrote snail mail directly to aluminum manufacturers for small lightweight aluminum pots!
This is all from Chapter 1, Minimum equipment..
http://www.bopsecrets.org/rexroth/camping/index.htm
I wonder what people will think when they read the BPL forum archives 70 years from now??
