Things we carried with us.
Swiss Army Knife.
This pocket knife was the ultimate wilderness item. Known for the toothpick and tweezer attachments, you were lucky if you got through a summer without losing one or both. If you were really fancy, your knife might include a scissor blade. Many bangs were trimmed on tent floors using these shears.
Mess Kit.
A Russian nesting doll, but for dinnertime. This kit had everything: a bowl, pot with lid, small cup, and a frying pan attachment with holes, so you could weave a stick through and extend it over an open fire. Similar to the pocket knife, you might end up missing parts and pieces by the end of the summer, despite parents’ excessive labeling.
Walkman.
For the Gen Z readers, a Walkman is a portable music device with foam covered ear buds that could really give you an earache if you fell asleep listening to a cassette tape. Not to be confused with the Discman, you had to put in time if you wanted to listen to a song on repeat, waiting a good 60 seconds for the tape to rewind.
Mosquito Net.
If you had this item on your list, chances are you know how to lash poles to an army cot and you know your way around a spool of binder twine. The mosquito net was your main defense against bug bites, but if you had juicy blood and you fell asleep with your bare arm against the net, you still woke up with a mountain range of bites and the urge to bathe in a tub of calamine lotion.
