View Full Version : 50's or 60's Stephonsons Warmlite backpack
petedelisio
01-09-2021, 16:13
Had a 50's or 60's ? very lightly used Stephonson's Warmlite backpack passed down to me.
Anybody have experience with one? Interesting designing/engineering backpacking history.
Not sure If I will try to use as is, put pack on another frame or hang it.
Aaaand photos won't download... Will put some up later
petedelisio
01-10-2021, 22:21
Sorry, haven’t figured out how to post pics of my external frame pack.
Beginning to wonder if Warmlite was affiliated with Golite.
It weighs in at just over 2.5 lbs on the fishing scale.
lonehiker
01-11-2021, 08:43
It is a shame that Venchka's post w/link was removed as it was an interesting article to read. I didn't read all of it as I didn't have the time, but their take on the cooking stove was of particular interest to me.
I still enjoy using American created and made gear.
Wayne
Just interesting how public acceptance in the US changed from the 70ties til now.
Was this their catalog complete with bare skin? They're a super weird company...
Venchka, Thanks for that blast from the past! I own a Stephenson's Warmlite 2c climbers tents. Still a very light and comfortable tent despite being a 30 year old design.
The man was lightyears ahead of the times.
Wayne
petedelisio
01-14-2021, 15:37
Here are some pack pictures. Maybe
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47156
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Sideways but,,,
A piece of art. Especially love the shoulder straps.
Yeah pretty cool, 60 maybe 70 years old and still looking new!!
Since you asked i would suggest keeping it like it is and hang it or donate it to a hiker museum.
Funny being a plumber for 36 years the first thought i had was ,heck i can make one of those frames out of copper. Heavy, primitive but effective!
Very much ahead of their time indeed......
...
Funny being a plumber for 36 years the first thought i had ...
Very much ahead of their time indeed......
Just wondering, you have any idea how the joints on this pack's frame were made?
Kind of a neck flange and soldered?
Guess they didn't have the ability to weld aluminium properly at this time.
petedelisio
01-15-2021, 09:22
Just wondering, you have any idea how the joints on this pack's frame were made?
Kind of a neck flange and soldered?
Guess they didn't have the ability to weld aluminium properly at this time.
I believe it’s a quality epoxy used.
Epoxy, yes, for fixing the tubes into the joints.
But the T-shaped joints themself, how are they made?
petedelisio
01-16-2021, 15:39
Here is one is another of the many pics I took.
It appears one side of the T fitting was flared and epoxied and mated to the other part of the T. I’d assume the horizontal stay goes thru a hole in the vertical stay for added strength.
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Thanks.
If it was soldered, you would propably see a different color in the gap, but well, I doubt if Epoxy would have the strength in this case?
Anyway, hard to tell if you were not ready to cut the joint in half to do a close inspection.
The one pole is probably drilled to allow it to go inside as far as it can and epoxied, and then you have the flared piece epoxied..
To make a strong connection.
( Unless maybe they were using a soldering iron back then :-? )?
I doubt if the longer tube got drilled.
Both tubes seem to have identical diameters, so any drilling would cut the longer tube into half.
Even if the shorter tube had a slightly smaller diameter, the cut should be visible through the tiny hole in the T-fitting.
Maybe petedelisio is ready to give the seam along the neck flange a scratch with a needle to see if it is Epoxy or soldering stuff?
It could be drilled as opposed to a tube end meeting a tube with rounded sides ? Not really much bonding service area.
That's why I'm thinking the one tube is drilled and the other inserted into the other with reinforced flared fitting and a reinforced sleeve on the other tube and probably solder ironed.
It almost looks like the top tube cap is removable?
I wouldn't scratch or damage this pack in anyway, it truly is iconic and a rarity!!
petedelisio
01-17-2021, 03:10
Upon closer inspection, IMO the T joint in and of itself is a sort of weld or solder. 99.9% sure. tho it does look on par with the old durable schwinn* bike frame welds and makes me wonder if there is some connection there.
I am really debating on putting a tyvek sack on this super light frame- minus the alinumium waist suspension rigging, and or throwing the the super thin ripstop bag on one of the other frames I have. I don’t recollect such gorgeous thin apparently strong lite ripstop. The bag itself competes with current materials in my opinion. Even with the extra access zippers.
On account this pack won’t fit me and I am considering thinning out the gear closet severely anyhow. Cub
petedelisio
01-17-2021, 03:17
Looks like the end caps mentioned weren’t set down more than a week or two trip. Wouldn’t doubt this was only used for one Or two nights.
petedelisio
07-24-2021, 12:46
My old pack friend has found its way to auction. There is also an old Warmlite tent listed.
I don't know if it was epoxied, soldered, or welded, but epoxy is plenty strong for the job - that's what holds the head onto the shaft of golf clubs.