More EBay Criminals

I have complained elsewhere about sellers on EBay who intentionally misrepresent the products that they are selling in order to get the uneducated or uninformed to pay artificially inflated prices for what is, in essence, junk. In my experience, this trend is the most pronounced among disreputable antiques vendors and in individuals who are selling single pieces and who are hoping to hit the lottery by getting some sucker to pay a bundle for a worthless item.

I have seen the most of this when shopping for fountain pens, but, given my passion for compasses, it was bound to show up there also. And, lo and behold, here it is: OLD! Compass LENSATIC Liquid Filled MILITARY. You will notice in the title that they use the terms "old" and "military". Old is a completely relative term. To my daughter, old can be something dating from early last week. This particular compass is currently sold at Wal Mart, but it may still be several years old, so it is hard to argue about that. It is, in fact, a military style compass rather than a military compass, and that is truly misleading in my view. The term "military" should refer to a tool that was actually used by the military or was manufactured under contract for military use, not something that superficially looks like a military tool. This compass is a particularly cheesy replica of a World War II style lensatic compass. Despite its gold color, it is not brass, but rather is pot metal painted gold.

This compass is marked on the lid, "Lensatic Compass Liquid Filled." The genuine article is labeled, "Corps of Engineers U.S. Army" above the sighting wire, and below it would have the manufacturer information. This one is marked "Japan" on the back – the U.S. Military has never used a compass of Japanese manufacture, and particularly not in the course of the Second World War.

This compass is sold by places like Wal Mart to be a cheap, essentially a toy, compass. It is a great tool for kids to learn how to take azimuth readings and to learn to navigate the landscape, compass in hand. It is not something that you would want to be lost with, and, most certainly, it is not an old military compass.

To avoid being duped there are a few things that you should do:

• Do your homework – Know as much as you can about what you are shopping for before buying antiques off of EBay
  
• Deal with reputable vendors – Make use of the ratings system on EBay to leave an honest evaluation of the vendor and to research your vendor's reputation before dealing with them
  
• If something seems too good to be true. . . – You know the rest. Do shop for bargains, but if you stumble across a mint condition M-1938 Prismatic Compass selling for $4.99. . . well, you know.
  

I Scream, U Scream, We All Scream for ICE CREAM!

We have not been a-boxing for awhile, so I have had no updates here, I am sad to say. Yesterday, however, my beloved wife agreed to go out with me to spend a gift card that I received from a friend, and, whilst out and about, I coerced her into stopping by an ice cream parlor that has been in Sacramento for many years.

You see, little did my wife realize, this particular ice cream parlor stows a letterbox under the cash register! I brought my pack in and, after we were seated and we got our menus, I asked the waitress about the box. I was prepared to have to interrogate everyone in the staff to get hold of it, but, much to my surprise and pleasure, she knew exactly what I was talking about. She brought it over and we stamped up right before receiving lunch! Jennifer was surprised and pleased with the letterbox and with lunch.

It was not much of a letterboxing adventure, but it was certainly a delicious letterbox!

Butterfly Rest Stop

We found a promising letterbox clue for one located nearby in a beautiful park in Carmichael, California, so we packed up the gear and the Boxhound and off we went to find it! The instructions were quite clear and, on this particular winter's day, the sky was blue and it was gorgeous. We saw deer grazing on the hike, as well as flocks of wild turkeys and other wildlife. It was one of the most beautiful nature hikes I have had opportunity to take in quite some time.

Sadly, once we got to what was certainly the correct location, the letterbox was gone. The little preserve where this particular box was hidden is monitored closely by park rangers, and I suspect that they did not approve of this incursion on their little slice of paradise. This does not change the fact that this was a beautiful walk, and, if you are in the neighborhood, I highly recommend a visit to where the Butterfly Rest Stop used to be!

First Aid

I have been shopping pre-made first-aid kits for my outdoorsman supplies. I looked at military surplus kits, which are fine things, but I think that my favorite is the Web-Tex Small First-aid Kit, available directly from Web-Tex. This company manufactures high-quality personal-purchase goods for the British military, so it is fraught with that degree of Britishness that I seem to need. Or, at the very least, that I like. More later.

Shopping List

There are a few outdoorsy items that I want to add to my immediate collection.

1. Gloves – As discussed below, a pair of good quality, leather work gloves with a leash-clip fastener to hold them together. Whilst I want leather, I am averse to spending a fortune on these because, as a struggling writer, I really cannot afford to put a fat stack of cash into them. I will be checking at Harbor Freight Tools soon.
   
2. A small first-aid kit – Possibly military surplus. Not one of the Nalgene kits, for numerous reasons which I will handle in another post. Just something to address scrapes while in the field.
   
3. Flashlight – A good quality tactical flashlight, probably LED, compact enough to be lightweight and readily packable.
   
4. Stout Hiking Boots – I love good hiking boots, and I generally despise modern hiking boots. What I am currently wearing are a pair of, I must admit, really nice Teva hiking shoes, but I want something that will lend support to the ankle as well.
   
5. Hat – As discussed earlier, I would really like a nice Montana Peak, though that is somewhat cost restrictive. I want something to keep my head warm and to keep the spider webs from accumulating in my hair. Additionally, as spring comes upon us, I would like something for spring and summer other than my Panama. I am thinking of a nice palm.
6. Knife – I have several functional clasp knives. One is a Leatherman Wave multi-tool that I keep in my letterboxing kit, and I take every opportunity to use. (I just love that thing!) I would like to add a nice sheath knife to the kit, however, because when you really want a knife, a good sheath knife is much easier and functional to use.
   

Gloves

Something that I understated earlier is the need for a pair of stout work gloves. These need to be lightweight and well fitted for dexterity in tight places, but they need to afford a good degree of protection against brambles, spider and insect bites and oogy stuff. I have a pair of cheap work gloves from OSH, but I am definitely considering something a bit more leathery, though that is purely aesthetic on my part. Additionally, because you will likely not want to wear your gloves all the time and because they tend to take up a pretty substantial amount of pack space, you might want to get a pair that clip together. That way they can be slung from a hook or ring on your pack.

The Old Apple Tree

Last Friday we went up to Apple Hill in Camino, California to kill our annual evergreen in honor of the season. As is usual, we got a beautiful tree and, as is unusual, we got it in record time! For reasons that escape me, we did not have to look at every tree on the mountain prior to making our selection.

As a result, after we completed our tree hunt we had time for a letterbox! We chose one of a handful in the Apple Hill area called Old Apple Tree. It was in a beautiful location on Apple Hill, readily findable to even the greenest letterboxer with the help of the information available for free at any of the Apple Hill growers. The stamp is hand carved, and is a beautiful keepsake of your trip to Apple Hill. If the weather gets harsh, this may be a difficult one to find, especially if a layer of snow is covering the ground, but in the absence of inclement weather, it is very straightforward and fun.