Rummaging

How many rummage sales have you hit this summer so far? Any good finds? I haven’t hit nearly as many this year as I have in years past, just due to lack of time. But I did find a pretty good deal a few weeks ago where I found a guy selling off his collection of knives, swords, and martial arts weapons. I picked up a few pocket knives, a pair of kama (sort of handheld sickles), and a couple other odds and ends for about ten bucks total.

There are deals out there if you invest the time to find them. On my own “want” list when I’m out rummaging:

Cast iron cookware: Fairly often, when you do find cast iron pans and such, they’re rusty and look like crap. But if you apply a bit of elbow grease, they usually clean up nicely.

Knives: How many knives can a guy own? Um, never enough as far as I’m concerned. I’m always on the hunt for good quality blades.

Books: In addition to anything survival related that looks decent, I’m always looking to add to my literature collection, particularly what we might call the “classics.” Who knows, it could end up that I’m the only survivor of the end of the world who has a complete set of Shakespeare?

Hunting gear: I’m always looking for things like bows and slingshots. I’m especially hoping to find a slingshot that will work with the Pathfinder Sling Bow attachment.

Camping gear: Many people, especially as they get older and move from camping in a tent to using an RV, dump all their old camping gear, like tents, sleeping bags, and cookware. Even if I don’t have a use for it myself, if I can get it cheap enough I’ll pick it up for someone else.

Tools: Good quality hand tools are worth the investment. I’ll always snap up things like old wrenches, brace drills, and hand saws. They really don’t make them like they used to and most of the time the tools have nothing wrong with them other than a light coating of surface rust.

Anything in particular you look for when hitting rummage sales?