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Shelter 1/4 or 1/2


bilko1
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I've a few shelter half/quaters.....

 

2 1941 dated 1/4's

2 1942 " "

 

1 1943 dated half[new type] when was the instruction give to change from old to new type?as my 43 dated gates mfg has the extra end attached but never had buttons down the open side and its of a od3 shade.

 

1 45 dated usmc 1/2 in od3,when was the camo type discontiued and the plain od3 reissued?or was this plain one made like some other items for the invasion of japan??

 

I'll post pics tomorrow..

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.

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Greg Robinson
I've a few shelter half/quaters.....

 

2 1941 dated 1/4's

2 1942 " "

 

1 1943 dated half[new type] when was the instruction give to change from old to new type?as my 43 dated gates mfg has the extra end attached but never had buttons down the open side and its of a od3 shade.

 

1 45 dated usmc 1/2 in od3,when was the camo type discontiued and the plain od3 reissued?or was this plain one made like some other items for the invasion of japan??

 

I'll post pics tomorrow..

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.

 

Dave

 

That now makes two USMC shelter halfs I've heard about made in 1945 and OD #3 shade, not camouflage. I don't know what to make of them. I initially figured that the contractor, knowing the war might be coming to an end soon and contracts cancelled, might have been using left over stocks of OD #3 material and hoping govt inspectors would let is slide. But then they had no reason to figure it would end soon with the impending invasion of Japan. I do know that the Marines were moving away from the idea of making all their gear and uniforms camouflage but then they continued to use them in Korea until they came out with the OD #7 USMC shelter half near the end of the Korean War. It's a mystery to me.

 

What sort of buttons does yours have....starburst or plain black?

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Greg Robinson

Dave

 

Are you the collector who showed his 1945 dated "khaki" USMC shelter half to LLoyd Richards a while back? If so then that's the only one I've ever heard of. In that case I stick with my original theory that they saw the end of the war (and end of contracts) coming and used up existing stocks of OD #3 material. Otherwise, if made in quantity that near the end of the war, others would have appeared by now.

 

Here's the pic LLoyd sent me. So is this yours? :D This one is from the very last contract for these which is consistent with my theory.

post-4-1167595761.jpg

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I've just spent 3 bloody hours looking for that shelter and can't find it!!but yes thats mine.

Its very tatty and the canvas is of a thicker type than normal army or marine..

 

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.

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Greg Robinson
I've just spent 3 bloody hours looking for that shelter and can't find it!!but yes thats mine.

Its very tatty and the canvas is of a thicker type than normal army or marine..

Cheers,

 

Dave.

 

 

That would go along with my theory since the pre war OD #3 USMC tents were made of a heavier material than the wartime camouflage ones. Or at least it seems heavier....definitely better made. I own a near mint 1942 dated camo tent and you can see a few areas where they cut corners.

 

Greg

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I just thought it was interesting how things go full circle :blink: ,why has it got army buttons and marine gromits??.I've looked at my od3 new type shelter 1/2,it wasn't a 1/4 made into a 1/2 but a new type made,when was the change over from old to new?as all the new type od7 i see have a earliest date of 1944!! but all if not quite afew have the old type shelters in pics upto the end of ww2

 

 

 

Dave.

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Greg Robinson
I just thought it was interesting how things go full circle :blink: ,why has it got army buttons and marine gromits??.I've looked at my od3 new type shelter 1/2,it wasn't a 1/4 made into a 1/2 but a new type made,when was the change over from old to new?as all the new type od7 i see have a earliest date of 1944!! but all if not quite afew have the old type shelters in pics upto the end of ww2

Dave.

 

Army shelter tents went to the plain black buttons around 1940 but Powers & Company which made all the wartime shelter halfs still used sunburst buttons on most of the camo tents. However, my pre war Powers & Co USMC shelter tent has those plain black buttons.

 

Not sure when the Army went to the new style shelter tent with closure flaps at both ends but the USMC camo tents adopted this new feature in the very beginning of their production in the Fall of 1942. I don't remember how my pre war USMC OD #3 tent is constructed....I'll need to dig it out of storage. But my USMC shelter tent made in 1918 by the Phila Depot is the 1/4 shelter design, closed at one end only

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just found two shelter halves which one is marked "Tweedie Corporation, 1942" will try and post pictures. Right now it's in the garage and it smells bady of old canvas smell.

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Greg Robinson
Just found two shelter halves which one is marked "Tweedie Corporation, 1942" will try and post pictures. Right now it's in the garage and it smells bady of old canvas smell.

 

Try leaving it outside in the sunshine....whatever sunshine you get this time of the year. :) I own a civilian nylon rip stop tent that I bought when those first were made about 35 years ago. Somebody's cat peed on it and it took decades for that smell to go away

 

Greg

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pathfinder505

I have several shelter halves that we used for camping when in the boy scouts in the 60's. We bought them at the local army surplus store along with canteens etc. I think they are in my attic. I may have to dig all those out now. Never thought about them really being worth anything.

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Greg Robinson
I have several shelter halves that we used for camping when in the boy scouts in the 60's. We bought them at the local army surplus store along with canteens etc. I think they are in my attic. I may have to dig all those out now. Never thought about them really being worth anything.

 

Yeah...I was in the boy scouts in the early 1960's and we used a lot of surplus USGI shelter halfs....and ruined a few of them. Most have no significant value....just the very early "khaki" ones, especially if they retain markings. And the USMC tents are desireable with collectors.

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pathfinder505
Yeah...I was in the boy scouts in the early 1960's and we used a lot of surplus USGI shelter halfs....and ruined a few of them. Most have no significant value....just the very early "khaki" ones, especially if they retain markings. And the USMC tents are desireable with collectors.

 

I am pretty sure mine are khaki and sadly not marines. I need to check for markings.

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craig_pickrall
Try leaving it outside in the sunshine....whatever sunshine you get this time of the year. :) I own a civilian nylon rip stop tent that I bought when those first were made about 35 years ago. Somebody's cat peed on it and it took decades for that smell to go away

 

Greg

 

Where did you bury the cat?

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Greg Robinson
Where did you bury the cat?

 

I never found the cat....I just know that smell. :( I paid about $75 for that two man pub tent 35 years ago...BIG bucks for a two man tent in those days. But for the time it was state of the art. I dug it out of storage this weekend and finally the smell was gone.

 

Greg

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craig_pickrall
I never found the cat....I just know that smell. :( I paid about $75 for that two man pub tent 35 years ago...BIG bucks for a two man tent in those days. But for the time it was state of the art. I dug it out of storage this weekend and finally the smell was gone.

 

Greg

 

It is really amazing how the size has increased and the price has dropped on these tents over the years. You can get one today that is about the same size as a small house for less that $100.

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It is really amazing how the size has increased and the price has dropped on these tents over the years. You can get one today that is about the same size as a small house for less that $100.

 

 

A few years ago my son was on a archeological dig and had picked up a tent so big that you could drive a Subaru Legacy wagon in. It cost around $100.00 or so. Could make a cheap paint booth for doing a car. But I digress :blink:

 

 

Getting back on track is there anything on the web where I can see what the accessories were, pegs, poles and such?

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Greg Robinson
A few years ago my son was on a archeological dig and had picked up a tent so big that you could drive a Subaru Legacy wagon in. It cost around $100.00 or so. Could make a cheap paint booth for doing a car. But I digress :blink:

Getting back on track is there anything on the web where I can see what the accessories were, pegs, poles and such?

 

The poles were wood (oak) and were three piece and hinged with sliding sleeves that locked them in place. 1942 dated poles had steel alloy hardware with earlier ones brass. From 1943 onwards they were still three piece but instead of hinged they were three separate pieces that fitted together.

 

Pins were oak wood. Rope was either hemp or cotton.

 

I'll try to post some pics later today

 

Greg

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