10 Essential Items Every 1930s Hobo Carried: A Survival Guide 

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My mother often fed the hobos traveling through..mainly beans and tortillas but they were grateful for it. My dad acted angry but was secretly proud of my mom’s generosity. I miss them both.❤ Thank you for your videos !

My Canadian Grandparents were a surgeon-nurse couple that ran a practice out of their home, 100 miles from any other town. They kept an unlocked screened porch with a cot in it. There was always a wash basin, wax paper wrapped sandwiches, pickles and a milk bottle in there. Some days the food would just be gone. Some days men would offer to do jobs as repayment. It was the depression, and it was just understood that people needed to keep their pride. And everyone was expected to chip in as they could. Compassion and trust was as common as suspicion and fear is today.

Great video. My grandfather was born in 1910. Based on your definition of a hobo I just now realized that grandpa was a hobo for a time. He had been on his own since he was 9 years old and he told me some of the stories of what he went through. Grandpa told me that a man should always carry with him a few of the things on your list although he never tied it into the hobo lifestyle. I recall a time when I was a kid when we camped at a ranch in west Texas. While my cousins and I we were all getting our fishing gear together he wandered down to the river on his own. Before we could get there he had landed a large bass. Apparently he already had the hook, cork, and line and just used a stick he found along the way. Thanks for reminding me of so many great memories. He passed away in his 90's but I think about him just about every day.

2:15 knife 2:30 fishing kit 2:50 match case 3:30 bandana 4:00 roadstake? money 6:30 coffee 7:00 spoon 7:40 cup 8:10 chalk/crayon 9:00 sewing kit

My dad was a hobo in the 30's . He carried a small pistol. Told me it saved his life in a boxcar one night.He went on to be a M/SGT in the Army Airforce WW2

Here in the UK our grandfather was a 'jobbing' bricklayer who traveled around in the post WW1 era after being discharged from the Army. Not only did he 'bunk' onto freight trains he also hitch hiked, got lifts from lorries (trucks), cars, on canal boats, motorbikes and steam engines. He eventually ended up stowing away on a cross channel ferry to France, where he served for 3 years during 'The war to end all wars' ending up helping to build war memorials to his comrades in arms, turns out the best employer was the C.W.G.C. (Commonwealth war grave commission) and he came back a reasonably wealthy man. Any way long story short, aside from his sturdy whacking walking stick, water bottle, waxed cotton/canvas poncho, army back pack with his basic brick laying tools, pocket knife, tobacco & matches/lighter, eating utensils, tin cup sugar and tea his most important items were. A money belt, decoy purse with a few pennies in it and the most important of all a moral boosting hip flask with a shot or two of whiskey or brandy;-) PS. There were many rumors and tales in the family about his 'adventures' and to this day we are convinced there is a branch of our clan that no one can trace in Northern France and Belgium. Makes you think how far afield these US hobos spread their seed!!!

An actual hobo here; good boots, long coat, 65l back pack, sleeping bag, knife, a few lighters, rope, tarp, headlamp, stainless steel pot. #1 is a large metal drinking container.

Love the fact that you pulled out silver coins :) I once pointed to a Hobo and said to my friend "look at that bum" and my friend replied "no that's a Hobo", " you and I are bums"

My mom told me that my grandmother used to generously give food in the 30's to hobos who knocked on the door. I loved my grandmother dearly, but as she came from a rather snobby upper middle class background it made her generosity more notable.

Hobos were not always educated but they had travelling LIGHT down to a science.

I was told that my grandma's backyard was a well known hobo stop in the 1930s. She made bread and soup in a large pot once a week to feed anyone that came up the alleyway in Chicago Heights, IL. Most hobos were peaceable folk that were very appreciative toward alms. It's a completely different world today

50 of 74 years a hobo. Really did your research on this. Great job. Some hobos I knew always went 'streamlined" They really knew the rails and what was waiting in almost any town. So minimum carry. Often wore two sets of clothes. Removed the outer layer when they hopped off. You get dirty riding freight trains and you would be fairly clean heading into a town. Plus you had more pockets to hold stuff. Always a pocket knife. Matches were usually in a 35 mm film canister along with part of a match box striker. A sewing kit, couple of needles, a small spool of thread and a thimble also in a 35 mm canister. I was advise the best way to carry money ( bills ) was in a Bull Durham tobacco bag in your skivies. A Prince Albert tobacco tin was a good place to put items also. Like instant coffee, or money, or whatever. A little fishing line with a bottle cork and a fish hook. Spoon always. A bandana with a hotel size soap bar. It was mostly up to the hobo's personal taste. I would get extra condiments packets from fast food joints when I had the money for a dollar meal.

My father-in-law grew up on a farm that had a railroad running through it. They had a picnic table out by the tracks, and his mom would make lunch for the hobos that rode the cars.

I'm 72 and my Grandmother used to give food, and feed hobos off her back porch during the depression of the 30's.

They laughed at my crayon drawing; I laughed at their chalk outline

Another great video. Nobody else covers the hobo that ive seen to you and them we are grateful.

Love the way how James not only shows us these items, but sets the scene of a hobo's life by adding lots of relevant context. Thanks buddy!

True Hobos were respectful and remembered those that treated them well. They may not have had the prettiest smile but most would give a smile in a second brightening the day.

Aw, love hobos. My dad rode the rails in the 20th century depression era.

Good info. My dad said he was a hobo for a while and road the rails. He said a hobo traveled and worked and was not a freeloader bum. He also later owned a big dairy farm a restaurant salesman painting and contruction ship cook had 6 kids and my dad a great guy

In the late 40's my mom helped out a Hobo with giving him something to eat and some extra food to take with him. He marked the tree letting others know that she would help you out which she did.

I was just about to say/type a bandana. Yes. It’s truly one of those timeless items that is just so useful for so many things that it’s almost a necessity. Just an appropriate sized section of cloth. I’d carry a safety pin with it. Good for picking out splinters. Love that match safe. I bet it has some stories to tell if it could talk.

Was homeless from 2007 and been off hlthe streets for over 6 years now. Those times on the streets were Educational. Learned how to survive when you have absolutely nothing. If your in a urban environment or somewhere with industrially box is a life saver in extreme cold. Been in a situation as to were it was below freezing in wichita ks, I could died but I had a old timer teach me a trick. Dig in the trash and find a box big enough to fit in and look for plastic bags, put the box inside the bag and crawl on in. Don't put the bag inside with the box as when you breath it will condense on the bag and drip on ya.

Another great video in the Hobo series! You really do a wonderful job helping us understand that a true Hobo was not a vagrant, but someone who was willing to leave family, work to earn money anywhere it could be found, and do what they needed to do to support family in deeply hard times. Hobos get a bad rap. Thanks to you, lots more empathy and education. Hobo life was difficult. You had to be tough and resilient.

Hobos is a much appreciated series. It contains, not only historical information, but a good bit of philosophy and innovative idea .. 😀😀

Excellent video. My mother grew up in western MD on a small farm.She used to talk about hobos coming to the door and asking if there were any chores they could do.Thanks James

I recall my Great Uncle Bill, a man of much excitement, had such a Coin & Bill snap Dollar folding wallet. Good Man. Thanks for the memory from 68 years ago. Best

If you want to attract rabbits to an area plant vining peas/beans like Red Ripper, green beans or Asparagus Pole Beans. Red Ripper can`t be beat. They love them and they keep growing back like kudzu. You can boil and eat the shelled beans, the high protein leaves, young pods, and the bunnies they draw in.

Although not a hobo, my grandfather (born 1892) would have a lot of similar items always close at hand. He'd always be sure to have matches close at hand which I always thought odd since he didn't smoke. But, in his early years any light involved oil or a candle.

My mother's brother Frankie, was a HoBo after he was throne out of his parents house at the age of 14, because he had joined "The bottle gang". He was one of five brothers and two baby sisters (My Mom being one of the sisters). He got Tuberculosis when he was about 20 years old. He traveled the country riding the rails and occasionally stopping in at TB hospitals in various parts of the country. He was very handsome, as were his brothers and could coax TB nurses to smuggle whiskey to him when he was in a hospital; He visited my mom several times when I was in grade school. He always waited til my dad wasn't home before he visited..My Mom would give him a meal and some money. Once, he visited on Christmas Eve, while my Dad was out. He wore a hat with the brim turned down front and back. He wore a suit with but no shirt. He had newspaper under the coat to keep the cold out and no sox! My Mom let him bathe and gave him a shirt and sox and a topcoat that my Dad seldom wore and twenty dollars. A few days later, my Mom got a telegram from New York City. He wrote that he had sold his new clothes for whiskey. He lived to be 70 years old. We all have our own separate paths in life. Just say'n.

It would be useful to have thread already on a needle, much like the fishing kit. Wrapping fishing line around your hat the putting the hook through the hat band is a neat trick as well.

I would love to see a ‘streamline’ hobo video. Thank you

Very interesting video. My grandpa was a Red River Valley farmer in SE North Dakota. He did custom threshing. He hired a lot of hobos on his threshing crew. Several came back every year in the 20s and 30s. They stayed in a bunk house and ate in the cook car. My mom said at night they would have a campfire. She heard a lot of stories and songs. She would sing the songs to us when we were traveling to keep us from fighting in the back seat. Cowboy Jack, Hobo Bill, Waiting for a train among others. My dad and grandpa were both Railroad men. Dad was a signal maintainer on the Great Northern and Grandpa was a brakeman and oiler.

Please keep doing hobo/ 1920s, 30s,40s videos.

You should write a book on the hobo subject....I would buy it

I really enjoy these Hobo series , my grandfather who passed away a few years before i was born rode the train with a friend from the mountains of North Carolina to California. My aunt said he was about 13 yoa and nor sure he was per si a hobo but i wish i could have met him and no doubt heard aome good stories.

You are so good at keeping this subject interesting. Thanks for another great video.

Dude’s dropping hobo statistics. Love it.

I've never had the coin purse with the long double compartment, but I have a modern made short version that fit the overall bib pocket pretty good, and I have one that was my great grandpa's ( or great-great) that's over a century old that I don't use. Very practical item that keeps your coins quiet. My folks usually used the common tin plated snuff cans for a supply of matches and sometimes an old vanilla extract bottle with a cork. Whatever was available and free. Lots of snuff cans and Prince Albert cans were repurposed for "survival" containers in their time. My folks didn't do much traveling other than a fishing or hunting trip down to the bottoms when the farm work was caught up. Most of em back then in the region didn't use a stockman pattern. They'd have a jackknife, with the larger clip or spear point main blade, and a small penknife blade on the same end. Many people don't call a jackknife a jackknife anymore, but that's what it is. IIRC I'm thinking that Old Timer/Schrade still had a proper jackknife pattern before they folded up (33?) Thanks for the video ❤

This was an incredibly well presented topic. Using period accurate items and showcasing them with a brief explanation of their use makes this subject that more interesting. I enjoy the conciseness of the presentation, delivery and editing to keep the topic flowing and engaging without becoming tedious or over explained. I always enjoy how subject material is presented on this channel. There isn’t anyone quite as good at it than this content creator.

I just love these Hobo videos.

5:05 I was gifted one of these change purses that was handed down to my friend by generations of train hoppers. It still has an original p38 can opener, hand weigh scale, and an incredibly small map of the US.. I hold it dearly to me. It lasted that long, I can too..

Thank you once again

I do truly like the Hobo series! Thank you for all your hard work to bring this series to us!

My great grandfather was a hobo who road trains looking for work during the Great Depression and who actually had to kill a man in a knife fight who had attacked my great grandfather for the can of beans he was trying to eat. That’s rough times.

Ok today I learned the difference between a rucksack (a big two strap backpack with pockets for long term “ruck” into the wilderness) a knapsack (a medium two strap backpack with enough storage for a hobo night under the stars, and a haversack (a one strap messenger-bag style sack traditionally used for carrying oats for a horse and later used as a sack for carrying a day’s rations by colonial era military when a ruck sack was overkill). A hobo with all three could last a week or longer in the rough with that kind of load-out.

Pocket knife (multitool), matches (bic lighter), bandana, wallet with a tiny sewing kit in it, and a sharpie that will write on almost anything. In my bag, there is a small first aid kit with caffeine tablets; I also keep a spoon and cup nested under my nalgene. The more things change, the more they stay the same- the only thing I don't carry is the fish hooks.

Excellent. I really appreciate the era-correct coins and bills.

6:47 😅 I really really need to do this.. there are just some days where if only you only had a cup of coffee you felt like the whole world would open up to you.

My grandpa hoboed his way around Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia in the 1930s. He recounted his travelling kit to me once, decades ago... Here's what I remember: a suitcase with a few clothes, sewing kit, playing cards, cash, knife, gas lighter and a spoon. Interestingly, he said the naphtha in his lighter was excellent for polishing leather, so it was dual purpose. He wore heavy leather boots and a jacket back then. He was a skilled craftsman and gambler and made a good living.

It's great that you bring this part of this time alive, there's not many who do, you might have got a funny anecdote or two from that generation but you seldom heard about the hard or outright bad times from them. You heard little snippets like large families all living in two rooms, people having to go away to work, kids waiting outside the kitchens of expensive restaurants/hotels to be given the stale bread and so on. You still got the coin purses in the UK into the 80s for kids but they were rugby ball (US football) shaped, don't know why.

talking about the paper bills- "It doesn't jingle like money does". So very true, and not often understood by most people. Paper isn't money. Gold/Silver is money.

These reports on traveling on the road are fascinating . 👍

I am a modern hobo Travel around the country Work at bike Week No trains for me But my account has to have minimum Of 3 or more uses I am a light weight streamer Hobology Great coverage ✌️

Always great to see another installment of the series! I must say, James, that you're looking awesome with the recent weight loss! It'll stand you in good stead going forward into your later 50's, 60's and beyond. Between the age of 44 and 47 I dropped from my highest weight of 238 lbs to 165 lbs.... diet and beaucoup exercise! At 47 I was in the best shape I'd ever been since my 20's. Those weights, btw, are on a man of only a wee bit more than 5'8"... so nearly 240 was my wake up call. I'm in my 60's now... still rocking a frame of ~ 170 ish... and feeling pretty darn good and energetic! I'm proud of your efforts, James! Keep knocking it outta the park! Your knees, etc, will thank you going forward! Love from Canada to all who read this. Out.

Hobo EDC. Love it. Thanks for sharing! Coins for the pockets, folding bills goes in the boots. No purse needed. Coins mixed in with a bit of dryer lint (or dirt) also doesn't jingle (as much)

Amen I always travel as light as possible. I don't like carrying things in my hands haha. Right now I don't even own pants. I don't mind owning things my life led me in this direction and I enjoy living with at least as possible. It makes it more exciting when you find something you need instead of buying it. Recently I found a high end multi tool. Thank you God for your providence!

Another informative video people need to keep in mind. Thank you so much for giving details of these necessities!

I have enjoyed this hobo series. Thanks the time and energy it took.

Cool stuff!! Love your videos!!

Oops! My Dad “rode the rails” or rods one time I believe. He had some good times at CCC- Civilian Conservation Corps- doing cosr

Great stuff, I considered myself a very successful street person for many years, but there is always new tips to learn !

Very sensible and simple kit. I appreciate how the Hobo's were able to sustain themselves with so little. It's a good reminder of just how resilient and resourceful we can be. Thank you for learning and researching all this material James. I appreciate you sharing what you have learned regarding Hobo's and the culture surrounding them.

Sir, you got me really hooked on Hobo culture and history. I'm already like 2 books into it and Good Lord they were hard working people. 💯👍👍👍

Nuevamente muchas gracias por otro video hobo ,son muy interesantes ,los apresio mucho ,saludos desde La Pampa Argentina .

Fantastic and very interesting video as always. I love seeing the kit you put together. I am pleased to find out that I have been traveling with all 10/10 of the items you mentioned! In modern version, of course

All good knowledge. Usually the coffee pot would be hidden near the railroad in a likely spot such as a hollow tree. Many would share it. There was a mark/sign for shared goods. All were expected to return it in good shape for others to share. Thanks.

"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose." K. Kristofferson

I think the bag tied to the end of a stick like we used to see in cartoons is called a bindle, iirc

LOVE TO HEAR THE HISTORY OF THE HOBOS, THANKS FOR THE SHARE, JAMES!!! Do take care. Fl.

My daddy born in 1922 told me that Hobos had some kind of sign they left which indicated to other hobos where homes were that would feed them. He said they were always dropping by his home where his mother would generally give them some bread and butter.

Dang, every time I see JD Vance in a video thumbnail, I get excited thinking it's a new WayPoint video

Excellent, thanks

My grandpa was a 1930s hobo. Born in 1921, he left home as a young teen to find work. His parents couldn't feed him, and the only shelter the family had was an old chicken coop. So he hopped trains from Kansas out to the West coast, and worked in fields and orchards harvesting produce. He hated when people conflated hobos with bums! I wish I had asked him more about what it was like for him before he died.

That's a very cool hat. Great look for the video! Well done. My grandpa carried a coin purse like the one you showed. When I was in the Boy Scouts we had sewing kits and matches like you shared. Never fished with just a line, but can totally see that working. Nice video!

Hobos, the original ultralight hiker! Thanks for the history lessons.

A Hobo maybe also carried a comb and a candle stub

Pretty cool EDC! Makes me think about the things i carry on myself every day. The hank, the pocket knife. Instead of matches i carry a small flashlight. I keep stick matches in all glove boxes as well as plastic spoons. There's always a small sewing kit in there as well. Being a journeyman you have to be prepared. Coffee is a must as is a travel mug. I can relate to all those items and the least amount of space they take.

8:21 Paint sticks or "hobo markers" are pretty big now, more so in the graffiti community, but I also saw them a lot in the traveling community before I retired from that way of life. They're basically large crayons made out of paint that can be hard to buff and can make tags that stay up and survive the elements. I heard the concept is pretty old but I would be surprised if they dated back to the 1930s. Hobo tags are still a thing and understanding them is almost like learning a different language, it's still blows my mind that the traveler/hobo lifestyle hasn't changed much since the 1930's golden era, and is one of the few parts of American culture that has been going strong for over 100 years.

Sweet!

Wonderful video James, thanks for sharing YAH bless you brother !

I was surprised to see a hobo sign painted on a tree in front of our city house. I'm happy to say that it said we were good people. There is currently a Justrite match safe case for sale online. It costs $104.50 plus $4.99 shipping. I suppose it would be chic to have one, but I'll continue to carry my matches in a pill bottle.

This video has been Hobo approved .

I mentioned in a previous post that my dad was a hobo out of Mississippi, it's how he got to california. When I was a kid, I fondly remember him yelling at homeless men at the gas station whenever they'd ask him for change. However, I've recently realized that he would often yell "Get the F away from me you tramp!" " I can't stand you tramps!!! Don't ask me for anything when you see me you tramp! I just thought he was being mean. That is, until I watched your video on hobo signals, and you explained how one set of symbols meant tramps were in the area to be cautious and you explained how tramps and hobos often didn't get along. Now, I understand why my dad has never liked tramps. Chance are, they made life hard for him when he was a hobo and area probably was in that group that attacked him at one point in his life.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Heres a fun fact I think you'd like! come from a family of gypsies and my grandparents used to say that when they were travelling down a road and turned to the left or the right, one way they would do to signal to other gypsies was to gather a bunch of branches and place them on the shoulder of the road in the direction they turned. Something similar to the signaling that you mentioned in this video

Everyone loves the kit or haversack collection videos as do I! Keep ‘em comin!

Back when being homeless was an art.

You need an editor.

I treasure the idea that a hobo is a traveling working person. I just realized that I am a modern hobo...airplane hopping tho!

BTW, during the Great Depression, my maternal grandfather, a farmer who (like my paternal grandparents) came to this country from Eastern Europe ~1905, often hired hobos to work on his farm. The majority of the men (i.e., the hobos) were hard workers who gave an honest day's labor for an honest day's wage (~$1 / day, I think, in those days)--decent men with families who did what was necessary, albeit not easy, to survive. Thank You, L-RD, for Your GREAT kindness and mercy to us ALL. We live because of You. (Amein).

This video is most useful for beginning your career as a hobo!

I'm almost 70 and my mother told me years ago how my grandfather up around Chippewa Falls in Colfax Wisconsin was an engineer on the shoe line but he was would often feed the hobos and bring them home to work drive down to their camps and give them food him and two uncles ended up riding the box cars to Oregon in the winter time my uncle almost froze to death my grandmother told me he was young😮 that's why I was born in Portland instead of up in Wisconsin Northwoods

wow great video I'm sure we all had the thought about how we'd handle the situation

I like how high quality their metal tins were back then. The coffee container and match stick holder are solid pieces.

Neat little kit. One thing that you don't see as much today that many used and that was a rubber tobaco pouch. Not for tobaco but as a pouch. Although I have read quite a few times that matches were carried in a small glass bottle, much heavier glass than we would se today but they would take a brass 12gau shell and a brass 10 gau to make a match safe. One fit nicely in the other. I have wanted to try it but new brass 10 gau shells are really expensive.

Brilliant and informative thankyou. I'm looking forward to hear about the Streamliners (especially after a recent camping trip in which we ended up with a platoons amount of kit between 4 of us!😅)

I wish I could find out more about a Hobo camp that was in Albion, NY, in the late 1930’s early 40’s. It was at the East end of the village, North side of the railroad by one of the sandstone quarries. Love your content, thank you.

That was great, like a hobo pocket load-out! I’m chuckling over the overlap of my own load-out. 😬