I am afraid I didn't put it very preciseely. I'm referring to the first time I experienced a Primus- which was on Long's Peak somewhat later (1957) - a time when I was being exposed to a lot of new (to me) equipment and techniques. Fortunately one of those was nylon climbing rope.

In the end, what matters is not whether the gear is old or new, but whether it is appropriate.

Thanks for the reference. I have wondered just how old the technology actually is.... Still actually works pretty well.