"Before nylon life was drab."

-Joe Labovsky

When Wallace Carothers was at the University of Illinois, his friend Carl "Speed" Marvel introduced him to fishing. This photograph was taken on a fishing trip Carothers and Marvel took in Wisconsin in 1935. Nylon would not available commercially for several more years. At the time of the fishing trip, fishing line was made from cotton thread. Cotton weakens when it gets wet, which is a big problem with fishing line. Outdoor recreation in general was much rougher without nylon. Canvas tents leaked, and cotton jackets let wind blow right through. Rubber raincoats were dry, but not the most comfortable things to wear.

Back in civilization, there were other problems, such as brushing one's teeth. Before 1937, toothbrush bristles were made from the fine hairs of boars. Not only did the bristles fall out in one's mouth, the brushes didn't dry very well, making them unsanitary. Mildew and other microorganisms could easily grow in the perpetually wet boar-hair toothbrushes. What's worse, only the hairs of certain Asian hogs were suitable for use in toothbrushes, making them very expensive. Needless to say, many people just didn't brush.

Paint brushes were also made from animal hair. This was annoying for the house painters because the bristles were prone to fall out while painting.

The open road has always lured people with the promise of adventure. But that adventure was much more grueling before nylon. In those days, tire cords were made from cotton or rayon. The stresses of driving are really too much for cotton fibers, and tire failure was an all too common event.

Then there is hosiery. Before nylon stockings made such a stir in 1940, stockings were made from silk. Silk ran so easily that a pair of silk stockings would have been disposable if they hadn't been so expensive. And being expensive priced silk stockings out of reach for some women. Women who couldn't afford stockings often hid the fact by wearing floor-length dresses.