Funny, but it's just something you never see discussed. Yet they existed. Just not a popular subject, perhaps....

giz

I suspect that bags were made out of the cheapest suitable material available at the time, many now sell musl/cotton flour/food bags of various sizes, they are quite handu for lots of odds and ends by keeping things seperated in a pack, Blue Heron has several sizes that are priced really cheap, I think they are muslin, with draw strings, that part is questionable to me with original bags.

I saw some at Sam's Club just yesterday

P

I use lots of small "ditty" bags in my pack for food and other items to keep them separated. I make them out of linen or muslin when bored with TV.

Here's mine. Carry's a few smaller bags of trail food. I like it when I'm day hunting and not wanting to carry a haversack or possibles bag...

When I was a wee tad of some 12 Summers, my ma got tired of me beggin' for her to make me some bags to carry stuff in my pack for Scouts.

She sent me to the fabric store with a dollar and instructions to buy some pretty high count unbleached muslin. The lady at the store selected it for me. For my dollar I got enough cloth to make up over a dozen nice cloth sacks about 6"x8" with nice hems for puckering strings. Ma showed me how to use her old Singer treadle sewing machine. I made up those bags in about an hour. Then she had me put an old towel on the ironing board and iron parafin wax into the bags to help keep good stuff in and bad stuff out. I used those bags until at least 1994 or so. I was 12 in 1956 so I guess I pretty well got my dollar's worth. I have two or three of 'em left with beans, Homemade Bisquick, and Instant Rice in 'em. All that stuff is old enough to vote and I'm a little reluctant to use it, but the bags are still good.

I forgot, ma had me turn 'em inside out and put 'em in the wash twice before I waxed 'em, she wanted the fabric to shrink as much as was possible first. Those bags served me as well as any coated nylon bag I had later. I think maybe I'll go to a fabric store soon to see what they've got to make ditty bags out of. I still can't think of a better cloth sealing compound for edibles than good ol' parafin wax. It's not perfect, but it is good. I used white shoelaces for puckering strings. I cut 'em to length and sealed the ends with clear fingernail polish to keep 'em from fraying. I suppose a supple leather thong would work every bit as well.

Three Hawks

Would you please explain the process used to apply the parafin wax. Sounds like a very interesting project. Thanks.