I thought I was too brain dead to think of anything to photograph tonight, much less something to write about. But there I was, standing in the laundry room (folding towels), when my eye was caught by what hangs on the wall in there.
We have five of these. All are well-used. We’ve never quite figured out how you’re supposed to use them. There’s a trick to getting them to hold water. I did a quick search on the Internet and came up with all kinds of hits on where to buy a canvas water bag, but only a couple quick hits on how to get them to hold water.
It is definitely a skill I would like to learn.
So what’s with having five canvas water bags if you don’t know how to use them?
One word: art. Collectible art, artifacts, antiques. We just plain like the art.
Now that’s a Safari Water Bag. of course, it has a lion on it. It’s very well-worn. You can almost picture this on the front of a Land Rover. Allan Quatermain probably used just such a bag. (I picture Richard Chamberlain as Allan Quatermain.)
This one is very faded, but it has sentimental value. My father was a Ranger for the US Forest Service and all things Smokey the Bear permeated my childhood. (The original Smokey the Bear died in 1976. I cut his obituary out of the newspaper, even. Is that corny?)
I can’t imagine Smokey driving a Land Rover with that canvas bag hanging in front of the radiator.
We have two of these. I didn’t photograph the other because it is very faded and worn, and this one is in very good condition. The Hirsch-Weis bags are common (at least around here, in the Portland, OR area).
So how do you use them?
One authority I read said that you are suppsoed to soak them in very hot water, then fill them. Apparently the hot water causes the canvas to expand.Then you fill them and hang them. You don’t want the canvas to lean against anything because the touch will compromise the fabric and it will leak where it is touching. That actually makes sense to me.
I think I will have to do some more sleuthing. But even if I never do figure out how to use one, I still like them.
Jaci Dawn 
Oh my gosh those are so awesome! That’s the kind of art I have in my house. I actually remember drinking out of one of those once that my dad had – the water tasted awful. Kind of moldy and well, like burlap. But I guess if you were thirsty enough, it might taste good.
I’ve never seen these before. I especially like the Smokey the Bear bag, and I like your idea of decorating with them!
I think somewhere along the line, I learned that they were supposed to seep water through the bag, so it would evaporate and keep the water inside cool.
Gotta agree with Jodi, the water always tasted like different.
Awesome blog!
I thought about starting my own blog too but I’m just too lazy so, I guess I‘ll just have to keep checking yours out.
LOL,
I love water from these bags. It tastes delightfully moldy with a hint of canvas.
Ah hahaha. We still haven’t figured out how to get them to HOLD water for very long. I guess it has to be really hot outside…
THEY WERE NOT MEANT TO ” HOLD ” WATER THEY WERE DESIGNED TO SEEP THE WATER OUT ” SLOWLY ” SO THAT THE EVAPORATION WOULD COOL THE WATER . THE HAD TO BE REFILLED “FREQUENTLY”
Ohhhhhhhh (the light comes on!) Thank you Al! Here I had this idea they had to HOLD the water. Your explanation helps this poor city girl!
To use them properly they have to be soaked for a couple of days in water. This swells the fibres and seals the bag.
The water does seep out but a full bag should last a week if not drunk. The water should be changed regularily anyway.
I have one on my Ute and the water quite easily lasts a few day. The bag should not drip but have a damp surface to work correctly.
They are some good examples.
I really appreciate these comments telling me how the bags are supposed to be used. I feel like I inherited them with not quite enough information and not the know-how to research it. This has been a really wonderful blog post and I have learned so much from the comments.
Thank you Ken!
hi ihave a safari water bag with lion on it what is it worth? ex shape no stains yhanx
I cannot answer that question, Steve. But if you check with some of the other people who have commented on this post, I bet they can help you! I even learned how to use a canvas water bag from the comments here. 🙂
best of luck!
I have used desert water bags for years. So has the U.S. military (and no doubt militaries in other countries). You can soak it before use, in hot or cold water (hot might cause the cotton to shrink though), but you don’t have to. You can fill a dry bag with water. It will leak a bit at first, but as the fibers swell, the leaking will diminish. After a while (one to several hours), the leaking will stop but the bag will remain damp — and COOL, which is the intended behavior. As long as there is water inside, and as long as the relative humidity outside is low, the evaporation will remove heat from the water inside which will keep it cool. The hotter, drier, and windier it is on the outside, the faster the rate of evaporation and the colder the water will get. But when the evaporation rate is faster, the bag needs to be refilled more often.
I have lived for a month or more out in the desert, far from electricity, and enjoyed cool water by maintaining two bags: one for receiving incoming, non-cool water, which is then used to keep the second bag full at all times. The second bag will eventually concentrate any minerals in the water, due to evaporation, leaving mineral solids behind. So the second bag gets dumped and rinsed every so often. And now you know how these bags can be used for a practical purpose.
Thank you Max! I think I get more comments on this one post than any I have put up in four years. It’s so cool (pun intended). 🙂
I just found one of the bags that was my fathers and ot brought back some great memories of leaving for vacation
He would fill it and hang it in front the radiator before we hit road to the sierras to camp. The water sweating out of the bag would cool the radiator as we drove through the desert. Before the days of coolant.
Fill it with water and then put the lid on it and then soak it IN water and then hang it off the rack of your car and the evaporation on the soaked outer canvas makes the water on the inside cold.
I love that this particular blog post garners the most comments. Thank you Dave Munson! 🙂
agree..need to saok em till they get soaked…hmmmm..water logged or won;t hold water…
Thanks Monte! I am enjoying this so much – this single post has gotten more comments than any other post I have ever written. I think I have it now, but I sure love the comments!!
Jacidawn,
I have very fond memories of drinking from canvas water bags like the Hirsch Weiss while working in the alfalfa fields on the family ranch. Nothing was better than a drink of cold water from one on a hot Colorado Summer day.
How do I order a DESERT canvas water bag?
I have always picked them up at yard/estate sales. Sorry, Vince.