Waterproof Tobacco Pouch?

[Private Glover]

I've made a search on this forum, but have been unable to find what I'm looking for: viz. a decent pouch that will keep my pipe tobacco from drying out. I have a couple of nifty-looking cloth pouches but they do not protect the contents from drying out, or absorbing sweat or rain.

Any suggestions that don't involve zip-lock bags would be appreciated.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

I've viewed originals that were silk and lined with another silk-like material - remember the tighter the weave, the less air gets in. There are also several quality vendors producing painted cloth bags in a variety of styles and also I've read of originals being made from discarded/worn gum blankets or ponchos, another reason to never throw out old ones. For me, I've found that wrapping the tobacco in paper and then placing in a painted cloth bag or buttoned envelope-style bag works very adequately for a few days at a time.

[fahtz]

I have one of those rubber blanket wallet styles, the rubber is on the inside of the wallet. I put some unrolled rope tobacco in one a few years ago at an event. I then moved and took a 3 year hiatus from living history. Once I came back I opened it to find moist tobacco with no mold or anything! Of course I tried it and it was only slightly less moist than the day I put it in there.

[Pvt Schnapps]

From The Merchants Magazine and Commercial Review, 1860: "A common method of making tin-foil is to form ingots of lead and tin—the former in the heart of the ingot, the latter on the outside—and to roll these out into foil. By this process, the tin is retained on the outside, however thin the ingots may be rolled out, while the poisonous lead is kept inside; and by this means the cost of the material is not one-half what it otherwise would be if made entirely of pure tin. A patent has been secured for this invention, and by the reduction caused by it in the price of foil, the latter is now employed for a hundred purposes, such as wrappers for tobacco, labels on bottles, etc., for which paper and other substances were formerly used."
http://books.google.com/books?id=1f8...#37;22&f=false

Real tin foil is difficult to get these days, and wouldn't be the same as a foil made of tin and lead, but I bet Reynold's Wrap would work.

[TheQM]

but I bet Reynold's Wrap would work.

You are such a Farb! Everybody knows that only the tin foil wrapped around Hershey Kisses is period correct!

[Mint Julep]

A thin slice of apple placed inside the tobacco will help it maintain it's moisture.

[Private Glover]

Thank you fellas. I think I now have a line on just what I'm looking for.

I've used the apple trick (a thin section of apple peel) to moderate success. Until I actually have the pouch in my hot little hand though, I'll attempt the foil wrap suggestion.

[IPBarnard]

I have the same issue.

In every day life I carry a wallet tobacco pouch made from pigskin and it works fairly well.

I have been toying with a pouch made from oil cloth. That may work.

Mark C. Foster

[welshman15]

Is there any particular reason for the rubber to be on the inside or out? You want moisture, but not too much moisture so I would think rubber side out would be better. I have an old gum blanket that my dog got hold of so I was thinking of cutting the remnants into pouches or poke sacks.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Is there any particular reason for the rubber to be on the inside or out? You want moisture, but not too much moisture so I would think rubber side out would be better. I have an old gum blanket that my dog got hold of so I was thinking of cutting the remnants into pouches or poke sacks.

I've used both rubber in and rubber out. The rubber inside left a funky aftertaste to the tobacco after sitting in there for more than a day. I discovered that my preference is having the rubber on the outside and lining the pouch in a tight weave cotton or silk.