These canvas water bags are wonderful for camping and prospecting trips or anytime you are out in arid conditions.

This premium flax, collapsible water bag was designed to provide cold drinking water for our troops in the original war in Iraq, Desert Storm. It holds about one gallon of water and keeps the water cool via evaporation. Works like the old radiator bags from the glory days of route 66. Built to rugged military specs it will give years of service and will pay for itself many times over by providing cold water without ice, in any type of weather. It includes a pair of straps to hang the bag and a string to close the neck at the top of the bag. The bag is 20 inches long and 8 1/2 inches wide.

History: In the "olden days", before air conditioning and modern coolers, people used to hang canvas water bags in front of the car's radiator. This helped prevent the radiator from overheating and also provided cool drinking water.

Vintage water bags routinely sell on eBay for upwards of $50.

Note: these canvas water bags are not designed to "hold" water - they are meant to slowly drip at first, and then become damp, so evaporation can work to cool the water. You will want to soak them thoroughly before first use - it may take anywhere from a few hours to a full days to completely swell the fibers of the bag and seal it. Once done the bag should not drip too often but rather maintain a damp surface. Cooling performance will depend on the relative humidity in the air. The drier the air is, the faster the evaporation and cooling will be, just like a swamp cooler.