A “Foraging Bag” is a great idea
One of the more annoying things about “foraging” has been the inability to find the perfect bag. I’ve come pretty close with this one:
It’s the “ TGX Skirmisher Tactical Sling Bag” (which is ridiculous) from Thinkgeek.com, but unfortunately they don’t seem to sell it any longer. It holds everything I need, and has extra straps and velcro pads and pockets. It’s probably the best “day bag” I’ve owned.
The only problem with it is that if I want to put something in the main pocket (like baggies full of foraged stuff) or get something from it (like an ID book), I have to take it off. Which means there’s a lot of up-down-up-down and reaching back to grab stuff, so even though it’s a great bag, I often leave it on the ground and use it as a kind of “home base” for my collecting.
Other than the obvious (a big space for foraged stuff), my ideal foraging bag would be able to hold the following:
- Micro-tip pruning snips:
This is probably the most useful tool for clipping plant material. Also, these are pokey, so they need to be kept separate from things that can be punctured. Like my legs. Which is why I don’t just carry them in a pocket.
2. Numerous baggies/containers. It’s sad to be so plastic dependent, but zipper-baggies (for green stuff/rooty stuff) and plastic containers (for berries/fruit) are lightweight and easy to carry.
3. A bottle or two of water. In a pocket where they can be reached with ease, and won’t get things wet if they leak.
4. A good plant ID book. In my area, this one is the best:
It’s pretty comprehensive, includes edible and ethnobotanical uses, and has nice pictures. It’s as small as it gets, but still weighs a good 1.5 pounds or so. Every extra bit of weight “counts.”
5. A jeweler’s loupe or magnifier:
This is helpful for ID sometimes. It would be especially cool if it was on some kind of retractable cord since it’s so small!
6. Gloves! Essential for harvesting prickly stuff like nettles, or blackberries.
7. Keys, phone, etc.
I’m sure I’m missing something, but I think if I had a single bag that performed all of these functions *without* the need for taking it on and off all the time, I’d be pretty happy.
