For years, the Harvest & Gathering Bag has been my bag of choice on foraging outings and trips to countryside farmstands. However, for tasks and day trips requiring more packable bags, I’d often find myself reaching for a variety of smaller backpacks, fanny packs, or totes to meet my needs. Enter the Barebones’ miniature harvest and gathering bag. This multi-purpose pack is quickly becoming one of my favorite Barebones items. It has easily replaced my collection of various other bags.
The Foraging bag is an outdoor adventure bag that can do it all. Here are ten ways to use it indoors, around the neighborhood, and beyond.
1. Reusable Drawstring Market Bag
The Foraging Bag comes with three different liner inserts that fasten onto the waxed canvas shell. This liner collection is great for a trip to the market to carry a variety of goods. The strong drawstring bags are ideal for wet produce and fit easily into the protective waxed canvas shell.
2. Dog Walking Pack
This bag is the perfect size to store all the necessary gear for a fun day with our little pup. It easily fits a leash, treats, collapsible water bowl, and toys. Plus, the D-rings provide an accessible place to attach car keys and dog poop bags.
3. Herb & Flora Foraging Bag
Just like the Harvest & Gathering Bag, this smaller version can be used to forage all sorts of plant material in the wild. It’s also wonderful for gathering herbs and florals from the backyard garden to bring inside. While the large bag is ideal for gathering more hefty plant material, this size is truly the best for the majority of foraging adventures.
4. Mushroom Foraging Bag
The mesh-bottom bag liner converts this harvesting pack into a mushroom hunting bag to let the spores breathe. The rigid bottom of the waxed canvas allows the bag to hold its shape while sitting on the ground and protects the material inside from getting smooshed. The drawstring top prevents harvests from spilling: easily pick it up and put it down without worry and navigate difficult terrain on the trail.
5. Rockhounding Or Seashell Collecting Bag
Designed with rock-hounders in mind, this bag is fun to use on geology adventures. It’s highly durable, and the vinyl water-proof bucket bag is strong enough to hold rocks, shells, fossils, and crystals of all kinds, which can be rinsed later. The outside pockets can store small chisels, hammers, brushes, and a jeweler's loupe.
6. Picnic Tote Bag
We used this bag for a picnic at one of our favorite parks, and it couldn't have been any easier to carry lunch on our walk. The waterproof bucket bag held ice and drinks, which meant we didn’t need to lug around a cumbersome cooler. The sturdy cotton drawstring bag carried lunch and snacks and still had room for a couple enamel cups and our Provisions knife.
7. Mesh Drag Bag (AKA River Beer Bag)
In addition to being a great produce and mushroom foraging bag, the mesh drawstring bag can function as a drag bag that is perfect for chilling beverages in a river on a hot summer day. It's strong enough to load up with cans and attach to a river raft while it drags in cold water as the raft floats downriver. It can also be placed in a bed of river rocks along a stream near the camp to chill drinks.
8. Durable Fanny Pack
One of the most exciting features of this versatile bag is how it can fasten around the waist like a large fanny pack. It sits so comfortably on the hip and doesn’t get in the way while hiking or working.
9. Everyday Cross-body Bag
The strap extends so the bag can be worn over the shoulder, just like the Harvest & Gathering bag. This feature is a nice option when the Foraging bag is heavy with gear or foraged finds.
10. Adventure Day Bag or Camp Bag
With the rugged waxed canvas shell and three different types of liner inserts, there is a myriad of ways this bag can be used. In a camp setting, you can lug loose items from the car (or raft) to camp or hang food up high away from critters overnight. Carry loose gear on a hike in place of a day backpack. This bag could easily be used as a tool belt bag while working in the garden or on projects around the house. It's truly a multi-purpose piece of gear for any outdoor adventure.
