Frost River Belt Foraging Pouch
“Seize the opportunity” should be the survivalist’s and bushcrafter’s motto.
When we’re out in the wilderness harvesting and gathering, we need to make use of resources whenever they present themselves - not just when it’s most convenient for us.
Morel mushrooms in June. Pine needles and Labrador tea for a hot beverage in July. Rose-hips and blueberries in August. Cranberries in September. Balsam poplar bark for carving projects; spruce twigs, dry grass, and birch bark for fire starting; feathers for crafting arrows; and quartz - a substitute for flint - to use with a piece of carbon steel for fire lighting.
There are so many useful resources to be harvested and gathered in the northern forests, along lake shores, and beside riverbeds.
The Frost River Belt Foraging Pouch is a basic dump-pouch design, but I find its classic and timeless combination of leather and canvas far more appealing than most of the tactical alternatives available.
As a canoe guide and wilderness living skills instructor in the Yukon Territory, I was able to put the Foraging Pouch through its paces. I used it not only for harvesting and gathering on wilderness trips, but also for carrying a few essentials on short hikes away from camp.
It’s large enough to hold a lightweight rain jacket, a bug net, or a water bottle and a few snacks for a little hike, without being cumbersome.
The Yukon’s rivers are full of beautiful Arctic grayling, often found in clear back eddies along faster-flowing sections, while slower sections with vegetation or other cover can be home to plenty of pike. The Foraging Pouch has also made a great fishing companion, carrying a small tackle box with lures, a multi-tool for unhooking fish, and a length of paracord that can be used to improvise a stringer for a catch.
And its usefulness doesn’t end when guiding season does.
On our homestead we try to grow a large portion of our food in our vegetable garden and greenhouse, raise our own chickens, and hunt for our meat. The pouch has been useful for bringing some of the garden’s harvest back to the house. On a fall outing hunting spruce and ruffed grouse, it easily carried a handful of shotgun shells within easy reach at my side. And after a successful hunt, it gave me a convenient way to haul my bounty home.
One of my favourite features is how the Belt Foraging Pouch rolls up and stays neatly out of the way when it isn’t needed, yet is immediately available when an opportunity to harvest something comes along. The drawstring closure securely closes the top and keeps the contents where they belong.
The waxed cotton is also easy to clean between uses with a little water and mild soap, when needed.
As the leaves fall from the trees around our homestead and the first snow settles on the mountains across the valley, I’m already looking forward to next year’s harvest - and having my Belt Foraging Pouch along for the journey.
Fabian Schmitz
Fabian Schmitz moved to the Yukon in 2008 and earns his living as a wilderness guide and survival instructor with Bushcraft Yukon. Wilderness river trips by canoe or exploring the endless forest and mountains of Canada’s Northwest with hiking boots or on his skis: That is where he feels right at home!
