Tobacco pouches/ leather bags why do they exist?

[smokingauthor1]

So probably a dumb question but why are tobacco pouches (the reusable ones made of leather) A thing? In my experience, the tobacco never stays fresh or moist. Moreover, they ghost other tobacco's smells. When putting new tobacco in. How long is the tobacco meant to stay good in a pouch, before it gets crunchy and wrecked. I brought two in the hopes that I can smoke some of my favorite blends on my lunch break. But when I am out on my break, the tobacco is already as dry as a church full of nuns. Am I using it wrong?

 

[Bbailey324]

I've always viewed those as a day pouch. When loading from a tin or jar I put a days worth in and no more. I don't find this amount to dry out to any great extent during the day. I've got pouches dedicated to different blend type so that ghosting and cross contamination isn't an issue.

 

[K.E. Powell]

They make carrying a good bit of tobacco easy. They'll keep provided you smoke the tobacco within a couple of days. Tins and jars can be cumbersome in some situations, and pouches can be handy in a pinch. As for its use, get you a pouch that can be closed fairly tightly, and try not to place it somewhere overly humid for too long. People will literally just shove a pouch in their pocket and walk around in 90 degree heat for several hours and wonder why their tobacco is shit. Not saying that is you, btw.

I never had a pouch ghost my tobacco, however. But then, I only occasionally use them, so that may be why.

 

[sablebrush52]

I gave up on them decades ago. A baggie works fine.

 

[stearmandriver]

My feeling was always that they exist as a "vibe", something that is pleasant in a tactile sense. A Ziploc bag is easily the best solution from a practical standpoint.

 

[PaulRVA]

I use Leather Pouches and Pocket Jars all the time.
They do fine for a couple days and are replenished with the same blends on a perpetual basis.

 

[LotusEater]

I use a couple of leather pouches and put one of these in each

Amazon.com

My son got me these last year for Christmas- I think he thought it was funny because they are marketed for cannabis but they work great. They keep tobacco nice and fresh for several days.

 

[The Benedictine]

Tobacco pouches are usually lined to retain some moisture content a little humidor in your pocket. I use 3 different ones. One for aromatics, one for English, and one for non-english.

 

[didimauw]

So probably a dumb question but why are tobacco pouches (the reusable ones made of leather) A thing? In my experience, the tobacco never stays fresh or moist. Moreover, they ghost other tobacco's smells. When putting new tobacco in. How long is the tobacco meant to stay good in a pouch, before it gets crunchy and wrecked. I brought two in the hopes that I can smoke some of my favorite blends on my lunch break. But when I am out on my break, the tobacco is already as dry as a church full of nuns. Am I using it wrong?

Some of us prefer our tobacco dry and wrecked. I like to dry and wreck my tobacco before putting it into my everyday jars, and in my pouches.

Some blends I'll put into a jar that I know has a bad seal on it, JUST so it will dry out overtime.

I have 2 pouches I use daily. One is just for burley, and the other is a bur/lat blend. A few times I was in a rush and couldn't dry the tin before decanting it into my pouch. Most times it takes WEEKS in the pouch before the tobacco is dry enough for my liking.

 

[Waning Embers]

Tobacco pouches/ leather bags why do they exist?

To grab your money.

 

[smokingauthor1]

Wow, thanks fellas! I didn't know it was meant as a day pouch and different tobacco blends for different bags. I'm going to try and just use the pouch I got for catham manor since I have plenty of it and can get the levels right for optimal moisture and tobacco amout. Thank you for your inputs!

 

[OzPiper]

So probably a dumb question but why are tobacco pouches (the reusable ones made of leather) A thing?

So you can load up your Dunhill with Mixture 79 or Borkum Riff (or indeed any codger/OTC/bulk blend) without anyone at your club being any the wiser

I carry 2 or 3 blends in small ziplock baggies inside one of those leather pouches when travelling.
No problem maintaining moisture for a few days.

 

[jguss]

Why do tobacco pouches exist? Since I’ve never perceived one I deny that they do.

 

[Grangerous]

In centuries past, they existed by necessity, before plastic zip lock sammich bags were invented.

 

[telescopes]

Wow, thanks fellas! I didn't know it was meant as a day pouch and different tobacco blends for different bags. I'm going to try and just use the pouch I got for catham manor since I have plenty of it and can get the levels right for optimal moisture and tobacco amout. Thank you for your inputs!

I have two. When I travel - which I do a lot - they are a convenient way to keep my tobacco, lighter, tamper, and a pipe or two in one bag. Mine are each over 20-30 years old, lined, and the leather is still in great shape because I take care of them. I can drop one in the waist pocket of a sport jacket or coat and everything I need is right there and I don’t have to worry about misplacing a tamper or lighter - something that is unfortunately way to easy to do. My pipe is protected from needless bangs…

I carry 2 or 3 blends in small ziplock baggies inside one of those leather pouches when travelling.

No problem maintaining moisture for a few days.

…. when in dry areas I use the method described above to keep the tobacco moist. Generally I can go up to two weeks without an issue. If I am smoking a lot, the tins are in the suitcase and I transfer tobacco as needed. When you go to restaurant - especially out of country where you can still smoke on the outside patio , they are extremely convenient.

Are they a must? Is anything really a must?

Only you can decide if they are right for you. Do you absolutely need floor mats in a car or truck? Hell, do you even need a tooth brush when a finger can do in a pinch. You decide what you want and how to use them. Long term storage? Nope. They are useless for that Purpose.

 

[LeafErikson]

Make sure your pouch is rubber lined. Tobacco stays at my preferred moisture level for a week or two in this thing. This is one I picked up from Merchant Service pipes when my old one from them but the dust. After a couple of years the rubber starts deteriorating and you wonder why you taste rubber while smoking. Haha.

 

[Joe H]

Here’s a link to a thread I started on old tobacco pouches: Old Leather Tobacco Pouches :: Pipes Accessories - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/old-leather-tobacco-pouches.105551/

The unlined ones were probably just a product of their time; plastics and rubbers were not generally available and even zippers weren’t in common use until after WW1. I suspect most of the old-timers just filled their leather pouches with a day’s worth of tobacco from their humidor, tin or whatever and got on with their day. My dad used an unlined pouch for decades. It would hold two ounces of tobacco if you packed it in. Dad loaded his every evening, but it was probably about an ounce and a half to cover a day’s worth of smoking. In terms of ghosting, I doubt dad would have cared if he ever noticed.

He used rubber lined pouches with zippers for dressier occasions. They didn’t hold as much but that was OK as he didn’t wear dress clothes as long as work clothes. Church or square dance/polka dance evenings – that sort of thing. In my tests of the rubber lined zipper pouch, the tobacco maintained its humidity between 18 days and three weeks depending on the blend.

I don’t smoke enough to use pouches regularly. On camping or fishing trips they come in handy since I’m happy to smoke one blend for an entire trip. If I’m feeling like more variety, a couple of small zip-lock bags in a leather pouch to protect them and keep them in one place is useful.

 

[MisterBadger]

The only advantage over a repurposed tin that a pouch has, in my opinion, is that a tin is likelier to spoil the line of your jacket. But since I have no pretensions to sartorial elegance, I prefer an old tin.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I'd assume back in the days , especially in Britain and US many blends come in the tins or in bulk form , so who the hell would carry bulky metal tins in their pockets, or while on the way home or work one replenish their tobacco pouches with fresh tobacco at their favorite tobacconist

 

[sardonicus87]

Well, a pouch is more flexible than a repurposed tin or travel jar/tin, it can be folded up or rolled and bent and squeezed in. However, a ziplock bag is much more flexible and easier to carry different ways and can be much more comfortable in a pocket of regular clothing than a hard tin.

And I don't have a bunch of experience with pouches, but they seem harder to scoop out of than a ziplock bag, especially when they're small enough to be pocket-sized in anything less than a massive dress coat pocket. And at that size too, the thickness of a pouch to fit in the same pocket relative to a ziplock bag means less space for tobacco, maybe like one bowl's worth at that point.

Though if you have a big jacket on or are carrying a bag or something, probably anything works (pouch, baggie, old tin, travel tin). Just depends how much pocket space you have.