Sami Style Coffee Pouch.

The Sami peoples are the folk who inhabit parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Their livelihood has and does still included coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding. Their best known means of livelihood is semi-nomadic reindeer herding – which about 10% of the Sami are connected with and 2,800 actively involved with full-time. They heavily rely on their passed down skills of hunting, Bushcraft, and means of survival. The Sami make a lot of their own items, Boots, clothes, knives, and general dry goods. One of the Sami items aside from their puukko and leuku knives, that has made there way into the Bushcraft scene is the coffee pouch. Traditionally used to hold coffee, flour, or any dry ingredient are now being used to hold tinder for fire starting.

These pouches would typically be made out of reindeer leather, and hand sewn, But now are being semi-massed produced for everyday people wanting to get there hands on one. However looking online at a couple pictures any crafty person could make their own out of some thin leather, or even canvas. I drew up some plans quickly and set to work. I chose a thin enough leather that I could just poke the needle through by hand, and in about 1 hour had my own pouch. The leather was fairly stiff as it is not reindeer, so a rub down with neatsfoot oil was in order. After the oil and letting it soak in the leather was supple and buttery! I have included some pics of my pouch as well as a picture of the pattern. The pattern is a guide as there might be a bit to cut off when you are finishing up one of the seams.

They make beautiful pouches for any item on the trail. I keep my fire starting equipment in it, but might line it with a plastic bag and keep some GORP in it?. Regardless these pouches make very handy, and traditional items to store and carry your dry goods. I hope you make one, and please send some pictures my way!