Ames Harris Neville Vintage Desert Water Bag and Brush
In the olden days, when cars had hood ornaments, when you drove across the desert in the western United States, you could keep your water cool. You would fill this bag with water, soak the outside of the bag and hang it on the front of your car. The evaporation and wind would keep the water cool. Very clever idea. This was hanging in my grandfather’s garage. He kindly let me have it to hang in my garage.
UPDATE 9-10-11 Amanda M. send these pictures of an Ames Harris Neville brush. Anyone have info on it?
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27 Responses “Ames Harris Neville Vintage Desert Water Bag and Brush”
That’s a great bag! It holds over a gallon and is made of flax woven with jute — just porous enough to “sweat,” keeping the water cool. My great-grandfather bought the patent in 1923 and the family company (Ames Harris Neville) produced thousands of bags.
Wow Alan, that is a cool story!
Does this item have any value? I have one myself.
Carol, depending on condition, I just sold this one for $40! My grandfather almost had a heart attack laughing when I told him. He said, “I paid less than a dollar for it!” I’ve seen them sell for between $20 and $40.
Desert Water Bag: I have wanted one of these since my father’s one was trashed years ago. We traveled in the Arizona outback in the 1950′s and would not have moved an inch without our Desert Water Bag filled,dripping and hanging from the radiator cap, especially when we had a Nash Rambler stationwagon that regularly overheated. Thank you to Alan Ames for the insight about his family history with Desert Water Bags.
This will go on the wall of my log home in Northern California with other vintage items and the memories they recall.
Hi. I just bought one of these bags at an estate sale. Mine is slightly different. It doesn’t say “Saturate before using” at the top. Anyone know if this makes it older or younger than the one’s with the extra verbiage?
Thanks!
Rick
I have two bags, handed down through the family. Both have “Saturate Before Using” at the top, and I’d guess that they’re the original design. On the back in red ink is a rectangle about 3×2 inches with “for the finest in camping equipment. CAMPLETE. Tents and sleeping bags.”
“Saturate before using,” was advised to swell the flax fibers so the bag wouldn’t leak badly but would still sweat enough to keep the water cool. I poured two cups of water into one bag, and in six hours all the water had seeped into the wall.
The one I have says, “Dry open bag in sun once a week”…nothing about saturating it.
Amazing how many differences there are!
Alan, my family was the Harris part of Ames Harris Neville, which my Grandfather sold to Boise Cascade back in the 50′s (?). He just turned 100 in June. Interesting to run into you on here
Aubrey, I suspect that Harris was the married name of Josiah P. Ames’s sister, which makes us related.
Let’s figure that out. My email address is amre5511@comcast.net.
Alan, that address is rejecting my emails. Any ideas?
That’s because I spelled “ames” wrong. Try this: ames5511@comcast.net.
While going through some of my parent’s belongings I came across a round brush that says “Ames Harris Neville Co. Tents, Burlaps, Canvas 100-126 Potrero Ave Foot of Tenth St. Bages &-Twines. San Francisco.” It appears to have been used for advertisement. Does anyone have any information or a value for this brush? I can provide pic as well.
Thanks!
Amanda, if you send the pic to mrpontiac at yahoo.com, I’ll post it here with this post.
Hi Robert, I emailed the pictures to you yesterday. Please let me know if you did not receive them.
)
Thanks for your help
Got the pictures up Amanda!
I have no idea what that brush was for. Maybe my cousin Tom knows.
“Sanitary water bag made by Ames Harris Neville Co, San Francisco, U.S.A.,” mine says: “Dry Open Bag in Sun Once A Week” and “Quickly Filled” and “Easily Cleansed.”
Another difference I notice is mine has two pieces of wood at the top and a metal piece that slips over the wood to seal the bag. The spigot has a cork to seal the bag.
Fran, I don’t know for sure, but it sounds like your is much older than this one.
My dad always used a little whisk broom to sweep off the outside of a sleeping bag or tent as he rolled it up, so grasses and gravel wasn’t rolled inside. In that the brush advertises tents and canvasses, I would expect that was the purpose of the brush. Cool useful advertising item, something I am sure Alan Ames or his brother Tom would love to acquire. Enjoy! Sharon in Rural Northern California
I’ve never heard of that brush, and it would be nice to see. Any idea where I could get one?
Hi Alan, The brush that is in the pictures belongs to me, I still have it and it is for sale. Would you be interested in further communication?
Sure.
You can reach email me at asmurphy98@gmail.com so we can exchange more information.
Thank you.
Hi,
I am researching a School Text book G11 Science and need a picture of a water bag for cooling like the one on your website. (sourced here:http://www.retrohound.com/desert-water-bag/)
Can you supply me with a hi-res image suitable for print? It needs to be A6 size; 300dpi
Full acknowledgement of the source will be given
Many thanks
Rhianne
The photo at the top of all this is 608 x 453. I don’t have any better photos, but I can take them of the two bags I have (not so clean) with high resolution and mail them to you… but after Christmas.