Do You Remember Canvas Bag Water Coolers?
Nov 25th, 2006 by Don Ray
I don’t know why this ran through my mind today, but as I ran an errand this morning it popped into my head. I remembered taking a vacation when I was a small boy prior to AC in cars and how my dad would take cool water for the trip. He had a water container that looked like a small backpack that had a canvas covering. He would fill it with water from the tap and when the bag was full he would soak the canvas bag with water also. Then he would tie the water bag on the front of the car.
The evaporation of the water on the canvas bag would somewhat cool the water inside. It was not unusual to see cars driving on trips with water bags tied to the front of cars. Besides taking care of thirst, it was a good safety measure if the car over heated. I also remember that my dad had two thermostats for the car. He had one for the summer and one for the winter. I think it was on that particular trip that we drove up to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. We also drove the Berthoud Pass and I remember looking out the window not knowing if we would make it or not.
I think that was the last long trip I got to take with him. It was quite a trip. We drove to the Great Salt Lake in Utah and I got to go swimming. You can’t do that any more. I remember having a divers mask and I put my head under water and when I came up my hair was full of salt. You could go out into the deep water and you would never sink. They had showers near the beach that you had to use when you left the lake to get rid of all the salt. We also made it to see Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore on this trip.
Great memories all because I remembered the canvas bag water cooler.
Hi Don,
Oh yeah, I remember those canvas bags. Thanks for bringing back lots of memories about my Dad and summer vacation time. Dad always had one or two hanging on the Studebaker when we went on vacation.
He also had an evaporative cylindrical shaped cooler that fit in the passenger window, and depended on the the speed of the car to move the air through it. The faster you went, the higher the volume of air! Theoretically of course. He used it as an excuse to speed as I recall. Mom hated it. I don’t remember it as being particularly effective, but I was young, and what the heck, as long as I had my box of Kix cereal in the back seat to munch on, I was good to go.
My Mom and Dad took my cousin and I on a trip to California in the early 50’s, and we did the same thing in Salt Lake. Dad also took us to virtually every amusement park between Denver and LA and San Diego along the way. I particularly remember the Roller Coasters, including the one in Salt Lake.
Wifey and I have just been full time residents of Panama for 4 months, but we love it here.
Don, I have really enjoyed your blog, and appreciate the thoughtful effort that goes into doing something of this nature in a quality manner. My Dad was a journalist, and I know he would approve heartily of your efforts…..Thanks!
Being a native Coloradoan who grew up in Leadville, I know Berthoud Pass and Pikes Peak well…We used to go up to watch the hill climb race on the 4th of July every year.
Tom
Hi Tom,
I had forgotten the cylindrical window cooler. We didn’t have one, but I remember seeing other that did.
I appreciate your nice comments about the blog. I am happy if it brings a little pleasure to others.
Glad to hear you are enjoying Panama. It has its quirks, but it continues to grow on you, and I am not talking about the mold.
Don I too must confess to a rush of memories. My 1969 drive to Arizona from NY. My introduction to the canvas water bag was someplace in New Mexico after a parched leg of the trip along some unrecalled two lane highway.
Once in Tucson I was introduced to swamp coolers and other ways to stay cool using evaporation. I think one of the reasons we moved to Panama was to rehydrate after 36 years of desication.
It is amazing the small things we forget from our past. Today many people travel with electric powered coolers in their cars.
Thanks for stopping in lee.