PNWBUSHCRAFT Lightweight Bundle First Look

Written by Nick Italiano

Heather and Todd at PNWBUSHCRAFT have spent over 10 years making some amazing rugged waxed canvas goods for outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers. Each design they create is done to produce a highly functional item that can serve a number of different uses for the passionate outdoor community they serve. Each piece is made by hand in their shop in Washington State, the materials are top notch, the workmanship is flawless, and there is no doubt you are holding a PNWBUSHCRAFT product when you have it in hand. 

Waxed canvas is an iconic outdoor material. It was utilized by early American adventurers due to its durability, reliability and ease of maintenance. With all these great characteristics, it remains a favorite of many modern outdoors people today. With all the positive features of waxed canvas it has one major drawback, it’s heavy. Many modern hikers and backpackers are looking to keep their packs as light as possible. Even for those of us that don’t mind heavier gear can feel that weight in the warmer months of the year. Modern materials such as nylon are lightweight and reasonably durable, but they lack the iconic look and feel that waxed canvas has and can be more prone to damage. So the intrepid adventurer is put in the situation where they have to evaluate what features are most important for their needs. 

As avid outdoors people Heather and Todd have been faced with this situation personally and they are always striving for ways to bring their customers the best product options possible! They began looking into options to shave weight from some of their most popular items without losing the durability and rugged good looks that PNWBUSHCRAFT is known for. While utilizing standard nylon or a water resistant fabric such as X-Pac would have been an easy solution, it would have compromised the classic aesthetic of their products. Knowing that they did not want to compromise they continued the search for the perfect material and they were able to source a 70% canvas/ 30%nylon blend that gives the same classic look and reliable durability of their traditional waxed canvas products, while reducing the weight of the finished products by more than 50%!

Introducing the PNWBUSHCRAFT Lightweight Outdoor Bundle

This kit contains 6 of PNWBUSHCRAFT’s most popular designs to give you everything you need for your next adventure in the woods! The whole kit weighs a mere 19.6 ounces so you won’t have to worry about these essential items weighing you down.

Ground Cloth

The kit has a large 57×57 inch ground cloth that can be used to keep yourself and your gear dry when working or sitting on a damp forest floor. Thanks to the addition of grommets, this large ground cloth makes it ideal for creating a sun shade or emergency shelter.

Snack Bag

The Snack Bag is 9.25 inches tall and 7 inches wide. As the name indicates this bag is a great place to keep your lunch or trail trail snacks, but the generous size makes it great for storing any number of items. The drawstring closure ensures you won’t lose anything along the way!

Ditty Bag

The Ditty Bag is 6.75 inches tall and 5 inches wide and is closed using a snap. This small bag can be used to store just about anything from snacks to small tools or even something like a fire kit.

Spork Bag

The Spork Bag is 9 inches tall and 3 inches wide like the ditty bag it also closes with a snap. This is perfect for carrying your outdoor utensils for when you plan on cooking or eating at camp. When not storing my camp utensils, I have utilized mine to carry some larger pieces of fatwood so I can get my fire going anywhere I go.

Travel Tray

The Travel Tray is perhaps one of the most important pieces of gear I have in my collection. This 8×8 tray is perfect for organizing tools, placing important items, and having a place to dump foraged berries. There are a ton of uses for a tray in the woods and once you start using one, you’ll wonder how you got on without it!

Bucket Bag

The Bucket Bag serves double duty here. First it stores the whole kit when not in use, making keeping it compact and organized easy. Second, it is a great place to store all manner of items. You could fill it with your foraged plant materials, use it to carry tinder, throw a compact stove in, pack your lunch, or throw the rest of your packed out kit items in!

Why We Love It 

For many, storage is a hard thing to get excited about, but for those of us that value organization of our gear storage is a big deal! Being able to quickly identify and access what we need not only makes our everyday outdoor activities easier, it can save precious time in an emergency situation. While there are numerous speciality organizer pouches and bags out there, I see a ton of value in versatile carry systems that can be easily adapted to just about any situation. That is exactly what PNWBUSHCRAFT brings to the table in all of their products, versatile and adaptable storage solutions. The Lightweight Bundle brings some of their best items together in a very light and easy to store platform. This kit includes a great variety of pouch sizes that can be used to pack your camp food and tools, or store and organize essential survival gear. The bundle can be used as an ultra compact stand alone carry system thanks to the bucket bag, or as a way to help organize a larger backpacking or camping kit. 

The Non-storage elements of the kit are also adaptable to serve a multitude of purposes. The Ground cloth is big enough to give you a clean dry place to sit at camp or give you a nice sized  workspace while performing bushcraft tasks. Combined with some paracord, a large water resistant surface is great for creating a temporary shelter from the elements, especially in the summer months with the hot sun beating down or when unpredictable summer rain showers strike. 

The tray is one of the most underestimated and versatile pieces of gear I own, it’s not something any generally thinks they need, but when you start using them you’ll never turn back! Having a place to put your important items and tools in the woods is incredibly valuable, it keeps them protected from the damp forest floor when not in use and ensures that they are not accidentally misplaced and lost amongst the fallen leaves and dense foliage. I have also used my trays as a place to keep wood shavings dry and organized for later use in fire starting tasks. I find trays useful when foraging as it gives me a place to put gathered plants awaiting processing, or as a place to put berries that I plan on eating while taking a little break. The tray can also provide a clean place to put some food items if you are planning on doing some camp cooking, all sorts of dry goods and vegetables can be placed on the tray while you are preparing your meal!

This is a really solid kit that is a great addition for the seasoned outdoor adventurer or a great baseline kit for those new to exploring the great outdoors. Beyond the functionality of everything in this package, keeping it all under 20 ounces brings tremendous value to those looking to keep their packs as light as possible. The lightweight bundle is available now for a special introductory price of $149 which is an incredible value for all the high quality, handmade gear in this bundle!