US M19 Compass Pouch, Surplus

Leather gear aficionados, attention! We got a small batch of very fine and stylish leather pouches, which you can use with your M2 compass or other similarly sized and shaped items. This sort of pouches saw action at least in World War 2.

Information

These pouches have a pleasant leathery smell and feel. They have a belt loop for at most a 35 mm / 1.4" belt or strap – they will probably not fit straight on a modern style duty or rigger’s belt. However, if you have WW2 era load bearing gear, it'll be a match made in heaven.

This sort of pouches have been used to carry US M2 compasses, and other similarly sized and shaped items will of course fit also. The inside measurements are about 75 mm x 70 mm x 35 mm / 3.0" x 2.8" x 1.4". These pouches are meant for actually carrying things in them, so they won’t easily snap shut if empty.

Note: By the looks of it, instead of a compass, these pouches might take a hockey puck shaped container of Swedish delicacies in loose or portion form.

Maintenance

These are made of leather, so they can be maintained. To maintain a smooth leather surface with closed pores to block water and dirt, use a soft brush or rag to clean the surface without abrasion. Plain water should be enough, but you can use a mild detergent such as hand soap or gall soap.

Leather is more receptive to various impregnation sprays when it's damp after washing, so don't wait for days to continue. The spray-on treatment is supposed to permeate the leather, i.e. make its way in between the fibers. Once the stuff gets in there, it repels water from finding a home inside the leather and helps keep the material dry without blocking moisture from coming out.

Counter-intuitively, this impregnation does not reduce the breathability of the boots but improves it. Wet leather does not breathe at all so it makes sense to prevent that from happening.

Smooth leather benefits greatly from adding some wax, creme, or shoe polish as a final touch. Spread, let soak for some time, and polish with a rag.

US surplus

Used and old surplus from the US of A. All of the pouches have unique features – some of them are darker in color, some of them have more stitches in their design. And yes: These things have signs of age and use on them. There might also be some markings by their previous owners.