What Goes in a Proper Upland Kit

The dog is at the door before you are. Boots by the mat, the gun in its slip, coffee going cold on the counter while you check the bag one more time. Every upland hunter has a version of this morning, and a version of the kit that goes with it.

Some of it is practical. Some of it you carry because your father did. The best of it does both, and it starts with something to carry your cartridges in.

The upland kit, in order of importance

• The gun, and a slip to carry it in. Something padded that keeps the walk to the field from becoming a scratch on the stock. The Double Buckle Leather Gun Slip has a fleece lining; the Canvas & Leather Zip Around Shotgun Slip opens along its full length when you need the gun quickly.
• Cartridges, and a proper way to carry them. More on that below.
• Blaze orange where it's required. Rules vary by state, so check before you go. It's a good habit everywhere.
• Eye and ear protection.
• For the dog: water, a collapsible bowl, a whistle and a lead.
• A game carrier for the walk back.
• A bag for everything else: gloves, a spare choke, lunch. A waxed canvas field bag with a waterproof lining earns its place on a wet morning.
• Somewhere to sit while the dog works or the light goes. A folding tripod field stool hangs off a shoulder strap and weighs next to nothing.
• A good knife.
• For afterward: snap caps and a cleaning kit, because the gun should go away cleaner than it came out.

How to choose a leather cartridge bag

A cartridge bag looks like a simple thing until you've spent a day with the wrong one. Four questions settle it.

How many cartridges do you need to carry? Walking up birds behind a dog, you rarely need more than a box or two on you, and a belt pouch keeps them close without anything swinging at your hip. For a full day, a shoulder bag holding around a hundred is the classic choice. For the truck or the lodge, a case holding a few hundred keeps the day's supply organized and safe.

What kind of leather? Vegetable-tanned leather is the traditional choice. It starts out firm and lighter in color, then softens and darkens with every season. Good leather should look better in ten years than it does on the first day.

How does it close? A flap with a turn lock or a buckle keeps cartridges where they belong when you bend to take a bird from the dog. Solid brass hardware won't rust, and it ages with the leather.

How does it carry? Check the strap or belt. You'll feel a loaded bag by mid-afternoon, so adjustability matters.

For walking up birds: Honey Leather Cartridge Pouches

Two pouches on an adjustable belt, in vegetable-tanned cowhide that darkens beautifully with use. Each flap closes with a twist-lock buckle, and together they hold around a hundred cartridges. Made in Spain. Hands free, cartridges close, nothing swinging. Shop the pouches

Prefer an open top? The Open Shotgun Shell Carrier from The Heirloom Collection rides on the belt in green canvas and cowhide, with an interior zip pocket for the small things.

For a full day: the Double Buckle Leather Cartridge Bag

The centerpiece of The Heirloom Collection. Antiqued vegetable-tanned leather, brass double buckles and a soft suede lining, with room for up to 100 shells. It was made alongside the Double Buckle Leather Gun Slip, so the two carry as a matched pair. If you are buying one leather cartridge bag to keep, this is the one. Shop the cartridge bag

Prefer canvas: the Heritage Canvas & Leather Cartridge Bag

The classic shoulder bag: hardwearing canvas with a leather flap and trim, holding up to 100 12-bore or 125 20-bore cartridges. Initials can be embossed on the tag, which makes it one of the easiest gifts in the field. Shop the bag

For the truck: the Okavango 250 Cartridge Case

Tobacco-colored, vegetable-tanned cowhide with a peccary lining, an adjustable handle and a shoulder strap. It holds 250 cartridges and rides in the truck or on the porch until the dogs are loaded. Handmade in Spain. Shop the case

For the lodge: the Okavango Cartridge Case

The same tobacco cowhide and peccary lining, with a brass lock and brass-buckled straps. Inside, 250 cartridges sit in five batches of 50, so you always know what's left. It's the piece that ends up in the next generation's truck. Handmade in Spain. Shop the case

Looking after leather and waxed canvas in the field

Leather

• Wipe it down with a soft, dry cloth after each outing. If it's muddy, use a cloth that's barely damp, then dry it off.
• Let it dry naturally. Never dry leather by the fire or on a heater: it cracks.
• Condition it sparingly with a neutral leather conditioner, a couple of times a season at most. Test a small patch first, because conditioner darkens vegetable-tanned leather.
• Empty it at the end of the season and store it somewhere cool and dry, not sealed in plastic.

Waxed canvas

• Let mud dry, then brush it off with a soft brush.
• Sponge any marks with cold water only. No soap, no hot water and never the washing machine: they strip the wax.
• Re-wax when water stops beading on the surface, usually once a season, with a waxed cotton dressing.
• Hang it to dry away from direct heat.

Leather or canvas?

Both have earned their place. Leather is the traditional choice: it lasts for decades and develops a patina that is part of the appeal. Canvas is lighter and quick to dry, which is why so many classic bags pair a canvas body with leather where the wear happens. The Heirloom canvas pieces use Halley Stevensons waxed canvas from Scotland, long the cloth of choice for weatherproof sporting bags, trimmed in cowhide. The zip around shotgun slip, the field bag and the open shell carrier make a matched canvas set; the leather gun slip and cartridge bag make the leather one. The right answer is usually the one you'll actually carry every time you go out.

Kit worth handing down

A proper upland kit is built a piece at a time, and the pieces that last are the ones that get handed down: the bag that has been to every field, the case that rode in your father's truck. Start with the thing you reach for first.

That is the thinking behind The Heirloom Collection: full-grain leather, hair-on cowhide and waxed canvas, made to be used hard and handed down. It arrives on November 5. Discover The Heirloom Collection

Leather cartridge bags, briefly

How many cartridges should a cartridge bag hold? For walking up birds, a belt pouch or small bag for a box or two is plenty. For a full day, around 100. For the truck, a case of 250.

Is vegetable-tanned leather good for a cartridge bag? Yes. It's firm, hardwearing and develops a rich patina with use. It needs occasional conditioning and should be dried slowly.

What size cartridges do these bags hold? The Heritage Canvas & Leather Cartridge Bag holds up to 100 12-bore or 125 20-bore cartridges. Check each product page for the others.

What's the difference between a cartridge bag and a shell carrier? A cartridge bag carries on the shoulder and holds a full day's supply, usually around 100. A shell carrier or pouch sits on the belt with a smaller number close to hand for quick reloads. Many hunters carry both and refill the belt from the bag.

Is there a matching leather gun slip? Yes. The Double Buckle Leather Cartridge Bag was made alongside the Double Buckle Leather Gun Slip, in the same leather with the same brass double buckles.