A mail pouch or mailpouch is a container for mail, designed to transport first-class,

registered mail Registered mail is a mail service offered by postal services in many countries which allows the sender proof of mailing via a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was ...

, domestic mail and

military mail Military mail, as opposed to civilian mail, refers to the postal services provided by armed forces that allow serving members to send and receive mail. Military mail systems are often subsidized to ensure that military mail does not cost the sende ...

. It usually has a

drawstring A drawstring (draw string, draw-string) is a string, cord, lace, or rope used to "draw" ( gather, or shorten) fabric or other material. Ends of a drawstring are often terminated with a sheath called an aglet. The ends may be tied to hold the dr ...

, and is made of a stronger material (''e.g.'', canvas) than

mail sack A mail sack or mailsack is a mail bag used to carry large quantities of mail. Different handling and security requirements for different classes of mail is integral to the postal rate structure. A mail sack is not a locked bag since they need ...

s (''e.g.'', plastic) and is designed to lock at the top with a mechanism system consisting of special closely spaced

eyelet Curtain grommets, used among others in shower curtains. A grommet is a ring or edge strip inserted into a hole through thin material, typically a sheet of textile fabric, sheet metal or composite of carbon fiber, wood or honeycomb. Grommets ar ...

s and a strong strap to secure the top where access into the bag is closed off and locked, where a

does not have these features.

Etymology and word origins

*According to the Online Etymology Dictionary ''mail'' is 12th century for letters or post. The meaning was further extended to "letters and parcels" in the 18th century by way of "bag full of letters" (1650s) or "person or vehicle who carries postal matter" (1650s). The Online Etymology Dictionary says that in 19th century England, "mail" was interpreted as letters going abroad and local communications was defined as "post". *According to the Online Etymology Dictionary ''pouch'' is late 14th century for "small bag in which money is carried", from Anglo-French ''puche,'' of 13th century Old French ''pouche'' and ''poche''. It has a root Germanic basis and Old English ''pocca'' meaning "bag", which is a derivative from cavities in animal bodies. *According to The Free Dictionary by Farlex the word term "mail pouch" or "mailpouch" means ''pouch used in the shipment of mail''. It has basically the same meaning as "mailbag" – which originated 1805–1815.

U.S. Postal Service

First-class mail

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

(USPS) usage, first-class mail that would be carried in a mail pouch is mail sealed against postal inspection. An example of first-class mail is a typed letter or one written by hand. It must weigh less than 13 ounces.Division of the Federal Register, United States. Federal Register Division, United States.

Office of the Federal Register The Office of the Federal Register is an office of the United States government within the National Archives and Records Administration. The Office publishes the ''Federal Register'', ''Code of Federal Regulations'', ''Public Papers of the Presid ...

U.S. Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO; formerly the United States Government Printing Office) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States Federal government. The office produces and distributes information ...

, 1984, pp. 312-339. (Google eBook)

Registered mail

Registered mail that would be carried in a mail pouch is mail that is within a certain length and width, regardless of thickness. Registered mail can be insured up to $25,000 for a certain premium fee. There is no limit on the value of an item sent in by registered mail. Registered mail is closely guarded and given maximum security like in handling with a locked mail pouch. US Navy 091122-N-8960W-011 Logistics Specialist Seaman Michael Gonsalves tosses a mailbag to Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Stephen Alexander

US Navy 091122-N-8960W-011 Logistics Specialist Seaman Michael Gonsalves tosses a mailbag to Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Stephen Alexander

Military mail

Military mail Military mail, as opposed to civilian mail, refers to the postal services provided by armed forces that allow serving members to send and receive mail. Military mail systems are often subsidized to ensure that military mail does not cost the sende ...

that would be carried in a mail pouch is mail ultimately handled by the Military Postal Service (MPS), which is an extension of the United States Postal Service. Many times it is mail provided outside of the

contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

Domestic mail

Domestic mail that would be carried in a mail pouch is mail that would be ultimately delivered to United States territories and possessions (''e.g.'', Army Post Offices (APOs), fleet Post Offices (FPOs), and the United Nations, NY). The United States Postal Service defines "territories and possessions" in its Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) as being

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

, Manua Island,

Swains Island Swains Island (; Tokelauan: ''Olohega'' ; Samoan: ''Olosega'' ) is a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The island is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute between Tokelau and the United States, whi ...

Tutuila Island Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...

, Commonwealth of the Rota Island,

Saipan Island Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 es ...

Tinian Island Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix Island, St. John Island, St. Thomas Island,

Wake Atoll Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

, and

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

. Mail originating in the United States and going to or coming from the

Freely Associated States The Compact of Free Association (COFA) is an international agreement establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (F ...

is treated as domestic mail. These are the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

Ebeye Island Ebeye ( ; Marshallese: , or in older orthography, ; locally, , , after the English pronunciation) is the most populous island of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, as well as the center for Marshallese culture in the Ralik Chain of the a ...

Kwajalein Island Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

, Kosrae Island,

Pohnpei Island Pohnpei "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic: ''*Fawo ni pei)'' is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei ...

Yap Island Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micro ...

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

, and

Koror Island Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition ...

Diplomatic pouches

Diplomatic pouches are outside the control of the U.S. Mail. Thus, once a package is delivered to the U.S. State Department for inclusion in a

Diplomatic pouch A diplomatic bag, also known as a diplomatic pouch, is a container with certain legal protections used for carrying official correspondence or other items between a diplomatic mission and its home government or other diplomatic, consular, or other ...

, the Postal Service considers it to have been delivered to the addressee, who then has the risks and responsibilities for its care and contents.

U.S. traveling postal service

Closed-pouch and express-pouch service

According to a 1903 U.S. government report there was also a closed-pouch and express-pouch service associated with the U.S. traveling mail service. The report says that the number of clerks traveling in cars and boats was 10,555 and they traveled 235,114,604 miles. When added the closed-pouch and express-pouch service, the total number of miles traveled by clerks was 344,892,127. Illustration of Owney on Mail Sack

Through-registered pouches

"Through-registered pouches" are used in "through-registered service" of registered mail between post offices where hand-to-hand receipts can be obtained through the entire mail route of a

Railway Post Office In Canada and the United States, a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service as a means to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO was staffed by highly tr ...

. Only certain Post Offices are designated "through-registered-pouch-offices". These pouches handle registered mail and have locked inner sacks within them. "Through-registered pouches" were not only made of canvas, but had several thick staples at the top where a long leather strap passed through and locked for extra security. These pouches that transported registered mail between large cities were made with leather bottoms for extra strength.

Other mail pouch systems

Private mailbag

Some countries use a so-called

Private Mail Bag A private mail bag (PMB), locked bag or caller service is a term for a special form of postal delivery in some countries, usually a government department or large private company, which receive large volumes of mail. Private mail bag addresses are o ...

(also known as a "locked bag") which addresses a worldwide need for specialized mail delivery to single location, and are used for delivery to particular customers, such as corporations or governmental agencies. This is in lieu of a

Post Office Box A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box, or also known as a postal box) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office. In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery ...

. Some locked bag customers have individualized corporate postal codes.For example, the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' has the unique ZIP code 20071. Like

PO Box A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box, or also known as a postal box) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office. In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery ...

addresses, Private Mail Bag addresses omit the name of the building and street, and include only the number allocated to the user. Private Mail Bag addresses are often used in countries in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

where there may be no street delivery service. In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, where street delivery is more commonplace, large users may be allocated their own

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

s, and consequently need only use their physical address in correspondence; the postal code implies that the recipient receives mail by caller service. See M-bags, also called "Direct Sacks", which are large bags used for surface based shipment of large or heavy items to a single address. Mailbags are considered to be part of the postal system and are protected by law; interference with them can be the subject of criminal prosecution.

Mail pouches in popular culture

The form of the bag inspired the form and container of the West Virginia Mail Pouch

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, which was featured on the ubiquitous Mail Pouch Tobacco Barn. This

barn advertisement A barn advertisement is an outdoor advertisement painted onto the exterior of a roadside barn. Advertisers take advantage of the barns' prominence in rural landscapes, paying their owners for the right to paint and maintain logos and slogans on ...

was created for the Block Brothers Tobacco Company. About 20,000 Mail Pouch barns spread across 22 states in the 1960s. The advertisements were popular enough to have fostered spin off mementos and memorabilia, including a Mail Pouch thermometer.