Sample bags used to be burlap, now everything's in plastic.
I remember using rough burlap sacks to carry rocks from the field. Now, we use sealed plastic boxes with scan codes. The old way let air get to the rocks, but the new way keeps them safe for lab work. It makes me think we focus more on keeping them perfect than feeling their weight.
Brian's rope handle gave out on my cousin back in '08, tumbled right into a creek with a full load of shale samples. Genuinely feel for anyone losing field data like that, it's a tough break.