Food Packaging - Ziplocks vs. Vacuum Sea ling

“As I prepare for the Llama-Rama, I'm getting foodstuffs together, and a few questions arose which might better be served by posting here.

For previous hikes of similar duration, I've vacuum sealed most of my stuff with a FoodSaver. It sucks all the air out from special bags, then seals them. The upside is pretty clear, and I'm reasonably sure that most foods would keep well, as long as they were kept from exposure to air, and didn't require [significant, if any] refrigeration. My concern, however, is that at altitude, air pressure expands such packaging where "some" air remains. I've also found that, where you're packing a large amount of food in a small place (like the Garcia bear can I got 12 days of food inside - it's made for 6), when these vacuum sealed packages expand, I nearly took out the moon with the lid when I removed it! And getting it back on was a real challenge as well.

Having found some snack-sized ziplocks, I decided to pack certain foods in these instead, since these will be packaged yet again in larger ziplocks. These will then be put inside a 5 gallon plastic paint container with a snap-on lid.

I wondered what you use to package or re-package your food? Most, I'm sure, probably obtain commerically prepared FD foods and simply leave them in their packages. This works fine at altitude, as long as you don't have a lot of these packages in a confined space, like a bear can. But as a typically solo hiker, I find it more appropriate to divvy up these 2-person meals into single portions.

How do you handle this aspect?”

“I pack all my dehydrated food in ziploc bags. I can get dinner (main course, carbo, and dessert) and breakfast (usually oatmeal, cream of wheat, or grape nuts, with dried fruit) for two into a quart bag at about 1 lb.

To seal it, I zip it closed up to one end where I've got a straw stuck in. I suck out all the the air and, still sucking (I've already heard all the jokes!), pull out the straw and finish zipping. Kind of the reverse of blowing up a thermarest. Not as surefire airtight as a vacuum sealer, but a whole lot cheaper.

PS: Don't use those new slider bags. They suck - without any help from me!”

“Solitary Hiker vacuum sealed his food in preparation for the first Llama Rama. The packages expanded so much at just 7000 ft. altitude where Mel lives, that we had to poke holes in everything to make them fit in the buckets.

I recommend zip locks. Mel recommends zip lock freezer bags in her dehydrating book to prevent some foods from puncturing the bag. Also makes it easier to rehydrate in the bag.

I don't see how I can fit everything in my bear cannister if I don't repackage most of the stuff in zip locks. I also put lots of bags inside bigger bags for organizing purposes.”

“I use zip locks. Steinys right, slider bags are worthless.”

“Yea, Phil, I know how that poking holes thing works. Last year, for my JMT hike, I repackaged almost everything into those vacuum-sealed packages. It was great for getting 12 days of food in the Garcia can, but getting it out? Everything I sealed had expanded due to the air pressure at elevation, and once opened, I had to sit on the can after poking holes in the packages on top.

I expect most foods would stay fresh enough for a hike in the woods, assuming they were packed and kept cool before a hike, but those vacuum sealers work pretty darn good, if you can remember elevation gives 'em an erection!”

“sheesh....i gotta change over all this stuff....I have used ziplocks for a long time, but for this trip....i bought all sliders.......dang....do they suck because they dont really seal airtight or what?”

“i-am-om

No matter how much air you think you've gotten out of a slider bag, they'll fill right back up. However, since they aren't airtight, I wouldn't think you'd have an expansion problem at altitude.”

“I use the ziplocks then you have a ready made trash holder also.”

“I use Zip Locks for freeze-dried food. I use a food sealer, but not for sucking air out (most of what I seal is powder mixes). So far I haven't had the expansion problem. I don't use the thick plastic, mine is pretty thin. (got my sealer from Sears, don't remember the name)”

“Zip-Loc bags.

Unfortunately I use so many of them per trip that I can no longer call myself environmentally friendly!”

“Buddur - I don't think you are alone.”

“I often wonder what we did many years ago in Scouts before ziplocs were invented. Prolly tin foil and waxed paper.”

“Tin foil is a good thing.......my friend forgot her spoon once, and made one out of a stick, and used the foil to form a spoon. It worked!”

“I use Zip-locks bags. They are good for barfing in when you get sick. Then you can zip them closed.”

“I use a Zip-Loc freezer bag as a water dish for Buddur when I take him for walks around town. I'll usually stop at a certain building with a water fountain, fill the bag up and let the boy lap. You gotta hold it up, though, and dump the water out when he's done...but it works well.”

“Sounds like we are going to have a resealing/Dutch oven party at Mel's place Sunday evening! I calculate that the pressure differential between Mel's place and sea level is ~-3.2 psia. Crab Tree Lake ~5.7 versus sea level.

Oh my, I hope the cargo holds on American Airlines are pressurized or else!! At 35,000 feet the difference is 11.2 psia. Oh my poor little ziplock baggies.

Wait a minute if we could put a true vacuum on a baggie then it wouldn't expand. You don't suppose we are the victims of false advertising? Guys I'd ask for my money back. LOL Maybe if we took our food down to an a/c repair shop they could pull more air out of the baggies for us.”

“I usually close the bag most of the way, place my lips over the open portion and suck the air out myself and quickly zip it up.

Are anyone else suckers?”

“Buddur - check my earlier post. A straw works much better for us suckers.”

“I'm a sucker........”

“Now that does it!

Listen woman...your TTname already gives me visions of a hottie dancing naked in the snow and looking for hot love.

You just removed all doubt 8)”

“ok, so not food packaging, but I saw an ad for ziplock big bags the other night. Seem to be perfect for the backpacker looking to keep gear dry, and much cheaper than kayak dry bags.
http://www.ziploc.com/big-bags/”

“If you shopped at Wal-Mart, you would have found those in the camping section a couple of years ago. ;-)”

“Are they made in China then stovey? ;op”

“I have used them before. Sometimes they worked ok other times they didn't.”

“The one's that didn't, where they made in China?”