Ziplock Vacuum Bags

[HooKooDooKu]

Has anyone tried these new Ziplock Vacuum Bags?

Compared to normal storage bags, they are a little expensive. But they have some sort of valve that you place a special pump over and suck the air out of the bag. What I THINK I like about that is the result is a firm package that I'm thinking will help protect breakable foods from getting crushed, not to mention minimizing the space needed for your food bag. But I haven't tried these on the trail yet.

The pump is less than 2oz, so it seems small and lightweight enough to carry along in the food bag.

[Rain Man]

I think these bags work amazingly well compared to regular hot-sealed food-saver vacuum bags. First, they do hold a vacuum. Second, you can easily re-seal them on the trail, once opened; they work as regular zip-lock bags, unlike the normal food-saver bags. Also, they are rugged bags.

I mostly use them for splitting purchased freeze-dried "meals for two" into single-serving portions.

I don't carry the pump on the trail with me, though.

RainMan

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[Deacon]

Has anyone tried these new Ziplock Vacuum Bags?

Compared to normal storage bags, they are a little expensive. But they have some sort of valve that you place a special pump over and suck the air out of the bag. What I THINK I like about that is the result is a firm package that I'm thinking will help protect breakable foods from getting crushed, not to mention minimizing the space needed for your food bag. But I haven't tried these on the trail yet.

The pump is less than 2oz, so it seems small and lightweight enough to carry along in the food bag.

I just bought the trial pack of four bags to package some dehydrated meals. After pumping the air out, to the point that the contents are rigid, the rigidity was lost after only a couple minutes. If any air, at all gets back inside the bag, then they are virtually uses.

[Drybones]

The pump is less than 2oz, so it seems small and lightweight enough to carry along in the food bag.

Haven't tried the bags but 2 oz is a lot of weight if you dont need it, my hunch is that the pump would be in a hiker box after a couple of re-supplies, the air in bags is pretty easy to push out by hand.

[HooKooDooKu]

Haven't tried the bags but 2 oz is a lot of weight if you dont need it, my hunch is that the pump would be in a hiker box after a couple of re-supplies, the air in bags is pretty easy to push out by hand.

My purpose for trying these bags isn't to simply push the air out. I've been able to do a pretty good job simply sucking most the air out just as I seal the last 1/2".

But with these vacuum bags (and pump), you can suck out the air to the point the package becomes rigid (think of those vacuum-packed coffee bags).

So my purpose in trying out these vacuum bags is to try to use that rigidity to help protect some foods that might otherwise crumble. But when I checked on my packages 24hr later, I experienced some of the "inflation" that Deacon experienced.

I'm currently trying another test where I've placed a piece of tape over the valve of the bag to see if that will keep it tightly sealed. Of course tape would prevent you from reusing the bag (at least as a vacuum bag).

[staehpj1]

Of course tape would prevent you from reusing the bag (at least as a vacuum bag).

Why can't you just peel the tape off and use it again?

The tape solution assumes that the valve is where the leakage occurs though, which may not be the case.

[HooKooDooKu]

The tape solution assumes that the valve is where the leakage occurs though, which may not be the case.

That's why I call it a "test" (but good point none-the-less).

[kam4996]

I used them on the wonderland and they lost vacuum after a short time on the trail especially with anything really dry. I only do freezer bag stuff and these did do well with boiling water. This season I am going back to the regular ziplock freezer bags and just sucking out as much air as I can with a straw. The other ones just cost to much and weigh nearly twice as much.

[HooKooDooKu]

...This season I am going back to the regular ziplock freezer bags... The other ones just cost to much and weigh nearly twice as much.

I noticed the vacuum bags were much more expensive, I hadn't noticed the weight. I'll have to check into that.

But it makes sense given that the back half of the bag seems to have a diamond pattern on it. I believe that's to create channels through which the air can escape. Take more plastic to make a 3D sheet than it does to make a flat sheet. I'll have to weight them and see what the difference is.

[HooKooDooKu]

The tape solution assumes that the valve is where the leakage occurs though, which may not be the case.

Apparently the valve isn't the (only?) source of leakage. After 24 hours with taped valves the packages were a bit flexable where they had been very firm the night before.

[Rain Man]

After pumping the air out, to the point that the contents are rigid, the rigidity was lost after only a couple minutes.

The only time I experienced that was user error. I was sloppy and got some food on the zip seal. And yes, if I prevent a good seal, I can't get a good vacuum to hold for long.

RainMan

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[Candy Korn]

Do the regular ziplock bags get moisture in them? I'm a newbie and I'm trying to figure out what to store my individuals meals in!
Thanks!

[HooKooDooKu]

I've had no issues with moisture getting in my food I pack in ziplocks. While this test with the vacuum bags shows that they are do not form a perfect seal, they stay sealed well enough to keep your food dry. Of course several of my foods wind up being in three layers of water proofing. First the individual foods are in plastic or placed in a ziplock. I then use gallon size ziplocks to organize foods further (such as a breakfast bag, lunch bag, and dinner bag). Then these are all placed in a water proof stuff sack so that it can safely be stored on bear cables. My food bag has been left out in the rain for hours before. While the outside of the bag was wet, everything inside was bone dry.

[Candy Korn]

Thank you! This is very helpful!