# mylar bag sizes; which ones?



## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

Hey folks,

We'll I'm on my way now. Spent an hour downstairs with 5 gallon and 1 gallon mylar bags, buckets, iron & vacuum. I've got three 5 gallon pails w/ rice, and one with beans (in two 1 gallon bags). I'll do more tomorrow.

I have questions though. This time I bought 5 gallon and 1 gallon heavy mylar bags from USA emergency supply w/ oxygen absorbers (2000 & 300 respectively). I know they make other size mylar bags. How do you folks use these bags? What sizes for which materials? Do you pack a lot of smaller bags in one 5 gallon pail? How do you proportion the food and in what size bags? I'd like to do this the smartest and most efficient way possible.

Thanks


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## Reblazed (Nov 11, 2010)

Excellent question but one that has several variables that need to be taken into consideration. How many are you prepping for and what is your initial goal. When I started putting food back I initially worked toward 1 month goals. 2 people = 30 breakfasts, 30 lunches, 30 dinners ... start the next month and repeat. Didn't take me long to figure out approximately how much in rice, beans, veggies, meat etc it would take for 1 months worth of meals. Only then I was comfortable packaging in larger batches. I do store some items in 3 months batches now but still feel most comfortable in the smaller one month packages. That's not to say I don't BUY in larger quantities I just package in the smaller bags that seem to work better for me. Think about how the item will be stored once it's open (in the same bucket or a smaller canister? How long it would take for your family to use 25# of beans or rice?) and go from there. The main thing is to get it now ... you can always repack later if you find another way of packaging works best for you.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks. I am divorced with 4 kids (ages 19 through 14) who live less than 1 mile away with my ex. My kids know instinctively to go to "Dad's" because I am well armed & supplied in that regard. The GF lives @ 38 miles away.

So theoretically I may need to have supplies on hand for 5 or 6 people if the SHTF. BTW, I am currently reading James Wesley Rawles and I laughed out loud when he said that stood for when the "Schumer hits the fan!" I like this guy! 

So right now I am buying as much bulk items that I can. The rice went into 5 gallon mylar bags. I was able to get two 4 lb. bags of red beans into one 1 gallon bag. It was tight but I got it sealed with an oxygen absorber inside. 

What I was looking for was how others were storing. What types of foods in what sized bags? What size bags for which food stuffs? I don't know if I should order some other size mylar bags. I think they also make 2 gallon size and perhaps other odd sizes. I just looking for ideas right now and how others use these bags.

Thanks again.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

One of the little tricks is to include plastic ziplock type bags in your pails for use with opened food bags. That also allows you the opportunity to barter/sell smaller quantities of food post-SHTF. I also cut off the nutritional labels from whatever I put into the mylar bags and put those labels on top of the food before I close the lid. You also want to label and date the pail.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

The zip lockbags sounds like a good idea. I took the original bags from the rice or beans, cut them to size and taped them to the outside of the bucket so at a glance I can see what is inside the bucket. I also put one plastic product bag inside the bucket under the lid with the stored items. I did date the label on the outside with a sharpie marker.

As I said I am new to this so I want to do it correctly. If it makes sense to store certain items in smaller bags then that is what I am trying to find out from others.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

We store most bulk items like hard red wheat wheat, rice, beans, salt etc., in the five gallon buckets using 20x30 inch bags. There are some items that may not be used as often, such as soft white wheat, that are stored in 2 gallon buckets using 14x20 inch bags. Quite a few other supplies, such as seasonings (granulated garlic, onion, creole seasoning, and others), cocoa, homemade premixed dry meals, etc., stored in smaller bags. The sizes are dependent the type of items and how fast they would be used. Most of these are then placed into 5 gallon buckets for further protection. Recently we have started using the pouch type bags that can be stood upright on the shelves, and have a ziplock type seal to re-close them once we cut open the heat seal.

We also use 3x4 inch, black mylar bags that are pre-sealed on the ziplock end (you heat seal the "bottom" end), for our antibiotics. The black color helps reduce UV, which I'm told can reduce shelf life, and the bags are notched to make opening easier. The photo below shows two of those bags that we were getting ready to fill and seal last month.


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

I use 5 gal, 1 gal, and 1/2 gal bags. Most of the time I'm comfortable storing things in the 5 gal bags because most items would be used up by my family before they went stale. Mostly dried fruit and veggies go into the 1/2 gal bags and staples like beans and rice go into the 5 gal bags. Other items like powdered milk and oats go mostly into 1 gal bags. I also use the 5 gal bags for dog food. 

Find a system that works for you. That's what is most important.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

k0xxx said:


> We store most bulk items like hard red wheat wheat, rice, beans, salt etc., in the five gallon buckets using 20x30 inch bags. There are some items that may not be used as often, such as soft white wheat, that are stored in 2 gallon buckets using 14x20 inch bags. Quite a few other supplies, such as seasonings (granulated garlic, onion, creole seasoning, and others), cocoa, homemade premixed dry meals, etc., stored in smaller bags. The sizes are dependent the type of items and how fast they would be used. Most of these are then placed into 5 gallon buckets for further protection. Recently we have started using the pouch type bags that can be stood upright on the shelves, and have a ziplock type seal to re-close them once we cut open the heat seal.
> 
> We also use 3x4 inch, black mylar bags that are pre-sealed on the ziplock end (you heat seal the "bottom" end), for our antibiotics. The black color helps reduce UV, which I'm told can reduce shelf life, and the bags are notched to make opening easier. The photo below shows two of those bags that we were getting ready to fill and seal last month.


do you have any links for these other types of bags? Also how do you obtain antibiotics like the ones shown on the bags? It's a great idea but I'm not sure how to obtain them. TYpically where I live I need a doctors prescription. Thanks


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I pack 5lbs of flour into my 1 gallon bags. I use the bigger 5-6 gallon bags for rice, beans, dog/cat food.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

hangman said:


> do you have any links for these other types of bags? Also how do you obtain antibiotics like the ones shown on the bags? It's a great idea but I'm not sure how to obtain them. TYpically where I live I need a doctors prescription. Thanks


I just did a search for "3x4 mylar bags" on Amazon and found them. Here's a link.

As for the antibiotics, go to the Health and Medicine section of this forum and look at the third "sticky", or just use this link to get there. There's some great information.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

k0xxx said:


> I just did a search for "3x4 mylar bags" on Amazon and found them. Here's a link.
> 
> As for the antibiotics, go to the Health and Medicine section of this forum and look at the third "sticky", or just use this link to get there. There's some great information.


I don't currently own a foodsaver system but was planning on getting one soon. I am assuming that what you're saying is you can use these bags in a foodsaver type system to vacuum seal them. Is that correct?

Thanks


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

k0xxx said:


> As for the antibiotics, go to the Health and Medicine section of this forum and look at the third "sticky", or just use this link to get there. There's some great information.


Thanks! I was reading about this and was about to ask about fish meds. You just saved me a little time. Preciate that!


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

BTW, I have a few questions about vacuum sealing mylar bags. I saw a video where a guy ironed the top edge of the 5 gallon bag and left a small 2" gap. He inserted a vacuum cleaner hose into the "gap" and sucked out the air. After removing the vacuum hose he ironed the remaining gap in the mylar bag. He used O2 absorbers as well. Obviously it is not a perfect methos because when he removed the vacuum hose some air got inside.

From what I have read the bags (if properly sealed) should start to compress in 12 to 24 hours to create a perfect vacuum. So far mine do not show that this is happening.

Has anyone successfully figured out a way to use a foodsaver system (or other type of system) to vacuum out and heat seal a mylar bag? That would include 5, 2 and 1 gallon sizes. Thanks!


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

hangman said:


> BTW, I have a few questions about vacuum sealing mylar bags. I saw a video where a guy ironed the top edge of the 5 gallon bag and left a small 2" gap. He inserted a vacuum cleaner hose into the "gap" and sucked out the air. After removing the vacuum hose he ironed the remaining gap in the mylar bag. He used O2 absorbers as well. Obviously it is not a perfect methos because when he removed the vacuum hose some air got inside.


That's how I do mine.

I haven't saw any results from the O2 in less than 24 hours otherwise.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

PackerBacker said:


> That's how I do mine.
> 
> I haven't saw any results from the O2 in less than 24 hours otherwise.


OKay, thanks. As a rule how long does it take for oxygen absorbers take to fully compress the remaining O2 in the mylar bags?


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

hangman said:


> OKay, thanks. As a rule how long does it take for oxygen absorbers take to fully compress the remaining O2 in the mylar bags?


https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/...storage/oxygen_absorber_chemical_reaction.htm

It very well may never look "compressed".


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

hangman said:


> I don't currently own a foodsaver system but was planning on getting one soon. I am assuming that what you're saying is you can use these bags in a foodsaver type system to vacuum seal them. Is that correct?
> 
> Thanks


I'm sure you can seal them the same way you seal the larger ones. Some people use their foodsavers to heat seal their mylar.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

I understand that it can seal the mylar bags. But can it vacuum out all the air? I was under the impression that it cannot because the mylar is smooth and the foodsaver bags have ridges (or something like that) which allows the air to be sucked out. I am assuming that someone has probably figured out a way to get past that obstacle. That's what I was trying to find out. Will it suck out the air from a mylar bag? 

Thanks again


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

hangman said:


> I understand that it can seal the mylar bags. But can it vacuum out all the air? I was under the impression that it cannot because the mylar is smooth and the foodsaver bags have ridges (or something like that) which allows the air to be sucked out. I am assuming that someone has probably figured out a way to get past that obstacle. That's what I was trying to find out. Will it suck out the air from a mylar bag?
> 
> Thanks again


I have used my foodsaver to 'vacuum' seal bags of shredded cheese in the original bags. I figure its sealed either way and going in my fridge.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

but are the shredded chees bags "regular" plastic or are they mylar. I'm trying to figure out of people have actually been able to use their foodsaver machine on mylar bags.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

hangman said:


> but are the shredded chees bags "regular" plastic or are they mylar. I'm trying to figure out of people have actually been able to use their foodsaver machine on mylar bags.


Plastic. 
I am going to be bagging up some oatmeal for our BOBs this weekend. I'll give my FS a try to vacuum the before sealing.


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