On the Superiority of Target Brand Freezer Bags over Ziplock: A Photo Essay

[Mitchell Ebbott]

Exhibit A – a Ziplock brand quart size freezer bag (10.1¢/bag) after approx. 1 month of moderate use:

Exhibit B – a Target Up & Up brand quart size freezer bag (6.8¢/bag) after I-don’t-remember-but-at-least-six-months of moderate use:

In my experience, the edge of the closure on Ziplock brand bags is always the first part to fail. The fused edges on the Up & Up line keep the zipper closure intact well past the point where the rest of the bag has failed due to puncture or abrasion. This feature isn’t only on their freezer bags, it’s on the whole product line, even the dinky little snack bags.

[David Thomas]

Good info.  Thanks.

I notice that same failure mode in ZipLock brand bags.  I’ll try to grab some Target house brand when I’m next in Anchorage (160 miles away).  Even better, I’m going through Anchorage for work in Fairbanks and the work will require hundreds of resealable bags (bagging contaminated soil).  So I can swap out mine and also do some torture testing of different brands.

[JCH]

Mitchell,

Thanks for this. Not only have I experienced exactly the type of failure you describe, I’ve been VERY unhappy with the new ZL freezer bag design with the blue “grip edges” (see photo). If you are not super careful the blue part easily rips away from the top edge of the zipper making the bag effectively impossible to open. Worst case when it rips away it destroys the zipper…which is a total bummer when it happens as you open the bag to pour in the boiling water :(

Definitely going to try the Target bags.

[David Moreno]

I’ve had the exact same problem with the Zip-Loc bags. I have an Aldis store near me, and although their bags aren’t any better / worse in my experience. At least they’re 30% cheaper. I’ll have to buy some at Target next time I’m in an area with a store.

[Jerry Adams]

only on backpackinglight.com : )

I’ve noticed the same failure, maybe 10% of the time

Maybe I’ll get some Target brand ones

I often cut them to size and then seal the edges with a “seal-a-meal”.  You have to wait a couple seconds for it to cool – if you immediately peel it off it will come apart

[Alex Wallace]

This is great! Ziplocs always fail me at the edge of the closure just as your picture shows. It drives me crazy. Considering the amount I go through, I’d really like to be able to reuse them. I’ll be sure to grab Target’s brand next time.

Do Target’s hold up to FBC (almost boiling water)?

 

[Cameron M]

Post of the month-

[Roger Caffin]

Brought to you by
Backpacking Light
:)

Thanks Mitchell

 

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Thanks for the tip. My  wife can have my current Ziplock freezer bags. ;o)

I’ll get Target freezer bags for an upcoming Escalante River trip in May.

 

[Steve SNS]

Think we’re all going to want to see the weights / weight differences for all bag sizes…

 

:)

[Ben H.]

Thanks Mitch.  Great post!

Do you have any comment on the durability of the plastic?  Generic brands always seem to have thinner plastic.  Particularly the freezer bags.

[Jerry Adams]

I use gallon freezer bag to put map in – 8.5 x 11 ” – actually, 8.5 x 10.75 ” works better

After a while the plastic turns cloudy and it’s hard to read through

I wonder if there’s a more clear zipper top bag

[Walt]

Good info, thanks. I need to resupply and will try the Target bags this time.

[Michael Sirofchuck]

How about the Target “zipper” bags?  Much cheaper than Ziploc.

[Tim Drescher]

How about the WalMart “Great Value” brand freezer bags? I smell an in depth BPL article worth subscribing for.

[Terry Sparks]

I’ve had the same problem with the Ziplocks but an even bigger problem I’ve encountered is filling a Ziplock with a powdered food, such as Nido ect.  and not being able to get a seal on the ziplock on about 25% of the bags. I then bought some cheaper store brand ziplock bags and rarely had a problem with them.

[Sam Farrington]

The Ziplocks are NG, often split at the sides, and are neither air nor water tight.
But the heavier (freezer or storage) bags come in the pint sizes I need.
And don’t see them on the target website.

For bagging individual meals, a ULINE sealer with their choice of heavy bag sizes works well. The sealer has a cutter attached to it to trim the sealed bag. Quick and light.
Not so expensive considering the hundred of meals bagged.

[Ken M]

My fix….   3/4″ wide by  2″ long reinforced straping tape folded over ends of the “zipper”.  It will out live the rest of the bag.

[Author]

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