Repacking freeze dried food into plastic zip lock bags.

[Stephen Seeber]

I am trying to cram more into my bear cannister.  Has anyone tried this?  Any idea how long freeze dried food stored in a plastic bag will last?  I will be using this to rehydrate.

[bradmacmt]

There’s no way I’m cooking w/ boiling H2o in a ziplock bag. I could see adding the contents to a cookpot with a cozy over that, but not in a plastic bag. Others think differently.

I can tell you I’ve eaten freeze-dried out of a #10 can that had been opened for a year. I’d have zero worry on an average backpack trip.

[Brad Rogers]

When using a bear can I always repackage my dehydrated/freeze dried meals into freezer bags.  I’ve done this for trips up to 14 days and they’ve been fine.  And yes I put boiling water into the freezer bags.  While I might not do that every day for years, I only do it for 10-15 days per year I feel like it’s OK.

[Philip Tschersich]

You can get pleated-bottom mylar bags pretty inexpensively. I’ve done my DIY dehydrated meals in these for years. Packit Gourmet also sells boiling-content-certified bags, but they are a bit expensive.

[DWR D]

On an 8 day trip, I will open one or two freeze dried dinner packages, keep the contents inside, and put all that in one plastic bag. For the rest of the freeze dried dinners, I empty the contents into a plastic bag and toss the original FD bags. First dinner is the one in its original container (which is designed for hot boiling water). When done with that first meal, I rinse out the bag and save it for the next dinner(s). For next dinner(s), I empty a dinner from the plastic bag into the now empty original freeze dried bag and add boiling water… repeat process day after day until trip is done. I have never had a problem with FD food spoiling in plastic bags for about 2 weeks.

I do not use zip lock bags as they are prone to failure at the closure. And they are hard to press air out of without making them pop and then spilling contents out. Instead, I use gallon food storage bags designed to be close with a twist tie. But I throw away the twist tie and close with a simple slip knot… which keeps powdery food inside and yet allows air to be forced out when pushing down into a bear canister. This kind of food storage bag seems to be disappearing from grocery stores in my area so I’ve had to order then on the internet lately.

[W I S N E R !]

I always repackage into the thinnest sandwich ziplock I can find (not freezer bags), then I boil directly in a pot and place the pot in a cozy. I have used repackaged meals many months later with no issue.

[bradmacmt]

On an 8 day trip, I will open one or two freeze dried dinner packages, keep the contents inside, and put all that in one plastic bag. For the rest of the freeze dried dinners, I empty the contents into a plastic bag and toss the original FD bags. First dinner is the one in its original container (which is designed for hot boiling water). When done with that first meal, I rinse out the bag and save it for the next dinner(s). For next dinner(s), I empty a dinner from the plastic bag into the now empty original freeze dried bag and add boiling water… repeat process day after day until trip is done.

That’s a really great idea, though I’d likely just bring one clean, unused boil bag like those Philip referenced from Packit Gourmet – but I also happen to have a small mountain of them in my gear closet from my time in the freezedried/dehydrated food business.

[Dan]

I do this all the time, I like to repackage into meal-size servings. If you want to rehydrate with boiling water directly in the zip-lock, you need to use a freezer bag, which works fine. Otherwise, you can use a thinner plastic bag, and transfer to something appropriate for boiling water.

[Stephen Seeber]

Hi All:

Thanks for the great responses.  I don’t have much time to experiment, so I purchased bags from Packit Gourmet.  Nice to know the food should last for a good length trip.  I only need 5 days for my upcoming trip.

[DWR D]

Another trick… cut small holes in all prepackaged food, energy bars, etc…  you need to be able to purge air out of all packages as you jamb them into the bear canister… especially if you are going up in altitude where those packages would blow up like balloons if left sealed…

[Sam Farrington]

Mix pasta, freeze dried meat and veggies, and a packet of seasonings with thickeners in a plastic bag from Uline.  The sealers look like a large stapler, and are cheap at Walmart; but bought a good one from Uline that trims the bags.  The food (except the seasoning packet) is premixed at home to take one cup of water.

Using the sealer, the contents are sealed tightly in the bags, placed in a sealed Op Sac, and  packed small in a Kevlar sack, that rides on top of the pack to keep food odors out of the pack.

Once water is boiled, the contents of one bag go into a Ti bowl with a cup of the boiling water, and simmered.  Once everything is rehydrated, the seasonings are mixed in and simmered a bit more.  A similar approach is taken with premixed coffee and lactose free milk powder for breakfasts.  Energy bars for lunch are also stored in the kevlar sack and inner Op Sac.

The kevlar bag could just as well go into a hardened canister where required.  The usual package is for seven days, with caches or pitstops left where I plan to camp or stay.  I find this makes meals much easier, as all the prep work is done beforehand at home.  The kevlar bag is also used as a hanging bag overnight, so cordage is carried.

So far have had no bags molested in either caches or overnight.  The only time I had company was the year that Kool-Aid came out with a bluberry flavor, and I left a bottle in the tent vestibule.  Long night.

 

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