UL reusable snack bags?

I have very limited experience with “silicone ziplocks.” You definitely pay a weight penalty. And cleaning them can sometimes be much more difficult than you might expect. Here is a decent description:

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-clean-reusable-food-storage-bags-5093601

Plus you can not recycle silicone bags when they are at end-of-life. Not sure what Stasher does when you return their bags for “upcycling,” and they don’t say. At least “recycling” clean polyethylene bags is relatively straightforward in many locations. But they never get turned into new plastic bags, usually composite lumber like Trex.

I would be cautious about using any bag material that is not “food grade,” including nylon or DCF. And DCF can develop micro-cracks from flexing, which can lead to liquid leakage or make them tough to sanitize.

I have considered using waxed-paper bags. If made properly, they are biodegradable, compostable, safely burnable, and sometimes recyclable. Haven’t tried them yet for backpacking.

With careful use and simple cleaning, thicker polyethylene freezer bags can be re-used several times without much weight penalty, reducing their impact.

Depending on your needs, I have re-used Ziploc Twist’N Loc containers many times for backpacking. Similar re-usable containers are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

HTH.

— Rex

I have been looking at this too. I tried wax lined paper bags-not great. Don’t seal well, tape tears when opening, things leak.

I have been using these around the house.  They are good for dry items, they do need to be hand washed.  I am away fro home but can weight them when I return. Definitely lighter than silicone bags.

Just save the ziplocs that a lot of snacks and food already come in. Many of them are sturdy plastic that will last a long time. There is also something called a bowl bag you can get from Dutchware. You can put boiling water or snacks in it. Whatever you want. Clean and reuse.

There is also something called a bowl bag you can get from Dutchware. You can put boiling water or snacks in it. Whatever you want. Clean and reuse.

They have a purpose-built insulating dingus for those, too.

I reuse Ziploc bags, myself.  I try to just repack them with similar foods and I use them until they fail; I think I’m on my eighth or ninth refilling of my quart-sized trail mix bag.  It’s done quite well, even after suffering a tragic incident involving melted chocolate, gummy bears and goldfish crackers.

I’ve found these bags from Packit Gourmet to be extremely durable.

Serge…

I don’t think you actually specified what you would be using the bags or containers for… ???

Me… I absolutely hate zip lock bags when backpacking. When they work well, it is hard to press the air out of them for tight packing. When they don’t work well, the slider often pops off making them impossible to seal. For may decades now I prefer the ‘twist tie’ freezer bags. I leave the twist ties at home and just tie a loose overhand/slip knot in them… air presses out easily and no slider to pop off. If they contain food I want to cook… I take at least one freeze dried meal… eat that one first… then use the left over bag to hydrate each night’s food after pouring it from the freezer bag into the freeze dried bag. If you want to pack liquids or wet pastes, I would not trust a zip lock… either the kind with the slider or the press to seal kind…. both will pop open under pressure… nor would I trust a twist tie freezer bag… would want to go with one of the Zip Lock twist on tops for a more dependable seal… my 2 cents :))

Some reuse mylar chip bags…remember a lady on bpl yahoo group did this.

I use a lot of produce bags for storing food in my bear can. They are very light weight and the deform more easily to fill the interior of the can with fewer voids.

PackIt Gourmet also has the boilable bag.  https://www.packitgourmet.com/BoilableBags.html

I just remembered that I also have a bunch of 5+mil food grade Ziploc-style bags that I got from a restaurant supplier; I should give those a try and see how they fare…but I haven’t had issues with Ziplocs before, which I’m guessing is uncommon.

Jon — Could you add a link to that product? The photo/image didn’t get me there. Thanks.

Doug (and others): I’ve learned to work around this new-ish BPL bug.

Jagrom 22 Pack Reusable Storage Bags

“Naked” Amazon links get turned into weird Kindle images and error pages when you click them. But deep in the new URL is an “&asin=…&” identification code. Searching Amazon for the ASIN (the 10-character … part) takes you straight to that product. Burying an Amazon link under other words in a BPL post, like above, works. For now.

Those bags are made from PEVA plastic, still hard to “recycle” in most areas..

— Rex

But deep in the new URL is an “&asin=…&” identification code.

Here’s another hard won lesson…and this applies anytime you reproduce/send an Amazon link, not just on BPL.  Take a moment to remove all the metadata from the end of the URL (this data is usually the result of a search and allows Amazon to know how you found the product, and used to tune their search algorithms).  This is usually everything after the ASIN (Amazon standard identificaton number) and is easily identified as a string of “item=value” elements.

As an example: https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Sandwich-Bags-bags-Clear/dp/B01KKE94V6/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=ziplock&qid=1626006307&sr=8-7

Would become: https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Sandwich-Bags-bags-Clear/dp/B01KKE94V6/

In this case the ASIN is B01KKE94V6

I have been happy with these zipper vacuum bags…very sturdy.  Of course there is no rule that they must be vacuum sealed.  You can simply seal the open end and use them as regular zipper bags.

Not sure you can get durable, reusable and UL in the same item. I use the ones Rex linked to and the Re-Zip brand, which I think came from the Container Store. They are dishwasher safe, seal well and I’ve had mine for at least 3 years and don’t show signs of wear. Certain foods stain them, however.

I know some people re-use the regular Zip Locks by washing them after use. I can’t get my head around that simply because they weren’t designed for that in the first place and anytime I’ve tried I was left wondering if  I really got it clean.

We use simple (ie NOT ziploc) plastic bags for food. Normally PE I think. We wash them after each trip. REUSE!

Cheers

I reuse almost all of my bags, and just put the same foods into the same bags, no washing as everything is dry anyway. I have using the Hefty slider zip bags more and more because they close better after repeated use. However the Ziploc “storage” gallon bags seal incredibly well to hold in water and can be used for laundry. If I have any time off I leave clothes in soapy solution on a hot rock sitting in the sun.

Because I use my pot to rehydrate food, my ziplocs only ever have dry powder in them. When camping I simply roll up the empty bags very tightly, and rubber band them together. When I get home I wash and dry and reuse. They will go many uses before giving up the ghost.

We just discovered reusable baby food pouches for viscous liquids. They have a screw nozzle on one end and a wide opening for filling. The version we bought even comes with a funnel to keep the zipper clean during filling. They feel pretty robust as they are designed to be carried around in a bag or purse. Apparently they can be put through the dishwasher but we haven’t tried that yet.

You could also look at biodegradable/compostable zip locks..

hmm just looking at amazon they seem pretty expensive on there.. but i feel like ive seen them at grocery stores for a lot cheaper..  they are certainly more expensive than normal zips but not thaaat much more..

https://www.amazon.com/biodegradable-ziplock-bags/s?k=biodegradable+ziplock+bags

We get magazines in plastic bags labeled ‘biodegradable’.
The bags last an awfully long time without any signs of degrading.
I suppose it is a good marketing gimmick these days.

Cheers

I think the biodegradable stuff has to reach quite a high temperature to break down and not many home composting systems don’t get hot enough

High temperature and ‘biodegradable’ don’t seem to fit together. Odd.
Cheers

Yeah, when the compost gets up to 175, I start worrying because it’s not decomposing: it’s just thinking about killing itself with fire.

I like the idea of a biodegradable bag, though…