Mylar the Magnificent
By Kellene Bishop
Mylar the Magnificent! Photo c/o homestylemercantile.com
Do Mylar bags have a place in your preparedness efforts? Absolutely. While I store a lot of food and non-food items in four gallon square buckets, #10 cans, Mason jars, and five gallon round buckets, there’s still plenty of tinsel in my pantry in the form of Mylar bags. Why?
Mylar bags make your food access more convenient. Rather than bug my hubby to carry up a large bucket of white rice, I can simply get a Mylar bag of rice, heft it upstairs myself, and store it in my kitchen cupboards as I make my way through its contents. As great as plastic buckets are, they’re not oxygen proof, whereas quality Mylar bags indeed are. They also shield the contents from light, and so long as they are a good thickness, cats and rodents will not chew through them. Mylar bags are reusable and the gusset bottom ones make them easy to fill as well. I recommend getting a zip-locked version so that your food can continue to stay preserved while you are working your way through the contents. Mylar bags are also water and moisture resistant and are more durable in the event of a flood or earthquake.
A quality Mylar bag will be at least 4 mils thick. Don’t waste your money on the ones that feel as flimsy as a Mylar balloon. While the thin ones will still prevent light from ruining your foods, they will do little to mask the smell of the food inside and weakly defend against the nibbles of bugs, rodents, and felines. Conversely, a thicker Mylar bag will be unappealing to any typical critter and will suitably mask enticing smells. It will also be puncture resistant against an “oopsy daisy.”
When sealing your Mylar bags, you can use a FoodSaver, curling iron or iron. Photo c/o amatterofpreparedness.blogspot.com
When sealing a Mylar bag, you don’t need one of those fancy Mylar bag sealers. You can seal a Mylar bag with your Foodsaver, a curling iron, or a hot iron, even if you’re investing in the really large bags. When using an iron, simply set it on its highest setting, set the bag on a metal surface or a metal leveler, and slowly run the hot iron over the edge to create the seal. Use the curling iron on its highest setting and move it slowly across the top of the bag as well. If you purchase quality, thick, Mylar bags, they are great to reuse, so pay a little extra for the more durable kind. When you open a Mylar bag, if you do it gently or with scissors you can easily reuse it. Your bag will get “smaller” after each use as you cut it open, but trim sensibly and they will last a while. As mentioned earlier, I also invest in zip-lock topped bags. Sometimes I will reuse a bag so many times that I have to cut below the zip-locked edge to open it, but at least I can still seal it with my Foodsaver or a hot clothes iron. That way I can continue to seal the bag in between uses.
Personally, I think Mylar bags inside a plastic bucket are overkill. Perhaps I’d even go so far as to say that fear mongers or cheap manufacturers came up with such an idea. If you’ve got a good quality Mylar bag, you don’t need to pair it with a bucket—unless you’re simply trying to make the handling and tight fitting storage of all of the Mylar bags more efficient.
Look for the gusset bottom Mylar bags to maximize your space.
On a final note, understand that I use a variety of storage methods for my goods. I have some in jars, some in buckets, some in Foodsaver bags, some #10 cans, and some in Mylar bags. This way I’m protected against a broad range of possible events and natural disasters. An earthquake could break my bottles, a flood could seep through my bucket lids, or a fire could burn through my bags. While I have yet to find one storage method that does it all, a Mylar bag is great to use in concert with other methods. It’s easy to heft, minimizes moisture, truly protects against oxygen, bug infiltration, and light exposure. When I use Mylar bags with a Foodsaver when storing dry goods such as candy, brown sugar, rice, flour, cereals, chocolate chips, cake mixes, or muffin mixes, I get them to last a lot longer than the typical expiration dates. The Foodsaver will get rid of all of the oxygen inside, and your items will stay snug and tasty until you get into them. So long as you have electricity, you can keep sealing them up each time you remove something from them. Worst case scenario, if you find you are without electricity, you can still seal the bag with a hot antique iron (that you warm over the fire) leaving just a small smidgen of room in the seal big enough to fit the tip of a tire pump. Insert a tire pump that you’ve reversed the direction of the air flow on, and then just pump away to remove the oxygen, grasp the corner, remove the pump tip, and then quickly seal the last gap.
When purchasing Mylar bags, be sure to inquire about the thickness as well as the other dimensions of the bag, whether or not they are gusset-bottomed (for ease of filling, using, and for better shelving), and a zip-locked top. If a bag has “large dimensions” but does not have a gusset bottom then your usable space is downsized a bit.
Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.
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Mylar bags are great, though I have had rats get into even the thick bags before. I usually put them in a box or bin not only to help organize, but it keeps that odd chance that something pokey will puncture the bag without my knowing.
My favorite usage of the bags though is for subdividing. I blogged about my inspiration for this here: http://www.utahpreppers.com/2008/12/cesta-basica/
Basically, if you create 1 or 2 week sized bags of your commonly used items, and put those into boxes/buckets together it works best. You avoid any spoilage from opening something too large, and always have a nice rotation. Plus it makes quantifying your storage much easier when each box == 1 week of family meals, with known recipes for each.
Thanks, Kellene, for your mylar idea. Might you share with us a favorite supplier or two?
FiveStarPreparedness.com offers these…they are 4.5 mils, hold about 4 gallons, and have a zip lock top and a gusset bottom. You’ve got to know that my hubby would only carry the best kind if his business was going to carry them. I’m sorry, but since they are so handy right here, I don’t have any other sources that I recommend. I kept getting disappointed with the thickness and other features when I bought elsewhere. If anyone else knows a source, by all means share. They are $1.40 each with Five Star which I believe is a good price. Again, if anyone else has feedback, let me know.
FYI-
USA Emergency supply carries a good variety of 5 mil mylar bags. The 11×16 w/ ziplock are $1.27. I use them for everything and they fit in my food saver.
If you can share your favorite mylar source, it might help orient us newbies toward the best products. I’ve added you to my RSS feed, Kellene, and am enjoying your preparedness posts.
The Church’s website (ldscatalog.com) sells a box of 250 for $94. Can those really be sealed with a Food Saver???
yes, those definitely can be sealed with a Foodsaver. Unfortunately, while I found that to be a great price, they weren’t as thick as I wanted them, with a gusset bottom, nor wiht the zip lock. Bummer.
My foodsaver will seal the mylar bags from the cannery, but the vacuum feature doesn’t work with it and they are too wide for my sealer. (But, I cut the bags smaller, 1/2 or 1/4ths for some things and use the oxygen absorber packets. I’ve had neighbors with rodents gnawing thru mylar, too, so I put them in 5-gallon buckets. A long narrow half-bag is a nice size for smaller families and you can fit 8-9 of those in a bucket. They actually fit better than the full size bags. Kellene, do you have a heavier duty foodsaver that is wider and will vacuum seal those heavy bags?
I don’t profess to be 100% accurate, but when I’ve done the in-home evaluations, the only Mylar bags I’ve seen getting eaten through are the thinner ones. So keep that in mind. I don’t have to be right in this regard, I just don’t want anyone to spend money they don’t need to.
Sorry, there isn’t a wider Foodsaver machine. When it’s wider than the Foodsaver, I use a hot iron, and then use that handheld vaccume sealer for the last little inch before sealing it completely. I also have the commercial grade bag sealer, but to be honest, I rarely have used it.
Hopefully in Dec or Jan. Getting buckets, bags and Propane tanks. I guess nothing is ever perfect so make the best of what you have. I’ve had good luck with food grade freezer bags stored in Tupperware totes.
It took a couple of months to get it all working.. Once we get pass the puppy emergency. I will get at least 20 buckets and bags and I hope a propane tank.
Nothing is ever perfect. Adapt and overcome, or piss and moan in a corner. Let’s see what shall I do? I will order and try stuff and there maybe a fix.
If you have rodents get a cat, they work very well and are green.
Why do you want Kellene to solve all your problems with life?
Dang you are adults, if you don’t know something google it. When the SHTF she will not be there. Internet will go down.
C’mon folks it’s learn and be self-sufficient. Grow up, Kellene will help and the rest of will give you ideas. Damn do we have to hold your hand and stroke you so you don’t feel bad?
It’s going to get hard, ugly and nasty.You still need an adult to hold your hand. Well we will be living and you will say unfair the world is and you will die.We warned you. Sorry nothing else from me. Others may help. They are nicer than me
Jamie, you had me snickering a bit on this one. You sure are a character. I am definitely here to help. In fact, that’s the only reason why I’m here, but you’re are correct. Folks need to strive to be self-reliant wherever they can.
I have a question. I just purchased over 500 lb. of grain and beans and I wanted to pack it myself. I have mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Last night I packed about 20 bags. I put in the 500 cc oxygen absorbers which were about a month old and kept stored in a mason jar and covered with rice to the brim. This morning I looked at the bags and they don’t look like the oxygen is gone (not “sucked in”). I sealed the bags with my FoodSaver, but sometimes the seal didn’t work and I had to do it multiple times. Some of the bags were ZipLok bags. None of these look like they would if I vacuum sealed them. Should I order new oxygen absorbers and start over? This is too much product to take a chance on. Thanks so much for any answers!!
Debbie, that’s the snag with purchasing oxygen absorbers. You have to be able to trust your source. You can’t store them in ziplock bags because they allow oxygen to permeate. So using an oxygen absorber in one is not a good idea. Oxygen absorbers should indeed show that they’ve been in the bag. If you use the foodsaver, you should also be able to clearly see that the bag has been exhausted of oxygen. So to answer your question, yes, start over. Good luck!
I like to use the thinner mylar bags and oxygen absorbers to make 5 pound pouches that I then store in round 5 gallon buckets. I like the buckets because they offer so much protection and because I can stack them efficiently. With the small pouches though, I can break into a pail without compromising the freshness of the entire contents.
I have always bought the thin cheap bags, but I’ll definitely look for some with the ziplock and gusseted bottoms. Thanks for all of your work on the blog, it is appreciated!
I’m glad Kellene put up with me. It’s not easy just ask my family.
She gives me an outlet to try and help. Saves me from headaches and annoyed walls.
There is always a way of getting around limitations. Get creative, try new stuff while limiting your loss if it’s wrong.
I don’t care for the “Ziplock” bags. Yes, they are convenient, but do they work? Remember you are betting your family’s survival on these things.
Now I started out with basic bags and Rubbermaid containers. I’ve gone to restaurant grade freezer bags and Rubbermaid containers. Now I’ve had no problems so far, but I want to make myself as disaster proof as possible. Plus I got a cat. Next I will be moving to Mylar bags and buckets. #1 reason is a filled 18 gallon tote is very heavy. They do work at blocking sunlight, I have a cool basement to store food. They are multi-tasker which I love.
I love the idea of grabbing a small bucket and have prepped items I can just put in a pantry and have meals for a week.
I want my food investment to be easy to use and easy to transport if needed.
I ended up getting a few mylar bags from a church cannery, and tried to seal it with my brand new food saver – with zero success. Are they too think? The bag got a little warm, but no seal whatsoever. And I have tried sealing them with an iron, but it is taking way too long. Help!
Use the iron, hottest setting moving the iron along it slowly with the mylar bag up against a strip of metal. Do that to both sides. I know that works because I have regularly done it from the ones at the cannery.
Anji,
Are you using a hair iron? I had one that never did seal my bags I guess it just wasn’t getting hot enough. I found one that said “high heat” in walmart for about $20.00 and it worked perfect and fast.
Jamie I have a cat too, boy they can make short work of a mylar bag! Just on jump and its full of holes!
I get big mylar bags cheap from http://www.frontiersurvival.net They are all 4.3 mil and thicker. I often fill the smaller mylar bags and fill a bucket with them for easy use.