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Mylar - Big or Small bags?

4K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  SideSwipe 
#1 ·
I am about to order up some mylar bags, and a thought crossed my mind.

Should I go with one bag per 5 gallon bucket or use multiple one gallon bags?

First, we don't have to bust open a 5 gallon bucket and use all the food inside, it seems that grabbing a couple bags and leaving them in the kitchen area would be alot easier.

Second, if a disaster went long term, having the food in measured smaller bags would open up opportunities for bartering without having to bring out a big bucket, it really seems that I would be able to keep a lower profile on my food storage.

Any thoughts on this?
 
#2 ·
Theres alot of differnet opinions on this.. Its alot of personal opinions. I think its best to store both. Havin the 5gallon mylars, and either (2) 2LB mylars, or i've fit (3) 1 1/2LB mylars in one which is only 1/2LB short of what you'd get with the 5LB. I see it as if SHTF and i bust open a 5LB mylar bucket of rice i'd feel like i'd have to eat it fast enough to where it didnt go bad. But im not sure exactly how long each food lasts after its opened, should be enough time to finish eating it while not rushing at the same time.
Thats why i say storing it both ways is best. Some buckets i've combined beans, rice, oats in same bucket just in case i have to Bug out really quick and i have a variety too. You can do it a lot of different ways. But i definetly recommend not JUST doing 5LB mylar bags, but both..
IDK where u plan on ordering from but IMO the best website to get Mylar bags from is...

https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/mylar_food_storage_bags.htm

THey have a bigger selection of sizes, types, and styles u will ever find on ONE website. They have ziploz mylar bags in all sizes so either way if u did 5LB mylar or puttin a few 1 1/2LB mylars in a bucket u would still have option of sealing it back up after using what u needed. WHich will help in preserving freshness rather than not havin the ziploc on there at all.. Somethin to think about!
And there extremely cheap, one of the cheapest. Plus they have Oxygen absorbers, buckets, gamma lids etc. Everything u need!!
I just ordered a bunch from them and it came 5 days later.. Great website!!
 
#4 ·
I've been mulling over what kind of bags to get as well. One thing to consider is that it will require more time bagging and sealing if you use 1 gallon bags versus 5 gallon bags. I do like the idea of having several bags for variety within a bucket though. So yeah, I'm going to do a combination of bag sizes too.

Regarding food grade buckets or not, you will also get lots of opinions. Being that they are not expensive nor hard to acquire, it makes no sense to me to NOT get food grade buckets if possible. You may need that bucket for storing water at some point. Gamma lids are an overpriced luxury IMO, and are very far down my list of provisions to acquire.
 
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#5 ·
I understand on something like powdered milk, or pancake mix, the clock starts ticking when you open the bucket.

For something like whole wheat berries, would it matter? Why not mylar 5 gal. of it and use a gamma lid to keep the bugs out when you're not in it.

If it were at temporary situation, you could easily seal up the mylar again with an iron if you were careful not to remove to much of it when you opened it.
 
#6 ·
If you're going to be rotating the food (and you should!) The smaller bags can be a better idea. They let you have a wider variety of foods open without having a whole lot of any food open.

If you're only going to use the food during a crisis, a large bag is no big deal. You'll be eating through those buckets in plenty of time. I live alone and I have open 5 and 6 gallon buckets all over the place because I eat from food storage almost entirely. Even just by myself, I can eat the contents of the buckets in plenty of time. Most of the things we store have a good shelf life once opened.

Now I'm in a dry climate. If you're in a more humid climate, the smaller bags might make sense for foods that are more sensitive to humidity, such as powdered milk, cheese or tomato powder, etc. Beans and grains can generally make a year or more opened and aren't such a worry.
 
#8 ·
Yes the bags are sealable with an iron, that is my method. On the size of bags I started out with just the largest one for my LTS buckets. I finally ordered some 1.5 gal mylar bags and like them too. I store them in a air tight storage bin, be sure to place it where you want it to stay as it can get very heavy. Remember to add 02 absorbers to all your mylar bags whatever the size.
 
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