View Full Version : Oil in mail drops
Hey guys,
I'm mail dropping the bulk of my food (please, let's not get into one of these debates about whether it's necessary or not. For me, this is what I'm doing)
I'm looking at how to get oils, namely olive oil, in the box without making a huge mess. If I can get it cheap that's even better. Even even better is if it's good quality and/or organic.
I know you can get packets on minimus, amazon etc. The organic packets from Marconi are reported to often leak. I don't know anything about the plastic bottles and how they'd fare in a mail drop. I saw some from California Olive Ranch but the deal isn't as good once you throw in shipping.
I read something somewhere about getting packets from subway (I've no problem to throw them a few bucks for that if they're cool) but dubious as to whether it's actually 100% olive oil in those.
Really it seems like packets make a lot of waste and I haven't had as much luck finding oil in plastic mini bottles for sale. I was thinking maybe 2 oz/5 days?
I *am* going to both Italy and Spain soon so I surely will be looking around. My instinct tells me they would never deign to put a decent olive oil in plastic but what do I know. Anyone found anything good over there?
I had no problem with the packets from minimus. If you're worried wrap them in a couple of paper towels in a ziplock.
fiddlehead
01-29-2016, 09:01
Or buy a couple of small nalgene bottles in the sizes you need.
With a good lid.
The Subway packets contain only 10% olive oil (when I checked a couple of yrs ago).
4eyedbuzzard
01-29-2016, 10:11
http://store.colavita.com/oils/extra-virgin-olive-oils/mini-colavita-extra-virgin-olive-oils-12ml.html
http://store.colavita.com/oils/extra-virgin-olive-oils/mini-colavita-extra-virgin-olive-oils-25ml.html
Buy nalgene bottles from REI and repacakge your olive oil in it. To be even safer, wrap the bottle in a paper towel and then put it into a ziplock, and then into another zip lock. I've never had a leak.
4eyedbuzzard
01-29-2016, 10:26
Refill plastic mini booze "airplane" or "5 hour energy" bottles. Very leak proof. I use them for honey, oil, etc.
Slo-go'en
01-29-2016, 11:35
Keep in mind when mailing liquids, it needs to be declared. If it starts to leak in transit, the PO will freak out if not warned. This is something your probably better off buying along the way.
Puddlefish
01-29-2016, 12:12
Olive oil has a flashpoint somewhere between 300 to 330°C (572 to 626°F). The USPS combustibles chart follows.
Above 200°F (93°C)
The material is not regulated as a hazardous material. Such nonregulated materials must be properly and securely packaged to prevent leakage under the general packaging requirements in DMM 601.2.0.
I put my olive oil mailings in little Nalgene/Coughlin bottles. Then put those in their own ziplock, then put that ziplock in the daily food ration larger ziplock.
I have a better oil container on the trail, so the transport containers are basically temporary. They only have to seal once, and I don't have to worry about how suitable the temporary containers are for trail use.
4eyedbuzzard
01-29-2016, 12:20
Olive oil has a flashpoint somewhere between 300 to 330°C (572 to 626°F). The USPS combustibles chart follows.
Above 200°F (93°C)
The material is not regulated as a hazardous material. Such nonregulated materials must be properly and securely packaged to prevent leakage under the general packaging requirements in DMM 601.2.0.
I put my olive oil mailings in little Nalgene/Coughlin bottles. Then put those in their own ziplock, then put that ziplock in the daily food ration larger ziplock.
I have a better oil container on the trail, so the transport containers are basically temporary. They only have to seal once, and I don't have to worry about how suitable the temporary containers are for trail use.Yeah, olive oil is no problem, but you do have to tell them the package contains liquid (olive oil) when the clerk asks, "Does this parcel contain anything fragile, liquid, perishable, or potentially hazardous, including lithium batteries and perfume?”
The problem with buying olive oil along the way is that they (usually) come in 1 pint bottles as the smallest size. Occasionally I've seen 8 ounce bottles but they are normally of the designer (expensive) type. I don't usually want 16 ounces of Olive oil so I fill up my 8 ounce Nalgene and give the rest away. And the stuff isn't cheap especially in small towns whereas it is cheap at Wal Mart. It makes sense to mail it.
I use the small shampoo/conditioner/lotion bottles from hotels for bug juice, suntan lotion, EVOO, etc. Put a piece of duck tape over the top for safety plus paper towel and zip lock.
(What did hikers do before ziplocks?)
I have a 6oz plastic bottle, from rei I think. It seals well and I leave it in a ziplock for insurance. I plan on buying a nice big bottle on sale sealing it in a freezer bag and including it in my bump box.
OO/EVOO, other oils, and/or coconut oil/coconut products are staples in my trail foods as a regular LD hiker. I also will mail some resupply boxes. I'm concerned about what I put in my body tending towards Organic too. I've done what you're contemplating alot. I will not often mail EVOO anymore though. It's easy enough to find along the way in the U.S. even in smaller amounts. If not overly fussy grocery stores of every imagine, even Dollar Generals, and the occasional gas station convenience store, etc sell 4 oz glass or hard plastic jars of Pompeian brand EVOO for about $1.50-3 and it's 100% EVOO. Shelf lives for EVOO in glass are 2 yrs or so. As said Subway and many other such places advertising "Olive Oil" only contain it. Read the label. Most times it is canola, soy, or vegetable oil in the packet.
If you buy OO(EVOO) packets you're paying a premium for it being individually packaged usually more than buying along the way than add onto that postage. If you go the packet route or repackage a larger amount and mail it place it in a double Ziploc with a little air left in the Ziplocs to cushion it. Mailing packets in Ziplocs I place near the top of my inside resupply box but not at the very top. If I mail 4 oz Nalgene Polyethelene screw cap bottles I've bought at REI or hard sided glass/plastic in original containers I place at bottom of my resupply box upright surrounded by harder items again in two Ziplocs. The REI 4 or 6 oz polyethylene screw cap bottles usually last me entire 2000 mile hikes which I refill over and over. I don't want to carry glass. There are cheap and if I get bored with EVOO I can ditch the polyethelene scew cap bottle or repurpose it.
I've literally mailed upwards of 150 USPS Priority FLAT Rate resupply boxes from inside the U.S. to other U.S. locations containing packets of nut butters, containerized oil, liquid Dr Bronner's Castille Soap, etc and I've only had one mishap with oil and that was because I failed to Ziploc it. Life went on. So, did the hike.
http://www.roundeyesupply.com/Pompeian-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil-4-Fl-oz-p/de406614.htm?gclid=CPaj0v28z8oCFQotHwodYe8BpA&Click=7195
http://www.rei.com/c/small-storage-bottles?r=c&ir=category%3Asmall-storage-bottles&page=1
BTW, for PB, Tahini, hummus, jelly, other nut butters, even toiletries, soft sided squeezable large mouthed(for filling and easier cleaning) GoToobs with screw caps have worked well for me too. Again, store in your backpack or mailed resupply box(Ziploc!) with some consideration and you should do fine.
You're from Whiting. I spent many yrs tromping through and living in the Pine Barrens. Piney Power.
Have a great hike.
Slo-go'en
01-29-2016, 13:56
(What did hikers do before ziplocks?)
Best I can figure is that hiking was not possible before ziplocks :)
Ziplocs replaced oiled canvas and leather? :)
Recycled plastic in abundance from a petroleum hungry Nation.
Puddlefish
01-29-2016, 14:10
Best I can figure is that hiking was not possible before ziplocks :)
The excellent backpacking documentary "Lord of the Rings' by Tolkien recommends stopping at Wayside Inns and bringing a ranger and an elf with you.
Best I can figure is that hiking was not possible before ziplocks :)
Some would have us believe trekking poles, graphite, lean to's spaced every 7 miles apart fumigated for rats and snakes twice a yr, Titanium, Aluminum, merino wool, super ultra mega nano widgets, organic chocolate, a stack of Crosswords, GPS, solar charger, device ALWAYS capable of reception to speak to relatives on the Dark Side of the Moon, and a pint of Makers Mark are necessary too. :)
Always put olive oil in it's own ziplock bag, even if in a good bottle.
Be careful buying "olive oil". Much of it is adulterated with unhealthy seed oils. The product Costco sells in lilter bottles has been verifed to be genuine by tests ordered by Dr Steve Phinney. You can go by price; assume anything cheap aint extra virgin olive oil. It's worth getting the real thing. Seed oils are kryptonite.
I had no problem with the packets from minimus. If you're worried wrap them in a couple of paper towels in a ziplock.
+1 the Minimus packets are a half ounce. Have never had one burst on me. For longer trips, have used a bag sealer to make my own larger 2-3 oz olive oil packs that I mailed to myself in resupply packages. Then would use these on trail to refill a small plastic oil bottle.
Casey & Gina
01-29-2016, 17:57
I wanted lightweight breakproof dropper bottles...these work wonderfully and are cheap at about 50 cents each including shipping if you have Amazon Prime:
http://amzn.com/B0026K1YCK
Nalgene leakproof bottles an dip top lids. Small sizes. ~$2 at the Container Store. Both of mine (2 & 4 ounces) passed a 1 week inverted drip less test filled with oil. This is the Umpteenth time I have said this here. Didn't take 2 pages to tell either.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
Should be: Flip Top Lids.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.