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Has anyone used these? I'm thinking about taking cans 'o chicken and vacume sealing them and having them put in care boxes for me. I was wondering if they cut down on the weight signifcantly enough to buy one of the machines.
Hikes in Rain
01-18-2006, 14:17
Instead of that, why not use the pre-packaged single serving packets of chicken? And tuna. Salmon. Chopped ham. Shrimp, clams, oysters. Three (count 'em!) flavors of hamburger!
You do not want to open a can and try to re-package the contents for future use. When you open a sealed can you expose the contents to various airborne contaminates. No way to prevent spoilage once the original seal is broken.
waskelton4
01-18-2006, 14:42
We took various types of the foil packaged tuna and chicken simiar to the stuff found here on our last trip.
http://starkist.com/
most of it tastes really good. The generic chicken wasn't all that great but the tuna is pretty tasty
I've also thought about using a vaccum sealer to bag foods but have never tried it. It would probably be a good way to keep some of your home dehydrated fruits and veggies fresh as well as hommade jerky.
just my $.02
ws
Ramblin' Rose
01-18-2006, 15:10
I purchased the Food Saver a few years back and used it to seal a bunch of lportions of Logan bread that I made in advance and had it sent up the trail.
It worked well for that application and remained fresh even after a month. I tried the same thing with some trail mix but I don't think it was worth all the time and effort. Its easier now to just buy pre-packages items.
Clark Fork
01-18-2006, 18:14
I purchased the Food Saver a few years back and used it to seal a bunch of lportions of Logan bread that I made in advance and had it sent up the trail.
It worked well for that application and remained fresh even after a month. I tried the same thing with some trail mix but I don't think it was worth all the time and effort. Its easier now to just buy pre-packages items.
How about sharing your Logan Bread Recipe and its history? I have researched quite a few including the one purported to be the original from the Mt Logan Expedition. I would like to add to my collection.
I don't see it mentioned that much but it is probably the best trail food you can make yourself. It keeps very well and it is loaded with good nutritional calories. My next batch will have some ground up figs instead of raisins.
Thanks,
Clark Fork in Western Montana
Ramblin' Rose
01-18-2006, 18:56
I can share the recipe but not the history. I found that it gave me some indigestion at times so I haven't made it for several years. It may well have been the raisins that I had trouble with - the dates sound like a good alternative. Go to this link for the recipe and others.
http://www.oc.edu/staff/phil.heffington/recipes.htm#LoganBread
Food vacs are awesome for some applications (like if you dehydrate whole meals, or do a lot of freezer bag style meals - it keeps them fresh, and you can pour boiling water into the food vac bags.) They work great for preserving dried veggies, fruit, dried cooked hamburger, etc. But anything, and anything canned should not be repackaged.
Now....you COULD dehydrate the canned chicken! It works great that way! And then you could food vac it ;)
If you do dehydrate and seal meats, have them stored in the freezer till near use time. It helps extend their life :)
Dances with Mice
01-18-2006, 23:10
The Food Saver has other applications. I sealed a little emergency kit of matches, small candles and a Space-blanket bivy bag. I carry it at the bottom of my pack.
I inherited boxes and boxes of old photos from my parents. My parents stored them for years in Texas before I brought them to Georgia. By the time I got around to looking through them, it was obvious that humidity is not a friend to old photographs.
It took me a few months to sort through them, scan the ones I wanted to share and label the ones I wanted to save. Then to preserve the keepers for posterity I vac-sealed them in small batches with labels and now have them in off-site storage. An old family bible, heirloom jewelery, other things like that have also be vac-sealed and stored. It was also useful for mailing old photos to and from cousins - I'd heat seal the photos before putting them into an envelope.
All my digital photo files are backed up onto CD's which are heat sealed and stored off-site also. I can't tell you how many times I've been glad I've had those backups.
Important documents you rarely need but can't lose - like the originals of birth certificates, maybe passports, wills, property titles, etc., can also be heat sealed for protection.
I won't mention all the garden produce that gets vac-sealed and frozen. The point is that I've gotten my money's worth out of our sealer.
Then to preserve the keepers for posterity I vac-sealed them in small batches with labels and now have them in off-site storage.
I'm not exactly on the topic of this thread, this is about your photos. Don't keep them vacuum sealed in batches, the emulsion (picture) side will eventually stick tightly to whatever it touches under even a small amount of pressure. Separate them if you still can, proper storage materials can be obtained at any good photo shop.
Dances with Mice
01-18-2006, 23:53
I'm not exactly on the topic of this thread, this is about your photos. Don't keep them vacuum sealed in batches, the emulsion (picture) side will eventually stick tightly to whatever it touches under even a small amount of pressure. Separate them if you still can, proper storage materials can be obtained at any good photo shop.I know it's off topic so I didn't want to go into a lot of detail. The photos are mounted in acid-free photo album pages, which are then vac sealed. The vacuum is lost in about a week as the paper out-gases. But the photos stay protected from dust, light, and humidity. I do thank you for your concern.
fivefour
01-20-2006, 10:06
I use a vacuum sealer to repackage almost everything I pack. I make long, slender packages from bulky ones. I do repackage canned soup but I only take it on weekend hikes. Soups are more easily vacuumed sealed if frozen first (out of the can of course).
Three (count 'em!) flavors of hamburger!
I havent seen hamburger yet.
Who has it, what brand, price
thanx
On my Thru Hike I learned: Stop planning, carry money. When you want chicken, buy it.
I havent seen hamburger yet.
Who has it, what brand, price
thanx
Walmart Supercenters, Jack Links brand. Warning.......it is a BIG package, and home dried tastes waaaay better.
hopefulhiker
01-21-2006, 10:32
My wife used a vacuum sealer to package beef jerky and other dried foods.. I only took dehydrated foods but they tasted better than just using zip locks..We still use that machine even off the trail to freeze steaks on sale.
Toolshed
01-21-2006, 11:31
Reminds me of a backpack trip I was on years ago in the dead heat of summer. 2 woman showed up as beginners and we all spent Friday night camping in a park in Northern PA that was close to the Black Forest Trail. On Saturday, the tripleader asked me to go over and see if the girls needed help or guidance packing up their gear (they had a lot of borrowed gear). As I was talking to them, one girl pulled out 3 tupper wear containers - all with liquid in them. I asked what they were, she opened them to show me - one was tuna with the water, one was tomato soup and the third was diced fruit in syrup. It was obvious she opened each can and dumped the contents into each tupperware container before stashing them.
I asked her why she opened the cans and used the tupper ware - She looked at me as if I hadn't a clue and said "Don't you know that you never take cans on backpacking trips? They're too heavy!!!" The other two were standing there nodding.
It took all I could muster to retain my composure. I finally explained it to them and that at least with the tuna they would end up probably with botulism left exposed to the hot night and day.
After that, I made sure that on every workshop and beginer trip I led, I explained exactly WHY cans of food are undesireable backpack items.
Hikes in Rain
01-23-2006, 09:14
I havent seen hamburger yet.
Who has it, what brand, price
thanx
I find it in Walmart, but not the grocery stores. Price, um, say $1.50 a pouch? (Honestly, didn't look, was too excited by my find. Perhaps I need a life) Not sure of the brand name, either, but I did note they had plain, Mexican and Italian flavors. You can see where my priorities lie!
Has anyone used these? I'm thinking about taking cans 'o chicken and vacume sealing them and having them put in care boxes for me. I was wondering if they cut down on the weight signifcantly enough to buy one of the machines.
i'd leave out the cans....it'd be a LOAD LIGHTER!
hehehehehehehe;)
good luck w/ yer hike!
squirrel bait
01-23-2006, 11:40
Logan Bread is a dense, chewy bread, very high in calories and almost impervious to spoilage. It originated in 1950 with a University of Alaska expedition to climb 19,000 foot Mount Logan. Expedition leader Gordon Herreid persuaded a baker to make an indestructible, high energy bread for the party. The result of the baker's inspriration became known as Logan bread. This receipe, a variation of the original, has a unusually high fat content and is extermely rich and nutritious. A single serving (4 inch square) provides 718 caalories and 10.4 grams usuable protein.
Makes four 9 x 9 inch loaves
3 cups whole whest flour
3 cups white flour
1/2 cup dry milk
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup soy grits
1 1/2 cups broken or chopped nuts
2 cups raisins
1 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups margarine
1 cup oil
6 eggs
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl and stir well. Combine remaining ingredients in medium bowl and beat until well combined. Fold into dry mixture and stir until well combined. Divide equally among four pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. The bread does not rise to the top of the pan. The final product is dense and chewy.
To make Logan bread even more nutritious, substitute 1 cup wheat germ for 1 cup white flour. To boost the iron content, add chopped apricots and about a 1/4 cup brewer's yeast.
Rodale's book of practical formulas.
atraildreamer
10-15-2006, 00:50
I tried vacuum sealing chicken. It didn't work...the bird got very upset! :p
I've always bought prepackaged dry foods like Lipton Dinners and macaroni and cheese, then added dried sausages (summer sausage, pepperoni, etc.) for flavoring and protein. Dried milk is a great protein source, especially if you drink it with a peanut butter sandwich (complete protein without meat).
I've dried peppers and onions in the past to add to dehydrated spaghetti sauces, but that's about the extent of non-supermarket food I've carried.
Most thruhikers I've met use similar foods and gorge on "real food" when they get into town. A lot of weekenders I've met carry more elaborate food than I do, and that's their privelage, but I'd rather hike farther than eat fancy food, and dehydrated is the way to go for me. (Note I don't mean freeze dried. For the most part I don't use that stuff anymore, it's too expensive).
Being a relatively new vegetarian can make picking lightweight, nutritious, good tasting food more of a challenge. I'll find out next year.