FBC and ziploc bags

[Gray Bear]

Has anyone found a reusable ziploc alternative? I'm looking for a way to cut down on the number of Ziplocs I use for my trips.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I use those 16 oz plastic soup/food containers from the deli or Chinese restaurant to soak/eat out of as a bowl. Like these, only free when I buy hot and sour soup. http://www.webstaurantstore.com/16-o...FUuRHwodXIMAYQ

[Rocket Jones]

Sarah at Trailcooking.com talks about insulated mugs instead of ziplocks.

[MuddyWaters]

If your fbc food is prepacked in the ziplocks, there isnt much you can cut back on. They weigh like 0.2 oz each. Hardly a big load. If not, then you can use container to rehydrate and wash it out.

[burger]

Just use your pot. I can clean my pot from any type of meal in a minute or so. After finishing eating, I add a little water, swirl it around with my fingers to clean the pot, and drink it. I usually do a second rinse to get every last bit.

This method creates zero waste and leaves nothing behind in my campsite. Even a "reusable" ziploc is only going to last a few meals. And I wouldn't want to be adding boiling water to any plastic containers.

[BirdBrain]

This is another preference item. I agree with mudderwaters. Your food is already in something. Might as well be in a freezer bag. No cleaning required.

[newToThrough]

Has anyone found a reusable ziploc alternative? I'm looking for a way to cut down on the number of Ziplocs I use for my trips.

Yes. Put heavy duty packingshipping tape over your ziplocs before you use them. Double (or triple) reinforce the edges. And don't use the kind with the plastic "zipper" because the zipper breaks before your packing tape wears thin. Use the regular ("yellow and blue makes green!") types, because they last longer. And if that part does go on your trip, just re-inforce with gear tape or duct tape.

[lynn523]

I'm with Burger. Just use your pot to rehydrate. One of the many advantages of FBC is that precooked food doesn't stick to the pot when you rehydrate it. Clean up is a breeze. That said, I usually just add the hot water to my ziploc and let it sit/rehydrate in a cozy. When finished, the empty/dirty bag becomes a trash bag. I'm perplexed by the suggestion to reinforce a ziplock bag with packing tape. It sounds like a lot of trouble and I would think all that tape adds as much weight as another couple of zip locks. And wouldn't all those tape seams be a bit of a dirt magnet?

FYI, if you are rehydrating a hot meal, you'll want to use a name brand freezer bag. However you can get away with the slightly lighter and cheaper regular ziploc bags for rehydrating cold things like hummus. (Just add a small amount of cold water, seal the bag, squeeze it around in the bag till water is evenly distributed, adding a bit more water as needed to get the right consistency.)

For some cold meals like pasta salads, it is worth using the stronger freezer bags for two reasons. First, dehydrated pasta can be sharp. Second, it can take while to rehydrate pasta with cold water. One of my favorite dehydrated lunches is a noodle based Szechuan chicken salad. I like to use soba noodles (or in a pinch thin spaghetti noodles) for this dish and they get pretty sharp when dehydrated. I usually add cold water to my ziploc bag couple of hours before lunch to let the noodle salad start rehydrating while I'm hiking. Using a freezer grade bag adds a bit of added protection for the sharp noodles before they soften.

[CarlZ993]

I use my pot w/ a pot cozy almost all the time. In issues where water is at a premium, I'll use the freezer bags w/ a freezer bag cozy (only have to rinse off my spoon). I also have a 1 qt plastic tub that I've wrapped w/ Reflectix. Dump your food in there, stir w/ a long-handled spoon, & let it sit for 15 min or so.

Note: When using a freezer bag to rehydrate your food, you will have an occasional baggie leak. Nature of the beast. Have a spare baggie you can quickly encase the leaking baggie.