So, I had resolved yesterday to do *something* everyday to further The Cause Of Zero. SO, how’d that go? Not bad. I re-inventoried the clothing I have stashed away in the bunker and, in a fit of efficiency, vaccuum sealed it all..each item with its own little label. Why vaccuum sealed? Couple reasons..for one thing, there were a dozen pairs of wool glove/mitten liners and the last thing I need to do is be freezing to death, open the box, find twelve bands of elastic and a six-pound moth. It also compresses things nicely so they take up less space. And, of course, it protects them from damp and water…so if I have to haul that box to a waiting vehicle in the middle of a heavy rain or snow and I trip and the box goes flying, scattering its contents…no prob..its all still clean, dry and safe. Multiple redundancy is the name of the game.
So that was yesterday…today, I’m printing out a small list off of my Excel listing all the clothing that is contained in the box and affixing that list to the outside of the box for easy sorting.
While I was at it, I did some re-arranging of things in the bunker as well. I had alot of 6-gallon buckets sitting around getting underfoot so I moved them around, consolidated a few items into milk crates, that sort of thing.
I think todays Deed will be fairly simple…move to the bunker all the things that I’ve let stack up in my living room that Ive been meaning to take down there and put them away.
Any particular vacuum sealer you recommend?
Well, realistically, I can only talk about the one that I have and use. I have a FoodSave Ultra that I purchased at Costco a couple years ago. ($169~. Worth it, IMHO) Seems to do the trick. A few things to keep in mind:
* You have to get a good heat seal at either end of the bag. Do this by letting the machine ‘seal’ for about five seconds. (On mine, a little green light comes on when enough vaccuum has been created and the heating element to seal the bag kicks in. I usually do a five-count and then release the buttons.)
* Make sure there are no sharp edges/corners to puncture the bag. The gloves I packed yesterday had square metal buckles on them, so I had to fold them in such a manner as to keep them from being presented to the bag material. Boxes can have their corners rounded by tapping against a hard object.
* Wait a half hour before putting anything away. If theres a bad seal or the bag has a puncture somewhere you’ll notice it after about a half hour when the bag has reinflated.
* Store the sealed vaccuum bag in a protective environ like a cardboard sleeve or something to protect against punctures while in storage or in transit.
I hadn’t thought of using a food sealer on clothes. I was locked into the idea of the bags using a shop vac hose.
Nonono….youre locked into an expensive propietary bag and no vaccuum cleaner is gonna give you the kinda results youre gonna want. Plus, of course, the vaccuum sealer is more versatile … in addition to sealing up food, you can also do ammo, first aid gear, clothes, guns, etc. Theres also attachments to let you vaccuum seal jars. Handy fella like you could probably make a one-way valve to do 5-gallon buckets too.
I wasn’t think of long term storage. More along the line of keeping dust and dirt out when I put assorted bugout clothes and a sleeping bag in compartments under the platform in the back of my truck. I currently use garbage bags (which are in themselves useful for rain protection and in cold weather, to wear next to the skin as an emergency vapor barrier). But they aren’t sealed and are rather flimsy.
Space Bags(TM) are also terribly fragile once they’re sealed. I like mine a lot for compressing and storing the numerous down comforters, feather beds, and assorted bedding Paul’s mom keeps sending us, since it compresses nicely (and that’s just with me pusing the air out of the valve myself) and stacks well. But when we moved, and the bags started getting banged around a bit, they all reinflated, each and every one.
Yep, I tried one of those and it split at the seams FAR too easily.
Tyvek envelopes are great for that if you can find them large enough. (Tyvek is great stuff.)
What the LMI’s do is vaccuum seal the clothes/blankets and then take a flat piece of cardboard and duct tape it into form-fitting box. You still save space, are watertight, airtight, and now can be shoved recklessly under a truck seat without fear of structural integrity problems with the bag.
Really, the vaccuum sealers are worth the $ if you recognize the inherent fragility of the packaging and keep that in mind in your storage of sealed items. (i.e. store them in a hard/safe container)
I also vaccuum sealed my smaller Baygen radios (keeps them waterproof and dustfree), boxes of commercial ammo, complete changes of clothes, toiletry kits (keeps soap from deteriorating), bulky first aid gear like bandages, flares, etc. A neat trick is to take something like rice or grain and put it in a bag, then put the bag into a cardboard box, and while in the box draw the vaccuum. The finished product is now brick-shaped for easy storage.