One big bag or a few smaller mylar bags?

[jpr9954]

I'm trying to decide which would be better in the long run. Is it better to have one large mylar bag in a 5-gallon bucket or to split stuff up into smaller bags that would only have enough rice or beans for a week or so?

It would seem to me that unless you were feeding a lot of people it would be better to have your food preps in smaller sizes so it stays fresher. I think a 5 gallon bucket of rice would last me months.

What says the forum?

John

[union hill]

In the long run, I don't see much of a downside to having food in smaller bags. In addition to the advantages you mentioned, it also provides some redundancy, so if an individual mylar bag should fail, or some food be contaminated, it may not affect the entire contents of the bucket.

That said, in the short run you have to weigh the substantial additional trouble against these advantages. 5 1-gallon mylar bags will cost a lot more than 1 5-gallon bag. More oxygen absorbers will probably be used. The amount of work is, let's say, 4 times as much per bucket. Packing a relatively inexpensive staple such as rice you might be able to store 40% more (a guess) for the same cost, which could be a more efficient use of funds if you are not limited by storage space.

Additionally, it is easily possible to cut off just the top of a 5-gallon bag, remove say 20% of the contents, and reseal the top giving some of the same advantages without the higher overhead.

[jpr9954]

In the long run, I don't see much of a downside to having food in smaller bags. In addition to the advantages you mentioned, it also provides some redundancy, so if an individual mylar bag should fail, or some food be contaminated, it may not affect the entire contents of the bucket.

That said, in the short run you have to weigh the substantial additional trouble against these advantages. 5 1-gallon mylar bags will cost a lot more than 1 5-gallon bag. More oxygen absorbers will probably be used. The amount of work is, let's say, 4 times as much per bucket. Packing a relatively inexpensive staple such as rice you might be able to store 40% more (a guess) for the same cost, which could be a more efficient use of funds if you are not limited by storage space.

Additionally, it is easily possible to cut off just the top of a 5-gallon bag, remove say 20% of the contents, and reseal the top giving some of the same advantages without the higher overhead.

These are some good things to think about esp. the last bit. My food storage would be for 2 people which was why the smaller portions seemed more appropriate. I can always use both sizes depending upon the food commodity.

Thanks for the suggestions and advice.

[Winchester32]

The only issue for me would be the cost.  In my experience, it is much more cost effective to buy the larger bags.  You can cut them down and make smaller bags if you need too.  Just seal the sides with an iron like you do the top.  You can make any size bag that suits you.   

[union hill]

On that note; I bought one of those hand-held constant-jaw bag sealers for sealing the tops of mylar bags. It works very well, and it would be easy to cut a piece of mylar from a roll, fold it in half and seal the sides to make my own bags. Anyone know if there is a source for 4 or 5 mil suitable mylar on the roll?