Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ziplock or not to Ziplock

The highest elevation I've hiked and camped at was 10,300, so this is quite a bit higher than I'm use to. I'm repackaging my meals in ziplock bags, do I need to be concerned about the bags bursting at altitude?

Rodney,
I pack mine in ziplock bags in order to save weight and better organize my stuff. I first press as much air out as I can, then zipem. I then pack all my food and scented stuff in my bear can which is usually pretty tight for a weeks worth of food. They naturaly expand some because of the residual air in the bags and reduced air pressure. However, I have no problem pulling them out of the can and have not had a single one pop. I also reuse my bags over multiple trips. They eventually wear out because you get a bit of abrasion by exposure to sand and grit. I do not use them to store any liquids. For that I went to the drug store and bought a few 1 oz travel bottles with screw on lids.

My biggest issue is taking too much stuff. I have dropped my pack weight over 20 lbs in the last few years and still have much more to go. I am not a light weight hiker. I like my comfort and variety in food choice. Everything tastes different to me once I'm above 12K. On my last 5 day trip I came back with almost 5 lbs of food and should of left it at home. In the back of my mind I am always worried about the next ice age sneaking up on me while I am on the trail .

Good luck on your adventure. It should be a blast.

Jim

Thanks for the info Jim,
I repacked mine for all the same reasons, with the exception of my Mountain House single serving meals. I find it a little easier to leave them in the original package for a couple of reasons, one is they stand up better during the soak period. I'm a lot like you, I pack too much food. That is the heaviest thing in my pack right now. I have gone through my canister 4 times triing to lighten up, when I find something to take out I tell myself, NO, you might need it.... ARGH!!!

P.S. If ziplock bags will withstand adding boiling water and not leak I'll make the switch.

I repackage everything into ziplock 1 quart FREEZER bags. This specific type of plastic bag can handle boiling water. There is a website devoted to this concept, http://www.trailcooking.com/trail-cooking-101/freezer-bag-cooking-101

I also got one of their psychedelic cozies, and used it on my last Whitney trip with all my repackaged freezerbag goodies.

Note: Mary Jane's Organics is one brand that does not need repackaging. Their product comes in flat bags that fit neatly in a bear cannister as is. But you have to like vegetarian fare to go for this. I like them because their food actually has flavor and texture, so I do not feel like I am eating oversalted baby food glop.

I have used ziplock bags with boiling water for years. It has not caused any drain bamage yet.
Aloha

Rodney,
I have 1 Mountain House bag that I poor my dried food in to rehydrate with boiling water. It does have the advantage of standing upright which is convenient. I reuse it over & over during the trip. It is not a perfect solution. Eating ham & eggs the next morning after having chili the night before definitely flavors the food. Recently though I have started moving away from the prepackaged foods because the salt content is too high for my tastes. I love salt at lower altitudes, but loose my appetite for it up high.
Jim

Thank you all for the feed back.

Rodney, I didn't see it mentioned, but you can also put a pinprick or two in the Mountain House / Backpacker's Pantry original packaging prior to heading up to elevation. This will allow the pressure to equalize as you ascend and avoid the bloated/swollen syndrome. You can do this for any vacuum-packaged item.

The downside is, of course, you've just shot the crap out of the shelf life, so you want to be judicious in what you do this to, and pretty accurate in your expected consumption.

Those things have a shelf life...
Thanks