[pct-l] vaccum packing

[Junaid Dawud]

Yeah it works well.

But don't get one thats "overly cheap".  Get one thats
reasonably priced but looks sturdy.  Make sure you get
out as much air as possible.  If you are concerned
about any moisture, you can get those dessicant
packets to toss in, I never did though. After you've
sealed em, put em in the freezer until its time to
actually package and mail them.  If you don't have a
dehydrater, they can be bought for less than $50.
(mine was $45 and works like a charm).  I found having
bags of the following to be quite nice: 

tomatoes (sliced, quartered, halved depending on size)
were a great addition for many evening meals. 

banana spears/chips. 

broccoli (cut it small and add it to mac'n'cheese
creations).

hummus (buy the bulk, or better make your own. use
olive oil when rehydrating) this+cheese+tortilla =
sustained hiking power for the rest of the day.

apples/pears/peaches/plums/honey dipped orange or
lemon slices/ other fruits are great snacks or lunch
additions.

ground beef/buffalo (a little tricky to do, but nice
to have)

zuchinni (sp?), sqaush, finely diced carrots, celery,
thin sliced bell peppers, 

herbs (my mom has a garden and would send me bags with
tomatoes, green onions, basil)

couscous, dehydrated black or kidney beans, DH
lentils, etc.

Yeah go wild.

Before you send things like tortillas, mac'n'cheese /
pastas, or other pretty common food stuffs, look at
the place you're sending them.  many towns where you
would go to pick up a box have these items at a
reasonable price, making shipping a waste of money. 
Also, fresher is better and spending money in some of
the smaller towns contributes to the local economy and
builds good will for hikers.  plus if they start
seeing more hiker business, they are more likely to
start thinking about hiker needs and making a greater
effort to stock the shelves with hiker appropriate
foods.  

that aside, some places have too limited a selection
to resupply out of.  

try to look at each of your resupply points carefully
so you can choose the best method for each town that
meets your needs and saves you the most money.

-------------speshul41


--- Len Glassner <len5742 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd like to bag things like cookies, gorp, crackers,
> etc and make up
> supply boxes weeks or months in advance.  Anyone
> used a vacuum sealing
> to maintain freshness?  Experiences?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Len
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l at backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
Bored stiff? Loosen up... 
Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games.
http://games.yahoo.com/games/front