Toughest vac seal bags

[nn76858]

Curious what brand of vacum bag rolls yall are using? I've noticed with my vacmaster bags im loosing my top seal a decent amount where the bag is folding some when I have meat in it and perhaps I'm getting a slight crease in bag? Or they could be just less tough in the freezer but seal is breaking after freezing within a couple weeks. I have a vacmaster sealer.....not a chamber and its a decent machine. Just curious if there was any brands of vac bags yall thought were tough or outperformed another brand......seems I had less problems with a seal using food saver brand bags.

 

[jmez]

I use food saver bags. I tried a few cheaper brands but had trouble with anything other than Food saver.

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[BBob]

perhaps I'm getting a slight crease in bag

Creases leak. I learned that pretty quick.

 

[JrCaps]

Vacmaster 3 mil. I buy them on Amazon. If you put any bone in cuts just cover the sharp edges of the bone with folded over parchment paper so it doesn't puncture the seal.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Completely gave up on vacuum bags for game. I do not consume it quickly enough.

Saran wrap tightly then overwrap with freezer paper. Lasts forever

 

[butcherboy]

Completely gave up on vacuum bags for game. I do not consume it quickly enough.

Saran wrap tightly then overwrap with freezer paper. Lasts forever

Yep, exactly. I have also found over the years that vacuum sealing works great for some things and not so much for others. Bone in cuts need to be covered with a bone guard. Bags used in a chamber vac seem to lose the seal easier. Best option is to seal it then heat shrink it. You need some really hot water or a heat chamber to accomplish this and who wants to mess with that?

I use a lot of different sizes of bags but all in 3 mil. Mostly for jerky, snack sticks, ham, and bacon. I vacuum seal premade meals before I go hunting and heat them up in boiling water at night. Works great for soups and stews as well and lay flat to freeze.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I've found that when I get creases in the seal, I packed too much in the bag. I have a chamber sealer. I buy all my bags, all 4 and 5 mil now from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. I buy in bulk, almost always by the thousand and only when they are offering free shipping.

 

[LongWayAround]

The LEM bags seem "tougher" to me than Food Saver. But I've never had trouble with the FS.

 

[Boarmaster]

I never had trouble with LEM or FS.

 

[Dirtnapper23]

I like the Meat Your Maker vacuum bags, which are 3mm thick. They have in a variety of widths, too.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Some bags are better than others, more importantly creases are no good, don't over stuff. I'll often run my sealer on "moist" (it heats the seal longer) and double seal a bag esp. if there was any moisture sucking through the seal as it sealed. Also I put stuff into bins so its not getting moved/shifted/knocked around alot.

I rolled the dice and tried out some premade 8"x12" bags this year and so far so good. I have rolls of bags too for packaging larger stuff but these work for a lot of my needs. I've only got a few months on these bags so far so I can't comment on multiyear yet for these ones. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096RBVQ8Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Completely gave up on vacuum bags for game. I do not consume it quickly enough.

Saran wrap tightly then overwrap with freezer paper. Lasts forever

How long does it take you to consume meat? Most stuff gets eaten in <2yrs for me but I have pulled out vac bags 3-4yrs old still doing fine, can't imagine needing longer than that?

 

[Jpsmith1]

Some bags are better than others, more importantly creases are no good, don't over stuff. I'll often run my sealer on "moist" (it heats the seal longer) and double seal a bag esp. if there was any moisture sucking through the seal as it sealed. Also I put stuff into bins so its not getting moved/shifted/knocked around alot.

I rolled the dice and tried out some premade 8"x12" bags this year and so far so good. I have rolls of bags too for packaging larger stuff but these work for a lot of my needs. I've only got a few months on these bags so far so I can't comment on multiyear yet for these ones. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096RBVQ8Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1


How long does it take you to consume meat? Most stuff gets eaten in <2yrs for me but I have pulled out vac bags 3-4yrs old still doing fine, can't imagine needing longer than that?

At last check, i have 2018/19 venison in the freezer.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

At last check, i have 2018/19 venison in the freezer.

I used a 2019 shoulder this summer, that was the oldest I had. Wow, haha. Well it gets tender being in there that long!

 

[WI-Carcosa]

The “game saver” bags from food saver have worked awesome for me for years now

 

[Trailerhunter]

When it comes to the seal, I almost always double up the time spent heating up the seal. Forces out any potential fluids that got in there. I also will do an additional seal after that as insurance. Ive done the meal/soup in a bag, reheat in water method for many years now, the double time and double seal method hasn't failed me yet. I would occasionally have a bag break open at the seal while being lifted out of water before doubling up.

 

[shtrbc]

Online company called "Out of Air" vacuum bags. I use them to package bbq for friends and family too. Super tough, great pricing, the roll material has a cutter built into the box. I believe they are available on Amazon now too. The absolute best pricing occurs around Black Friday typically with free shipping.

 

[pirogue]

My sealer is getting old, but I’ve found that the bags with one side similar to a grid type surface, don’t seal as easily as bags with both sides smooth.

 

[brandonyuchasz]

For the most part I am in the camp of plastic warp and butcher paper for game meat just lost to many things to freezer burn in the past. That said we did pick up a new food saver sealer and bags this past season and used it for waterfowl and fish. Double sealed all the bags and so far no freezer burn / lost seals.
I would be interested in hearing from people using the chamber sealers though. Saw them in action in Alaska for fish and they were great.

 

[DougG]

Excellent insights. Really appreciate the discussion.