Foodsaver for Packaging

[patience]

We just got one and packed up some beans and rice. Now, my wife wants to do meat with it for the freezer, and I want to use it for many other things, like spare ignition parts for the garden tractor, a spare pocket knife, matches (our climate is humid), and who knows what else.

I've learned that if you buy in quantity, the roll materials for making bags is very competitive at Foodsaver's site, and there are more bargain materials on eBay and here: www.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/

I built a home made vacuum pump from a bicycle pump a couple years ago and converted some of Foodsaver's canning jar attachments to fit the tire valve on the pump. Directions here:
www.instructables.com/id/make-a-manual-vacuum-pump-for-under-$20-by-convert/

We have used that rig for a couple years to pack dry beans and dehydrated food in canning jars with great success. It does take some physical labor to do the pumping, but it WORKS with NO ELECTRICITY!

How about some more uses for this process? You folks must have some good ideas on the subject, with all the prep thinking going on here.

[hua man]

The ever popular bucket cache. The items you put in there can be vac-packed and kept clean and warm. Blankets, sweaters, clean underwear (just so you can tell Mother that you have them.) Some simple medicines, like aspirin or vitamins. Ammo ( I got some 7.62x39 vac-sealed and in cans in battle packs). Using the ziploc type bags, the comfort foods can be used and kept bug free. Maps and notes to BOL, other cache points, important family documents and pictures. Maybe even a dash of sanity, if you get low.

[debralee]

Patience thank you for the vacuum sealer link. Ordered some for my son.

[cashless]

i clean and oil long guns i do not use very often put them in a cheap cloth case and vacume them.if the vacume bag has not lost vacume the gun is clean and dry and ready to use