20 Items Preppers Should Vacuum Seal

Do you own a vacuum sealer? Do you use it much? Many preppers seem to be against a vacuum sealer, not just because of the price, but because they don’t know what all to vacuum seal. I’ve had a vacuum sealer for years and it’s been a solid investment.

While many of the dried foods that I plan to store long term are placed in mylar bags, there are many things that would actually benefit more from being vacuum sealed.

The main thing that I use my vacuum sealer for is freezing meat. It really comes in handy when we butcher our own meat since we process everything ourselves. The vacuum sealer gets heavy use for meat purposes.

We also use it for marinating.

However, there are some really useful ways to use a vacuum sealer, especially for preparedness purposes.

Here are the top 20 items that preppers should be vacuum sealing:

1. Clothing – especially for your bug out bag, vacuum sealing your clothing can save space and reduce weight.
2. Baby wipes – vacuum sealing baby wipes can help keep them from drying out, whether open or unopened.
3. Ammo – vacuum sealing ammo is a great way to extend the shelf life and protect it against moisture.
4. Guns – yes, you can also vacuum seal guns to keep them from rusting. Many people might vacuum seal a gun in case they want to add it to a cache.
5. Toilet paper – keep toilet paper from potentially getting wet or damaged by vacuum sealing it.
6. Fire starters – extend the shelf life and keep fire starters away from moisture by vacuum sealing them.
7. Valuable items and documents – keep documents and any special items secure from elements by vacuum sealing them.
8. Coins – many preppers invest in precious metals and vacuum sealing will help to keep them in as pristine condition as possible.
9. Spices and herbs – ensure spices and herbs are kept away from moisture by vacuum sealing them, this is a great method for long term storage.
10. Make your own ice packs – ice packs can be made 1 of 3 ways: bag filled with corn syrup, bag filled with dish soap or 2 tbsp salt to 2 cups water. Use one of these methods, vacuum seal, then place in the freezer and use as needed.
11. Maps – keep your maps secure from the elements by vacuum sealing them.
12. Matches – vacuum sealing matches is a great way to store them safely away from the elements.
13. Medicine – sealing medicines in a vacuum sealed bag might extend the shelf life, but more realistically, it will simply keep the medications away from moisture.
14. Money – if you have any cash lying around that you don’t plan to use any time soon, vacuum seal it to protect it from the elements.
15. Homemade MRE’s – I love making homemade MRE‘s and one of the best ways to preserve it is through a vacuum sealer.
16. Extra parts – if you store any extra parts for certain machines such as screws or whatever else, store them in a vacuum sealed bag.
17. Tea and coffee – I normally package my coffee and tea in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, but you can also certainly vacuum seal it to preserve freshness.
18. Snacks – whether for a bug out bag or just to preserve freshness a little longer, placing snacks in a vacuum sealed bag can extend freshness.
19. First aid supplies – vacuum sealing first aid supplies would be ideal for any extra you may have, not the first aid supplies in a kit. For instance, if you had an excess of gauze that you pull from to restock your first aid kit, vacuum sealing that excess bulk would be a good idea.
20. Dried foods – while I prefer to store the majority of my dried goods in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber, you can also store foods such as oats and sugars in a vacuum sealed bag. Could even throw in an oxygen absorber in the vacuum sealed bag for good measure. No oxygen absorbers for sugar, though.

Keep in mind that when you open a vacuum sealed package, unless you’re at home with your vacuum sealer, you will be unable to vacuum seal it in the field. Just something to keep in mind. You may want to consider throwing in a zipper bag along with the vacuum sealed contents, or simply carrying some empty zipper bags.

Don’t forget to practice leave no trace and always take any trash home with you. An empty vacuum sealed bag would work great as a trash bag, simply tie it or clip it.

What are some other things that we could be vacuum sealing?