When on a survival exercise the Zip lock bags prove to be useful for everything ranging from storing foods to important documents. These bags can be purchased in several different sizes ranging from the small 1 pint size up to the large 2 gallon capacity. I try to keep some of each size around. To those who have read any of my previous survival articles you will know that I am a firm supporter of the Dollar Tree Store and once again you can purchase the Zip-locks at the Dollar Tree.
I like to make my own mixes and as such the zip-locks afford me the opportunity to combine the various ingredients together so that all I would need to do on a survival outing is dump the contents of the bag into the required amount of water. Each bag would contain the exact amount of seasonings as well as the associated products such as dried veggies or rice or pastas. It is all together and makes for easy cooking.
For storage of these smaller zip-locks all the finished small bags can safely be placed in a larger 2 gallon bag for safe storage and added protection. Be sure to include instructions carefully placed on index cards for the preparation of the products in the package also.
Should you decide to take along other dry ingredients which would require the addition of the non-dry items place all the dry ingredients in a zip-lock. When using it simply add the non - dry ingredients to the mix. Label it appropriately with a marker and once again do not forget the instructions.
Measuring out items such as pasta, rice, flour, sugar, drink mixes, etc into the zip-lock bags makes storage all the more easier. No longer will you have to maintain all the bulky boxes or the canisters but rather the bags only which take up a lot less space. Make sure to mark the bag appropriately.
Lastly in the way of food snakes store great in the zip-lock bags. Here you have several choices. You can store individual servings in the smaller bags or store bulk amounts in the larger ones.
Enough talk about the benefits associated with the zip-lock bags and food, now lets talk about other uses for these handy little items.
Many times we have to maintain important papers when which we may possibly need when we deploy in a survival situation. You should have copies or originals of social security cards, birth certificates, marriage license, mortgage, insurance paper, etc. Any printed document that you feel is important should be maintained here, If you are a veteran you should maintain a copy of your DD 214 in this emergency document bag also. The larger zip-locks are perfect for this purpose as they provide a waterproof environment as well as keeping all the items together.
Zip locks can also serve as a first aid item. Place a chunk or two of ice inside the bag and it will work very well as a cold compress. In fact should you really desire to save money the larger versions of the zip lock bag could be used to store your first aid items in it.
Some people have reported that they pack each days set of clothing into a zip-lock bag thus they can easily gauge the number of changes they have available as well as when it is approaching clothing wash time. This method is perfect if you wish to stay organized while in the field.
We have used them to store markers and crayons for my grandchild for when we go out on a survival exercise. He merely takes the zip lock and places it in his activity BOB. We use them to store both napkins and the plastic eating utensils in.
Individual toothpaste, soap, markup, etc store very well in the Zip-locks and take up less room then if they were placed in a tote container.
An interesting note is that someone had mentioned that to loosen up their new leather gun holster they would slip a zip-lock over their weapon and insert it into the holster for several days. It appears that the plastic zip-lock makes the process of insertion and removal of the firearm easier and tends to stretch the leather slightly.
In a previous article I explained how zip-locks could be used as a pair of emergency gloves should the need arise. With a little thought on your part I am sure you could easily come up with an abundance of uses for the zip-lock bag. Why not give it a try!
