Vacuum sealers are wonderful tools that can be used for plenty of things other than food. We love to go fishing, camping, hiking, and hunting. I’ve come across and discovered several tips and tricks for vacuum sealing food, but I’ve also used it for several non food items over the years. I’ve broken them into convenient kits that are easy to grab and go!
How many times have you been out and about and wished you had <insert item here>. A lighter or matches when camping; a rifle BoreSnake when hunting; a roll of toilet paper when hiking…all these simple items are easily overlooked or forgotten. If you have a pre-made kit as backup, you’ve made sure you’re covered. When you vacuum seal it, you’re making sure that it’ll be dry and ready for you to use when you need the items the most. It’s also a good habit to start. By making up these little kits for each member of the family, you’re making sure everyone is covered. With the cost of the rolls of bags going down, now is a perfect time to make up a bunch of these kits!
I’ve made all of these kits using my vacuum sealer with ease. None of them are overly large They’ve come in handy numerous times and made the difference between a pleasant experience versus a challenging situation. As a BONUS, I’ll include information on how I’ve used these smaller kits to make larger, situation specific packs.
Medical Kit
There are so many things you can vacuum seal in a medical kit! One of the things that surprised me the most was how little space it took once sealed. Items you can put into your kit include:
- Bandaids and gauze
- OTC travel pill-packs like pain relievers, antihistamines, stomach relief, etc.
- Water Treatment Tabs
- Alcohol Wipes
- Burn Gel packs
Hygiene Kit
Hygiene is one of the most important things to maintain when out in the woods. The ability to keep yourself clean, not to mention cleaning wounds, can mean the difference between healing and a potentially serious infection.
Small Clothes Pack
Things like socks, underwear, and t shirts are sometimes referred to “small clothes.” Having a pack of these items sealed and dry is a huge comfort to have in your pack. No matter what you’re doing outside, having clean and dry clothing that is protected from the elements until you need them is invaluable! It can greatly improve moral, not to mention help save a person from hypothermia. Though bulky to start out with, the packs are incredibly small once sealed. Try rolling the clothing up to make sure it will fit in the bag to be sealed.
- Underwear
- Socks
- Thermal clothing
- Gloves and Hat
Clothing Repair
This is something few people think about, let alone prepare for. They may have some little sewing kit stashed away but to have the items to repair clothing or even a small kit to make something isn’t typical. When on a long hunting or camping trip, having the ability to repair ripped or torn clothing is huge! If possible, and you have the skills, keeping supplies to make a hat or gloves is a great way to ensure you’re covered (literally!). It’s also a great way to pass the time while still being productive!
*SPECIAL NOTE: If you make one of these packs, there is the real possibility of something sharp poking through the bag and breaking the seal. To avoid this, pack needles into the bag in their original packaging. You can also stick needles into a piece of cardboard so they won’t pierce the bag.
- Needle pack*
- Multiple thread colors and weights
- Patch cloth
- Small scissors (of course, a knife works just as well)
- Yarn, Crochet Hooks, Knitting Needles*
Fire Starting Kit
Fire starting kits are one pack you can never have enough of! You can buy little emergency fire kits like these ones or make your own!
- All weather matches and lighter
- Ferro Rod (with striker included)
- Firebow kit
- Fire starter sticks, pods, or make your own homemade fire starters
Fishing Kit
A fishing kit will be defined by everyone differently but there are some basics that should go into every fishing kit. PLEASE NOTE: *Fishing hooks should be left in their original packaging or put into a container to avoid holes poking through the bag and breaking the seal.
- Mid and high weight fishing line
- Various hooks* (you could make a different kit for ocean shore fishing versus streams and lake fishing)
- Artificial bait
- Netting that you can use to make a net with (wound over a bent stick or branch)
- Hook sharpener
- Small nail clippers or scissors (a knife would do the trick, too, of course)
Firearm Kit
This is something I made up for my husband to take on his hunting trips. Though a few items take a little more work to get ready to be vacuum sealed, it’s 100% worth it!
- A box of 10 rounds of ammo, sealed by itself (for an extra layer against moisture)
- BoreSnake or similar barrel cleaning cloth
- Barrel cleaning brushes and poles, collapsed down
- Cleaning pads or cloth
- Gun oil*
PLEASE NOTE: *You don’t want to just toss the bottle of oil into the bag and vacuum seal away. First, take the lid off and put a protective layer of plastic over the hole. Then screw the lid on. Even if the bottle is factory sealed, this is a good practice to avoid any nasty messes later.
General Cleaning Kit
Different than the personal hygiene kit listed above, the general cleaning kit usually requires you use the 11 inch bags. These are meant to serve one person only. Some items will repeat from above. This kit serves all around, general purpose cleaning supplies.
- Washcloth
- Super absorbent towels (like ShamWow which are actually pretty darn useful)
- Wet Wipes
- Bar of general use soap
- A rag or two for scrubbing with
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Now that you’ve made up your kits, you may be wondering exactly what you could or should use them for. I don’t presume to tell you what to do with your packs but I can give you examples of things we do with the ones we make.
I noticed that these smaller kits can be used to fill a pack. Though you wouldn’t use all of them in each larger pack, many kits have multiple applications.
Making Larger Packs With Your Kits for the Best Benefit!
Car Pack
For my Car Pack, I include the following kits – Fire Starting, Fishing, Small Clothes, Hygiene, and Medical. The hope is you won’t be at your car for more than 24 hours. Of course, we have more in our vehicle pack than these kits but it’s a fantastic start!
Bug Out Bag
A Bug Out Bag (BOB) is trickier than a simple car pack. I pack the following kits – Medical, Fire Starting, Fishing, Small Clothes, Hygiene, Medical, and General Cleaning. I do not bother with the Firearm kit for this one. Chances are good that you won’t have time to sit and clean your gun if you’re bugging out.
Hiking Pack
Our hiking packs is where all of the inspiration started for these little kits. In our hiking packs, I make sure to have – Medical, Fire Starting, Fishing, and Small Clothes kits
Camping/Hunting Pack
For the Camping and Hunting packs, I include the Firearm Kit, Fire Starting Kit, Medical Kit, and General Cleaning Kit. Each person also has a Fishing, Hygiene, and Small Clothes Kit individually.
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Kit and Pack Summary
Each person will need to decide what items are the best for their family and situation. There is no one size fits all when it comes to supplies for these kits. The amount of space they take up is small compared to the comfort and perhaps life saving supplies you’ve packed inside. Keeping them sealed ensures there is no contamination, not to mention the contents stay dry! Since the bags are clear, it makes it easy to see what’s in there so you can get to what you need quickly.
Do you make kits like these? Share your items and thoughts below!
I always include an appropriate sized zip lock bag with my sealed kits. I use them after opening the sealed bags to place the contents in.