Best mylar bags for vacuum sealing

[k9shag]

Where can I find the best mylar bags for vacuum sealing tobacco. I have read the older discussions here but cannot seem to find info on which bags were good long term using a vacuum sealer and heat seal.
Thanks Tony

 

[hawky454]

I found mine on Amazon.
Edit* I tried to find the ones I bought so I could give you a link but I don’t see them anymore. Still there are plenty of options on there. I liked the ones I bought cause they were big and had a very excellent zip lock. Could also seal them with a vacuum sealer.

 

[craiginthecorn]

Be aware that mylar bags cannot be sealed with a typical Foodsaver-style vacuum sealer. Those devices require special bags with a grid pattern. Simple heat sealing should be sufficient however.

 

[sablebrush52]

I bought mine from topmylar.com
They sell a wide range of bags in different sizes and weights. I use the 7 mil metallized bags. The metal impedes the permeability of the Mylar, and the bags are a laminate, so 7 mil bags are 7 metallized layers. Heat sealed, that's a solid barrier. If you're going to keep tobacco in square and rectangular tins long term, as in 7+ years and way beyond, this is a way to diminish the risk of loss due to seal failure.
Or you can just jar everything as soon as you buy it, and let the aging process take place.
And before someone posts a link to Greg Pease's FAQ on aging, be aware that he's changed his mind about aging tobacco in the tin, and wrote a letter to BriarBlues youtube channel to that effect. Too many disappointments with his own cellar.
You don't need any fancy equipment to seal the bags. The supplier advised me to buy a hair salon type flat iron to perform the heat seal. I picked up a Kipozi Pro Nano Platinum flat iron on Amazon that works like a charm. I can set the temperature so that I can get the best seal.

 

[hawky454]

Yeah, I don’t vacuum seal mine but I do use the food saver vacuum sealer to seal the bags. You could use a hair straightener too. But it’s my understanding that you don’t want to vacuum seal regardless if you want to promote good aging. If you are just looking to preserve the tobacco then vacuum sealing tobacco might help a little but most people are looking to further ferment their goodies rather than just preserve them.

 

[sablebrush52]

Heat sealing and vacuum sealing are two different, occasionally but not necessarily interrelated, things.

 

[craig61a]

I forget where I got mine, but there are plenty of online prepper sites that offer them. I use 5.3 mil quart and gallon bags and a heat sealer built specifically for that.
I press the air out of the bags and compress the tobacco before I seal them, not enough air to create a vacuum. A little air in the bag is good though. Pushing out most of the air allows them to be placed neatly in storage tubs.
For Aros that I’m storing long term, I seal those in quart Mason jars and vacuum seal with a FoodSaver vacuum lid attachment. The Wide Mouth sealer works great. I soak them (lids with the red sealing compound) in boiling water for a few minutes, pat them dry, seal them. I use a brake bleeder pump kit, and pump it till it registers about 25 lbs.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I purchased mine on Amazon. 7 mm. I would say you don't want to go with the 5 mm and the cost difference is negligible. I bought a device to seal them but most of the time now, use a clothes iron. You definitely do not want to vacuum heat seal. You want a certain amount of oxygen left in the bag to allow the chemical reactions that are part of aging to take place.

 

[mau1]

Excellent thread and great information. Thanks guys.

 

[darwin]

I use these:
https://mylarpro.com/product-category/mylarpro-extreme-bags/
I have a large Rubbermaid tub full of bulk tobaccos in these, sealed with a mylar specific sealer, and there is no smell of tobacco in the tub. Good enough for me.

 

[trubka2]

Thanks for the links and info. I want to get a lot more bulk tobacco put up, and this could be a great saver of money and space - and back strain, when I have to move the cellar eventually.
Craig and Darwin: Roughly how many ounces of bulk ribbon tobacco do you put in the quart and/or gallon bags? Is the quart-size bag about right for two ounces?

 

[darwin]

I can easily put a pound in a gallon bag. Two ounces of ribbon would rattle around in a quart bag, but that should work okay if you press most of the air out and seal thoroughly.

 

[k9shag]

Thanks for all of the great info here.

 

[smokeyweb]

I am a fan of the MylarPro bags mentioned above, and seal my unopened tins in them. To test the quality of the bags, I once filled one with water, sealed it with a clothing iron, and stood on the bag and bounced on it. I weigh over 220 pounds. The bags held up perfectly without a drop of water coming out. Plus, they are fireproof. I have held a torch lighter to the bag for 30 seconds and the bag still looks brand new. I know my tins are safe for the long haul!

 

[craig61a]

Yeah, roughly a pound in a gallon bag. Usually if I’m bagging compressed stuff like flakes, I’ll gently push it towards the bottom, and cut the remaining part off top. I leave at least 2” above fill level so I can get a good seal, without wrinkles where the bag seals.
I use the leftover tops I cut to seal up smaller qtys of tobacco i come across but don’t plan to smoke anytime soon.

 

[k9shag]

@smokeyweb
What size bag do you use for your tins? How many tins per bag? pics?

 

[smokeyweb]

1 quart bags... 2 tins per bag... and I use the ProExtreme bags from MylarPro.