marlin55388 wrote on Feb 24^th, 2010 at 4:45pm:

Topic....One of the things that has always frustrated me in my packing is holy bags... Dried sweet potato and carrot always do a number on the vacuum bags/food saver film.  Any pointers?

I usually vacuum pack an entire meal at a time, and place foil meat pack, powdered sauce mixes, or drink mixes on the sides, then pour in the sharp cornered noodles, veggies, etc.  Also experimented with similar suggestions above, and since the puncturing pasta/veggies really don't gain much by vacuum sealing, I found they were just as easily transported in double zip-lock freezer bags.  Could also use wax paper or a paper towel inside to lessen the chance of puncture.

I won't take spaghetti noodles on a trip anymore, and usually stick with elbow macaroni or shells for pasta.  Rice works well, and we usually have at least 2 meals with wild rice.  Takes a while to cook, but if you're good at cooking over a fire, it's pretty easy and will vacuum pack down pretty easily.