I continually hear of people cooking and eating out of plastic bags to cut down weight and dirty dishes.
My mother's green philosophies have been slowly absorbing in (it's taken a few decades to get to where I am now ) , and I find plastic to be a horrible substitute as it will outlast your family tree by hundreds of generations.
Are there any biodegradable plastics that can be used? Especially with a vacuum sealer, as we plan to get one eventually.

I use paper wrappers to carry my food. I seal packets of food in ZipLoc containers but only use one. 1-quart, plastic bag every other day or so. Instead of freezer bags for re-hydrating, I use a Glad three-cup bowl with lid. It weighs 1.3 oz, about what 3-4 freezer bags weigh. It is easy to eat from, easy to insulate and easy to clean; just put some warm water in it, put on the lid, shake and pour. If there is any grease, just add a drop of soap. The next addition of hot water sterilizes it for another meal.

I re-use the bags until they die, and then dispose of them. A light plastic bowl with a cozy is my usual eating vessel.

Vac sealers aren't going to have biodegradable bags - they are supposed to be air tight, so use nylon lined with food grade plastic. But they too can be washed and re-used until they die.

Much of the bio bag material is corn based and wears down with exposure to water. Bio works by being thin as well and punctures very easily.

Freezer bags and Food Vac bags are food grade, bio bags are not.

You have to ask yourself this: How often do you actually backpack? If you only go out a couple nights or a week a year using a few bags is not a big issue in the grand scheme of things.

Having said that any recipe that calls for a freezer bag can be made in a pot and there are companies out there that make fabric food bags (I'd have to go look at my blog - I wrote last week about a regional company that does this). Wax paper is not a solution, it is petro based as well.

Part of the "green" philosophy is reuse. I most often use bags from shacks that I wash out thoroughly, dry,and fill,then seal with my clothes iron.

CM

The weather in south Texas is so nasty that we don't go camping much at all. That and an addition to our little family.
Typically the "winter" is my time to roam the country side, which is why we are looking into moving. Once you've lived in the mountains of Colorado, not much else will do!
Though we may not go out much (car camping with the wee one) now, we do intend on living near awesome places to backpack so that we can enjoy it as much as possible.
I'm all for plates whereas my GF is all about the least weight and compact size. And she is more "green" savvy than I (I was a scoffer for a long time).
I appreciate the input.
Thanks

IMO think bowls with lids over plates. For example, look at the thin bowls that Glad and Ziploc make. They last a long time, are machine washable and are recyclable at the end/ They are also very light and cheap as well.

Unlike plates they keep the food warmer (depth) and you can make cozies for these with Reflectix bubble wrap (See AntiGravityGear for ideas). Any FBC style meal can be prepared in a bowl such as this.

The lid allows the food to rehydrate but also allows for easy transport if your bowl is dirty and you are heading home!

Bowls, especially with lids, are a great idea!
I can't stop looking at the MSR cookware sets.
We have some cheapo Chinese aluminum mess kits.

Using the Ziploc bowls...Why didn't I think of that! Great idea