The Best Gear That Costs Almost Nothing: Ziploc Bags

Many outdoor lovers are tempted by a stream of new and seductive gear options. But sometimes, good old-fashioned simplicity works best.

At the outset of a trip, I frequently find myself offering Ziploc bags to the rest of the group the way many folks would offer a piece of gum.

The underlying logic is the same: Likely, somebody wants one. And, if you’re doing it right, you’ve got enough to go around.

The diversity of applications these little polyethylene polymaths have, combined with their ability to slip weightlessly by the dozens into a pack, have raised them to “essential” status for every type of jaunt I take, be it a spell in the woods, a few days on the river, or a flight overseas.

Ziploc: Resealable Bags For The Outdoors

The word “Ziploc” generally references any sealable plastic baggy. However, when I say “Ziploc,” I mean Ziploc™.

Specifically, those gorgeously robust freezer bags. Their thicker material and sturdier closures are more adept than cheaper varieties at keeping the good stuff in and the bad stuff out, even after repeated thrashings in my pack or pocket.

Call me thriftless, but a few extra pennies seem a reasonable price to pay for something that might ultimately keep the fish guts off my sleeping bag in bear country.

How can you use Ziplocs in the Backcountry? Let me count the ways: