Home Storage Center box and Bankers Box for storing full gallon mylar bags of food

The Home Storage Centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used to sell boxes that would hold 5 full gallon bags of dry-packed food. They no longer do. If you dry pack in gallon mylar bags, you will need to find another way to efficiently store your full bags.

I don’t buy plastic totes because of the expense, the space necessary to store empty totes, and the weight of full totes. I don’t need to worry about rodents eating my bags or boxes so boxes work well for me. Quite by accident I discovered that Bankers Boxes (letter/legal cardboard storage boxes with lids) are nearly identical in size to the boxes that used to be sold at the Home Storage Centers. They have the added advantages of having precut handle holes, a removable lid, and ready availability at any big office supply store. Even the basic boxes (they come in different cardboard weights) have a stacking strength of 450 lbs. That means you can stack up to 12 boxes of mylar packed wheat (although you probably can’t reach that high without a ladder!) but I limit mine to 5 or 6 in a stack.

Watch for sales and clearance prices especially in the Spring when people are looking for a way to store their tax documents.

TIP: Label the box before starting the dry packing process. As you seal each bag, wipe it off and put it in the box. Over the next 24 to 48 hours, the absorber (in most cases) will cause the bags to conform to the contents and shrink the required volume for storage. The bags will conform to each other and you will be able to put the lid on flat.



Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Similar recipes