*The opinions expressed here are my own and I purchased these items myself.
Last month my family was having a picnic in the park. We have never picnicked before as a family, we just take snacks into the park so normally my small U-Konserve containers are sufficient. Most parks prohibit glass, which is my husband and my go-to for meals. Glass is prohibited in most parks and pools for the safety of the guests and animals. So for our picnic I had to get out my single-use plastic zippered bags which I have leftover from when I adopted deployed service members with Soldiers’ Angels.
So I really wanted us to have a full PBJ sandwich and I made 4″ fruit kabob sticks. I only have small round snack tins so I used the single-use plastic bags I had, cleaned them out, air dried, and saved them to reuse. This works but the bags are thin, it’s hard to get all the peanut butter oil off completely, and the integrity of the bags won’t last long. Clean single-use plastic bags can be recycled at a store drop-off station, but why deal with all that collecting and drop-off if you don’t have to, and save money over the long term anyway? Plus reusable bags can be used for more than food for things such as makeup, pills, toys, etc. So I finally decided to make the silicone bag switch.
I’ve put this off for years because I actually really like the feel and functionality of metal tins and glass, they’re easy to clean, and I don’t mind the weight. I also didn’t like a lot of my son’s table silicone items like the plates and bowls for first time eaters which didn’t clean and hold up well, but Stasher is one of the most established brands of reusable silicone bags and since I was placing a Grove Co. order anyway, I added a couple in to try for myself and review for you all.
This is the snack bag. It works great for fruit, trail mix, and single servings of things like Pirate’s Booty. If you don’t know what Pirate’s Booty is, I’ve linked it here, you’re welcome and I’m sorry. We bulk buy Pirate Booty and portion it out.
Please excuse my air-dry water spots.
I ordered the same sizes of silicone reusable bags as the plastic single-use bags I had on hand. Both are pictured here for comparison.
This is the sandwich bag which does hold the longer/larger bread we get from our grocery store’s bakery. It also held the 4″ fruit kabob’s nicely.
I just chose the colors available on Grove’s website. Sometimes certain colors will be on sale at different websites to move the inventory along or for a holiday or seasonal sale. If you or your person/child/recipient have color issues/associations/triggers or if the combination of the color of the bag vs. the food inside may be repellant when introducing a child to a new food, keep that in mind when choosing which colors in which sizes.
Above are two meals we’ve traveled with. We also use our 5 oz. U-Konserve container which usually has trail mix or nuts in it, and a Pura Sport Mini™ 11oz Bottle.
We’ve only had these a month and they’re working great so far. No leaks and easy to clean. To be fair, I’m not putting super wet food in them so keep that in mind. These are dishwashers safe, but I wash the bags by hand in the sink with dish soap and water then prop them open with the “ice cream paddle spoons” I use for our homemade popsicles. On the counter these take 1-2 days to air dry. I could towel try them out but I don’t.
The only heads up I have is that my 3.5 year old is just barely able to open these bags himself. The seal is tight, which is great for travel and no mess, not so great for little ones who want to be self-sufficient. Since he was able to finally get one open at the park this week, I’m sure it’s a matter of dexterity and practice. I’ll keep you posted.
If you use Stasher, how do you like them? Have you tried the stand-up versions or the pocket bag yet? What do you think? If you use another brand, which brand and why?
You may also like:
– Grove Collaborative: Subscription Review
– Bulk Buying
– Plastic Bags and Plastic Films