I do not advocate for buying more products in order to be sustainable. Usually thinking outside the box and reusing something else will do just as well instead! However, I could not find a convenient alternative for one of my biggest evils – the plastic zip lock bag. They are flat, light, versatile, malleable in small spaces and leak proof – perfect for frozen meat portions or for carrying food when traveling light. Glass containers were just not cutting it! There was only one solution.

Companies that produce silicon baggies are all based in the US so getting my hands on them was going to be expensive and challenging. There’s also a lot of fakes on Amazon and other online stores to watch out for. After some research, saving, and a lot of cringing as I bought yet another box of those awful plastic zip lock bags, I finally invested!

Brands

There are three legitimate silicon baggie brands that I’m aware of.

• Stasher
• Yuggen
• ZipTop

I found ZipTop first on KickStarter so I did the expensive, slightly risky but hopefully kind and ethical thing of supporting them to the value of their big bundle.

Months later I found Stasher through Instagram but they don’t ship outside the US (bummer). And then, again through Instagram (there’s some fantastic pages on there), I discovered Yuggen and they do ship outside the US! I was still on the waiting list for my ZipTop bundle so, with growing desperation, I launched into purchasing the Yuggen ‘Classic Bundle’ too.

Here’s what they’re like.

*Update* Many months after writing this post, I was able to purchase some Stasher bags from the UK store Dunelm. Unfortunately they have a limited Stasher range available, but I have added some comments on them as well, as well as a small update on the others.

Yuggen

Yuggen baggies come in two sizes: medium (1L) and large (1.5L). They are flat when empty with an expanding base to stand when full.

Size	Volume	Dimensions
Large	1.5 L	21cm x 53.3cm (8.3″ x 11″)
Medium	1 L	18cm x 23.6cm (7.1″ x 9.3″)
Small	0.5 L	Not on website

They do have a plastic component, a bar that slides across the top of the bag to seal it, but this does not come into contact with food and comes off when reheating. The plastic bar is coloured but the bags themselves are a semi-transparent white. Like most silicone products, the bags are oven safe, microwave safe, freezer safe and dishwasher safe.

My set included four medium and two large bags, and I have put them through their paces! They have since added to their range with a cutlery travel set, straw set, and (most exciting) a small bag of 500ml capacity.

You can order these direct through Yuggen, but they’re also starting to crop up in online plastic-free shopping outlets such as Plastic Freedom (UK).

The best aspects of Yuggen bags are:

• ACTUALLY leak proof and great for liquids!! But only if you pull the bar all the way across properly. I have had watery soups in these bags and thrown them around without much care – not a drop was lost (other than the time the bar was about 1cm from closed but still only a small mess was made).
• Easy to store flat or rolled.
• Perfect for meat! I take these bags to my butchers to put meat in directly as they seal so well that there is no risk of uncooked juices escaping into my shopping. Then they go straight into the fridge or freezer.
• Excellent for travel and plane meals as they take up little more space than the food and are leak proof even in changing atmospheric pressure.

The challenges of Yuggen bags are:

• The bar is prohibitive for packing in lunch boxes/bags etc as the bag and contents may squish to size but the bar is not flexible.
• Does not stand upright easily when sealed as the weight of the bar can make it collapse. Instead, squeeze out the air and lay them down in your fridge or freezer, or let them stand folded.
• The lack of structure when empty also makes them a little bit hard to air-dry.

One Year On

A year later and I still use both sizes of Yuggen bags religiously! I have had the occasional leak of thin soups, but this is probably due to too much pressure on the seam. My clear bags have experienced a very slight discolouring, especially from your typical staining foods like tumeric, but not enough to be a bother.

ZipTop

ZipTop baggies come in a range of sizes and colours including sandwich and snack-sized flat bags, three sizes of cups and three sizes of dishes. My set included one of each.

Bag	S = 118 ml (4 oz)	M = 473 ml (16 oz)	None
Dish	S = 473 ml (16 oz)	M = 710 ml (24 oz)	L = 946 ml (32 oz)
Cup	S = 237 ml (8 oz)	M = 473 ml (16 oz)	L = 710 ml (24 oz)

These have a similar closure to the traditional zip lock bag in that they simply press closed. They stand when empty or full, are stackable, and very easy to clean and dry due to their structure. The bags are also oven safe, microwave safe, freezer safe and dishwasher safe.

You can order these directly through ZipTop but now that the KickStarter has been successful I wouldn’t be surprised if these start cropping up elsewhere.

The best aspects of ZipTop bags are:

• The range of shapes, sizes and colours. I use them ALL! Very versatile.
• Stand up by themselves for filling, cleaning and air-drying.
• Excellent in the oven – I’ve used the large dish as a small loaf tin.
• The dishes are perfect for storing leftovers, going straight into a microwave for reheating then eating directly out of the bag.

The challenges of ZipTop bags are:

• They are only air and leak proof when upright and under no pressure at all. These cannot be thrown carelessly into a bag. I use the small cup to take nuts to work but sometimes the nuts escape. This doesn’t bother me for dry solid foods, but it shows that liquids have to be transported very carefully!
• They take up more room when stored (but they are stackable).

One Year On

These are still a great conversation starter over lunch in the office or on a picnic. The medium dish and small bag get the most use for transported meals and snacks. The cups, large bag and small dish mostly get used for leftovers in the fridge and my large dish still gets used regularly in the oven.

I did have an incident with the large dish when I stupidly placed it in the oven too high to broil some meatloaf and it was actually touching the elements! After about 15 minutes I noticed discolouring through the oven glass and pulled it out. The only damage was slight melting on the top above the zip. The silicone has remained slightly softened and darkly stained at the top. However, it still works perfectly and I cannot believe how little damage occurred!! The staining is also slowly lightening over time.

Stasher

Stasher do not ship outside the US, but I have managed to buy a few from the UK store Dunelm, who stock the sandwich and snack bags only. Stasher have an extensive range I’d love to try and in a beautiful range of colours. See their website for more information.

Style	Volume	Dimensions
Sandwich	426ml (15 oz)	19cm x 17.8cm x 2.5cm (7.5″ x 7″ x 1″)
Snack	280ml (9.9 oz)	19cm x 11.4cm x 2.5cm (7.5″ x 4.5″ x 1″)

They have a press closure like the ZipTop bags, however the opening remains narrower when open so the seal is under less structural pressure. They do not stand when full (unless you can get the standing ones) and are cooking, fridge and freezer safe.

The best and the worst of Stasher sandwich and snack bags:

I am really enjoying these bags. The best parts are:

• The seal works really well! It is certainly stronger than ZipTop and more secure under pressure. Salad dressings and crumbs have been safely contained in a backpack, although I wouldn’t try pure liquids.
• Store flatter and neater.
• Sides are more flexible to suit content.

The challenges are:

• Narrow opening meaning it’s a bit awkward getting larger objects in.
• Cannot be turned inside out to dry, and the narrow closure means it is difficult to dry the inside with a towel. Propping it open to air dry works well though.

Summary

I have really enjoyed using both brands of bags together as their uses are surprisingly quite different. Yuggen are fantastic for liquids. I often take soup to work, reheat in the bag and tip into a bowl for lunch. As I’ve said, they are also very handy for carnivorous eaters who want to eliminate plastic at the butchers. ZipTop are great for carrying dried foods or (carefully) hot meals for convenient BYO dinners.

Despite now owning 17 different silicone baggies, they are all well-used and I still end up having to plan ahead so I have free baggies for certain needs! In particular, the smaller volume baggies get a lot of use. They have been fantastic and well worth the investment.