Tools · buyer's guide
The Best Mylar Bags for Long-Term Food Storage (2026)
Dry staples like white rice, beans, rolled oats, and wheat can last decades if you seal out air and light. The proven, low-cost way is simple: a thick Mylar bag with an oxygen absorber inside, tucked in a food-grade bucket. Utah State Extension and the LDS home storage centers put staples stored this way at 20 to 30 years. Here is the gear that does it and the honest trade-offs of each piece.
Photo: Photo: Shixart1985 (CC BY)
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How the Mylar method works
Mylar is a metallized plastic film that blocks light and slows the flow of oxygen and moisture far better than a plain plastic bag. But the bag alone does not remove the air already sealed inside, and that trapped oxygen still feeds bugs and turns fats rancid. That is the job of the oxygen absorber, a small iron packet that pulls the oxygen down to near zero.
You need three things working together: the Mylar bag holds the food, the oxygen absorber removes the air, and a food-grade bucket protects the bag from rodents, punctures, and getting crushed. Skip the bucket and a mouse or a dropped can can end a 25-year bag in one second.
What mil and size to buy
Mil is the thickness of the film. Thin 3-mil bags are fine for a few years but puncture easily on a grain of rice or a bucket edge. For a 20-plus-year store, buy 5-mil or thicker. The extra cost is a few cents a bag and it is the difference between a sealed bag and a slow leak.
Size comes down to how you will use the food. One-gallon bags hold about 5 to 7 pounds of grain and are easy to open and use up without exposing a whole bucket. Five-gallon bags line a bucket and hold roughly 30 to 35 pounds of wheat or rice, which is efficient to store but a lot to work through once opened.
Our picks
- Best overall for long-term staple storage
Mylar bags (5-mil)
Best overall
- 5-mil film is thick enough to resist punctures and hold a seal for decades of dry-staple storage.
- Many kits bundle oxygen absorbers and labels, so you can start the same day they arrive.
- Downside: you must heat-seal them with an iron or hair straightener, and a thin discount bag can puncture on a bucket edge, so do not go below 5-mil for long-term food.
- Best for removing the trapped air in every bag
Oxygen absorbers (300cc)
Do not skip
- The 300cc size suits one-gallon bags; combine several or step up to 2000cc for a five-gallon bag.
- Without an absorber, a Mylar bag still holds enough oxygen to feed insect eggs and go stale, so this is not optional.
- Downside: once the pouch is opened the packets start working immediately, so you must reseal the unused ones in an airtight jar within a few minutes or they are wasted.
- Best for protecting sealed bags from rodents and crushing
Food-grade buckets with gamma lids
The armor
- A food-grade bucket shields the Mylar from light, punctures, and mice, and stacks neatly in a closet or basement.
- Gamma screw-on lids let you open and reclose a working bucket without prying a stiff lid every time.
- Downside: full buckets are bulky and heavy, about 35 pounds each for wheat, so they eat floor space and are hard to move once loaded.
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Questions, answered straight
Dry staples like white rice, wheat, dry beans, rolled oats, and pasta last about 20 to 30 years in a 5-mil Mylar bag with an oxygen absorber, per Utah State Extension and LDS home storage guidance. The food must start below about 10 percent moisture and stay cool and dark.
Buy 5-mil or thicker for long-term storage. Thin 3-mil bags puncture easily and are only worth using for a few years. The upgrade costs a few cents per bag and protects a store meant to last decades.
Yes. The Mylar blocks outside air, but the oxygen already sealed inside the bag still feeds insect eggs and turns fats rancid. An oxygen absorber pulls that oxygen to near zero, which is what actually gives you the long shelf life.
Skip high-moisture or high-fat foods: brown rice, nuts, and jerky go rancid from their oils, and anything above about 10 percent moisture can spoil or grow mold. Also do not put oxygen absorbers in sugar or salt, since they harden it into a brick. Store those without an absorber.