How to use wider bags than 12"
in a Channel Machine

These are channel bags that I got through a company I worked at that uses them for vacuum packaging. These bags are larger than any American machine. They fit into Italian machines that are much larger, wider. However, I did find some excellent uses for them and learned a way to seal them in my Channel Machine . In the photos, you can see how I sealed up a woman's wool coat and one of my wool sweaters. There is a company called Space Saver that sells bags to do this so that you don't have to use mothballs over the summer. This works a lot better and if you look at the pictures you can see the way that you can use a 16" wide bag in a 12" wide channel machine. Here is a three-step process that works every time.

1. Heat-seal one corner. (this leaves an opening small enough to fit into my channel machine.)	2. Place the opening into the vacuum sealer.
3. When it has vacuumed the bag ENOUGH, I then hit MANUAL HEAT SEAL. This is because if you let the sealer vacuum as much as it wants it will be too tight for clothing storage. But when you hit manual heat seal, it stops the vacuum and seals the bag closed.

These bags are large enough to store outdoor clothing, sleeping bags, hunting and fishing gear and more. As soon as ski season is over I will be putting my ski gear into them. And if you cut carefully along the edge where you seal them, you can reuse the bags several times for storage.