Smell Proof Bags

How a smell proof bag actually works

Two different mechanisms sit on this page and they solve different problems. A carbon-lined bag holds a layer of activated carbon between the outer shell and the liner, so the air that moves in and out of the bag gets scrubbed on the way through — that is the Avert carry range, AC Infinity's belt bag and handbag. A barrier bag works the other way around: Foil Fresh mylar and Zip-Zag's dual-lock film do not filter anything, they simply do not let odour permeate. Neither is a force field. A carbon bag with a half-done zip leaks, and a barrier bag only works while its seal is intact — but used properly, both keep a cured harvest from announcing itself in a cupboard or a share house.

What's in the range

Carbon-lined carry bags. Avert covers most of it: a 14cm x 11.5cm pocket bag with a magnetic back, a 21cm waistbag, the 5.5L travel bag, a 17L backpack insert that drops into a pack you already own, a 27L lockable backpack with a laptop sleeve, and duffles at 95L (71cm x 42cm x 42cm) and 148L (81.5cm x 48cm x 48cm). All of them use a 600D polyester/PVC outer over carbon lining behind a protective mesh, and everything from the travel bag up is lockable. AC Infinity's 900D nylon belt bag and handbag are the light everyday-carry end, and Zero's Budget Dino backpack adds a small lockable compartment at the entry price.

Resealable barrier bags. Avert Foil Fresh mylar bags come in 3.5g (89 x 140mm), 28g (152 x 228mm) and 460g (356 x 420mm), each with a viewing window and a zip seal; they can be ironed shut for long-term storage, then torn along the seal and reused as a heavy-duty zip-lock. Zip-Zag's Canadian-made dual-lock bags are clear and reusable, in 28g sandwich (25-pack), 250g large (28cm x 30cm, 10-pack or 50/150-pack) and 1kg XL (10-pack or 50-pack).

How to choose a smell proof bag

1. Start with the job. Carrying a personal amount calls for a pocket bag, waistbag or belt bag. Moving a whole harvest calls for a duffle. Buying a 148L bag to carry 28g is money spent on air.
2. Carry or store? Carbon linings are built for transport; sealed barrier bags are built to sit still. Plenty of growers run both — flower in a Zip-Zag or Foil Fresh bag, that bag inside a carbon-lined one.
3. Check the zip. The closure is where carry bags leak. Avert's smell-resistant zips are lockable from the travel bag up, which also stops a bag being opened while your back is turned.
4. Buy the pack size you will use. Barrier bags come in retail packs — 25 sandwich bags, 10 or 50 large. Buying deeper is cheaper per bag, but only if they get used before the seals age.

Looking after a carbon lining

Activated carbon works by adsorption and it has a finite capacity: it takes up odour until it is full, and then the bag stops doing its job. Treat it like a filter rather than laundry — wipe the shell down, let the bag air out between uses, and keep it dry, because a damp lining loads up far faster. A bag in regular use is measured in months of good performance, not years. Barrier bags are simpler: replace them when the zipper stops clicking closed or the film gets pinholed.

Long-term cupboard storage lives in Storage Supplies; drying racks, curing jars and humidity packs are one level up in Drying & Curing, alongside the rest of the Harvest & Extraction range.