The lure of the RV gadget

There’s a lot of talk around sustainability at the moment and for my wife’s part, she has come to believe it’s better to buy quality once than to buy a throwaway item cheaply and replace it continuously over the years.

I maintain that, sometimes, a little gem will come along that’s both cheap and awesome and under such circumstances one can hardly be blamed for buying it.

Such was the case when I attended this year’s Mid North Coast caravan and camping show at the Wauchope Showgrounds in NSW, and saw a demonstration for a cheap-looking portable vacuum sealer that I didn’t even know I needed.

I’ve actually had a good run of luck buying things from this caravan show in the past. In 2013, I bought an ‘Eco Pot’ - a kind of insulated slow cooker which is absolutely fantastic at stews and casseroles… or so I’ve heard… But let’s not make this all about the Eco Pot alright?

In 2014, I bought an enclosed fire pit called an ‘OzPig’, so named because with its legs screwed in it looks a bit like a little black pig. I did figure out how to make it turn into a little pink pig but the fire brigade kindly asked that I not share that particular tip.

Meanwhile, back at the show, I was feeling pretty bummed that in three hours, I still hadn’t found something to spend money on that would make me the envy of my family and friends.

I had just about resigned myself to the mundane existence of someone who ‘saves’ their money when I ended up at a display stand observing a man demonstrating a small portable vacuum sealer. Hmmmm…

I should tell you that this was not the first time I have considered buying a vacuum sealer.  I’m always throwing away half-eaten packets of biscuits and crisps that have gone stale in our motorhome between trips.

So, yes, I watched and I dreamed of crunchy snack food long after the packing seal was broken and this sealer, I was learning, was both battery and A/C powered.

Plug it in at home and run it off rechargeable batteries in the motorhome. Perfect!

Another point of difference was that this particular vacuum sealer used special reusable bags. The demonstrator reminded me how vacuum sealing would extend the life, not just of crackers and biscuits, but also fresh fruit and vegetables, even frozen goods and I could simply use some then re-seal that very same bag again.

I caught myself nodding along to the patter. Hang on a second!

The product seemed amazing yes, but I was dubious. It looked like something you might see being hawked in a $2 shop and while ‘cheap’ compared to the Eco Pot, it certainly wasn’t $2 (it costs $79 from this website).

I was starting to panic. Few things are as annoying as buying something that appears ‘super useful’, only to discover later that it’s completely impractical for everyday use -- or perhaps so cheaply made that it breaks.

My wife lives for these ‘I told you so…’ moments!

So I retreated to the consumer’s classic defensive position and began heckling the guy. I’m not proud -- here is this guy trying to make a living -- and here I was heckling him like he was opening night of the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

“How many times can you use those bags,” I asked with cynicism etched in every word.

“About 100 times," he replied.

Possibly it was less, but whatever he said was an impressively high number. Oh no… stay focused Paddy or this guy is going to sell you something!

“How do I know it won’t break before I get 10 uses out of it," I suggested. Ha! Take that, smiley locks (this guy had teeth whiter than Heather Locklear’s)

The guy continued to grin and squeeze the air out of 10 different bags while I watched. And then he looked me straight in the eye and offered me six bonus bags plus a free hand pump in case the batteries go flat on the main unit during a re-sealing emergency… but only if I buy right now.

It was then that this hard-nosed heckler handed over his credit card to the smiling salesman, with the thought ‘Please don’t be junk, please don’t be junk!’

I won’t lie to you -- I was rather excited when I opened the box the next day. I had a wonderful time sampling all of the snacks and biscuit packets in our larder then resealing them all up again with my new toy while my wife watched on, eyes turned skyward. And it didn’t break.

Nor did it stop working when I moved onto sealing more advanced items. Worried about dropping your smart phone into a sink of water – kersplash? Look honey, it still works. (Do I detect a hint of admiration in my beloved’s eyes? Nope, hmmm, might sleep in the shed tonight…)

Did you know that loose change rattling around in your glove box is easily silenced with a medium sized vacuum sealed bag (I had long since run out of the small ones).

And that you can make Pringles cry for mercy if you run the vacuum sealer on them just a little bit longer than strictly necessary?

The vacuum sealer hasn’t missed a beat, much to my wife’s disappointment. (I don’t think she appreciated me sealing up all the toilet rolls in the motorhome to prevent them from getting wet).

In fact, the only complaint I have is that I should have bought more bags. Luckily they sell extra packs on the wholesaler’s website and I’m going to buy some too -- just as soon as I figure out which bag I sealed my credit card in.