I know that I have read on this site that the popsicles that are sold in liquid form to be frozen later are popular with the soldiers.   I picked up a couple packages of these popsicles recently, 100 pops each, but I am having trouble getting them packaged in a way that makes me confident that they will reach their desination without having a "malfunction" in transit.  

I have read Marty's post re: sending liquids and I have followed most of those pointers already, with the exception of removing excess air from ziplock bags.   There did not seem to be a good way to do that without risking rupture of some of these popsicle sticks.   I have taken each ziplock bag and gently taped it to help steady the cargo inside and I have filled my shipping box, (flat rate), with enough of these so as to not have them flopping around in transit.  I placed all of the packaged pops in plastic grocery bags after securing and wrapping them in the ziplocks and taping them.   Any dead space in the box was gently filled with old plastic grocery bags.   The pops are the only items in the box.   I feel that I have done a pretty good job of packaging these things, but I have a bad feeling and I am not going to send them out until I resolve this one way or another.   Any suggestions from the pros out there?

I am thinking that a box within a box might be my next best move.   I wanted to leave these pops in their original box, but it would not fit in any of my other shipping boxes, particularly my favored flat rate boxes.   Thanks for any suggestions, I want to get these items on their way because my soldier knows that they are coming!

Any chance you have, or know someone who has a foodsaver?  If so you can put the icepops in foodsaver bags and double seal the ends.  Someone had them onsale in the paper today for $40, but I'll be darned if I can find the ad now...   I love my foodsaver, was worth every penny...

It sounds like you have covered yourself for normal shipping barring a smashing or package breaking incident, which we hope won't happen.  No matter how you pack them, if they are smashed, they are likely done for, so don't sweat it.  Just stick it in the mail and quit being a worrier.  They should kind of cushion one another.

Gran

The way I did it was pick up one of the dollar general version of tupperware ( which was only a $1.00) and put the pops in there then into the shipping box.  I guess they made it ok.  Not only did they get the goodies, now they have a container for other items.  Unfortunatly, you may not be able to leave in original box.

It sounds like you have packaged them very well!

I always pack ice pops in vacuum sealed bags, too (and also love my Foodsaver!). If you want to purchase a Foodsaver, I suggest that you monitor their website, especially their "outlet" section: http://www.foodsaver.com/. There isn't much in the outlet section right now, but sometimes there are really terrific deals listed. FYI, there is a decent looking model for $50 listed right now in the "Foodsaver Appliances" section that you might want to look at (there is also one listed for $40, but it doesn't have the features you'll want). There is also a great deal on rolls of 8" bags going on right now ($16 for 4 rolls).

BTW, if you sign up for their listserv, you will get notices of special sales periodically.

 

I have never heard of a Foodsaver but I am going to check it out now!   I am not as concerned about whether the pops will make it unscathed as I am about collateral damage that my box full of dripping popsicles could do to other packages.   If my first box does not survive, I will regroup and send another one.  

 Popsicles:   $3.50

Shipping:      $8.79

Recipient's enjoyment:   PRICELESS

Here is a little story.  My friend and I bought 5 boxes of 200 each otter pops at costco for $7.50 each box.  We then went to Trader Joe's to get some healty snacks to send.  We each had our boys with us and thought we would buy them a treat for being good while boring shopping with us moms.  ( they really wanted to go to the skate park). anyway.  We bought them some very tasty strawberry popcicles.. mind you that these ones are frozen.  My very opinunated 9 yr old son protests this by saying  and I quote "Oh Man, cant't you send the healthy popcicles to the troops and give us the otter pops"?LOL

What a cute story!   I got a chuckle and I am going to forward it to one of my contatcts.

I have bought a brand called Pop Ice, 100 pops to a box, and was able to cut down one end of the original packaging so it fit inside a flat rate box.  One end of the original packaging gets cut off and trimmed back a little, but the pops were double-protected on all sides except one end.  They made it to my soldier intact and boy, was she ecstatic!  She normally gives away 100% of what I send her but she told me she enjoyed 10 of those 100 pops herself!  I now send a box of them every other week.

We just sent out Flavor-Ice brand freeze pops which come 18 to a package with bed sheets to one of our hospital contacts, and all we did was remove the cardboard inserts from the sheets and put them back in their heavy plastic bags, then put both of the 18 packs in their own gallon ziplock bag on top of the sheets and surround them with bubble wrap.  I am thinking positively and hoping for the best.  I didn't even double bag them since they were padded all the way around.

BTW - does anyone know which of the freeze pops are better than others?  The Flavor-Ice have a tiny bit of fruit juice, so that's why we bought those, but we haven't tasted any of them in years, because we get regular popsicles for the grandchildren.

Gran

I have seen  requests for Wylers, but my local Target stopped carrying the bigger boxes, I can still get the $1.00 wylers at walgreens.  I sent some of the other ones that were tropical flavors...I have personally tested both---they are all good when you are hot !!!