Smelly Proof Bags: What They Are, What They’re Good For, and Why the Sizes Matter
There are a lot of smelly proof bags on the market. Most of them aren’t.
The seal goes after a few uses. The zip sticks or splits. The bag itself is thin enough that you can smell through it if you press your nose close enough. Fine if you’re storing paperclips. Not fine if you’re storing anything that actually has a smell.
Smelly Proof bags are different. They’ve been making them in California for over 20 years, and the design hasn’t changed much because it didn’t need to. Nylon-reinforced double-wall construction, a double-locking zip that actually locks, and a barrier that blocks odour, moisture and air getting in or out. They won the PTPA award in 2022 — Parent Tested Parent Approved — which tells you something about the range of people using them.
We stock them at Willy Banjo. Have done for years. Clear and black, five sizes, in packs of 5, 10 or 25.
What they’re for
The short answer is: anything you need to keep contained.
People use them for food — snacks for a long drive, cheese that’d stink the fridge out, spices in a rucksack. For camping, they’re genuinely useful. No one wants their tent smelling of last night’s sausages, or their sleeping bag full of moisture.
For travel they’re good for the same reasons. Airport security doesn’t care what’s in the bag but they do care about leaks, and a decent smell-proof bag won’t let liquid or powder go anywhere it shouldn’t.
At festivals — and we’ve done a few — they’re essential for keeping your kit together. Tobacco, rolling papers, pipe gear, anything you want to stay dry and accessible without it stinking out your day bag. The black ones are useful when you’d rather people couldn’t see the contents at a glance.
And yes, plenty of people use them for smoking accessories. Tobacco, pipe tobacco, rolling kit. The bags don’t let the smell out, which is the point.
Clear or black
Clear lets you see what’s in the bag without opening it. Useful if you’re organised and want to find things quickly. Works well for food and camping kit.
Black keeps the contents private. Can’t see through them at all. Better if you’re carrying something you’d rather not have on display.
Both Smelly Proof bag styles use the same construction. Same seal, same zip, same barrier. The difference is purely visual.
The sizes — and why most listings get them wrong
This is where it gets annoying if you’re shopping online. Most UK retailers list Smelly Proof bag dimensions that are wrong, approximate, or copied from somewhere else and never checked. The US brand website uses American naming — gallon, quart, snack — which doesn’t translate directly.
Here are the actual dimensions. External is the full bag size. Internal is the usable space inside.
| Size | External | Internal |
|---|---|---|
| X Small | 12.5 × 11.0 cm | 10.5 × 7.5 cm |
| Small | 17.0 × 14.5 cm | 15.0 × 9.5 cm |
| Medium | 17.5 × 23.5 cm | 15.5 × 18.5 cm |
| Large | 23.5 × 29.5 cm | 21.5 × 24.0 cm |
| X Large | 30.5 × 44.0 cm | 28.5 × 38.5 cm |
These apply to both clear and black.
X Small is good for a few papers, a lighter, small amounts of tobacco. Small is your rolling kit plus a bit more. Medium fits most people’s daily carry — a grinder, papers, tobacco, a pipe. Large works for festival kit or anything you’re storing rather than carrying. X Large is serious storage — you’re fitting a lot in.
Made in the USA. BPA free.
The material is FDA approved. No BPA, no phthalates. Worth knowing if you’re storing food or anything going near your mouth.
Smelly Proof bags are reusable. Wash them out and they come back fine. At the price per bag — especially in the 25-pack — they work out cheap for what they do.
The brand’s been making them since the early 2000s — smellyproof.com has the full story if you want it.
Get Smelly Proof bags at Willy Banjo
We stock the full range. Clear and black, X Small through X Large, in 5, 10 and 25 packs. Prices start at £3.
13a Lowthian Street, Preston. Or online — we post out every day.