I was wondering if any of those boil in the bag (or oven bags) are strong enough and withstand heat well enough to be used over a fire?

If they are could including them in the emergency kit instead of normal zip lock baggies be a way around packing a pot to boil water or cook in?

Any thoughts on it?

I agree with IzzyJG99!!

I agree. They're still only plastic.

Good thought. I've no experience with them over an open fire without a pot or other container. Boil bags are made to be boiled in a pot, about 212 F, so a flame would probably melt them. The oven bags are made to resist oven temperatures, but not to come into contact with flame or heat elements, so it'd be interesting to find out how they would deal with a flame.
Obviously, they work as intended when used as intended. We've used them to boil foods in a pot, and used the oven bags in a dutch oven with good success, saves on clean up time.

Just heat some rocks in the fire - transfer the rocks to one side; cover the rocks with a layer of wet vegetation such as Sphagnum moss; place the boil in the bag on the first layer of Sphagnum moss then cover the boil in the bag with some more Sphagnum moss and then cover with sand to hold in the heat; wait 10-15min to steam heat and then tuck in.

Similar idea to Ray Mears cooking venison on the West coast of Scotland

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ayKMitUKz-g

There was a Survivorman episode where Les Stroud boiled water in a plastic bottle over an actively burning (not smoldering or coals) fire. I'm guessing it could be done although I would rather try with coals or hot rocks. However with all the current controversy about BPA and polyethylene I think I would not try it unless in real need. Heck, I don't even microwave with saran wrap anymore...

Look on EBAY for Reynolds hot bags (discontinued). These are foil bags for the grill. They are made of aluminum foil. I saw a bunch on ebay,

hot bags

Am_Fear_Liath_Mor, I always love to watch Ray Meres videos, he's probably the only guy I know who's so comfortable in the woods that he gains weight when in survival mode. I would love to have a tenth of his knowledge, he definitely makes things look easy. I thought about his Woodlore school awhile back but it was way to expensive.

Ray Mears is also known as "Fatty Mears"....in a good way though and this is for the very reason you described.

I have always considered Mears as one of the best of the best survival experts. This is not only for his technical survival knowledge but also for his philosophy regarding the wilderness as to how we have the ability to learn to live in it comfortably and at the same time, treat the wilderness with respect.

OK, it looks like it is time to experiment.
Thanks everybody.

He also did it with a camelback bladder. As long as the part with the water is over the flame (mind you, he adjusted the height constantly so that the flame didn't lick the container), the water should withdraw enough heat from the plastic to avoid its melting.

I'm pretty sure it would work, haven't you ever done the science experiments in school where you boil the water in a paper cup? The water draws away the heat fast enough to prevent burning.

Would you use this only to boil water as a way of heating up another bag, or have to food directly in the bag?

I was thinking about boiling water in the bag at first, but I see no reason a person could not boil food in the water.
Once you can boil water you can cook all sorts of things in it, have sterile water, and even make a cuppa tea.

I was thinking maybe I could poke a stick or something through the top part of it to hold it above the fire, or maybe tie a string to a top corner and hang it from that.
What worries me us the bag might get too soft above the water to hold any weight.

I think Saturday I will try the idea with a zip lock baggy or two and then look for a "boil in the bag" type baggy.
I don't think a zip lock will stand the heat of boiling water.
An oven bag would certainly stand the heat, but most I have seen are pretty flimsy.

It would not be as good as a real pot, but if I am carrying baggies in my emergency kit anyhow it might be a nice trick to have available.

I do pack some of those bags in my PSK as a water storage bag tho. They are quite tough and hold more than a ziplock bag. They also fold up quite small.

We used to use oven bags in our crock pot, then so many of them started to leak that we stopped wasting our money on them. But even if you get one that doesn't leak, I doubt that it could stand much open flame. Altho I have seen eggs cooked in a paper sack over open flame, so who knows...

It's important to note that that only works with paper cups. Plastic or foam cups melt. The Boy Scouts cook eggs and other food in paper cups full of water stuck down into the coals, the water carries off heat and keeps the cup from burning, water boils, food cooks. But, again, plastic cups melt, they don't conduct the heat fast enough for the water to carry it off before the plastic absorbs enough to melt.