jQuery: Unbind event handlers to bind them again later

There is a events element in the data of the item. This should get your started, you can read your elements and store the handlers in an array before unbinding. Comment if you need more help. I got this idea from reading the $.fn.clone method so take a look at that as well.

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('#test').click(function(e) {
        alert('test');
        var events = $('#test').data("events");
        $('#test').unbind('click', events.click[0]);
    });
});

<a id="test">test</a>

Here is how to achieve that, provides a storeEvents and a restoreEvents methods on a selection. storeEvents takes a snapshot of the events on the moment it is called. restoreEvents restores to the last previous snapshot. Might need to twist it a little for parameterizing the unbinding while restoring, maybe you'd like to keep the bound events after the last snapshot.

(function($){

    function obj_copy(obj){
            var out = {};
        for (i in obj) {
            if (typeof obj[i] == 'object') {
                out[i] = this.copy(obj[i]);
            }
            else
                out[i] = obj[i];
        }
        return out;
    }


    $.fn.extend({

        storeEvents:function(){
            this.each(function(){
                $.data(this,'storedEvents',obj_copy($(this).data('events')));
            });
            return this;
        },

        restoreEvents:function(){
            this.each(function(){
                var events = $.data(this,'storedEvents');
                if (events){
                    $(this).unbind();
                    for (var type in events){
                        for (var handler in events[type]){
                            $.event.add(
                                this, 
                                type, 
                                events[type][handler], 
                                events[type][handler].data);
                        }
                    }
                }
            });
            return this;
        }

    });
})(jQuery);

There is a jQuery plugin called Copy Events, which copies events from one object to another. This could very easily be used to "save" events from one element and bring them back later. Just one more option :)

Edit: fixed broken link

In order to unbind an event handler you need to pass the handler function into unbind(). So you already have the handler function, all you have to do is remember it.