Howie721

I am set to go on a 3 week trip using only a carry-on (a feat in and of itself). I recently purchased the travel bag version of the original space bags, https://www.spacebag.com/travelbag/910453/ .

I tried searching but could not come across anything. Anybody have any feedback/advice on these bags? Also, does anyone know of anything that works better or has worked well for them in the past?

Thanks in advance.

Zarf4

I used to use the SpaceBags but they were always a bit of a hassle to rummage through to find what I wanted. These days I swear by the Eagle Creek packing cubes & folders. They keep everything organized and pretty wrinkle free. I also prefer to carry-on, but always carry a very light nylon gymbag which folds up into a little pouch as a check-in with dirty clothes only for the flight back. This gives me more room for bringing back souvenirs & crap.

fly-yul

They work best if you can have someone else step on it while you hold the seal. One thing to think about it weight. The clothes take up less space but weight the same. You could end up with a very heavy carry on bag.

lin821

If you go to the Travel Products Forum, you will see a number of threads on this topic.

Howie721

Ahh, thank you. I figured Travel Technology was not the proper forum for this.

Thanks again and to the posters!

boxo

I have a small (or medium?) Eagle Creek sac I use for sometimes months at a time. Keeps things tidy in my backpack for sure. This kind of thing would be hard for me to go without.

nyc123zoe55

I think they are ok, not great. I have had problems with the zipper busting open. This has happened when the bags were lightly packed. I think a plastic bag would do this same thing.

yevlesh2

Tried them once for a 2-3 week trip and then had to iron everything once I got to the destination .

Plus, it would depends on how heavy the bag is and where you are going. I had no trouble carrying it on on the transatlantic flights, but was forced to check thee bag in on the short flights in Europe.

oldpenny16

My feelings are much the same as so well stated above, but I use a RedOxx Sun Chaser for my carry on bag.

ibdublin

The point about the weight of the filled bags is important - I use them for storage at home and only once tried them in a case. If you are flying FC and have an allowance per bag of 70lbs then it might be worth using them but remember the motto " Twice the money and half the clothes"! Will you actually use everything you'd pack into it?
I use the Eagle Creek pouches and find them excellent for keeping my bag organised - much easier to find stuff without rummaging around.

CRJAllTheWay

I found it took a bit more time to pack and more advance planning than otherwise, since it's better to pack items together that you'll use together to cut down on the rummaging. For me, this meant a complete change of matching clothes in each one, rather than say shirts in one & pants in another, but YYMV. Even if you can fit more than one set in a single spacebag, it's not worth it. Don't over fill them, and yes, prepare for wrinkles.

Currently I mostly use them for bulky items - like a sweatshirt or jacket (or even a pillow). I used to use them alot more, before I discovered those packing cubes others have lauded for my roll-aboard. Bookbag/briefcase/backpack is a different story - space bags in there still, b/c they flatten out and slide in nicely like a file folder.

I also echo the weight thing- it adds up real quick. The bags won't necessarily mean you can pack more, but they can make it LOOK like you have less by reducing the "bulge". Therefore you're less likely to be asked to weigh your carry-on (assuming weighing isn't std op). While it may take a bit to get everything compressed in the bags, at least you should be able to close the carry-on without any problems.

You've ordered these already, so go ahead and give them practice run. It really depends on the spacebag sizes you ordered, what size/type of carry-on you are using, and as mentioned, your itinerary. You'll soon find if they'll work for you.

Hope that helps.

CRJAllTheWay

I've tried those super-large ziploc bags but they they don't even come close to the compression you can get with the space bags, nor do they keep their shape. But if the objective is to sort your junk out and keep security folks from pawing your nice clean clothes, then ziploc works.

JennyElf

I use similar bags for packing so that I can put everything into a backpack that is carry-on sized. I agree with the weight issue, it'll still weigh the same, but it won't look as full so I don't generally get asked to weigh my carry-on. I can pack enough clothing for 10 days into a carry-on this way (15x22x10).

Down sides: Harder to pack fragile items. Things come out wrinkled sometimes. You need to fold the clothes well to make them fit efficiently.

Up side: Great for blankets and sweaters as it really compresses them. Also great for stuffing 3 days of clothing into a messenger bag.

My travel pattern is normally week long trips where I stay in a single location for the week so I don't find myself rummaging through the bags as I unpack the bag at the beginning of the week.

Howie721

Great, thanks for the replies. I am waiting on the delivery for these bags so I cannot give them a practice run just yet.

When they come in, I will surely give a practice run a quick try.

RonDace

I'm not familiar with the brand you mentioned but I swear by the two and one-half gallon hefty zip lock bags readily available at stores like target or walmart. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to pack, sit on, close. Weight is still an issue. It's easy to carry several spares and when they wear out I just toss or recycle them.