SanDiego1K

My husband has an upcoming trip with two distinct parts, one in very hot temperature and one in very cold. He needs to pack his puffy ski clothes for the cold part. He is restricted to one suitcase for the trip. I wonder if space bags might be a big help in his packing. He would need to be able to repack and get those clothes back to the same compactness. What is your experience, pro and con? Do you have a brand that you recommend?

tentseller

I had two trips which had two extreme temperatures like your hubbie's upcoming trip.

We have the vacuum suction bags at home but I wisely bought the roll tightly to expel air type for my trip to shrink the volume of my winter jackets as I am not sure whether I will have easy access to a vacuum cleaner with a hose.

TheInfamousJ

I went on one of those trips, and I rejected the premise of having to carry all of my things with me at the same time.

I shipped my colder gear (they may be puffy but they are light so cheap to ship) to my cold destination and shipped home my warmer gear in the same box that the cold gear arrived in.

The place I was staying was more than wiling to accept a package for me, in advance.

So freeing when you don't have to be restricted to just the space in your luggage.

Perhaps this is a better solution for your husband. Shipping boxes and tape are much easier to come by than space bags and if you are in the US, there are flat rate Priority boxes that don't even have weight limits.

Cheers!

SanDiego1K

Thank you for the thoughtful suggestion. His requirements are hot/cold/hot. He cannot ship to the part of the trip where he will need the cold weather clothes as there is no place to receive it. And it would negate the purpose of the entire trip should he not have appropriate cold weather clothes when he needs them. It's a great suggestion for a different kind of trip but not this one.

tcook052

After trying a few space bags I gave up and went with plain and cheap large Ziploc bags instead. One box of 10 Ziploc bags I bought recently that is sized to about 12 X 14 inches and fits a few sweaters or T-shirts and the air can be forced out as well IME as the fancier compression or space bags.

SkyForce6

Space bags or as they are also called Compression sacs can save up to 70% of vertical space inside your bag if you are packing for instance a fluffy down jacket. But if you are using a ski jacket then the compression will hardly be anything. In general tough I do not recommend packing your jacket since the jacket contain pockets you can store stuff in and also you are typically allowed to carry a coat/jacket in addition to your luggage on board a plane so you can store the jacket using something like a Travelon bag bungee or add a bag strap and keep the jacket on the outside of your luggage for convenience and space saving.

As for other compressible items such as sweaters, socks etc then I recommend the use of eagle creek compression sacs:

http://shop.eaglecreek.com/packit-co...l/d/1065_cl_-1

When packing compression sacs always pack them last on top since they are rather large and although they save vertical space you lose some horisontal surface area in the bag. Another disadvantage to the use of compression sacs is that they become rather hard so if you carry delicate items inside your carry on they will be less protected since these are hard compared to non compressed soft clothes that would otherwise have offered more dampening. Another disadvantage is if one of them breaks then you might find yourself in a situation where you can not close your carry on. So it is always recommended to carry an empty spare compression sac for safety!

Another thing worth mentioning is that compression sacs are not packing cubes, meaning not made to last years of use. Do not expect more then about 10 flights/5 round trips or so then you need new ones. So they are disposable in nature. Always squeeze out the air very slowly when using them to not put to much stress on the exhaust valve at the bottom.

I hope you found my advice usable in some way!

oldpenny16

I use Zip-Loc as well with light weight packing cubes (which can also be squished down as well). 2 gallon Zip-Locs are fantastic. I also hand wash laundry.

wendyg

I've done well with several different brands of space bags for a while, but eventually they all do wear out. Having some packaging tape available for repairs is always helpful. I just traveled to Alaska with a big Canada Goose coat in a space bag in m normal carry-on roller bag, and it was fine.

Depending how big the jacket is, your husbnd might l ike to check out Eagle Creek's new silnylon (I think they are) compression bags. They look llike they ought to be much more durable than the plastic bags.

wg

freecia

2.5 Gallon Zip bags do the trick for most women's clothing. Not sure if they'd fit male adult ski clothing http://www.target.com/p/hefty-jumbo-...t/-/A-14090417

The earlier specialty travel compression bags made so much noise when pushing the air out.

I do have some of the Eagle Creek silnylon lightweight compression cube, too, and mostly use the smaller size as it fits better in the nooks of my carry-on.

If he only needs to pack the cold weather gear once or twice, perhaps an oval shaped compression sack made for backpacking would be easier to fit along the side wall of a suitcase. Cinch cords work without rolling crinkly plastic or dealing with compression via zippers.
http://www.granitegear.com/outdoor/p...ion-stuffsacks

Space bags and compression sacks make items within them conform to a specific area with a certain stiffness, due to the compression factor. It sometimes leaves pockets of dead space between two compressed containers in a suitcase. Rolling some of the hot weather clothes and tucking them in the dead spaces might help.

If the clothing is puffy but malleable and light like a down coat, I sometimes put it at the bottom of a bag, put heavier items on top, and let it conform to the space of my bag. I can usually fit more in the bag this way than packing the coat in a Eagle Creek compression cube.

Cloudship

I have experimented quite a bit with them. For some things tehy work real well, for others not so much. One of the problems is that while you save some vertical space, you end up with all this useless extra plastic flap you need to take care of. One trick I have found is to use the really large bags, and pack as much as you can into those, and then compress it all at once. I am going to post a few Amazon links so you see what I am talking about, but you might find some better prices elsewhere if you search.

First things first, get an air pump. These will get you much better compression. This is the one I use, has held up for a year and a half so far, though I am starting to worry that I am getting a little rough with it.: . I tried one of those foodsaver batter pumps, but they did not work.

I use the Travelon Bags: . I like these because they have a vacuum pump port, but also can work as roll up bags. Plus, I like the thicker more flexible material (more a vinyl than plastic). You do have to be a bit more careful about sealing them, however, as they do not have a zip seal.

I have some Eagle Creek bags , They are OK, they seem durable. I like the zip seal, although i have lost a few of the little plastic zip sealers. The problem with these is they are hard to get all the air out, so you end up not getting as much compression. And, the plastic is not as easy to fold, so you end up with a lot of extra plastic to deal with you cant easily fold.

Lately, I have started to use the Foodsaver Quart and Gallon size vacuum bags for underwear and socks. This has really been helpful - I can put one days worth in a bag. If you are real careful about placing it in a bag (don't just stuff it) with the hand pump it compresses real well, and has the double bonus of being easy to organize. One hint, put a little piece of paper with dirty written on it when you reseal the bag with the dirty stuff in it. The one problem is I find the zip seals aren't terribly good. The Foodsaver so far has been better for me than the ziplock brand.

langham123

Hi,
I regularly use Space Bags for carryons and checked bags and have successfully used them to transport puffy jackets, comforters and blankets (for use on the aircraft. The only drawback is that unless you have use of a vacuum cleaner on the return journey, you are limited to rolling them. But as most of the undies and outer clothes are in need of a wash on the return journey, it's not a problem.

The bags don't last too long in my experience, perhaps 2 or 3 journeys so I buy from Walmart or Dollar stores. It frees up space in my bags and increases their capacity. Only drawback is if your bags are searched, it could prove embarrassing cramming everything back in the bag.

tfong007

I use two space bags when travelling with family that fit into a 20" luggage perfectly with a bit of room to spare. I use the Sea to Summit - eVent Compression Dry Sack. These are extremely durable and waterproof. These are made for outdoor trips but I use them for regular travel. I picked them up either on REI.com or Amazon. I have the 15 Liter size bags. Someone recommended them on another board about ten years ago and I have been using them ever since.

SanDiego1K

I appreciate all the great advice people have taken the time to offer. My husband went ahead and bought some random brand of large space bags from Amazon. It was pretty funny last night, watching him put a ski coat in one and ski pants in another, then working to expel the air. In the end, the bags were a fraction of the starting size. He feels confident of being able to take the clothes he needs within the constraint of one suitcase. He really only needs the space bags for this one trip, and as long as he successfully uses them on the return he will be fine.

boxo

Thanks for sharing your experience and the Travelon recommendation.

I only travel with a standard size backpack no matter where I go and for how long, and years ago used the Eagle Creek bags. I also had problems with the yellow plastic sealer doohickey. Once it became loose enough, it'd fall off and not stay clipped on the plastic rendering it useless.

A few years ago, I didn't want to spend on Eagle Creek and opted for the Samsonite bags. Mistake. The plastic is much thinner than what I was used to. I'd actually forgotten I bought them until today when Amazon reminded me. I liked them so little, the memory of them faded into oblivion, and come to thin of it, I haven't used a compression bag since.

So I've got a trip coming up where I'd like to pack a boiled wool sweater and a down vest. I came across online the new(?) Eagle Creek Compression Cubes made of fabric and double zippers. I'm intrigued, but they're even more expensive than the clear plastic ones. http://shop.eaglecreek.com/packit-sp...CategoryId=214

I've got a week to figure out what I want. Until then, I'll keep reading and searching. To me, the vinyl-ness of the Travelon bags sounds like a plus.

DragonSoul

Depending on where you live, check IKEA's roll-up vacuum-sealed bags called FJÄRMA. It's a 2-pk of 46x57 cm bags for about US$2.