Defective Ziplocs???
 

On our last trip to Europe, we used ziploc bags for our clothes and they worked great. Took much less room in suitcase, etc. For this trip, I bought ziplocs, put my clothes in, squished out the air, and within 2 minutes the air was back! Every single ziploc, no matter what size or brand, leaks air! I don't know what happened to the good old ziplocs I use to know and love.

that sounds weird somehow:) "leaks air" as if you are packing air and you are losing it!<BR>The times that I use ziplocks are when I am carrying leaky things, shampoo,etc.They have never leaked thatt sort of thing.<BR>I cannot imagine bags filling back up with air.And does it really matter?They don't actually Inflate do they?

Yes, yes, yes!<BR><BR>Betty, we've had the same problem, and we're frustrated, too. The first time we used the Ziploc packing method (two years ago), it worked great: All of our clothes remained practically vacuum-packed in our suitcases, saving us a lot of room. On the last two trips, though, no matter which brand we've tried, we've been disappointed -- they simply haven't been air-tight.<BR><BR>Lucy: The bags don't actually inflate. But the reason we use zipper bags is to save space -- the more air you can squeeze out of your clothes, the less space they take. If the bags don't hold their seal, then what's the point?

Lucy, hon, the purpose of the ziploc bags is to compress air out of the clothes so they take up less room, like in "squished".

My large ones were air-tight but the small ones were not!

bettyk and Jane, I noticed the same thing about the bags. I used them almost a year ago and it worked great. Then, this past Christmas I used them again and noticed they did not work as well at all. I thought I wasn't rolling them tight enough to squeeze out the air. I now realize it must be the bag. I did notice that from last year to this year, the zip-loc color was changed (maybe the zip-loc itself was also) and the bags seem ever so slightly thinner.

I hadn't written to the companies because I thought I'd maybe gotten a bad batch of bags. But the problem seems pretty widespread. Maybe we should start a letter-writing campaign to the friendly folks at Ziploc, et al.

Yes, maybe a letter writing campaign would do some good. I think they have tinkered with the zippers or something. I knew the ones with the plastic clippy thing didn't work right, but I thought for sure the old fashioned ziplocs would be okay. If I'd known they weren't going to work, I'd have bought those Travel Space Bags or something similar. But it's too late now since I am leaving Thursday.

Don't fret the travel bags don't work either after the first time, when you are packing at home. When you get to the hotel and try to repack, they don't work either. Are you trying the freezer ziplocs? I think they are stronger, but I haven't tested them lately.

I'm not sure I care, but what about the "Glad" version of the same bags? Same problem?

Dear mm, if you don't care, then why bother to respond?? And, yes, I tried all the various major brands and even the ones from Kroger.

For the love of everyones sanity.....<BR><BR>STOP POSTING STUPID THREADS AND GO TO MARTHASTEWART.COM<BR><BR>

I used Ziplocks last fall and they all worked great. You HAVE to use NAME BRAND ZIPLOCK. The cheaper ones are just that--cheaper and don't seal right. The Freezer bags are stronger and you should get a better seal with them, because the "zipper" is bigger. <BR><BR>Don't use the ones that actually have a pull type zipper, or quick zip whatever they call them , they never seal all the way.<BR><BR>For protecting your cloths a small leak should not be that much of a problem. For messy stuff(shampoo, etc) you could always fill some up with water a couple of days before, find the good ones, and let the dry before packing.

Dear uggggh: Perhaps you should just skip this thread since your fuse is so short. Many of us are very interested in this subject. Now, what did we decide about the freezer bags -- has anyone tried them lately?

I use freezer "slider closure" plastic bags whenever I take a trip. It seems a practical way to avoid a sloppy security inspection. If someone is going to rummage through my suitcase they will just be moving plastic bags around and I don't need to refold anything. The Hefty brand 2 1/2 gallon bags seem to still work fine for me, even though they have been well used this past year.

I see,Thanks.<BR>But I do use the freezer Glad zip locks and have had no leaks of messy things.<BR>It sounds like you got defective bags, if they are leaking air IN,then there must be holes where they are not vacuum packing.Lucy

Are you the Lucy that had the affair in Italy and now are home worrying about Ziplocs?

I tried Glad freezer, Ziploc freezer, Kroger freezer, Quart Size, 2 Gallon Size, 1 Gallon E-Z Fill. Really, none of them will stay compressed. There can't be holes in every bag. I still think it must have something to do with the zippers. And, yes, my suitcase is still nice and tidy, but I was hoping to compress some of my bulkier clothes so they wouldn't take up so much room. Maybe I can rummage around and find some of the old ziplocs I used on my last trip -- at least they worked!

No.I am the Lucy that is happily married for a long time ,that just returned from France but thanks for asking.

I've had better luck with the freezer bags also. Is it possible that you are "slicing" the bag with your fingernails when you close it? Even though I don't have long nails, I have done this many times.

I have had the same problem, and even with food. I put washed lettuce in a ziploc (the expensive ones), and squished out the air so the lettuce would stay fresh (vacuum packed sort of). About 2 days later I went to use it and there was air in the bag as if I had never compressed it. Rather annoying. I might as well buy the cheap ones.

OK, here's the dumb question. <BR><BR> Don't your clothes get impossibly wrinkled when you squish them into ziplocks or anything else for that matter?

If you fold them neatly, they are no more likely to wrinkle than if you packed them by any other method. In fact, maybe less so because the clothes can't move around.

After a couple of times, none of them work anyway but I still like to use the ziploc 2 gallon size to organize my suitcase. Leave part of the bag "unzipped" and then when you squish your suitcase closed, the air will be smushed out anyway. Perhaps not as much but works for me.

You have to be careful when you squish the air out of the ziploc bag not to force the air out too fast/hard because if you do you will create a new hole (if the air can't escape fast enough through the top when you squish it out, it will create a new way to get out). If you press the air out very gently, a little at a time, you can avoid this problem. And I agree that the thicker bags like the freezer ones tend to work better. I also think that the ones with the closure that you press together yourself work better than the ones with the little plastic thing at the top that you slide over.

Question to be answered is WHERE is the air seeping in? My experience is that it isn't some teeny hole somewhere, it's right at the top on the corners, where the zipper makes the top of the bag thicker than the rest of it, so the seal just isn't complete. That's why folding over the top limits the seepage of air into the packet. <BR><BR>I've had limited success with closing the zipper 7/8ths of the way across before forcing out the air in the packet, then closing the last 1/8th while leaning on the packet. It's usually pretty obvious pretty soon if air is going to get back in there. <BR><BR>If you are REALLY compulsive, you can fill the bag with air, seal it, and then press on it to find out where the leak is.