Has anyone tried using the pouches that are supposed to compress the items packed? Do you think they are worth buying? If so, what are the best kind? Thank you

I am not sure if this is what you mean, but I often take those transparent space bags that you close with a vacuum cleaner, (or by rolling tightly to compress the air.) I take one or two along if I plan to do lots of shopping. They are marvelous!



https://www.spacebag.com/spacebag

The fancy ones work as well as 1 gallon or 2 1/2 gallon ziploc bags that you sit on to force out the air and then zip up.

the only problem is that they work too well most of the time. Saving you space but allowing you to pack more weight into the same suitcase. So you wind up with a suitcase that is much heavier than normal.

Yes and I think they're brilliant!

I bought a package of 3 and used them on a 10 day trip to Greece this past May. I had clothes to spare. A friend who also had a 22 inch roll aboard couldn't believe how much more I was able to pack.

I used them again on a 2 week trip to France in August. On the first trip I used one for trousers, one for shirts
and one for socks and underwear. That meant all 3 needed to be opened the first time I needed to change. So for trip 2 I packed each bag with complete outfits and it worked much better.

The bags I use do not need a vacuum cleaner.
You seal the bag with a double zip lock and then run a special plastic gadget over the closure to make sure it's locked. You then roll the bag until just when you think it's bound to blow up in your face a valve lets the air out.

I am really sold on these things and will get more when these wear out.

Rob

I don't use them for compressing clothes, but I love them for holding small items - I use one for my bathroom stuff, one for electronics (chargers and cables) and one for socks, underpants and bras.

Do your clothes get very wrinkled in the bags!

Byrd

No, they do not get too wrinkled. And they are much better for this purpose than normal zip loc bags, and come in sizes far larger than 1 or 2.5 gallons! I would hardly call the space bags "fancy!"

I've been using the 2/gal. ziplocks for what seems years... just to separate and protect clothing. While they do save space, I've learned to be careful not to overpack which becomes tempting. With airline weight limits, on intl flights, anything over will cost you.

At Home Depot I found ziplock bags in three different "big" sizes - the largest is quite huge, actually - and used them for a recent trip. They worked just fine. Since we were staying a little over a week in one location I unpacked and hung up shirts and trousers and used the largest bag to collect laundry. They were cheaper than the space bags. I do agree, though, that compressing lets you fit ore into a bag, resulting in greater weight.

I love zipper bags when we move a lot staying at different places. Easy to see what's in each bag, no need to unpack everything every night.

I don't use compressor bags - even if I take the air out at home with the vaccum, how do I do it in a hotel?

With a zipper bag, I don't close the bag completely leaving a small hole, squize the air out, zip it up.

In a hotel, you borrow a vacuum. I've never had a problem!

To me they are just one more thing in the suitcase that takes up room and adds weight. And you can't even wear them!

The travel Space Bags have a double air lock and you remove the air by rolling them. They don't use vacuums.

I've used them quite successfully but take a couple of extra because I've found that they sometimes fail. Be careful not to over pack past the guideline, also watch the weight as it can quite quickly add up.

Thank you all so much.. I posted the same question on travel tips and between both sites I now know it's a bit of a toss up - some people swear by one method and others by another. Think I will start off with the large zippers and sit on them. I definitely don't need any encouragement to pack more! Will let you all know how I do - we are going for a month..with different type social activities which is always a little more of a problem to minimize weight.. you really don't want to see me in a travel knit!! Thanks again everyone.

When I first heard the term "Space Bags" I immediately thought of John Glenn.