Vote Now! Yes or No to Space Bags?

[bevo]

I bought a set of 4 space bags at wal mart recently,American Tourister brand, 4/$18.00. Started packing tonight as we leave early Friday morning driving to Orlando...cruise Sunday on Mariner.

I followed the instructions and the space bags increased the space in my suitcases. I am just so worried by clothes are going to look they sat wet in a pile by the time I unpack on Sunday. Mainly I just packed shorts and tops in these...no pants or "dining room" clothes.

For those of you that have used them....did your clothes wrinkle badly?

They definitely increase the space in your suitcase, I just would like some assurance that my clothes are going to have to be all "hand pressed" with Downy Wrinkle Release when I get there. If the results are overwhelmingly negative, I guess I will unpack and repack without the bags. I sure do hope you guys like them,though!

[TomNorth86]

I have used them. The clothes do come out wrinkled, but just lay them out and they will smooth out. They are better to use with shirts and underwear, because you can compact more in one space. They were great when I had to take stuff that was wet home. HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!!

[bevo]

I apologize for the "double" poll. Typed the first one up and it wouldn't "appear" on the board. Wrote this one, and POOF...they are both there! I apologize....

(Guess it will be interesting to see if the results are similar on each poll, huh?);)

[serious sealeggs]

I often use space bags and love it! We cruise with 2 adults and 4 kids and it cuts down the amount of luggage we carry considerably. Beware though, if you pack in large suitcases using space bags, the weight will increase quite a lot. Many airlines have now restriced the weight of each bag to less than 70#. Our teenage daughter was charged $75 by the airline for a suitcase that weighed over the limit. I would suggest using smaller suitcases when using space bags. It's easier to maneuver anyway.

[ab1881]

we always take my husbands pillow this way.

[Sheffie]

I often use space bags and love it! We cruise with 2 adults and 4 kids and it cuts down the amount of luggage we carry considerably. Beware though, if you pack in large suitcases using space bags, the weight will increase quite a lot. Many airlines have now restriced the weight of each bag to less than 70#. Our teenage daughter was charged $75 by the airline for a suitcase that weighed over the limit. I would suggest using smaller suitcases when using space bags. It's easier to maneuver anyway.

 

Just as an FYI, for domestic flights MOST airlines only allow 50#s.

[Lorabele]

We don't use them when we are going TO the cruise, but we use them for dirty laundry coming home. It frees up space in our suit cases, for souvenirs. Also keeps the dirty clothes separated from the clean - and for some reason we're always hauling home clean clothes.

[ineedacruise]

I use the One Zip bags though. Much cheaper and work just as well.

[stillfrantic]

I bought space bags at Wal-Mart and they were not a good quality. I now buy 2 gallon zip lock bags and they are GREAT! I stuff them, then sit and zip. They are great for things like underware that you wouldn't want security touching. Also great for putting together children's outfits by day....just hand them a bag with everything they need inside.

[ISABELLA]

Used them. LOve them. Have to be very careful not overpack and then nothing ever wrinkled. 2 gals size also work great.

[AkSusan]

Learned this trick in 1999 when we were going on a safari to Kenya but instead of the space bags I too only use the 2 gallon zip locks. Even if I'm not going on a trip that makes you move every couple of days, I still do this because it organizes things so well and then also helps with the dirty clothes situation on the way home.

 

Susan :)

[lovetocruiserccl]

I use them all the time. It saves lots of space in the suitcases. I think someone has space bags confused with ziplocks from what I read in a previous post. Just for the record they are not the same.

[megr1125]

I TRIED to use them......got so frustrated I said forget it. Maybe I was trying to put too much stuff in...we got the samsonite ones at the samsonite outlet. I couldn't get them to roll and I don;t think I put THAT much stuff in them. Any ideas??

[Suzy B]

Another vote here for “Ziploc® Easy Zipper” bags – the 2 gal. size. Here’s the link:

http://www.ziploc.com/easy.asp

 

Just fill, sit & zip! :rolleyes: Yes, you can put a lot more clothing in your suitcase when you use them, but be careful that you stay within your airline’s weight restriction. You’ll reach 50 lbs. before you know it! :eek:

 

We use a hanging fish scale when finished packing:

http://topnotchscales.com/s/index.html?loadfile=catalog6_0.html

 

Or several on eBay:

http://search.ebay.com/fish-scale_W0QQfnuZ1

 

Be sure to take it with you on your cruise so you can weigh your suitcases after putting in all those new goodies in you just bought! If you are too close to your limit, just remove a few Ziploc bags (already filled with clothing) & put them in a carry-on tote bag or redistribute to another suitcase.

 

Wrinkles are kept to a minimum, depending on the fabric. You will definitely notice a lot less wrinkles when using the “Ziploc® Easy Zipper” bags. The few that we had, came out after hanging the clothing up in the closet. :)

 

Happy packing!

Suzy B

[setsail]

We use the 2 gal. zip locks. After packing we just step onto the bath scales, step off and pick up a suit case and get back on scales.

[cinnarose]

For those of you that have used them....did your clothes wrinkle badly? They definitely increase the space in your suitcase, I just would like some assurance that my clothes are going to have to be all "hand pressed" with Downy Wrinkle Release when I get there.

I used the space saver bags for my clean clothes on my first cruise. Now, maybe I packed them too full or something, but my clothes were so wrinkled that I ended up unpacking them from the bags at the pre-cruise hotel. I think that most of the wrinkles came out by the time I wore the clothes, but I was pretty horrified at first.

 

I have also used the 2 gallon Ziploc bags during a non-cruise trip, and there was a lot less wrinkling. It also was nice because I packed the clothing in outfits, so all I had to do was pull out a bag and it was all there. Really nice since I was a crew member on a week-long charity bike trip and we were only allowed one bag!

[MysticRhythmCruiser]

Have them, love them. I travel a lot for work and could fit a week's worth of clothes on a carryon suitcase. Highly recommend...though I use the American Tourister brand bags. You can get them at Walgreens for much less than retail.

 

Yes everything will come out wrinkled. However, I suggest that on the first day of your cruise, have your wrinkled stuff sent out for pressing...it's half the price of regular cleaning and everything comes back crisp and fresh.

 

Cheers,

Esther

[Lilygrace]

we always take my husbands pillow this way.

 

AB1881, does your pillow get real small if you use one of these. Small enough to fit in your suitcase without taking up too much room?

[JrMafia90]

We never used them before because you need a vacum to suck out all the air. Well on a cruise were are you finding a vacum? I never seen one.

[MysticRhythmCruiser]

We never used them before because you need a vacum to suck out all the air. Well on a cruise were are you finding a vacum? I never seen one.

 

There are space bags that you just roll or push on to get the air out. No vacuum required.

 

Cheers,

Esther