Looking for experiences with "Space Bags"

[Anal Annie]

OK, so I am currently conducting my own "independent testing" on some "travel space bags" to see how wrinkley stuff gets. I bought the kind that don't use a vacuum cleaner bcuz I didn't know if the others would work with the vacuums in the DVC studios or not?! The stuff I am experimenting with is a little too thick to roll up much. So I suspect the ones that use a vacuum may be easier and more efficient to use but just wondered who's used them for your DVC trips and which kind you use!? I've seen posts that go both ways about the vacuum cleaner ones working or not with the DVC vacuums... (Do they only need the hose to work?)

 

[superminnie]

i just bought some space bags and took them back. I got both kinds vacuum and roll up ones for my upcoming trip to the world, but several of them leaked. I would get all the air out and the next morning they would be all puffy again. I tried resealing them and they still leaked, could have just been me though

 

[Tara]

i just bought some space bags and took them back. I got both kinds vacuum and roll up ones for my upcoming trip to the world, but several of them leaked. I would get all the air out and the next morning they would be all puffy again. I tried resealing them and they still leaked, could have just been me though

I've heard this from friends who used space bags, too.

 

[dwelty]

We use space bags all the time for our trips to the world. We use the vaccume kind, and store a little hand held vac with attachements in our owners locker. IT works great, we can fit our family of 4's clothes for a week in one big suitcase. Our biggest problem is the weight. Using Spacebags you can fit alot in one suitecase and it is easy to go over. We have had no problems with leakage and we have used the same bags several times.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The DVC vacuums don't have hoses. So you can't use them with the Space bags.

Be careful using space bags. They may save space, but they don't save weight and you could get overloaded and wind up paying for a heavy bag.

 

[Anal Annie]

The DVC vacuums don't have hoses. So you can't use them with the Space bags.

Be careful using space bags. They may save space, but they don't save weight and you could get overloaded and wind up paying for a heavy bag.

Hummm. That's why I started this thread and why I bought the roll-up kind to test. I had started another thread a day or two ago to ask some questions to John about the OL and someone posted over there that they DO use the vacuum type bags with the DVC vacs. I know I could go over weight easily if I was using them for checked luggage...I am thinking that if I can talk DH into an OL then we might be able to use them to get by with carry-ons! (I'm scheming any which way I can to get an OL!)

Meanwhile, I sorta thought they would hold more than what they do. Of course on the front of the box they picture this like 2' high pile of clothes. I tried out the "carry-on" size which is supposed to hold 2 blouses, 1 sweater & 1 jacket. So I experimented with a light sweater of DH's, one of his long sleeved cotton shirt, 1 long sleeve cotton sirt of mine & 1 of my t-shirts. I orig. had a couple other pieces in the pile too since it said it could hold a jacket but they wouldn't fit. So I am undecided yet about them...

 

[Dom262]

i just bought some space bags and took them back. I got both kinds vacuum and roll up ones for my upcoming trip to the world, but several of them leaked. I would get all the air out and the next morning they would be all puffy again. I tried resealing them and they still leaked, could have just been me though

We have tried them several times and each time they ALL leaked. Don't waste your money.

 

[donald...really]

I posted on your other thread, but I will post again here...

We use the roll up kind in our OL and they work great for us. We have a bunch of the smaller size for our t-shirts, underwear, and shorts, and a bunch of the larger size for our jackets, sweaters, jeans, and sweatshirts. We stuff them, roll them, seal them, and store them for months at a time. They haven't leaked yet. We couldn't be happier. But the clothes do come out wrinkled which I know is a deal breaker for you...

 

[robinb]

I had the roll-up kind and they worked OK and usually didn't leak. I stopped using them, though. They really didn't help all that much. I would also suggest against stuffing a carry-on. It could be difficult to lift a very heavy suitcase over your head and into the overhead bin.

 

[Dean]

They will save space but as mentioned, add weight so you do need to be careful. Overall they actually seem to cause less wrinkles if done correctly and that's with the rollup kind and given we've never been very successful preventing wrinkling when packing, it certainly doesn't make thing worse. I'd expect even less of an issue with the vacuum type. They also work well for dirty laundry which always seems to take up more space. With timeshares we rarely have much dirty laundry to bring home though. We have them but generally only use them for things like cruises though with the recent changes in luggage for air fare, likely will use them more than in the past.

 

[Anal Annie]

They will save space but as mentioned, add weight so you do need to be careful. Overall they actually seem to cause less wrinkles if done correctly and that's with the rollup kind and given we've never been very successful preventing wrinkling when packing, it certainly doesn't make thing worse. I'd expect even less of an issue with the vacuum type. They also work well for dirty laundry which always seems to take up more space. With timeshares we rarely have much dirty laundry to bring home though. We have them but generally only use them for things like cruises though with the recent changes in luggage for air fare, likely will use them more than in the past.

These extra fees to check bags are REALLY putting a cramp in my style...I always used to pack a 26" duffle that mashed flat to use as a hamper for our return trip home! I mean, really...who wants to FOLD their dirty laundry so that it fits back into their suitcase? Nobody I know wants to bother being THAT neat. That's why I'm trying to figure out what else we can do and why I'm looking into the space bags.

I unloaded my first "test bag" and re-packed it this evening. The first set of "test clothes" were in the bag for 2 days. I had not ironed them first but had taken them right out of the dryer to fold them up prior to putting them in the bag. They are pretty wrinkley. I mean they sorta look like they were slept in or something. My 2nd test bag now has 2 pair of jean shorts and 5 t-shirt size tops. It is approx. 3" high and about 11" x 10". I had to re-fold things differently than I normally do to get them into it tho and it required a bit of gyrations & contortions & odd facial expressions I'm sure on my part to get the air squeezed out of the bag. IT was a little bit like work to get them in. They really don't roll so much when they're full.

I really should work in a lab somewhere! I am just TOO anal...

 

[Deb & Bill]

These extra fees to check bags are REALLY putting a cramp in my style...I always used to pack a 26" duffle that mashed flat to use as a hamper for our return trip home! I mean, really...who wants to FOLD their dirty laundry so that it fits back into their suitcase? Nobody I know wants to bother being THAT neat. That's why I'm trying to figure out what else we can do and why I'm looking into the space bags. ...

That's why you never get a studio, always a one bedroom or larger. Go home with clean clothes.

 

[Dean]

These extra fees to check bags are REALLY putting a cramp in my style...I always used to pack a 26" duffle that mashed flat to use as a hamper for our return trip home! I mean, really...who wants to FOLD their dirty laundry so that it fits back into their suitcase? Nobody I know wants to bother being THAT neat. That's why I'm trying to figure out what else we can do and why I'm looking into the space bags.

I unloaded my first "test bag" and re-packed it this evening. The first set of "test clothes" were in the bag for 2 days. I had not ironed them first but had taken them right out of the dryer to fold them up prior to putting them in the bag. They are pretty wrinkley. I mean they sorta look like they were slept in or something. My 2nd test bag now has 2 pair of jean shorts and 5 t-shirt size tops. It is approx. 3" high and about 11" x 10". I had to re-fold things differently than I normally do to get them into it tho and it required a bit of gyrations & contortions & odd facial expressions I'm sure on my part to get the air squeezed out of the bag. IT was a little bit like work to get them in. They really don't roll so much when they're full.

I really should work in a lab somewhere! I am just TOO anal...

The W/D makes a big difference. We had a 15 night trip to HI Jan, 2008 & a 11 night trip to Aruba this Jan. In both cases I took 2 pair of long pants, 2 or 3 pair of shorts, 5 shirts, 4 pair underwear , 2 pr shoes (one old pr tennis shoe to throw away) and washing detergent. We just threw things in the W/D as appropriate as we went out or came in. No hassle and for about 1/3 the amount of clothing without a W/D. Make sure you weigh your bags if 24 inches or larger and you use the space bags. My daughters 26 inch non expandable on her trip to Europe was 49.5 # and another 1# and she might have had to pay extra. As I hinted, we don't consider wrinkles a big deal. Once you hang them up, most will fall out. If not and it's too bad, you can always get an iron.

 

[dopeygirl76]

We use the roll up kind and have not had any problems. We always do a one bedroom and as I wash and dry I fold and put in the space bags. I don't do this on the trip down and this way I have some room for shopping!!! They are wrinkled but it definately makes things easier. We have never had a problem with overweight - although I do spread the heavy stuff around so that helps!!

 

[Anal Annie]

I just can't bring myself to cook or do laundry on vacation! When we're at WDW we spend every waking minute either at the parks or at the pool so the points for a 1 bedroom would be wasted on us. Many years ago we used to rent a condo in Ocean City, MD and I would wash a load of beach towels every so often but that was because they were not provided & we had to bring our own & they needed to have the sand washed out... We also had to bring our sheets, mattress pads & bath towels so I had one large suitcase of ONLY linens! But oh ya'll!! Please don't make me do laundry on vacation!

My theory about the weight in the carry-ons is that if we get an OL then all of our toiletries & lotions, our pool bag, umbrellas, ponchos & at least 1 pr. of sandals will already be stored so the bags should only be clothes & a spare pair of shoes or sandals so that should help balance out the weight if we don't have that stuff in them. For our shorter trips, I was actually thinking of trying to pack the 3 of us into 2 carry-ons and to take one down empty so that we have that extra space for the return trip.

I always try to weigh our bags before I zip 'em up & call them done. Sometimes it's not so accurate. I might buy one of those travel scales sometime. I've had to re-pack at the airport in front of God and everybody else several times! Last summer we were checking in at BWI and one of our bags was 50.3 Lbs when I thought it was 48 Lbs. The skycap told me either take a few ounces out or he was charging me $25!!! So I opened up one of the outer zipper pockets & took something out & shoved it into a pocket on another bag. I think it was DS's PJ's or something. The last time we were in Hawaii we were doing our first island hop. We flew over on Delta & the skycap just took the bags w/o weighing them. But were doing our hopping on Hawaiian Airlines & they were much stricter. I ended up having to pull out my "spare" bag and repack right there on our first hop. THEN we got up to security & we had 2 carry-ons. One was a normal regular 21" suitcase & one was a lightweight duffle. We had those squishy neckroll pillows, some snacks & our headphones in the duffle & all of our toiletries & stuff in the reg. bag. Well, they had a 26 Lb weight limit on the carry-ons!! Who knew THAT one?! The regular suitcase was heavier to start with so it weighed like 30 Lbs and the little duffle weighed like 16 Lbs. So once again, I had to step out of line & re-pack right there in front of everyone. It was all the same stuff and the total weight was still the same but they made me adjust where I had it packed!!! I'd have been really screwed if we didn't have a 2nd carry-on to use!! This was in July 2006 RIGHT BEFORE they implemented the 3 ounce rule for the liquids in carry-ons. They started that like the week after we got home so we just made it on that one!!! We probably had $30 worth of sunscreens we'd have had to dump! (Whew!) But anyway, my point is that I'm very aware now of how heavy I pack bags now & try to distribute my weight around in them if I can. Next thing ya know the airlines will be charging us for carry-ons too!!

I fully expect that on a longer trip we will need more bags than just carry-ons. I have been switching us from regular suitcases to duffles because they weigh less to start with. One of our big 29" suitcases literally weighs 16 Lbs EMPTY (it's in the same set that matches that heavy carry-on). Last year I bought a 30" x 15" x 14" duffle that only weighs 8 Lbs empty. The problem for me with a lot of duffles is that they don't have the tie down straps in them for your clothes so you need to pack them full or else your stuff is all over the place when you get there. There are no more stacks!! So I am always on the lookout for "new and improved" bags to buy!! DH is like do we REALLY need MORE luggage?! Can you tell I drive him NUTS!?

 

[Dean]

Can you tell I drive him NUTS!?

Yes we can, LOL. With the new restrictions you're going to pay dearly for that obsession if you fly. My daughter and I flew to memphis recently (taking my Grandson to see his Great, Great GM) and Northwest charges for each and every checked bag. About the only thing they don't charge for is 1 carry on and car seats.

Seriously, one can do limited washing without any interruption on a vacation schedule and save like 1 large suitcase or more on a family of 4 for a week trip. More for much longer trips. In your case however you are in a studio generally and it is not nearly as easy to do. DVC likely doesn't represent a savings or even much benefit for someone who spends all day most days at the parks and only uses their room to sleep, doesn't do laundry and doesn't at least do simple smaller meals.

 

[dismom2-3]

Hummm. That's why I started this thread and why I bought the roll-up kind to test. I had started another thread a day or two ago to ask some questions to John about the OL and someone posted over there that they DO use the vacuum type bags with the DVC vacs. I know I could go over weight easily if I was using them for checked luggage...I am thinking that if I can talk DH into an OL then we might be able to use them to get by with carry-ons! (I'm scheming any which way I can to get an OL!)

Meanwhile, I sorta thought they would hold more than what they do. Of course on the front of the box they picture this like 2' high pile of clothes. I tried out the "carry-on" size which is supposed to hold 2 blouses, 1 sweater & 1 jacket. So I experimented with a light sweater of DH's, one of his long sleeved cotton shirt, 1 long sleeve cotton sirt of mine & 1 of my t-shirts. I orig. had a couple other pieces in the pile too since it said it could hold a jacket but they wouldn't fit. So I am undecided yet about them...

What is an OL?

 

[Anal Annie]

Yes we can, LOL. With the new restrictions you're going to pay dearly for that obsession if you fly. My daughter and I flew to memphis recently (taking my Grandson to see his Great, Great GM) and Northwest charges for each and every checked bag. About the only thing they don't charge for is 1 carry on and car seats.

Seriously, one can do limited washing without any interruption on a vacation schedule and save like 1 large suitcase or more on a family of 4 for a week trip. More for much longer trips. In your case however you are in a studio generally and it is not nearly as easy to do. DVC likely doesn't represent a savings or even much benefit for someone who spends all day most days at the parks and only uses their room to sleep, doesn't do laundry and doesn't at least do simple smaller meals.

We're using Air Tran for our next 2 trips and they also charge for every checked bag now. Last summer they at least allowed ONE for free but they were REALLY strict with the weight.

We DO enjoy the kitchenette ammenities and almost always have breakfast in the room. We often will toast bagels. Sometimes we use the microwave (I can also bring a box of that pre-cooked bacon with me that you zap in the microwave since it's not refrigerated until it's opened). It's also especially nice to have the counter size frig. We're just a family of 3 and DH doesn't normally eat breakfast anyway so the kitchenette is actually perfect for our needs. Cold beer & wine, coffee and bagels. What else does one need?!

I think I'm going to show my "pretend OL" to DH this weekend! It's time to get on with the show!!

 

[Anal Annie]

What is an OL?

OL = Owners Locker

It's a storage bin that you basically rent to store items in if you're a frequent visitor to the Orlando area. That way you don't have to pack everything every time! I'm currently trying to convince my DH that we'd benefit from having one!!

http://www.disboards.com/announcement.php?f=119&a=222

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm not sure what your avertion is to washing on vacation, but the in room laundry is one of our favorite parts of DVC! We pack very light (account for all types of weather conditions), and just wash as needed.

Also, have you ever experimented with just rolling clothes? If you like the roll bag idea, just lay all items out together. Roll like items, and they don't wrinkle as much. Sure, the "inside" item wrinkles a little, but for the most part, they are in much better shape than packing flat. For example" lay all the slacks or shorts on a pile and roll the whole pile. Do the same with T'shirts etc. I fell like it takes less space too, and if you buy a roll type duffle that is carry on size, it works pretty well.

Oh, and the OL saves us a LOT of packing! We have cosmetics and full size hair care items in there so we take virtually no liquids in our carry on, and that saves space and time at the airport too. DH even has an electric razor in our OL, and we have a curling iron etc in there too. I'm SO glad I don't have to worry about how to pack that stuff anymore!