Has anyone used the Pack Mates?

I pack light because I don't take much. However, although I come nowhere near using all the space, I do have to watch the weight. Pack Mate doesn't save weight.

I echo Lee's comments. I tried the Pack Mate last Fall on my trip, and while it was useful for compressing some clothes, it doesn't save weight, only space. If you follow Rick's packing guidelines, you don't have to worry too much about space, only weight. I had Rick's Convertible Carry-On, and never even had to expand it with the expandable feature( even if I never used the Pack Mate). Soooo, next trip the Pack Mate stays home, not worth the investment IMO. One thing I did find very useful however were packing cubes. I have Ricks' and they are great for packing/organizing your stuff. I don't leave home without them now...

They're good for compressing a sweater or fleece for your flight over. Use your vacuum cleaner on the vent and the bag will be amazingly thin. Of course they will weigh the same but much easier for packing those bulky items.

Yes, I used them for a winter trip. I had some clothes (sweaters,etc.) that were not heavy, but they were bulky. I also swear by packing cubes. They keep your clothes organized in your luggage and when you arrive at a destination you can just take them out of your bag and put the cubes containing your clothes in a drawer or whatever is provided.

Sarah, I always take a medium Pack-Mate with me just in case I just HAVE to purchase something big and bulky...such as the skirt from Provence for our son's wedding in '06. It worked beautifully! If I hadn't had a Pack-Mate, I would have had to purchase a rolling bag just for the skirt! Of course, the Pack-Mates take up absolutely no space at all when they're empty.

I've also just used Ziploc bags - if I want to compress a fluffy fleece jacket, I can squish-and-roll that sucker flat, then pack it and use my interior compression straps. It'll stay flat that way (you can get your bag to zip shut!). Ziploc bags will eventually puff back up if not compressed by the suitcase straps, but PackMates have been known to do that, too. And my Ziplocs are a lot cheaper than my PackMates were...

I like to bring a pair of compression bags with me. One is for things like socks, underwear, my fleece vest, etc. The other is for clothes I've worn but haven't washed yet.

Like Mary, I just use 2 gallon ZipLoc bags. Much less expensive and does the same thing as packing cubes or compression bags.

Ziplocs will work but they do not compress down as well as pack mates do with the vent. Packing cubes are totally different - a fabric and mesh bag with a zipper. I don't find either one that costly - they can be used over and over again for years. WE also travel with ziplocs in assorted sizes.

Hello Sarah,
A Pack Mate bag can compress clothes, causing the clothes to use less space in a bag. A Pack Mate bag, filled with clothes, is rolled. I was taught that rolling clothes makes the most efficient use of space in a bag. But I stopped using a Pack Mate bag because it wrinkled my shirts. I suppose a Pack Mate bag could be useful for containing clothes that do not wrinkle, such as a sweater or sweatshirt. I use a packing cube (medium size, 3 inches thick) for underwear and socks. If I would bring several shirts, I would put it in a packing cube. The fold lines in shirts will fall out when the shirts are on hangers in a hotel room.

Oh, yes - the obvious ---

PackMates are really better for things like fleece, 'pouffy' sweaters (that could be compressed), down jackets, etc. NOT for T-shirts, slacks, button-up shirts. Those will wrinkle like crazy! For those, I use either my Eagle Creek Pack-It envelope or a 2 gallon Ziploc. You can gently squish some of the air out and make the Ziploc 'package' stiff enough to keep it's shape and not slide around inside the bag.

I have a compression bag that I use for dirty clothes. Last trip, though, I used it on the way over for my daughter's diapers, which she's out of now, so I don't know if I'll use it on the next trip. We travel mostly in the summer since we have kids in school, so I don't need it to compress bulky stuff.

Packing cubes, on the other hand, are a godsend. I roll my clothes up tight and can fit everything I need in a big one and a little one. Especially if you're just taking a carry on, if you're going to have other stuff that you'll be taking out of it like books or a Kindle or laptop, it keeps all of your clothes tightly together. And, during the trip, I know the clothes in the packing cubes are clean instead of all of my clothes getting mixed up when I'm going from place to place.

I want to amend what I said in my last post: "PackMates are really better for things like..."

I meant to say ONLY that they aren't good for thinner fabrics because of the wrinkling problem, NOT that Ziplocs aren't good for fisherman sweaters, fleece, etc. I use them (Ziplocs) exclusively. If you can't get your item into a Ziploc bag, it's too big to take LOL! A two-gallon bag is 12"x15"; the largest size is about 2'x3'!

Besides, you don't need to squeeze air out of a T-shirt...

I use Ziplocs a lot but can see where something else would be needed for bulky, winter clothing.

We "might" go back to Brittany this winter, and I am already trying to figure out how to pack those bulky items more efficently.