Compressible travel bags

These compression bags don't require vacuum cleaners:

http://tinyurl.com/krg6snu

They have a one-way valve so you just apply pressure on the bag to squeeze out the air.

I use a couple of small mesh packing cubes sold on this site. Large size is too heavy, awkward for me, the small ones hold toiletries/electronics accessories/meds (in smaller ziploc bags) and small clothing items; everything else gets rolled.

The problem with the bags that require a vacuum hose to remove the air is that if you repack them during the trip, you're not likely to have a vacuum available which means they will be "full size". Kind of useless for travel.

You could have a look at Packing Cubes from Eagle Creek, Tom Bihn or Rick Steves, which are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles to suit just about any need. I also use a Backpack and find that Packing Cubes work well and allow a modular packing approach, with similar items packed together.

I have some Eagle Creek compression packing cubes. They are not actually compression cubes as what compressed them is an extra zipper that squishes them down so you are not actually squeezing the air out of them. I have the sil-nylon ones that are lighter but the extra zipper does add some weight. You can likely find them at your local REI.

Wow. Thanks for all the great suggestions. I was hitting a dead end just searching on amazon. And not feeling comfortable or confident with their Ziploc items, also available on Bed & Bath as well.

This is all overwhelming to me...but a good challenge with a steep learning curve..

I decided recently on the North Face full zipper thermoball jacket precisely because it seems to compressible and light, thus taking up very minimal room as well, which I would wear over some soft quality T-shirts such as Banana Republic or Gap make.

I'm not even sure what early/mid April in Italy will be like...I'm assuming the 50's (F.) and am "assembling" accordingly.

Contrary to your concerns, I use regular Ziploc freezer bags, or the 2.5 gal regular versions, for packing. I'm satisfied with how much air I can compress out. And I know they will keep the air out because I have also used one as a pillow (by zipping it most of the way closed, blowing air into in, then quickly sealing it the rest of the way) and it held the air in all night, even with my head resting on it.

Zip-loc bags from the grocery store (multiple sizes) are my husband's organizers of choice. I used a two-gallon one to compress a down jacket -- put jacket in, zip almost closed, put on a hard chair and sit on it to press the air out then zip it closed. The bags work fine for organizing. Snack size can hold Euro bills up to €100 size and keep them from getting sweaty in a money belt.

That's good to know, that people can and do make do with Ziplock bags. I'm going to explore all the options before deciding.

You can also look at mesh laundry bags at the dollar store for keeping things together -- light and inexpensive (but they don't compress)

Denny,

Just curious, did you change your forum name?

Since you live in Seattle, you're in a very fortunate position in terms of shopping for items like this.

You could take a drive to the RS store in Edmonds and have a look at the various packing accessories there.

You could also take a drive to the Tom Bihn factory store in South Seattle and have a look at all their gear. They offer a wide variety of not just packing cubes but also stuff sacks and other items.

As I recall there's also an REI store in that area, which also may have products of that kind.

I got my packing cubes at our local REI and at a local store called Summit Hut. They are for organization, not for compression. I prefer the mesh ones so I (and anyone else who looks) can easily see what's inside them. I have a variety of sizes and shapes to fit what I'm packing for any trip. I am able to pack for a month (keeping in mind that we typically wash clothes weekly) in my 22" (including wheels and handles) spinner using the cubes.

I used to use Ziploc plastic bags, but found their sizes and shapes to be not as good for packing as the zippered cubes are. Plus, I absolutely hated they way they slid around all over the place.

You are a guy, so it may not matter to you, but compressing anything doesn't take the weight out. It just takes the size out. The result is that you can pack way more stuff than you probably need and will end up with way more weight as a result.

Oops! I meant to add that I like to use Weatherbase to check the weather where I'm going. This is the link to Italy for you -- http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=IT&name=Italy. Choose your city, be sure to click on °F and scan the whole chart for the April weather. When it gets closer to packing time, you can use the forecast at the top of the chart. Here's an example for Florence: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=7161&cityname=Florence-Tuscany-Italy&units=us. For even more detail, click on "Daily Averages" and pick the days from the calendar.

I, too, just use regular ol' Ziploc food storage bags. I have some fancy and expensive Serious Compression Bags around here somewhere, but they never stayed compressed...My Ziplocs hold their compression better, but not forever - but I only need them to hold long enough to use my cinch straps.

FWIW, compression bags don't do much unless you're talking about fleece, sweaters, etc. You can't really compress a t-shirt, so just use regular ol' packing cubes to organize your clothing.

And contrary to Lo's feelings on 'slippery Ziplocs', I use them for lots of my stuff precisely because they are slippery LOL! It's easy to get things in and out of a too-snug side pocket or while rummaging through my under-the-seat bag on the airplane or train.

That 2.5 gallon bag comes in very handy for doing laundry as well.

Thanks again to everyone responding to my query...

I guess I'd like both compression and organization...I still haven't found any zippered cubes, although I haven 't checked rei.com yet. I was there at their flagship store in Seattle but didn't have time to check out their travel accessories.

The best thing, apparently, on amazon.com would seem to the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Space-Travel-Compress-Roll-Up-Storage/dp/B00RIW86QI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/179-4084685-9115967

with 4-1/2 stars (*) but from only 9 users, compared to the hundred or so reviews of ziploc.

I checked my local drugstore/variety store, which had regular ziploc bags for food storage. I guess in a pinch having a few of them stuffed in somewhere could prove to be handy.

Lo, thanks for the weatherbase link, which I would not have found otherwise without your help. Centigrade temperatures still are confusing to me...

Actually, the following sounds better than anything I've found so far:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013KGEHY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1MPSLFC7L5AFK

with a huge number of people reviewing it (a thousand or so) and giving it * * * * * overall.

Lots of people like some of the different ebags products. Go to their website. I think after my first order I got a coupon for 10% off or maybe $10 off or something like that. They are a dependable company and make quality products.

I found some very useful and practical compressing bags at the Samsonite outlet store, quite inexpensive. They are like ziplocs, but once filled with clothing you roll them, and the air goes out and stays out. No pump needed. It is amazing how small they get. They come in three sizes, small, medium and large. The large ones are not too useful for a small carry-on or backpack, they are too wide. But the others work great. Yes, they reduce the space taken up by clothing remarkably, but do not reduce the weight.

Thanks for the endorse of Ebags. I had never heard of them before and was somehow suspicious because they seem to be all over the board and to be making a massive sales pitch as well. Also the Samsonite outlet sounds like a good place to look as well.

One concern I have about the Ebag packing cubes is that they might be more for regular luggage rather than a dayback, where they would get squished and deformed from the weight of gravity and from being in a non rectilinear or cubic space.

Well, I don't think they will be deformed, but anything may get squished. If you are also thinking compression bags then that will be an auto-squish, lol. The cubes are usually soft anyway. Some have some structure to them, but the more structure you have the more weight you are usually going to add. For instance, I use the Eagle Creek silnylon ones which have no structure at all. It's OK if they get squished but they are packed pretty tightly so things don't move inside the cube. If you have the cubes loosely packed then things will shift in them. For me they are a tool to keep things sorted and organized in my bag. I have a shirt/cardigan cube, an undies cube, and some miscellaneous bags for scarves, toiletries, etc.

I looked quickly at the ebags site as some of the bags they will show what packing cubes will fit. On the Eagle Creek website they do usually show which Eagle Creek packing cubes will fit in certain bags, so this may give you some ideas with your Osprey. I wasn't sure which Osprey you had. I do recommend you order directly off the ebags site rather than going thru Amazon as it is much easier to find things on the ebags.com site.

Denny, there was a link to packing cubes in my previous post. You can buy a set of different sizes, or one size.