How does this work?

[eskimo]

I can't understand how you fit clothes into a ziplock bag!!!Obviously, these are not the same ones I use in my kitchen? Where do you buy these ziplock bags? It sounds like a great idea!

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

You need to buy the LARGE sized ziploc bags (gallon or larger) for packing clothes in. You can buy them in the same area as the regular sized ziploc bags. You don't need the more expensive freezer bags - just the regular ziplocs in large sizes. You can usually find "generic" brand ones that work just as well also.

HTH,

 

[tink2dw]

I packed my sox and unmentionables in a zipplock bag. I was amazed at how much room that saved!!

 

[yensidfan99]

My DW and I were discussing this last night. She is packing for an Alaskan cruise right now and I suggested she do this. She looked at me like I was absolutely nuts and asked if I got this suggestion from one of my "Disney Boards". Which of course I did. Anyway, my question is. How does this actually save room. I want to stop on the way home and get some baggies and show her but wanted to check and make sure it really saves room. She thinks I am crazy enough as it is, I don't need to give her any proof of just how much. LOL

 

[cinmell]

I found them at Stop & Shop. I haven't seen them at my local Wal Mart or Target.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

I just bought a big box (of 50 I believe) of gallon sized generic brand ziplocs at WalMart last week. Pretty cheap - less than $2.

You can save room using them by eliminating the space that air takes up between and within the clothes. You can stuff the bags fairly full (best for things where wrinkles don't matter - undies etc.) and then squeeze the air out. The items are now compressed and take up less room.

Others use them for organizational purposes rather than to save room. Example: pack an entire child's outfit (shirt, shorts, undies, socks etc.) in one large ziploc for each day. You can then just hand each child their bag for the day rather than going through all of the clothes/luggage to find the separate pieces.

We use a combination of ziploc bags and "space saver" travel bags (these are travel versions of the vacuum bags they make which don't require a vacuum - instead they have a one-way valve which is somewhat more "sophisticated" technology-wise than a standard ziploc). I bought a bunch of the space saver bags before our cruise last year and we use those (which are pretty big) for bathing suits, undies, pajamas etc. and then use ziplocs for anything else than is appropriate.

Ziploc bags of all sizes have SO many uses that we always carry multiples in each size on our vacations and on our day-to-day outings at home. Kind of like velcro, I don't know how we ever lived without them

 

[eskimo]

Now I understand the concept! It just takes me a little while...I'm curious where I can find the "space savers" travel bags...is this something I can find at Walmart or Target?

 

[whozit]

You might look for the 2 gallon size Ziploc brand. I have not seen this size in any store brands. Be aware that not all stores carry the 2 gallon size, so you might have to hunt around a little, but you can get larger items in them (I know a beach towel will fit, I've used them on float trips).

Another Ziploc that is a handy size is the large "EZ Fill", I don't know the gallon capacity, but they have a pleat or gusset at the bottom that allows them to stand up.....this extra pleat allows them to expand out more than the regular ziplocs, and the tall size allows for longer items to fit. When we wnet to Animal Kingdom, I didn't want to walk around with wet shoes and socks all day after riding Kali River Rapid, so we packed sand shoes and changed into those before the ride. After the ride, I used the tall EZ Fill ziplocs to store the wet sand shoes in my backpack (I had 1 pair Men's size 10 & a pair of kids shoes in the bag , and there was room to spare....I think at least one more adult and kid sized pairs could have fit in).

One last thing, I happened to notice at Target, in the sporting goods area, near the camping supplies, they had a rack at the end of an aisle that had super-sized Ziploc brand bags. They came in 2 sizes, I don't remember the sizes, but I think one was 8 gallon. They are marketing them for camping and also for storing things in a garage or basement.....to give you an idea of their capacity, they show one of them with a sleeping bag zipped up inside of it.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

Eskimo,

Sorry to get back to this thread so late!

I got my travel space bags in the closet/storage section of Target. The box came with 2 large sized vacuum space bags (good to use at home for blankets, sweaters etc. where you have access to a vacuum) and a travel space bag. The box of 3 was about $7 if I remember correctly. You can probably buy the travel space bags separately but I didn't see them at my usual stores. I ended up investing in enough that each of us has 2 travel bags. We have already used them several times and I think it was a good investment.

Good luck!

 

[idontknow]

Just don't be suprised if your spouse laughs at you while you are sitting on them to get the air out! LOL Dh thought it was a great idea..........after he stopped laughing. I managed to get 3 people's clothes in a carry on bag using the 2 1/2 gal bags.