Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Travel: Eagle Creek Compression Sacs

One of my proudest packing accomplishments occurred over ten years ago on my first trip to Europe; I packed enough clothes for 28 days in one suitcase by neatly folding up thin sundresses into Ziploc bags and squeezing the air out. Needless to say that with time, my clothes aren't exactly teeny tiny anymore, and I need something larger than a gallon-sized Ziploc in which to pack up my clothes and still keep them wrinkle-free. That's why I was pleased to give Eagle Creek's Compression Sacs a try when I packed for Paris; essentially, they are larger and sturdier Ziploc bags designed to reduce volume up to 80%. You simply place your folded clothing inside, seal the top, roll it back and forth to squish the air out and watch your clothes shrink into a dense but packable package. I picked up the Medium and Large set, and I was able to squeeze in four lightweight trenches and dinner coats into the Large and about six long-sleeved tees and some dress pants into the Medium. These are a must to maximize space and minimize wrinkles; they also offer stress-relief when one discovers they've purchased too much during their trip and wouldn't have been able to squeeze everything into one suitcase otherwise.

Available at REI, www.ebags.com

Photo: www.eaglecreek.com

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the advice! We use the Eagle Creek Pack It Folders and I'd recommend those as well - they have different sizes for men's shirts, suits, etc. The compression sacks seemed too good to be true so I didn't want to risk using them (although I've actually bought some and have them just sitting around the house). . . now I'm glad to hear they actually work. I'll give them a try next time.

Mama T said...

Thanks Stephanie; I JUST picked up a few of those Eagle Creek Pack It folders and the cubes when I saw them on sale at the Container Store. Haven't had a chance to try them yet, but I've heard good things!