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Tony B · 05-11-2012, 16:01

I have never used them. How well do they work? How well do the clothes, like heavy jackets, fair out after 6 to 8 months of being crushed in a bag? Do they need to be dry cleaned to get them back to their original condition?

micah719 · 05-11-2012, 16:10

Never used one, but there are ways of packing clothing into suitcases that leaves it instantly wearable. Handy for the natty/frugal traveler.

Some good tips on the website called "The Art of Manliness".
The Art of Manliness | Men’s Interests and Lifestyle

Opie91 · 05-11-2012, 16:25

I tried several different brands of these bags, and they all seem to leak after one or two uses. The result is an expensive plastic bag.

hellosailor · 05-11-2012, 16:48

Tony, dry cleaning has nothing to do with compressing or uncompressing clothes. How well things compress and come back depends on what they are made of. Fleece or polyfill jackets will come right back after being shaken out. Down and feathers may require some fluffing, or permanently loose some loft, the same way they would if left too long in a compression stuff bag. Wool, silk, cotton, all some back without any problem.

if you need to fluff something up and it IS washable, wash it, or at least dmapen it, and then put it in a front-loading drier with some clean tennis balls. (This may ruin the bounce of the balls, I have one can set aside for this.) As they spin around they punch it up very nicely. Some of the best names in down parkas used to specifically recommend this.

I tihnk the only bags I've used are the gen-you-whine Space Bags from Bed Bath & Beyond. No punctures, no problems although one slider popped open by itself, which might have been my fault. Some you can vacuum out, some you just roll up and they've got some kind of vent in the end.

**Cotemar** · 05-11-2012, 16:49

We have used Space bags for years. For clean clothes and bedding, we vacuum bag and leave them right on the boat.

The image with the cat is actually a large sleeping bag.

Things that need cleaning, come home and get washed, vacuum bagged and then go back on the boat.

In the spring you just open the bags and all is fresh and clean and ready to go. Wrinkles come out in just a few minutes

**capngeo** · 05-11-2012, 18:03

+1 on the Space Bags!

Our boat is 28' and berthed 350 road miles from home. Because of that, changing out bedding and clothing with the seasons is problematic; storage is at a premium, and the distance is far. We bag everything that is off-season from down quilts to heavy foulies. When the items are needed they re-commission 100% as good as when put up. No mold, mildew, dirt, or smell. That said, we hardly ever use the bags twice, as they seem more prone to leaks the second time around.

Katiusha · 06-11-2012, 00:59

+1 on Space Bags.

Get the kind that has straps and the outer bag - what Cotemar has in the last picture. It's more expensive, but it doesn't leak (if you close it properly - have to listen for any tiniest holes after closing to make sure), and if you don't close it properly and it leaks, the outer bag with straps still contains it.

We've been using them for 4 years now, keeping them closed for 6+ months at a time and are very happy with them!! Clothes, winter blankets, and coats come out nice and dry - just gotta remember to dry them before packing them.

Of course, you should be careful with the bags and try to keep them away from anything sharp or anything that may rub them through over long time.

**Hudson Force** · 06-11-2012, 01:11

As this storage bag question is on the Liveaboard forum it's probably important to mention that, if you remain on your boat, there's very little need to store materials in sealed plastic bags. Mildew and mold are far less of a concern for us when we are aboard. It's only when we leave our boat for some time traveling away that we have potential problems. At these times we find it best to hang a few "Damp Rid" bags inside the cabins and this does very well. My advice might not be good for those dealing with the condensation when living at colder areas, but in moderate temperature zones we do well without sealing our clothing in bags.

jeremiason · 06-11-2012, 04:45

We are fulltime cruisers and use Space Bags to store clothing and linens.

They work great and the items inside don't mildew, especially here in the tropics.

Captain Bill · 06-11-2012, 05:11

We've used space bags from Bed Bath and beyond and have not had much success. Every one eventually leaked air. We use them primarily to reduce the space consumed by bulky clothing and to get stuff out of the way for which we currently have no need (like winter jackets in the Bahamas). We have a space under our bunk that we stack the bags into and they don't really expand until we take them out. They hold a vacuum for a while but we've never taken on out that has been in there for more than a week or two that was still holding a vacuum.

colemj · 06-11-2012, 05:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptForce

As this storage bag question is on the Liveaboard forum it's probably important to mention that, if you remain on your boat, there's very little need to store materials in sealed plastic bags. Mildew and mold are far less of a concern for us when we are aboard.

Come to the Southwest Caribbean and make that statement!

Mark

denverd0n · 06-11-2012, 06:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Opie91

I tried several different brands of these bags, and they all seem to leak after one or two uses. The result is an expensive plastic bag.

Ditto. We've got a bunch of these. Several different brands. None of them maintain their vacuum for more than a few days, even when new. After a few uses they get worse and worse.

Save your money.

svBeBe · 10-11-2012, 05:44

We have a few of the large Ziploc heavy storage bags for blankets and jackets. These do not compress but it is easy to squeeze out excess air when sealing. These bags are 6 1/2 years old and still seal with no leaking.

We also have a few of the compression bags, not as nice as the one's pictured in previous postings. These also are 6 1/2 years old and all still seal and do not leak. Clothing does become quite wrinkled when stored in these compression bags. Not so much in the Ziploc blue storage big bags.

One thing these bags are wonderful for is that it prevents mold or mildew growing on clothing that is stored for long periods of time. As long as the clothing is clean when stowed.

Judy

zeehag · 10-11-2012, 06:09

i do not use specialty bags, as pricing is prohibitive for me--i just use the bags from the flap n fold laundry and some tape and ta daa--i have fresh linens and clothing whenever i need to find them--i live and cruise in tropical waters full time, also.

rebedding the deck fittings helped a lot also...no more wet interior....