We’re getting better and better at this packing nonsense and have learned a travel packing hack or two. And we’re getting better and better at living out of a suitcase, although we don’t exactly enjoy it.
We returned to Canada with pretty much nothing but shorts and tank tops. Hey, Canada just had its warmest winter ever, why would we need more clothes? And with a wardrobe that puts most “minimalists” to shame, why would we WANT more clothes?
Well, Canada’s warmest winter seems to have been followed by the coldest Spring. It. Sucks.
And because of this sucky spring we’ve had to stock two suitcase with some cold-weather clothing. Our suitcases were going to be bursting at the seams with these added layers, but with this sucky Spring weather came a sucky idea.
Our situation isn’t all that unique. As travelling house sitters we travel as light as possible. Our problem is that we don’t really have a home-base, although we were able to store some cold-weather clothing at some relatives, you know, just in case we have to return to Ontario in the dead of winter…I really hope we don’t have to…that would suck on so many levels.
You’ve probably heard of the travel packing hack where you roll your clothes. We’ve tried it. Can’t say it does much for volume other than your clothes become less wrinkled. Then there’s the travel packing hack of using plastic tupperwares to store things and re-use the tupperwares for meals or storing other stuff. Been there, done that. Neither of these hold a candle to this travel packing hack, because…
This is the BEST Travel Packing Hack…EVER!
We’re always underweight at the airport when it comes to our luggage. Except for the time we didn’t know any better and tried to pack our life in Canada into two large and two small suitcases. So this travel packing hack is perfect for us, and even more so now that we have to have some warm-weather clothing to lug around. So what is this amazing way to pack, you ask?
Pack with vacuum bags!
I don’t know why we didn’t do this when we moved down to Panama. Probably because we had more odds and ends then actual clothes, but whatever. Anyway, here’s the deal with vacuum bags. You buy some vacuum bags
Live in a tiny home and need to find more space? Clear out some shelf space every season by vacuum packing the stuff you don’t wear!
Moving? Suck the air out of those bags and fill less boxes saving you time and money!
Storing stuff? Vacuum bags will provide the same benefits as they do for moving, just make sure you check out our post on some of the better storage containers on the market.
But what if there’s no vacuum where I’m travelling?
That’s the beauty of these things. Even without a vacuum you can still pack them, seal them, and by folding and rolling over them you can still get rid of A LOT of unnecessary air, if not all of it. Chances are, though, you’ll be able to find SOMEONE with a vacuum to help you with this sucky travel packing hack.
Now if only they sold bags of chips like this so I wouldn’t have to pay for that air!
Now go sell all your stuff!
We used them going to Tanzania and I was amazed how small my bags of clothing got- wish it sucked some weight out too:)
Oh Cathy, don’t get me started on airlines and weight limits. I’ve been a firm believer that each person should be allowed X number of pounds, themselves included. So you AND your luggage get on the scale. If you’re over, pay up. If not, yay, no extra payments required. Your weight would have to be within your BMI index, so as not to punish those people that are 6′ 6″ and naturally weigh more.
Oh Al that’s so funny hearing you say about the airline weights. Ian says exactly the same! One question with the vacuum packs – do clothes end up very creased? I hate trying to find an iron more than I hate packing, especially when we are travelling rather than house sitting. For most of our clothes it’s irrelevant but we teach English online and for this I still have to wear a reasonable presentable shirt (they don’t know we wear creased shorts below – haha). BTW we just came unstuck with carry-on with Air Fiji – weighed, measured and made to redistribute.
Yeah, not gonna lie Vanessa, they will get creased over a long period of time. We stored some winter clothes at Shelly’s parents for over a year and a half and they also had a “been sitting around a while” odor, even in the vacuum bags.
When travelling though, we don’t vacuum pack everything, just what we need to to fit stuff in. Usually it’s the bulkier things like sweaters and pants. If you get them out of there fairly quickly they shouldn’t crease too much.
Great idea……
Seeing we are just about to travel the world with only carry on luggage
OMG, you guys would SO BENEFIT from this – I mean really, how often do they weigh your carry-on?!?!
This was really usefull for me as well when I moved from Sweden to Slovakia. But it hasn’t been so handy during normal travelling. The extra work to get the air out hasn’t been worth it. Instead we have med rolls out of all our clothes and saved some of the space that way. 🙂
Thank you for this. I’ve added it to my shopping list. Have you used Eagle Creek Compression Sacs? How do they compare? I always travel with a medium and small – medium for bulkier stuff such as a rain jacket, merino zip and cycling knicks, and the small for dirty clothing. I’m anxious to try the Ziploc Space Bag. Love your title, BTW.
Thanks Anne, we wren’t sure if the titled sucked enough 🙂
We haven’t tried Eagle Creek sacs, just those Ziploc ones that we sort of inherited. Some we have don’t have a cup where you suck out the air, you just fold and press all the air out, but they still got rid of a lot of air, so it was all good.