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writermom1
Thrift Whisperer
PeaNut 114,407
November 2003
Posts: 22,319
Layouts: 66
Loc: At the intersection of Hooterville and Stars Hollow
 |  Posted: 1/28/2013 7:07:36 AM
Y'know as seen on TV. Use your vacuum to suck out all the air?
The reviews are love / hate on Amazon.
I'm looking for winter storage of towels and bedding in a camper. |
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PierKiss
What if everything is an illusion & nothing exists
PeaNut 82,319
April 2003
Posts: 14,423
Layouts: 39
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 7:26:52 AM
I have them and am using them for storing baby clothes. I had been completely satisfied with them. Until 2 days ago, when I pulled a bag out of storage to sort through. Somehow the middle of the bag got ripped. And once there was a hole in the bag, it just completely ripped apart, even though I was actively trying to hold the bag together not touching the hole.  I have no idea how that hole even got there, as it wasn't stored in a place where it could snag. |
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writermom1
Thrift Whisperer
PeaNut 114,407
November 2003
Posts: 22,319
Layouts: 66
Loc: At the intersection of Hooterville and Stars Hollow
| Posted: 1/28/2013 7:45:00 AM
Darn. That's what the reviews say. That they rip and have pinhole leaks.
I want these to work but I'm leaning toward thinking they don't. |
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raindancer
Capt. Sparrow's Pirate Wench
PeaNut 217,886
August 2005
Posts: 15,465
Layouts: 44
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 7:47:07 AM
I never ha luck with them, my mil bought be so many of them and swore by them. If I could web get them to work in the first place, they would eventually leak and fill with air anyway. I tossed them all. |
~Heidi~
"You can make excuses or you can make progress but you can't make both."
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JamieH
AncestralPea
PeaNut 39,057
May 2002
Posts: 4,585
Layouts: 0
Loc: Texas
| Posted: 1/28/2013 7:48:15 AM
I use them frequently and have had great luck with them.
JamieH |
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Maryland
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 87,597
May 2003
Posts: 8,811
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 1/28/2013 7:56:03 AM
My friend loves them! She stores clothes in them in the basement.
I hate them! I spent $60 on space bags and stored clothes in the attic. I went up to change out clothes (we keep off season clothes in the attic. I can't stand to see winter clothes in the closets in the summer!!) and the bags didn't work. There must have been a hole or something. Maybe it is too hot/cold in the attic?
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Loydene
PeaFixture
PeaNut 997
July 1999
Posts: 3,868
Layouts: 7
Loc: Kansas City, MO
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 8:40:24 AM
I love the idea -- but every single one that I've tried to use, some how, for some unknown reason, "re-inflates" --- they just don't work. And - that is the "name brand"!
I have used regular zip lock storage bags for the same sort of purpose in packing for a trip. The regular zip lock bags have worked well enough. | |
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scdevoe
PeaNut
PeaNut 516,395
August 2011
Posts: 151
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 8:42:34 AM
writermom...
So funny that you should mention winter storage for your camper. I use these bags to store our linens and towels for camping.
I love how they minimize the storage space needed for these bulky items. But the down side is that sometimes the bags do get little holes. Think about it...even the smallest puncture to the bag will cause them to fill back up with air eliminating the whole purpose of using them. It kind of a double edge sword...great when they work properly and a pain the the butt when they don't.
I would not make a huge investment in them but if you can find some at a discounter like Big Lots or a dollar type store they might be worth it.
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block_head21
PeaFixture
PeaNut 219,371
August 2005
Posts: 3,771
Layouts: 74
Loc: Care-A-Lot
| Posted: 1/28/2013 9:04:05 AM
In the past I have purchased the name brand and Ikea bags. The Ikea ones worked better and lasted longer. Wish I could find them again. |
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-Tara-
PeaNut 158,177
July 2004
Posts: 7,516
Layouts: 90
Loc: Pacific Northwest
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 9:13:53 AM
We've used them during moves. We could take 2 suitcases and a carry on when we flew to Germany. We packed all the kids clothes in spacebags so their clothes would fit in one suitcase and favorite toys, etc went in the other (they were 5 and 8 at the time). I also washed all of our bedding/towels and put them in spacebags. Our stuff was packed a month before we left and it took another 6 weeks once we got there. It was nice to find the linens box and be able to put the sheets right on the beds. They smelled like they just came out of the dryer.
I store baby clothes in several and those are in a rubbermaid bin.
The medium and small bags work great. The large and jumbo tend to reinflate if not kept in another container (like the bags in the rubbermaid box). |
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Pridemom
Pride of the Peas
PeaNut 25,575
December 2001
Posts: 19,086
Layouts: 45
Loc: Stuck in the Middle With You
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 9:20:11 AM
With repeated use the seals give out. That said I like them for travel and camping supplies. I can stuff a lot of vacation clothes in a Space Bag and it's a great hamper until we get home. After you get all 6 of us in the SUV, luggage takes up valuable space. |
Proud Wife and Mom to four big goons!
I cannot be old enough to have three teens and a tween.
God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially formed you to
go through it, not without pain but without stain.
-- C. S. Lewis
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LilBit1339
PeaNut
PeaNut 385,849
August 2008
Posts: 73
Layouts: 0
Loc: Texas
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 9:21:18 AM
I've never had an success with them. I stored off season clothing in the closet and heritage items under the bed. They always seem to open up and inflate. I'll use them as a bag now, with no expectation of storage. I won't be buying them again. |
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**GypsyGirl**
Well, Bless Her Heart.......
PeaNut 142,890
April 2004
Posts: 15,108
Layouts: 1
Loc: I am Switzerland!
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UkSue
AncestralPea
PeaNut 428,374
June 2009
Posts: 4,243
Layouts: 2
Loc: Greater London
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 9:25:15 AM
I have bought them from QVC. amazon and other places, and none of them have stayed vacuumed even though I am really careful with them. Great idea in theory but they give a false sense of security,as I found when I retrieved a space bag of mouldy bedclothes from my loft last week! |
| Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still. | |
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Spongemom Scrappants
HRH pilates teaching wino ball of fun
PeaNut 297,141
February 2007
Posts: 10,623
Layouts: 31
Loc: South Carolina
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 9:33:13 AM
I've never used them but my son in the Navy swears by them. He uses them to be able to get everything into his sea bags for travel. He says they allow him to pack even more and get it there in better shape than if he didn't use them. |
Angie
Where the boys are... my new husband, my four sons and my boy cat.
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MXJSmith
PeaAddict
PeaNut 147,319
May 2004
Posts: 1,659
Layouts: 0
Loc: Chicago, IL
| Posted: 1/28/2013 9:35:35 AM
Never had a problem with them, any size. Never had them reinflate. I use them to store blankets. Also used them for baby clothes. | |
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writermom1
Thrift Whisperer
PeaNut 114,407
November 2003
Posts: 22,319
Layouts: 66
Loc: At the intersection of Hooterville and Stars Hollow
| Posted: 1/28/2013 9:36:59 AM
Thanks ladies. You just saved me $30.
I have used regular zip lock storage bags for the same sort of purpose in packing for a trip. The regular zip lock bags have worked well enough.
You are brilliant. Thank you!
I hate having to bring all the camper bedding and towels indoors for the winter. That's 6 months I'm storing them indoors and it gets frustrating giving up that space. I'd love to be able to leave them in the camper in something that wouldn't attract mice looking for a cozy spot to bed down in the winter. It seems no matter how I clean, secure, and try the home remedies against mice, they worm their way in. (As an aside covering your surfaces with dryers sheets will leave your space April fresh, but the mice will take a tiny poo on them just to send a message).  |
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identicaltriplets
To God be the Glory!
PeaNut 221,552
September 2005
Posts: 6,227
Layouts: 438
Loc: Glad to be back in the Carolinas!
| Posted: 1/28/2013 9:39:00 AM
I've never had an success with them. I stored off season clothing in the closet and heritage items under the bed. They always seem to open up and inflate.
Ditto. Won't be buying them again. Gave them all to Goodwill. |
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KristinL16
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 142,870
April 2004
Posts: 12,266
Layouts: 102
Loc: MN
| Posted: 1/28/2013 9:56:33 AM
They didn't work for me, either. |
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hobbygirl82
PeaAddict
PeaNut 450,860
January 2010
Posts: 1,028
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 1/28/2013 10:43:31 AM
The space bags didn't work for me either. One must have had a hole in it and the other one the little plastic thing that slides across the top popped off.
I have used regular zip lock storage bags for the same sort of purpose in packing for a trip. The regular zip lock bags have worked well enough.
These kinds of bags work well. I've used them several times and have no problems with them. | |
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Shih Tzu Mommy
Million dollar camera, 10 dollar lock!
PeaNut 224,352
September 2005
Posts: 23,525
Layouts: 0
Loc: Right here
| Posted: 1/28/2013 10:58:24 AM
I had some and they worked great three or four times, but the fourth of fifth time...the black pieces broke and the bag was worthless. |
Dog people are a special breed! | |
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Nancie52
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 452,927
January 2010
Posts: 2,914
Layouts: 23
Loc: Mass
| Posted: 1/28/2013 11:46:37 AM
have only had luck with this one : Under bed space bag because it's a bag inside of another "container" that zips.
Other than that..not much luck.. but without the outside container, storing them under the bed, they'd always end up with a tear in them... | |
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thebirdhouselady
BucketHead
PeaNut 11,889
March 2001
Posts: 839
Layouts: 5
Loc: Alaska
 | Posted: 1/28/2013 12:22:09 PM
My daughter and I just packaged up all her American Girl clothes (sniff)and put them in a rubbermaid storage box and put it in the garage. I will keep my eye on it to see if it re-inflates! I hope not! | |
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Annabella
Leads a Charmed Life
PeaNut 43,843
July 2002
Posts: 42,259
Layouts: 46
Loc: East Coast
| Posted: 1/28/2013 12:51:05 PM
I always use them when I travel internationally. It saves so much space in my suitcase, makes outfits easy to find, and I don't worry about TSA rifing through my order because everything is easy to pick up and look at. |
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SuzastampinCTMH
PeaFixture
PeaNut 157,667
July 2004
Posts: 3,792
Layouts: 15
Loc: Upstate NY
| Posted: 1/28/2013 12:55:41 PM
I have some of the ones that hang. The hook wasn't strong enough to hold all the coats in them, so it came off. I did take one of the ones that you could push the air out of when we went to Europe. Great thing to carry my pillow in.
That said, I had a bunch of clothes I wanted to store away to cut up and make doll clothes from. Rather than spend the money for the super savers, I just used large trash bags. I put the clothes in, put the vacuum hose in and sucked all the air out, then used a twist tie. |
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mdoc
Peaing under the Radar
PeaNut 61,691
January 2003
Posts: 11,823
Layouts: 0
Loc: In the Middle
| Posted: 1/29/2013 8:06:33 AM
I used them to shrink my d's stuff down so we could fit it into the car to take her to college. For that, they worked like a charm. The jury is out on whether they'll still be functioning to make 7 more trips. My friend uses them for long term towel/linen storage, but she puts the bags in a rubbermaid container after she shrinks them; that way if they develop leaks they have nowhere to expand. Of ciurse, she dies that because they've leaked/expanded in the past. | |
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mishkismom
AncestralPea
PeaNut 163,728
August 2004
Posts: 4,206
Layouts: 41
Loc: Connecticut
| Posted: 1/29/2013 10:25:41 AM
I had some that you rolled the air out. I loved the smaller ones but the extra large ones blew up. It took about ten years though so I got my moneys worth. I use them like Annabella - for travel. Easy to pick up and see whats in there for TSA and plenty of room for stuff I hoard... er... bought on vacation! |
Jan *********************************************
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Nicole in TX
The Peas did what we do and went insane over it
PeaNut 16,696
June 2001
Posts: 18,168
Layouts: 65
Loc: Not so obvious
| Posted: 1/29/2013 10:30:46 AM
Everyone we have ever bought has leaked.
The theory is good, but they don't hold up. |
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CADoodlebug
Happy Happy Joy Joy Happy Happy Joy
PeaNut 178,445
November 2004
Posts: 17,081
Layouts: 0
Loc: Northern California
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Creativegirl
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 180,283
December 2004
Posts: 2,805
Layouts: 18
Loc: California
| Posted: 1/29/2013 11:20:38 AM
It kind of a double edge sword...great when they work properly and a pain the the butt when they don't.
I would not make a huge investment in them but if you can find some at a discounter like Big Lots or a dollar type store they might be worth it.
I agree. Costco is a good place to get them.
OP, I think if you used the space bags then put everything into a rubbermaid bin, you'd be good to go. I can't see the mice getting through the protection of both and I find the space bags hold up well when inside another container. |
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writermom1
Thrift Whisperer
PeaNut 114,407
November 2003
Posts: 22,319
Layouts: 66
Loc: At the intersection of Hooterville and Stars Hollow
| Posted: 1/29/2013 12:28:30 PM
Thanks all! |
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