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They certainly reduce volume, but they (sadly) don't reduce weight. Oh those pesky airline regulations...

They didn't work well for me. They say you can store many things in them, sweaters for example but they don't tell you how hard it is to actually put a bunch of folded sweaters like in the image (or blanket, comforter) in even the large size bags. Everything ended up crumpled, and wrinkled.

I haven't had good luck with these. I had hoped to use them for long-term storage for space reasons and because I'm neurotic about the faint specter of bugs. Sadly, the seals on my Space Bags have always opened up over the course of a few months, even when they're undisturbed on closet shelves.

I'm not impressed either. We bought some and the plastic is thin and hard which results in holes and they don't hold up to repeated use. I actually did a warranty replacement and the new ones were the same way. You can get similar results with trash bags, tape and a vacuum. Plus they are hard to actually fill with as much as the ads/pictures say you can.

Three ripped immediately, even though I was really careful.
The fourth, like SYB_in_DC's, somehow opened while in storage, leaked and became useless.

I bought space bags and they didn't hold up. But trash bags, especially the contractor level of thickness, sounds like a good idea. You'll just have to label them pretty well since trash bags are so often opaque.

They didn't work for us either. It's a great idea, I hope they can perfect it because I would love to have something like it work. Sadly ours all came apart at the seams, or didn't flatten.

They can get heavy and if your not careful the plastic can rip easily...otherwise they are great.

Curious to know - not that I'd buy these (based on the comments) - but are the bags reusable?

A word of caution on using space bags while flying. If your luggage is randomly selected for addition screening you are pretty much screwed, since security will make you open up the space bags, and there is no vacuum at the airport....

ive had good luck with the square bottom "cube" ones. they are much easier to load, especially with pillows and blankets. The seal on one didn't seem to hold well but the others are great.

I've had limited luck as well. As others say they pop open, rip etc....plus there is NO WAY they get as flat as they advertise.

MichelleB, they make roll-up ones for travel, no vacuum required. I have a few of these that work great and have allowed me to stick to one carry on bag while traveling up to two weeks. Of course, they don't do anything about the weight, but they're great if you use a rolling suitcase.

I have to differ from most of the above reviews. We went on a 3 week trip to Europe and these bags were a blessing! We brought some heavy coats that weren't really necessary during our day trips, and the only way to store them in our backpacks (really small ones) was to put them in the space saver bags. I have to admit though that this process was awkward sometimes (like in the middle of a Piazza). I even store winter clothes at home now using this.. (believe me, I dont get a commission with this LOL)

I bought some spacebags on my last trip to Florida in the hopes of making more room in my suitcase. I wasn't able to close it with all my clothes in the space bags, but I could when I just rolled my clothes and put them in.

I think they are great for storing extra bedding and comforters though!

And yes Kristinm100, they are re-useable.

I find these to be incredibly helpful in storing down blankets and guest bedding (pillows, a sheet set, blanket). I like to use the small ones when traveling and actually do not use a vacuum to close them. I find that by folding it and pushing the air out it works just the same.

I used these when I went to bangkok for 5 weeks last fall, they worked great for me. I was able to bring all my clothing in one suitcase. The bags I had didnt require a vacuum- you just rolled the air out. Of course, I had to buy an iron and iron all of my clothes, because they were so wrinkly.

I'm surprised by all the negative comments on space bags. I used them when I traveled to Poland for 4 months and they certainly helped. A year later, I still use them for household linen storage. They certainly don't shrink down as much as in the commercials unless all you're packing is ridiculously fluffy things, but they do help. Wrinkling is comparable to normal storage methods, there's less wrinkling of course if you roll garments rather than fold them. I've never had any ripping or sealing problems.

I have 2 large ones, and 2 small ones, as well as the super large one that comes in a zip close cloth box. We moved to Portland from Indiana and I thought it would reduce space as we were renting the smallest truck possible and keeping as little as possible.

I think over all they worked great. One of the smaller ones didn't hold the air as long as the other small and large bags, but I really only needed them to last for a couple weeks ( I just didn't get them unpacked right away).

The large one with the cloth box worked great. I put in two bedspreads, a comforter (all queen size), 3 coats, 4 small size couch pillows and a bed pillow. It was super heavy, but kept itself...deflated?

It helps to shape the bags as you vacuum them. Other wise you might end up with a lump in one end and then they don't stack very well. All in all though, I think they work fairly well.

Love em! They work great! I put all of my linens in them and put them in my tv box (flat screen).

the same thing here- it was difficult to pack large, bulky items in the bags. everything just got kind of squashed and wrinkled. at least half of the bags ripped immediately after filling (although i may have packed them too much) and all the other ones ripped at some point during a move. like someone else said, they're compact, but they can be very heavy and difficult to grip, carry, etc. if the bags were sturdier, this product would be my best friend for storage.

I wanted to store all our spare bedding in Space Bags, but the seals broke and the bags re-inflated. It's impossible to keep the seal intact, even if you set them gingerly in a closet and never, ever touch them.

I do wonder what one would do if they used these for travel and then found out they had no access to a vacuum at the motel....then how does everything get home?

I think the most difficult things about Spacebags is getting the vacuum off & the cap on without letting all the air back in. And yeah, they work great for a few weeks, but then they puff right back up over time. And they do rip really easily. And my last warning for spacebags...if you have a cat, forget about using these. My cat's claws punctured these in no time.

I've used these for moving, and they worked great in the short time frame (though they were heavy), but they don't seal as well as they should and gradually re-inflate. I'm going to try taping plastic wrap on top of the vacuum hole before I put the cap back on, to see if it helps. Right now I'm using them to store yarn, which doesn't seem to puff up as much and force the bags to re-expand.

My in-laws live across country and decided to try these one christmas... they were thrilled at how much stuff they could get into them - and I mean super-excited... Until they opened them upon arrival and everything was so crumpled and creased they spent most of their holiday ironing... not much of a reward!

Everyone I've ever used failed. Period.

Last year my daughter and I packed all her worldly goods into one big red suitcase and 2 boxes using just contractor weight garbage bags and my Dyson vacuum cleaner. She held and I sucked all the air quickly, taping the bags with tape. When she got to college she undid the tape and fluffed the bedding and put her clothes away! It was perfect. Doesn't work with books however!! I did not use Spacebags, just regular heavy weight garbage bags. Of course I didn't have to bring it back, it all stays for 4 years. Guess I will have to bring my Dyson to graduation!!

Last time I traveled I used the 'ghetto' version.
Bought the ultra-jumbo size zip lock bags.
Placed my clothes in the bag and zipped it most of the way closed.
Insert the little flat nozzle of the vacuum in the bag, turned it on and suuuuuucked it flat.
As I slid the nozzle out of the bag I zipped it the rest of the way.
This was convenient for me as I had individually suck-wrapped underwear, t-shirt and socks for each day.
As I had no laundry available for the entire trip the bags came in handy for packing the dirty clothes in for my return.
Unfortunately, the dirties took up much more space.
Fortunately, I had an extra piece of luggage only half full of things to bring home. That gave me the extra room I needed.

I used to use gallon size zip lock freezer bags when I went to camp. Each outfit (it was the early 90's and I was 8, all my t-shirts had matching stretch pants, lol) went in bag. Zip it most of the way closed, put your knees on it to get the air out, and zip closed. It didn't compress things a whole lot, but it was definitely enough to fit my in my bag.

I still sometimes do this for socks and underwear since it turns a pile of little stuff into a nice rectangle that can stack with my shirts and pants in my bag.

I use them to store bulky bedding (featherbeds, down comforters, pillows). I'm very careful with them, but 80% of the time they puff back up, leak, or rip. I have the occasional one that stays compressed, but that is the exception. Never tried the travel size (that don't need a vacuum).

we used these to move to europe for 2 years and back to america. they are fantastic! they survived the non climate controlled container--twice. we put them in heavy duty plastic bins from the container store and the XL ones were transferred in a giant duffle bag. sure some have started to let air in--but when moving and storing in small places--they are fabulous. like anything else--they start to wear but we are still using the same ones after 3 1/2 years. we haven't exactly been gentle with them either. we now used them to store the off season clothes. just make sure all zippers are folded in and don't put leather, faux fur, etc in them. we always put a couple dryer sheets in them to help them stay a little fresher but we usually rinse all clothes when we get them out. we only store things that have been cleaned. even our velvet bed set and curtains that we have are stored in one.

Space Bags rip too easily! ARGH!

I haven't had any problems with ripping, but they haven't stayed deflated.

I think your friend made a good choice. I used to travel like that (by car) and and it made a big difference. Since I also had to take tools and books, it made it easier to pack clothes, especially sweaters. Plus, all luggage has to be on wheels.

yes maybe I bought cheap ones, but these totally didn't work for me. I was able to only reduce the volume by half at the most, or if I am able to suck all the air out of it, it doesn't stay that way more than a few weeks before slowly inflating again. was a waste of money for me.

i'm sure they work but i bet they wrinkle and crease your clothes like crazy. long term i bet those creases could become permanent depending on how delicate the fabric is.

These work fine for me, but when I open them after a season or two the sweaters or blankets inside always smell all chemical-y and stale. Any ideas about that?

I have always heard that it is not good for natural fibers, i.e. wool, silk etc to be stored for long periods in plastic. I use pillow cases and fill with a moth repellent to store winter clothing

against my better judgment (i really don't like buying plastic anything), i bought space bags (a couple of different brands) to use for both short term and long term storage for a move across the country and they all either got rips in them or the seals broke and filled with air within a short amount of time.
i'd never ever buy them again.

I guess I might need lessons on how to use them. I am completely baffled by those that love them. I have never had any success with them, as the seals open up before I even come close to getting the air out.

I bought the cubes for my move (a few days ago) and I have to say that they were awesome! I have a queen size bed with lots of pillows and a down comforter and I was able to reduce it to about the size of a standard microwave by putting it in the space bag. It takes one or two tries to figure out how to pack the bags so they don't end up in some weird shape, and I have yet to test them for long-term storage, but they were absolutely wonderful for my move across town. To the people who complained about wrinkles: are you serious? Did you really expect to be able to vacuum seal something and have it come out wrinkle-free? I think your expectations were WAY too high.