Another Packing question

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:38 pm

Does anyone have any experience with those clear plastic bags for clothing that have one-way valves so you squeeze the air out and pack more in a suitcase? (or bin) Do they work in a burning man context? Would you do it again? Worth the money?

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:58 pm

We use rubbermaid containers with a trash bag as a gasket for our clothes - works well to keep the clothes dry and clean.

Also - We bought a Food Saver to vacuum seal our food. It's one of the best investments ever. We seal fresh fruit and keep it in a cooler - lasts all week. It's also good for keepping our stinky "cigarettes" from causing odors and drying out and to separate into smaller packs in case the rangers want to share. Don't keep all are your eggs in one basket.

I've used the Food Saver to keep socks, tpaper and other sundries dry when backpacking in the mountains.

Costco has them fairly cheap and also sells bags.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 4:04 pm

we do rubbermaid and garbage bags too. These compress items by allowing you to squeeze out excess air--at least according to the package. I'm interested in extra room--our cross box really takes a bite out of available cargo space and I wondered it they worked for that.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:46 pm

We had those bags you suck the air out of with a vacuum cleaner. They work pretty good, for a while. The plastic used on the brand we bought (don't remember which brand, it was a long time ago) didn't age well and got brittle and cracked in places causing leaks. In other words, would work pretty well for a BM trip, probably, if you are careful not to poke 'em but getting them sucked back out for the trip home might be a bitcheroonie.

I intend to burn all the clothes I take this year so I don't have much to bring back.

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:49 pm

You gonna bring a vacuum with you to the desert for the trip home?

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 6:26 pm

I've been thinking about trying those out, however I think the ones that you 'roll' the air out of would be better.

One of these days I'll pick up a pack of them and try them out.

Ranger Genius · Post by **Ranger Genius** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 7:22 pm

My sister bought the ones you roll out to pack her clothes when she went to Germany as a Foreign Exchange student. They worked great to get there, but when she tried to use them to get back, they burst at the seams. They came back covered in duct tape and silicone, and still only worked long enough to zip up the suitcases. Don't count on a second usage.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:39 am

on the other hand, the one set of "seal-o-meal" underwear and socks I bring each year makes for a more "civilized" trip home (especially last year!)

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 1:28 pm

I suppose you could use the space saved to pack a 12V vacuum, but given that cooking gear, tent stakes, tools and other gear might easily puncture the plastic bags, I'd just roll everything tight in dufflebags and stuff sacks and compress the bags with cord or nylon straps. Some backpacks and bags are designed that way, but a pile of miscellaneous straps or extra cord is cheap and simple enough to add to the shopping list, and you can use them to guy off the tents and such.

Natasha · Post by **Natasha** » Sun Jan 23, 2005 9:00 pm

I used the bags last year and they worked pretty good. I have them stored in my BM box so I don't know if they will have dried out in the meanwhile, but I was thinking of buying a couple more. They really helped get me fit my clothes into the plastic bins and kept them dust free. I also used ziplock bages for smaller items and they worked as well. I would recommend the medium size as the small is just too small and the large not as easy to work with.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 5:15 am

The Extra Giganto size Ziplock bags work fine, but are minus the vaccuum-space-saver feature and need the playa cleaned out of the zipper eventually. Another option, admittedly non-reusable but functional, is palette wrap- The stuff on the spool that you wind around stuff. Not for everything, though. The best stuff-wrangling solution that I employed was to bring mesh hammocks for the car and dome- They're in the way and block visibility on the trip, (in the CAR, not the DOME...) but once parked they give you an extra level of places to throw stuff. By the end of the week I'd gone through my belongings so many times that I'd really made a rat's nest of my perfectly-packed-NASA-approved gear stowing.....

cbdancin2 · Post by **cbdancin2** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:02 pm

I have the roll up bags and they have been great for me. I have a few different sizes and would not be able to fit as much in my pack if I didn't use them. I also like that I can put whole outfits together so they keep me organized and next day's clothes separate from the elements. I would not recommend anything tricky. As much as I hate the place... I got mine cheap at Walmart. My only advice is so keep sharp things away, one of my cats put a hole in one of my bags with it's claws. Hope this helps.

Peace Corbett

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:44 pm

Way back when in navy boot camp. We learned to roll and tie our gear. Each item was rolled tightly and tied on each end. This has served me well for camping & storage. Also no packaging\moop to deal with.

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:44 pm

Yet another source for dust-proof packaging is moving companies. When offices are moved, employees are often given big (about 12" x 24") zip-top bags to hold computer keyboards and peripherals. I got a whole stack of these for free, by asking if I could have them. And I find that one of those bags is just about right to hold an outfit with accessories. Everything stays clean until I'm ready to get it dirty. And there's no need to fumble around looking for stray bits of costumes.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 8:21 am

instead of plastic totes i use waterproof duffels. they stuff nicely. hang the pressed things in garment bags in the van. you can get good garment bags @ goodwill. roll & duffel everything for the trip home.