People are always looking for hacks to bring as much as possible when traveling, preferably without paying for it. We’ve gone through some of them in the past (Spoilers: some work, some don’t):
- The guy who figured out how to get a free carry-on bag on his basic economy flight
- Be a packing superstar, like this woman
- On a related topic, the guy who figured out how to not pay for seat selection (does anyone know if this still works?)
One quasi-popular way to stuff more into your carry-on or even checked luggage is by packing things in vacuum-sealed bags. These are bags where you put your intended items in them and use a vacuum device to remove all the air from the bag.
A Brief History of Vacuum Sealing
Vacuum sealing got its start in the 1940s as a way for food companies to decrease food spoilage and, therefore, increase shelf life. It was eventually introduced to many industries, but its use at home, originally introduced in the 1960s, gained traction in the 1970s. These were initially intended for long-term food storage.
But somewhere down the line, someone eventually realized vacuum sealing was a good way to compress and flatten blankets, quilts, sweaters, and other items., so they were easier to store away. After that, someone came up with the idea that they could do the same thing with clothing they wanted to bring while traveling. That allowed you to bring more items in your chosen bag.
Vacuum Sealing for Packing: Pros and Cons
Of course, using vacuum-sealed bags in your luggage has always had the advantage of allowing you to bring more items in your bags. But it had its cons too.
Case in point, vacuum packing your clothes when you travel compresses everything – but that compression means your clothes will be super wrinkled when the airlock is released. So that means either ironing (don’t talk to me about steaming them in the shower…it doesn’t work THAT well) or walking around wearing super wrinkled clothes.
However, there’s another problem with using vacuum-sealed bags when traveling that most places don’t mention: if the TSA wants to check inside the bags.
Vacuum-Sealed Bags & TSA: What You Need to Know
The TSA’s official stance on vacuum-sealed bags is that they’re allowed for both carry-on and checked bags. However, the agency doesn’t encourage using them because “If they alarm, the TSA officer may need to open them for inspection.” From TSA:
If you’ve never used a vacuum-sealed bag before, you might be saying,”OK, no big deal.” But it is a big deal, because once that/those bag(s) is/are unsealed, the contents are going to be much larger because they’re no longer compressed of all that air. Bottom line? You’ll have a heck of a time getting everything back into your bag at the TSA checkpoint. Even if you have the vacuum sealer with you in your carry-on, you’ll still have to carry your open suitcase somewhere to suck the air out of the bag(s)
About 3 years ago, there was a Reddit thread about such an issue. The original post has been deleted, but the title says it all:
TIFU by vacuum sealing my clothes for a trip and not being able to get them back into my carry on after the TSA agent made me cut them all open
TIFU stands for “Today I Effed Up,” by the way. Anyway, the thread has about 1,400 replies, some with good advice and some with judgments ;-).
Anyway, the bottom line is if you plan on using vacuum-sealed bags for packing, especially your carry-on bags, think about that decision VERY carefully. The TSA could ruin those plans.
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