This year we are thinking of buying compression bags for packing our sleeping bags, towels, pillows etc when travelling on camping trips .
I notice on ebay most of them require Vuccumn cleaner to extract air - but I assume (?) for the return trip home, or when touring, we could use the small power pump we inflate/deflate the airmattress with.
We keep a hoover in the caravan, its a really small one that we picked up at Tesco, it doesn't take up much space in the van and comes in really handy what with having 2 labradors and all. That would certainly do the trick with your compression bags.
I have them in the house, they're great, but now they're a few years old they keep letting in the air. I've been meaning to get more - the hanging ones would be really handy for outfits you hardly wear.
I haven't taken mine away for the same reason, I don't keep a hoover in the van. I also can't use them with my upright dyson - the tube's too big. Until Christmas I had to keep borrowing my neighbours little vacuum, but my 5 year old daughter asked for a hoover for Christmas! Job done.
I saw them for sale in Woolworths today. They didn't have the price displayed I'm afraid, but at least you could go an look at them first. Probably a good idea for sleeping bags and pillows.
I've just bough the JML ones from Robert Dyas, 1 jumbo size and 1 large, £10.99. I asked if they would work with air bed pump and they said try it and see if it doesn't work bring them back.
Will post when I have tried it.
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We've tried several lots of those plastic vacuum bags, none of which have lasted very long.
Get some proper ex-army compression bags. Much better, heavy duty and will last for years. Mine were cheaper as well - ex-Dutch Army bags £5 each. A single bag will take a king-sized duvet and four pillows and reduce them down to a cylinder approximately 18" high by 12" diameter.