This Amazon Vacuum Bag Can Flat-Pack Even a Down Jacket

If you’ve ever packed for winter trips (say, holidays back home in Bemidji, Minn., or that bucket-list stay in Iceland), you know the very real struggle of traveling with bulky winter clothing.

Well, a $1.50 hack I found on Amazon has cracked the code on packing light for cold-weather destinations. On a 28-day trip this year through Northern Europe, everything I needed fit into a single carry-on luggage—puffer jacket included—and it’s all thanks to these space-saving compression bags from Amazon’s Alming brand.

Alming Set of 12 Space-Saving Compression Bags

No joke: These magic bags helped me flat-pack a puffy down jacket along with eight full winter outfits, and each bag costs less than a candy bar or cup of coffee.

No vacuum is required, and there’s no need to waste suitcase space schlepping a pump above the Arctic Circle. Just put clothes in the bag, seal it like a zip-top slider bag, then roll it tightly the way you would a sleeping bag. Rolling forces all the air out, so that when you unroll it, the bag flattens out neatly, leaving you with a flat, plastic parcel that takes up no more space than a T-shirt. Each compression bag is reusable, too, and mine work just as well on subsequent uses as they did when they’re new.

With now six trips under my belt with these bags, I’m shocked every time by how well they work. Whenever we’d move from one city to the next, I’d just flat-pack it in the same bag, slip it back into my carry-on, and unfurl it again once we landed. 

The effective compression is made possible by the thick, durable plastic and the strong, double seals that ensure the bag stays flat the whole trip. Never once did I have a snakes-in-a-can moment when I opened my suitcase, nor have any of my compression bags sprung a leak that makes them unusable. The plastic also makes its contents waterproof, so if any toiletries leak in transit (knock on wood), your puffer jacket won’t soak up all your shampoo.

Beyond puffer jackets, you could pack entire outfits in different compression bags. Or seal T-shirts in one and pants in another, or segregate dirty clothes on your return home. They’d work well if you like to travel with your own pillow, like my brother does. And around the house, we’ve used these to store out-of-season clothing, quilts, Halloween costumes, and even holiday tinsel garlands.

I’m not alone in my love for these bags, either, as evidenced by their thousands of five-star ratings. “These deserve all the stars,” one Amazon shopper said. “Made my life traveling so much easier. No need for a pump, they compress perfectly, 10/10.” Others confirm they’re “easy to use,” “compress a remarkable amount of clothing into a small space,”  and “truly shrink your packing to half the volume.”

Snag a 12-pack of these suitcase space-savers for less than $1.50 each, and read on for other travel hacks that might turn you into a one-bag traveler too.

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