Spacesaver bags for flying

I just realized that I have a couple of those clear "spacesaver" bags from Target.  Basically, they're plastic bags that you can put clothes in and suck the air out with a vacuum, so they become flat and make it easier to pack (and save lots of room!).  Would I be able to use these to pack our clothes?  They're see-through and not very thick, so I don't imagine it'd be a problem, but at the same time, baggage inspectors would be able to actually go through them without opening them up (and completely defeating the purpose of using them).  For what it's worth, we're flying from Memphis->Chicago->Heathrow->Leeds/Bradford with United and BMI.  Does anyone know if these are allowed?  Would this be something to call the airline about, or is it more of an airport matter?  (And in that case, would it be worth contacting Chicago and Heathrow to find out?)

Thanks!

They actually make those with vacuum seals that you roll out all the air in for travelling, so these wouldn't be a problem. I've used them many times with no problems. In fact I use all kinds of organizing things for my luggage and have got compliments on neatness when inspected! lol

Yayyyyy!  You've made my night!  Awesome 

Great!

I have found these to be a HUGE help. I have one big one that you can roll the air out of.  I use it for my dirty laundry since I only take one suitcase and don't like mixing them together or having a heap of dirty laundry at my BF's house.

I used a couple of these when I flew over and was able to fit so much more in my luggage.  I had no problems at all with them. 

Remember though that only the volume changes, not the weight.

If you are concerned at all about paying for overweight baggage that is...

...baggage inspectors would be able to actually go through them without opening them up (and completely defeating the purpose of using them)...

If they want to open them up, they will.  However, they probably won't roll/seal them up again all nice & tight for you like the way you had them packed.  I did use those bags from time to time in moving over - for things like quilts, clothes, etc.  I've not had the best luck with TSA baggage searches, as a number of my things have been damaged, spilled, etc in the past.  But at least you wouldn't have trouble like that with soft things packed in those bags.  Good luck!

Remember though that only the volume changes, not the weight.

If you are concerned at all about paying for overweight baggage that is...

That can be a huge issue, because you can actually pack more in... and thus the weight just keeps adding up! Still it can be really nice if you're bringing bulky items like jumpers and blankets

I'm not worried about the weight-- I'll be using the bags more to make packing more organized and easier than to cram more in (we're aiming at just bringing 2 weeks' worth of clothes over until we find a house, then having the rest shipped to us).

I love those bags!  I've used them on two trans-Atlantic trips, and my recent move to the UK.  I've never gone over the weight limit.  Every time I've used them I wondered what would happen if they needed to be searched, but they never did so I don't know what to tell you as far as that goes. 

But those things are just awesome as far as I'm concerned... Definitely worth it.

We always use the space bags now -- but then we only take carry on so every bit of space is valuable.  Based in two countries we keep clothes etc. at both ends so don't need to check anything in.  Obviously, you're going to need a bit more than that!