Compression Bags?

I need to fit everything, mainly clothes, into two large 28 inch suitcases.  I have whittled down to things I have worn within the last year, and things that will be of use in a colder climate.  When shopping I saw the compression bags, that give you more room in your suitcase.  Do these work?  Do I have to buy a pump, in additional to the bags?  I didnt want to make the purchase if I had to buy extra pricey equipment to use the bags.  Thanks! 

They work, yes, but you usually have a problem in that you end up putting more stuff in the suitcase that then results in being overweight.  You usually use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air.

I did have that thought myself, about putting too much inside if I had extra room.  They would be really good to use for a blanket I refuse to leave behind  

They do work, I was able to take about 75% of my (reduced) collection of clothing over in a 28" suitcase and a smaller carry-on sized suitcase. (I also managed to fit in a bunch of DVDs with the extra space.)

Target sells some that don't require vacuums, you just squeeze the air out yourself. They're reusable so I plan on taking advantage of them again when I move over.

Target sells some that don't require vacuums, you just squeeze the air out yourself. They're reusable so I plan on taking advantage of them again when I move over.

Oh really?  I will have to go check those out today!  I am just sorry worried that my bags will be overweight. Dont want to get stuck with extra weight charges. 

Kind of off topic, if you dont have a direct flight..say with a stop in another state before you get on your actual plane to london, do you have to pay the baggage fees twice?  I was reading the AA site, but couldnt find any information on this.  You would think the fees would apply toward your entire trip. 

You pay only once unless you have to change airlines (i.e. two separate tickets).  If your itinerary is all one trip then you don't have to pay again.

Oh really?  I will have to go check those out today!  I am just sorry worried that my bags will be overweight. Dont want to get stuck with extra weight charges.

My scale is dead, so I dragged my bag to Target to use one of their scales there. (Arguably I should've just bought the thing for $7.99 but I'm trying to get rid of stuff, not add more stuff. ) Pre-space bag/DVD add my 28" suitcase was about 25lbs, post-space bag/DVD add it was 45.5lbs.

Kind of off topic, if you dont have a direct flight..say with a stop in another state before you get on your actual plane to london, do you have to pay the baggage fees twice?  I was reading the AA site, but couldnt find any information on this.  You would think the fees would apply toward your entire trip.  

I flew Raleigh -> Charlotte -> Gatwick and paid my $50 for the second bag once. This was on US Airways, so each airline should be different, but I'm pretty sure if it's all in one reservation/itinerary it should only be charged once per one-way segment (i.e. if I'd had 2 bags on the way back I would've paid $50 a 2nd time for the return).

Thats what I was thinking, but I just wanted to be sure and not surprised at the airport.  Packing is going to be the death of me, its hard to decide what to take. Im down to just clothes, pictures, cds, a few candles, and my recipes/measuring cups. Thanks for all the input, I think I will get a scale and some compression bags today. 

We've found some of the vacuum-using bags to be defective -- there is obviously a leak somewhere so they fill up with air again.  This might not be a problem if stuffed into a suitcase, as the suitcase would keep it from expanding I would think.

With regards to the roll-up bags from Target...break them in!

I've got a set, and at first they're quite difficult to roll.  And even then, when you roll them, there's a tendency for everything to get pushed toward the bottom of the bag, so you end up with a wedge o' clothing. 

The last time I used them, rather than rolling them to force the air out, bf just put them on a hard, flat surface and, very slowly, sat on them.   It worked quite well, since by that time I'd used them a few times and it was fairly easy to force the air out.  They ended up much more evenly flat.  Only a hint of butt-print, but then that was like taking a bit of bf home with me. :p

I've got a set, and at first they're quite difficult to roll.  And even then, when you roll them, there's a tendency for everything to get pushed toward the bottom of the bag, so you end up with a wedge o' clothing. 

I had that happen when I used them, but I just interchanged the wedges and it worked out fine. One facing one way, one facing the other way, and then things were fairly "flat" and I could put other things in before putting a final layer (or 2) of squished clothes.

I did that the first couple of times I used them, and it did work out, more or less.  But I think it's good to know that there are alternatives.  Plus, everything wedged down at the end doesn't help with wrinkles.