Fake "space bag" alert

Aug 01, 2006 4 Replies

I bought a couple of these "knock-offs", thinking I could pack some lightweight sewing supplies into them, suck all the air out, and stack them on shelves, thereby doubling my storage space. I managed to stuff about six large size quilt batts into each bag. Vacuumed all the air out, and the bags flattened nicely. It was amazing, how quilt batts could be shrunk up to nothing. Why, they are all air! They weighed nothing. I was beginning to think I ruled. My cleverness resulted in loads of empty shelf space in the sewing room. I stacked three or four of these bags atop one another, on an open wire shelf units, maybe two-and-a-half feet from the ceiling, up above my dryer. Filled the whole space. A couple of bread machines, an old dry iron, and assorted semi-fragiles shared the shelf nicely. All was well, for about two weeks. One morning recently, all hell broke loose, a crashing and shattering which went on for three minutes; a seemingly endless slow-motion suicide of assorted minor household appliances. I arrived on scene to see the last of the lemmings leap onto the tile floor. At the opposite end of the shelf, wedged tightly against the ceiling, were the four pseudo space bags, each one enormously distended with air. Beneath them, shelf braces were bent, folded, molly bolts pulled out, and all the brackets were sprung away from the wall. I would not have believed that airy batts could do that sort of damage unless I'd seen it. I am not a fan of open wire shelving. I think if I'd stacked the batts on wood shelves, they'd have simply pushed their way off the shelf, instead of destroying it. It took me a while to repair the damage; I put in new molly bolts and brackets. My sewing room is again full of fluffy, slithery quilt batt packages. I don't know if I should try this again with the "original, genuine Space Bag", or just consider this a one-time experiment, and get back to making quilts. That would get rid of my batt storage problem, but most quilting is a slo-mo process for me. (My dogs like to loll in the coolness under the beds, or I'd simply slide the bags into all that lovely unused emptiness.) Cea



we bought several of those space-bags results were not nearly so spectacular but nonetheless the same results. the bags leaged and crept out. at least we didn't have them in a under-pressure sitsplats!

klh > I bought a couple of these "knock-offs", thinking I could pack some

Bought the "real McCoy", same basic results... slow air leakage. My best results have been with heavy duty garbage bags... vacuum out the air as much as possible, quick with the cabletie, and then cram the bags into duffels, which act as girdles when the inevitable expansion occurs.

Proving once again that "Nature abhors a vacuum" JPPBill

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