I looked for a long time for a vacuum machine, but could not find one, in France.

Then, a very simple model appeared on the market, and I bought that one (for about 50 Euros IIRC)
....
And 3 weeks later I saw the model I was really looking for ( more robust, more powerfull, larger bags, but much more expensive). <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

So, presently, I only have the cheap model. I too have the "loss of vacuum pb" you describe, either using the recommended bags or cheaper bags.
I don't know if air is coming in due to bad sealing or something else (poor quality of the bags, damaged bags,.... ?). <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Maybe I will give this one next Xmas <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> and buy a superior model (9 times more expensive ...) <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Frenchy:

Try an old refrigerator compressor (Air conditioning compressors do not generally pull down as good a vacumn.) before spending more money and then finding out it was the bag, the seal, or your technique. You can usually find an old working one for free in a refrigerator that has been discarded by the side of the road.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

When packing things like clothes and sleeping bags there are plastic bags with a one way valve you hook up to a vacuum cleaner ad suck out the air. This protects the clothes from dampness and keeps them fresh. This can also be done with the seal a meal vacuum packing machines. I’ll add two poor man versions. Both use generic ziploc style bags. The first is used on bulky items like clothes that will not be damaged by being crushed. Stuff the bag, place on a hard surface, cover with a board [like a square of plywood] and sit on it. When the air is squeezed out seal the bag. The final method requires an adapter. The adapter sizes the hose on your vacuum cleaner down to a cocktail stirrer straw. You want this small size straw so it is less likely to collapse when the vacuum is drawn and it makes it easier to seal the bag. The adapter can be a cork, rubber stopper, rolled up tape or anything that will form a seal. You will want to off set the straw to near the edge. This will make it easier to work on flat surfaces. Pack the bag. Insert the straw. Seal the bag except where the straw enters. Place on a firm surface. Place a thumb or finger over the straw over the bag seal. Turn on the vacuum. When the air is removed quickly pull out the straw. At the same time press down and seal the bag. This method works nicely for items that could be damaged by the squeeze method. This method could work with your refer compressor. Learned that trick from this device. http://www.pump-n-seal.com/
The Pump-N-Seal may be cheap and look like junk but they do work.

Such bags or this one can be used without a vacuum cleaner :
just put your clothes in it, squeeze it, compress it : air goes out the valve and it's done !
So you can do this during your trip (as I assume you don't take your vacuum cleaner along !!)

Raspy:

When the "Montreal Protocol" first emerged for the purposes of capturing refrigerant ("Freon", a brand name used by most.) some manufacturer actually made some of those "Reverse Tire Pumps" designed to purge systems and capture refrigerant.

In theory, it is possible to create a vacumn down to the requirements under the rules that went into effect for reclaimation. The reality is that there exist few people in this world that could pump long enough to do a proper job on a refrigeration system. It was legal and cheap, and the unspoken understanding was that it was a legal cover for people that continued to vent refrigerant to the atmosphere.

The way they insured compliance was that you had to register your recovery appliance with the EPA, and the following year when the telephone books came out the EPA could compare service companies with thier records, and anyone that had not registered could be issued a fine through the mail and a cease operation edict. I spent almost $1,000.00 for the real McCoy reclaimation pump, used it maybe 20 times (Most Hvac-R problems are control related.), and it currently sits in my garage looking as clean as the day I bought it. Another way they maintained compliance is a first time caught fine for intentionally violating the Montreal Protocol of $25,000.00 with a bounty of 15% paid to the person who turned you in.

For clothes, that pump will work nicely for evacuating air. Just remember to put clean dry warm clothes in a fairly dry environment in the bag before sealing.

If you want to do the same thing "on the cheap", take a quality bicycle tire pump, put the hose on the air intake end by screwing in a hose fitting adapter, and viola, same thing, probably better, and a lot less expensive.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

Raspy, how long have you been able to keep a vacuum in a ziplock? I have used your method to pull a vacuum in a ziplock, using a vacuum pump not a shop vac, but i have not been able to keep a ziplock with vacuum in it for more than a few days. What brand ziplocks have you had success with? And yes i know that a plastic bag will not hold a hard vacuum for long but the ziplocks that i have tried have not held a vacuum at all.

I admit because ziploc bags are o2 permiable the don't hold a hard vaccum well. The best way is to double bag. Also if you put a small amount of vegatable oi [a single drop usually does it] l in the sealin strip it will hold longer. Also a big part of the problem is getting a good solid seal on the bag itself. Often when closing the bag the seal is only partially closed. I have found this when playing with them in a reverse situation making an air bubble. It appears closed but pops open with little encouragement after a short time.

Raspy & RayW:

Another sealer you could use to increase the zip lock seal is the removable silicone caulking sold for sealing purposes where you may have to disassemble what you seal. I would think it would work better than the vegetable oil, and be less messy.

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

Silicone caulking, the next best thing to duct tape. Thanks

We have the Pump N Seal, and have used it to some advantage to compress clothing and other items for tight packing into our BoB's, but we're not happy with the Ziploc performance either.

Is there a decent bag (or set of bags) that are compatible with the Pump N Seal (Or those nifty ideas Bountyhunter suggested which makes Sarah and I want to go checking out old dead refrigerators at the side of the road - except I wouldn't know a compressor pump if it bit me in the peculiars) that we could use in the field?

The thing we noticed is not the initial pumping and sealing, but REpumping and REsealing away from the Pump N Seal (We only have one).

We COULD theoretically carry one in each of our BoB's, but at this point we consider it semi-useless without proper bags that will hold a proper seal more than once.

Bountyhunter, hit me in private to tell me how to get one of those compressors out of a dead fridge - talk slow, I'm mechanically declined.

Building one of those into a vacuum sealer sounds like a great weekend project, especially if the expensive parts are free.

Panz