Quick Verdict
As a gamer who frequently travels, I’m always looking for ways to conserve space in my carry-on luggage. This has become more important these days as handhelds have become bulkier and larger, taking up more space than ever in my backpack. If you’ve ever traveled and had the airline lose your checked baggage, you know how important it is to have your necessities with you while you wait for your luggage to appear. It might seem a bit odd that a gaming site is reviewing the Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit, but I have a feeling many gamers are in the same predicament as me.
In short, the Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit is a valuable companion for anyone who travels, no matter how often. Even in situations where it’s just a short trip, it comes in handy whether you need that bit of extra space or want to bring along a smaller backpack. While I haven’t been able to use it for a long trip just yet, I can already see myself getting a couple more of these for the next time I go overseas. It’s extremely easy to use and well worth its price tag, especially if it holds up over the long term.
Space Buff
Story time. Earlier this year, I took a 10-day vacation to Japan, where I spent some time in Tokyo and Osaka. Since I went during the winter season, there was only so much I could do when it came to packing. As a result, I had to purchase a new suitcase while in Tokyo, because try as I might, I always buy more than I should each time I visit. Even with the extra luggage, I found myself struggling to repack days before leaving, particularly because of how much space large jackets and sweaters took up. I ended up buying a few vacuum seal bags at a Daiso in hopes of avoiding having to purchase a second suitcase. By the way, if you’re ever in Japan and searching for nice luggage at a very affordable price, check out Ginza Karen. I picked up a great suitcase there at a very reasonable price.
The vacuum seal bags I picked up are designed for use with a standard vacuum cleaner, but obviously I didn’t have one of those in my hotel room. I’m sure if I had asked the hotel, they would have been happy to help, but after some trial and error, I managed to get them working somewhat. At least enough to get all of our puffy jackets and sweaters squished to fit into the new suitcase. I promised myself that when I got home, I would research a better solution for my next trip, but as usual, anything that wasn’t an immediate need got shoved into a corner of my brain where I’d forget about it.
Compact Loadout
One day, while browsing social media, I came across an ad for the Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit. Not only did it get my attention (way to go, effective video marketing), but it reminded me that I should probably get my hands on one before a work trip to Las Vegas. I reached out to Ekster, and the company was happy to send me a kit for evaluation, which is the one you see in the photos. Excited with the hope that I would be able to pack everything I needed into a backpack for my trip, I put the Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit to a real-world test.
I have several backpacks that I use for travel, depending on how much I need to bring with me. For short trips, I usually bring the largest backpack I have, since it can fit all my clothes, my laptop, and a handheld of choice, whether it’s the Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED, or my latest purchase, the ROG Xbox Ally X. The backpack you see above is the one I most often use for those types of trips. It’s a bit larger, and, as a result, heavier, but it allows me to travel without bringing a check-in. Needless to say, I’ve grown accustomed to what this backpack can hold after all these years.
Backpack Hero
The reason I’m spending so much time talking about backpacks is that after using the Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit for all my clothing, I realized there was a chance I wouldn’t have to bring the larger bag with me for this trip. I grabbed my smaller, much lighter backpack from my closet and was overjoyed when everything fit into it. You see, this backpack is typically a companion bag for longer trips, when I’m checking a suitcase. In those situations, I typically toss in a day’s worth of emergency clothing and my other essentials, along with my laptop and gaming handheld. Never have I managed to use it as my main bag for short travel trips.
The Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit made that possible, and that alone has me sold on how great it is. While I didn’t overstuff it with clothing this time around, the amount of space it saves is noticeable. To use it, you simply pack all the clothes you can fit into the bag, zip it up tightly, and use the included compact air pump. You flip open the cover, attach the air pump to the nozzle, and turn it on by pushing the button at the top. The pump simply charges via USB-C and provides about 15 uses on a full charge. Considering that you’re more than likely to be traveling these days with a USB-C cable, charging it is a bit of a non-issue. The kit can also be used with a vacuum cleaner if you don’t have the air pump or somehow manage to misplace it.
Porter Bridges Approved
As for the bag itself, it features anti-rip, waterproof nylon and an air-tight zipper. It’s extremely well-made and feels high quality, and I don’t have any concerns that it may accidentally rip or tear. It also did a good job of keeping my clothes wrinkle-free while sealed. My biggest criticism of the entire kit is that I really wish the pump had an additional power switch to prevent it from accidentally turning on. The button you see up top is what activates the pump, and I found it to be a little bit sensitive. While stored away in my backpack, something pushed up against the button and turned it on, causing me to wonder what weird noise was coming from my bag. One of those small side-to-side switches on the underside would have been nice to have to prevent that from happening.
Ekster claims you can fit up to 60 percent more in your carry-on with the TravelPack compression bag, but obviously that’s very dependent on what you’re packing. Some clothing compresses more than others, like winter puffer coats. What I love about this elegant solution is that there’s no fighting with the bag while trying to get all of the air out. The pump does all the work in a matter of seconds. I loved it even more on my return trip, as I threw all my dirty clothes into the bag without folding them, and it felt like magic when the bag nicely slid into my smaller backpack’s compartment.
I’m planning on another overseas trip early next year and can’t wait to really put the TravelPack to work and see how it does with bulkier clothing. One thing’s for sure, this has become an essential part of my traveling kit and one I wish I had owned much sooner.
This review is based on an Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit provided by the manufacturer. While FullCleared has affiliate partnerships, these do not influence our editorial content. We may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page.
