5 Reasons I Started Backvac

Traveling with my family growing up meant overstuffed bags and something always going wrong along the way. I hated every bit of it.

Somewhere in all of that, I made myself a promise.

To save space, my family packed with cheap plastic vacuum bags. They didn't last the whole trip.

Some split or broke mid-trip. Others slowly filled back up with air. Either way, when it was time to pack for the trip home, nothing would fit and nothing would close.

When I started traveling on my own, the checked-bag fees started too. I was paying extra just to bring my own clothes, then wrestling an overpacked suitcase through the airport.

Then came the waiting. The long line to drop the bag off, then standing at baggage claim watching the same suitcases go around and around. On some trips that added up to an hour and 45 minutes there and back, right when I was already exhausted.

I wanted a week of clothes in one carry-on that I could wear as a backpack and walk straight out of the airport with. Every airline sets its own cabin rules, so check yours before you fly.

It wasn’t just the clothes. I was tired of hunting for a power outlet at the gate, and of keeping one eye on my bag in crowded airports and train stations.

Backvac wasn’t a quick idea. It took years of thinking, research and brainstorming the most common travel problems, along with everything that frustrated me, before it was right. In December 2022 I started sketching a backpack with a vacuum bag built right in. In 2023 we built prototypes, taking the bag apart panel by panel until the backpack and the vacuum bag worked as one. It went into production in 2024, and the first Backvac went on sale that June.

I designed it around everything those cheap bags got wrong. On today's Backvac® Pro, the vacuum bag is built in, with a sealed zipper and a one-way valve. The rechargeable Portable Air Pump clicks onto the valve and comes with it on orders from our website, so you can repack at your hotel. The seal holds for up to 168 hours (7 days), and you can pump again any time.

Every feature answers one of those frustrations. USB-C and USB-A ports let you charge your phone from your own power bank (not included), a TSA-approved lock keeps the zippers closed, and a hidden pocket sits against your back for your phone and passport.

Its main fabric is water-resistant 900D wax-coated nylon, and vacuum bag defects are covered by our 1-Year Warranty.

Once Backvac was out in the world, our customers started telling us what they needed next. We built the Backvac Pro Max, a rolling backpack that holds a laptop up to 18 inches, around the questions and concerns they raised. Their feedback also led to our first suitcase, the Backvac Flight Carry-on, with a detachable vacuum bag inside.

It changed how we help, too. We rebuilt our support so calls are answered 24/7, with callbacks from 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern. Today, more than 25,000 happy customers travel with Backvac.