Our Story

We Got Tired of the Way Travel Was Supposed to Work

My name is Onno Poppe, and I started VacVacBag because I had enough.

Not in a dramatic way — just in the quiet, frustrated way that anyone who's traveled too many times starts to feel. I'd checked my luggage on a flight, and it got stuck in transit. Three days. Three days of wearing the same clothes, waiting on phone calls, and refreshing a tracking page that hadn't moved. And when it finally arrived, I swore that would be the last time I let an airline hold my belongings hostage.

But here's the thing — it wasn't just that one incident. It was the hours spent waiting at baggage claim, watching a belt go round and round while everyone else had already left. It was overpaying for checked bags on routes that should've cost nothing. It was cramming a carry-on full of clothes only to dig through the entire thing at 6am in a hotel room looking for one shirt. It was the complete lack of control that comes with the way most of us travel.

Travel Shouldn't Cost You Your Sanity (or Your Wallet)

Airlines have made a business out of charging you for the privilege of bringing your own stuff. And most of us just accept it — because what's the alternative? Pack less? Show up in three outfits for a week-long trip?

We didn't think that was good enough.

VacVacBag was built on a simple belief: everyone deserves to explore the world without being nickel-and-dimed or organizationally defeated by their own luggage. Whether you're a digital nomad hopping between cities, a frequent flyer squeezing in trips between meetings, or someone finally taking that trip you've been putting off — you shouldn't have to choose between packing what you need and avoiding a checked bag fee.

We started developing VacVacBag in mid-2025. It went live in April 2026. In between, we spent months solving one specific problem: how do you pack more, stay organized, and fit it all in a carry-on — without it being a complicated, forgettable gadget you stop using after two trips?

The answer was the built-in rechargeable pump. No separate hand pump. No hunting for a vacuum. You pack, you press a button, and your clothes compress in 30 seconds. Everything stays in place. Everything stays organized. You zip your carry-on, walk past baggage claim, and you're done.

Built on Real Feedback, Real Travel

Before VacVacBag was available to anyone, over 500 early testers put it through its paces — real travelers on real trips, giving us real feedback. They helped us make it better. They're the reason we're confident it works.

And beyond the product, we've built something we're equally proud of: a customer service experience that actually treats you like a person. We know what it feels like to be stranded with a problem and no one to help. That's not the experience we're building here. When you reach out, you hear back.

This Is Bigger Than a Bag

Travel changes people. It opens up perspectives, builds connections, and reminds you how big and interesting the world actually is. We think more people should have access to that — and we think removing the friction of overpacked, overpriced, disorganized travel is one small way to make it easier.

VacVacBag is based in the United States, but it's made for anyone who moves.

Pack. Press. Go.

— Onno Poppe, Founder of VacVacBag