MIGARU: The Story Behind the World’s First Built-in Pump Automatic Compression Bag
Onigiri LLC (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative: Mami Aoki) has initiated a project for “MIGARU,” an automatic compression bag with a built-in pump, on the crowdfunding service Makuake, starting April 14.
This release shares the development story of MIGARU and the technical reasons why compression bags with built-in pumps have not been widely adopted, based on insights from the product development manager.
1. “Why not integrate a pump?” — A Simple Question as the Starting Point
Compression bags are a common travel item. Various types exist, from manual push-out models to those requiring an external electric pump. However, the effort involved in using them has often been a barrier.
The MIGARU development team’s question was straightforward: “If a pump were integrated into the bag, it would only take one button. Why hasn’t this become mainstream?”
The answer was primarily “technical difficulty.” However, there was also a structural reason within the industry.
Industry Structure: Why Was This Not Solved Before 2025?
The compression bag market has largely been designed for
