How to Pack: Your Suitcase
Domestic CEO gives 4 packing tips on how to pack a suitcase.
Ever since I was a little girl going away to summer camp, I have been a believer in knowing how to pack a suitcase. There I was, 10 years old, with perfectly folded clothes, that were organized in a way that I could always find what I wanted. I would look at some of the other girls and see their duffel bags spilling over with wadded up clothes. They would literally be tossing clothes around to find the shirt they wanted to wear. It made my OCD little self want to go over and refold and repack their bags to help them.
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Even now as an adult, I still believe that struggling to find what you need in a poorly packed suitcase can disrupt even the most joyous of vacations. If you’ve ever had to pull every single item out of your suitcase to find what you wanted to wear, chances are you could use a few tips on how to pack a suitcase. So today’s episode is for you. We’re going to focus on getting everything from your packing list into your suitcase in a way that is going to be functional when you are on your trip. If you haven’t already read or listened to Part 1 of this series on how to make a packing list, you may want to check that out first because it has some great tips to make sure you don’t under or over pack for your vacation. It will help ensure that, once you learn how to pack a suitcase, that you have everything you need, and not an item more.
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Packing Tip #1: Separate by Style
When I plan my clothes for a trip, I put all my bottoms in one pile, all my layering tops (like tank tops) in another pile, all the top layers (like cardigans and sweaters) in another pile, and so on. Keeping like with like will help you pack these items into the suitcase together. That way, when you are looking for your white tank top to go under your pink cardigan, you can look in the corner of your suitcase where you put all your tank tops, and in the layer of tops where your cardigans are.
Use quart size plastic baggies to keep small items together in your suitcase.
For smaller items, I even go to the extent of using quart size plastic baggies to keep them together in my suitcase. Nothing is worse than being 6 days into a vacation and knowing there is a pair of underwear somewhere in the suitcase, but not being able to find it. I put all my undergarments into one plastic baggie, all my socks into another, and any other small items I want to make sure I have contained in yet another. That way, I never have to search for a stray item because they are always kept together.
Once those items are bagged, I toss them into the separated pocket in the top of the suitcase, or the pocket on the front of my duffel bag to make sure that I always know where those essential pieces of clothing are. Those separated pockets are also great for bras, swimsuits, and any other undergarments you may be packing because it will keep them from getting lost in the piles of larger items in the main compartment.
Packing Tip #2: Roll Your Clothes
There are some packing gurus who insist that the only way to pack a suitcase efficiently is to roll every single item you put in there. While I do see the benefits of rolling some items, I feel like some items can be simply folded. I do start with rolling my layering tops. Those little tank tops and t-shirts are great at filling up otherwise unusable space in the bottom of suitcases. You know where the ribs are along the bottom of the suitcase? It’s where the handles retract into the bag and cause strange bumps and valleys? Those spots are great for filling with little rolled up shirts because they fill the awkward spaces that otherwise usually get left unfilled.
Other items that I like to roll and stuff into those awkward spaces are workout clothes, pajamas, and any other items that are really soft, squishy, and won’t wrinkle easily. All other items, like pants, shorts, and nicer tops, I like to fold retail style (you know, like how they fold in the stores to make sure things stay looking crisp), and then put into the bag in stacks. I typically use one half of my suitcase for bottoms, and the other half for tops. Again, this is simply so I know where to look when I need a specific item in the middle of my vacation. I put these two piles as close together as I can in the suitcase and try to keep them packed into two sides of the suitcase (for example, into the back left corner, and along the back side of the suitcase). This leaves open strips of space along 2 other sides for the other, more awkward items.
Packing Tip #3: Put Accessories Around the Basics
The third step to take when learning how to pack a suitcase is to start packing in the larger accessory style items after you have the main clothing in the bag because these are the items you are probably going to remove from your bag and put into a closet or bathroom counter when you arrive at your destination. Remember those spaces that opened up around the edges of your suitcase? Those are ideal for shoes because they are long and skinny. If you pack them into shoe bags, or even just plastic grocery bags, it will prevent the shoes from getting any dirt on your clothes. Any other small spaces or crevices you find can be filled with your toiletries bag, makeup bag, hair tools, and jewelry bag.
These items are usually relatively small, so they can fit in to any strange nooks and crannies that remain. Finally, simply lay any larger clothing items like jackets or dresses over the top of everything else in a loosely folded manner. As soon as you arrive to your destination, simply pull the large items out and hang up in the closet, remove the toiletries, makeup, jewelry, and hair tools and put them in the bathroom, and line your shoes up in the closet or next to the bed. Once you have these items removed, you are left with an organized suitcase of just clothes that are ready for you to find what you need and enjoy your vacation.
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Packing Tip #4: If Traveling With Others, Mix and Match Your Bags
I have to be honest, this tip puts a little knot in my stomach because it involves putting some of your items in one bag and some in another bag. But if you are traveling with multiple people, you may want to consider dividing up each person’s clothes and putting a few items in each bag you bring. Even if it hasn’t happened to you personally, we’ve all heard the horror stories of airlines losing bags on a flight and the poor person being forced to wear one pair of jeans the entire trip.
Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, or at least all your clothes in one bag, consider packing a few of your items in your travel partner’s bag and vise versa. This way, if the airline loses one of the bags, you will each have at least a few days’ worth of items you can wear until they deliver the bag to your hotel. Just follow the first 3 tips to keep your items separated from each others in the bag, and you’ll be able to find everything and ensure that one of you doesn’t have to go buy a whole new wardrobe on your first day of vacation.
So those are my top 4 tips on how to pack a suitcase. Stay tuned next week when I will give tips specific to how to pack a kid’s suitcase that will keep you sane on your trip with children. Do you have any packing horror stories? I would love to hear about them! Post them in the comment section below, on my Facebook wall, or tweet me your experiences @thedomesticceo.
Until next time, I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home.