How to Pack a Bag When Traveling
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When going on a trip, many men, to their shame, have the women in their lives- their mom, girlfriend, or wife- pack their suitcase for them. They either can’t be bothered or are afraid they don’t know how. But your mom won’t always be around, and if you plan on being a well-traveled man, it’s essential that you learn how to effectively pack a bag. You don’t want to bring too much stuff, too little stuff, or have your stuff arrive in a crumpled mess.
Create a packing list
Instead of trying to figure out at one in the morning what you need to pack, create a list of items that you regularly need on a trip. A packing list not only ensures that you won’t forget anything important (especially the little things that are easily overlooked while rushing out the door), it also prevents you from over packing. This will help you cut down on expensive baggage fees.
When creating a list, make it as general as possible. You don’t want stuff on there that you only need for certain trips. For example, don’t put “ski coat” on your list if you only ski once a year. You can always modify the list depending on the trip you’re going on.
We’ve created a simple packing list to help get you started. Print it off before your next trip.
Check the Weather
Some guys don’t check what the weather is going to be like where they’re headed and thus stuff their bag with items they never end up using. Before you pack, check the weather report for a semi-accurate prediction of what Mother Nature has in store for you on your trip. Forecasts these days go hour by hour, so you can see what you’ll need to be comfortable morning, noon, and night. Weather.com is a great resource.
Also, call the friend you’re visiting, or someone who has been where you’re going, and ask if your destination has any quirky weather patterns. For example, San Francisco’s weather may look balmy on the forecast, but if the fog rolls in while you’re out and about, you’re going to get pretty chilly if you haven’t brought a jacket.
Packing Clothes
Every man wishes to pack as lightly as possible. But sometimes when you’re faced with your closet and that empty suitcase you feel a bit of inertia about what to bring. Simply pack one pair of pants (or shorts) for every 2-3 days of your trip, and a shirt and pair of underwear for every single morning. Then add one extra shirt, pair of underwear, and pair of pants, in case something happens that will require it. When you’ve packed the basics, think about what additional items you might need. A formal outfit? A bathing suit? A jacket and gloves?
Also, don’t forget a pair of pajama pants to sleep in. Some guys usually sleep in their undies and therefore overlook this important item. You don’t want your host or hostess to catch sight of your nether regions when waking you up, and you need something to pad down to breakfast in.
Finally, pack an empty garbage bag in your suitcase. That way you can keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean ones while on your trip.
Packing to Avoid Wrinkling
The bane of any traveler’s existence is the wrinkles and creases that end up in your clothes after you pull them out of your suitcase. Try these techniques to keep your clothes neat and crisp while they’re en route to your destination.
Alternate Folding
One way to avoid creases in clothing is by placing one garment between the folds of another garment. By placing another garment between the folds, you can prevent a crease from forming.
In this example we’re packing a dress shirt, a pair of dress slacks, a tie, and few t-shirts.
1. Start off by buttoning the bottom, middle, and top button of the dress shirt.
2. Lay the shirt facedown on a flat surface. Put your finger about an inch from the collar of the shirt and fold the sleeve into the shirt, forming a straight line down the edge. Bring the sleeve in line with edge you just created. Repeat on the other side. You should end up with something that looks like this.
3. Lay your tie completely unfolded along the length of the shirt. Place a folded t-shirt at the point where you want to fold the dress shirt.
4. Fold over your dress shirt. Fold any part of your tie over that’s hanging out of your shirt over your dress shirt. You’ll end up with something like this.
5. Now it’s time to fold your slacks. Lay your slacks on a flat surface and place a t-shirt at the point where you plan on folding the pants. Fold.
6. If you want, place another t-shirt on top of your folded pants. Fold the bottom half of your pants over your t-shirt.
7. Flip over your pants, so the waist band is face up. Place another t-shirt where you want to fold the waist band over the rest of the pants. Fold. You should end up with three folds in your pants with t-shirts in between each fold.
Fold and Roll
If the alternate folding method isn’t your thing, you can always go with the traditional fold and roll method.
1. Roll up garments that don’t wrinkle as easily. These include t-shirts, underwear, jeans, and cotton slacks.
2. Fold garments like dress slacks, dress shirts, and dress coats.
3. Place the rolled up garments on the bottom of the bag. Then place the folded garments on top.
4. Place shoes, socks, and your Dopp kit along the sides of the bag.
Packing a dress coat
If you’re traveling on business or headed out to be the best man at your bud’s wedding, you’re probably going to pack a suit. We’ve shown you how you can fold your pants in order to reduce creases, but what about your jacket? Many large suitcases have a small rack so you can hang jackets. But if you’re just bringing a carry-on you may not have this option. Here’s a nifty method, lifted from a 1953 men’s wardrobe guide, on how to fold a dress or sport coat while keeping wrinkles to a minimum.
1. Spread the coat out on a flat surface. Make certain collar is turned up, that sleeves are straight and laid out smoothly, free of wrinkles.
2. Turn sleeves up so that lower portion is about even with armhole when folded. Keep all parts smooth and free of wrinkles
3. Fold front side parts of coat over sleeves so that edges meet a rear center seam. Smooth out wrinkles.
4. To pack in wide container: Double up over sleeves to top of collar. Pick up each side of garment and lay coat smoothly into bag.
5. To pack in duffle bag or narrow container: Smooth out wrinkles, fold left side over right side, then bottom to top, and lay flat in bag.
Packing Shoes
Many men throw their shoes in their bag willy nilly, but shoes are often (surprise, surprise) quite dirty and can soil your clothes. Put each shoe in a newspaper or grocery bag and place them on top of all your stuff in the suitcase or in unused crevasses. If you’ve got dress shoes that you don’t want to be crushed or creased, stuff the inside of the shoes with rolled up socks and place them on the perimeter of the suitcase with the sole against the outside edge.
Packing Toiletries
If you’re checking a bag and bringing a carry-on, I recommend stashing your toiletries in your carry-on bag. Perhaps even a change of underwear as well. Bags often get lost or misplaced or your flight gets delayed and you end up in a hotel without a toothbrush, toothpaste, or deodorant. But of course, when packing your Dopp kit in your carry-on, you have to follow the rules about liquids provided to us by The Man.
In late 2006, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration introduced rules pertaining to the carrying of liquid, gel, and aerosol products aboard commercial aircraft. All liquids must be in thee ounce containers or smaller. You also must place all liquids in a clear ziplock bag. Unless you want to be that guy who holds up the line at the airport, you’ll need to take make sure your carry-on toiletries meet these specifications.
One way you can do this is by buying travel size containers of your liquid products. They’re quite handy and space-saving. If you want to save some money and help reduce waste, you can buy cheap travel size bottles and fill them up with your products from home.
If this is too much of a hassle, another option is buy alternatives to liquid products.
Shampoo: J.H. Liggets Bar Shampoo
Toothpaste: Powder toothpaste
Shaving Cream: Shave Soap
Razors. Despite the ban on pocket knives, you can carry on certain shaving razors, such as disposable razors or razor cartridges. If you like to shave like your grandpa, you’ll be happy to know that safety razors are also allowed. However, you won’t be able to carry on your straight edge razor. Sorry Bill the Butcher.
Additional Tips
Leave a little room for souvenirs. If you’re going on vacation and expect to bring back some goodies for yourself and your loves ones, don’t pack your bag to the brim or you won’t have any room to tote the plunder back. If you plan on bringing a ton of stuff home, pack a collapsible bag inside of your bigger bag, and you can fill it with your booty.
Mix it up with your travel buddy. If you’re traveling with your bud or your girl, it’s a good idea to pack half of your clothes in her bag and half of her clothes in your bag. That way in case one of your bags gets lost while traveling, you’ll still have access to some of your clothes.
Steam it up. It’s hard to avoid wrinkling your clothes during transit. When you arrive to your destination, it’s best to unpack right away so you can let your clothes relax before creases and wrinkles get a chance to set. If you still have some wrinkles in your clothes, hang them up in the bathroom while you’re taking a hot steamy shower. This should help reduce any wrinkling.
Manly luggage. If you’re looking for some manly luggage to pack all your stuff in, make sure to check out Saddle Back Leather. It’s a bit expensive, but man does their stuff look awesome. Hat tip to Matt Chancey.
How do you pack?
Everyone has their own way to pack. What has worked for you? Got any tricks you learned in the Navy that lets you pack your entire wardrobe in a carry-on without anything getting wrinkled? Drop a line in the comment box and share your wealth of knowledge.
Sources:
My mother-in-law
realsimple.com
smartertravel.com
ehow.com
Hmm. The idea of not packing my own suitcase is totally foreign to me. The last time somebody else packed my suitcase was when I was a little kid.
The folding methods are good though. I tend not to worry too much about wrinkles, and if I am worried about them for a particular piece of clothing, I’ve found that rolling it up is a good method of keeping wrinkles out (assuming you’re careful to keep them out while rolling, of course). Rolling also gives you a good soft place to stick semi-fragile things into a suitcase without worrying about them being damaged.
Be careful of exceeding weight limits if you’re flying and using the rolling method. Somehow it’s easy to fit a *lot* more clothes into a given suitcase by rolling them all rather than folding.
How timely, I am taking a trip next week. Thanks for reading my mind!
I learned how to pack wrinkle-free at http://www.onebag.com Go to the “How to Pack It” tab, and halfway down the page is a link to diagrams. I use a small couch pillow for my core, and it works out great. I stopped by a local vinyl sign shop, and asked for some empty vinyl cores (they just toss them out). I use these to roll my pants around, and they don’t wrinkle. Start at the bottom of the pant leg, and roll the pants around the core (tightly), until you reach the waist. It works great. Vinyl cores are cardboard cylinders about 15″ long, and have about a 4″ diameter.
Great tips. I found the “Pack-it” System of Folders from Eagle Creek work great for traveling. They have a folding insert and are made to organize and utilize the space efficiently in any bag. Almost completely eliminate wrinkles too.
The “Mix it up” trick is a very important one that many ignore. It’s easy to each pack your own, but it’s a risky move.
As far back as I can remember, that’s what my mother always did. Everyone’s stuff was mixed up. So no matter what got lost, if 1 piece of luggage was found, everyone had a day or two’s worth of stuff.
Another good suggestion is to pack medication as carry on when at all possible. Just in case checked bags get lost.
Also always carry something for allergies, stomach problems, etc. You never know what you encounter at your destination and how late the drug store is open. Not every place has a 24×7 drug store right by where your staying. If you need it just 1x in your life, it will be worth carrying. Not to mention if your not feeling well, the last thing you want to do it go looking for a place to buy drugs.
I roll everything so it doesn’t wrinkle too badly, but I also plan on ironing pants and shirts when I get to my destination. I also save some space by wearing my suit jacket instead of packing it.
One handy trick I learned is to take the plastic covering from my drycleaning and cover shirts or jackets with it before I fold it and pack in my bag. It cuts down on the wrinkles.
I travel from 60 to 80 percent of the time, primarily serving clients in business casual environments for 4 to 5 days at a time. I strive to pack for carry on only, which can get tight. I pack one pair of shoes with shoe trees and shoe covers. My two pair of slacks are laid out on top of each other, then folded twice, with t-shirts at the folds to prevent creases. At the hotel they are hung by the cuffs on pants hangars. I iron my shirts at the hotel, so I don’t worry about wrinkles and creases. I have learned, however, to clear the residue metals from the iron by giving it a few bursts of steam, face down on the ironing board before I EVER set it on my shirts.
Rolling your ties and belts works well to avoid creasing.
Tom is on point. Roll the tie up and insert the roll into a shoe.
You forgot some things: Shaving brush, calling cards, flower bouquet dictionary, jumper cables.
HOW could you forget to list SOCKS in the list! Maybe it’s just me (I don’t travel on planes much, and never for business), but I would rather wear any other piece of clothing several times than to put on a used sock. I must have at least one pair of socks per day.
R also makes a good point about medication. Dramamine, Immodium, Asprin, etc. are very good things to have with you (don’t ask me how I know.)
Casey’s blind, Matt’s hilarious & Jake doesn’t use shoe trees…
hmmm…I actually roll all of my clothes, suit everything. It sounds crazy but it works, no creases nothing. The only problem is that it takes up more space than if I were to fold everything. Nonetheless, this is an excellent post and will be sending links to this post to my dear friends who could use this info! Thanks!!
This is a great post that points out some excellent techniques! I particularly like the advice for creating a packing list. I wrote a post awhile back called:
12 Things You Absolutely Must Pack For Vacation
It is an example of such a list. It might help some of your readers from forgetting to pack important items before a trip. I hope it adds value. Thanks!
Kudos for the OU T-shirt in the picture. Boomer Sooner!
I am going on a 2 week business trip (UK & Italy), this trip will be 14 full days (i.e 10 full business days, 2 full weekends)
My itinerary would including
[1] Business-meetings/seminars/presentations etc Mon-Fri 8AM-to-5PM (where I would be expected to wear suits)
[2] Dinner/drinks with clients/potential-clients in the evening ~7PM. “Dress code” would be business-casual/semi-business-casual.
[3] Weekends for “team activities”
(I will also be carrying my lap-top)
I am however trying to fit everything.
Can you give me an idea of a “one bag” solution for this trip (I have already been to http://www.onebag.com and a few other websites)? I am not particularly fund of the RedOxx’s Air Boss. While I may like the Air Boss’s functionality, its just not business-like enough for me (and the environment I will be in)
Can you give me an idea of what my packing list would be for this 14 day business trip? I would want to at least include 3 business suits (black, grey and navy blue) and 1-2 blazers into my (1+1) carry-on.
Has anyone here ever tried packing a suit in a duffel bag? Does it really work ?
I currently have Tumi’s Alpha Medium 22″ Wheeled Duffel ( http://www.tumi.com/product/product-detail/?modelId=109538 ) and Tumi’s Alpha Essential Brief ( http://www.tumi.com/alpha/essential-brief/ )
I was instead thinking of getting Alpha Continental 20″ Carry-On ( http://www.tumi.com/alpha/continental-20inch-carry-on/ ) to complement the Alpha Essential Brief ( http://www.tumi.com/alpha/essential-brief/ )
I would REALLY APPRECIATE any advise/suggestions on this issue. Please also feel free to share your business trip experiences.
I too am interested in the responses to the question (above) that John has asked.
Also is there a manufacturer that build custom-made carry-ons? Because I am thinking that I would have to design my own to meet my (perfect) requirements…
@Marcs:
There are unfortunately plenty of shops who can sell you baggage that meets the exact dimensions of a maximum sized carry-on. Using one is a great way to make many enemies on an air plane. You’ll annoy even more people if you use two. There’s not much that can be more annoying than large carry-ons holding up lines for security verification and being loaded and unloaded from overhead compartments.
I’ve combined travel with studies around the world and I must say I’ve become a fairly efficient budget traveller. I’m holding off for now, but I must say for that reason I’m waiting for technology to improve and become more affordable. I travel with a 12″ laptop with a mechanical hard drive (the hard disc is probably the most weight-costly variable). A solid slate disc like in the iPod, the Linux Asus eee and Linux Acer Aspire One would make this machine much lighter. The moment such computers have N-range wireless cards working in Linux and long-lasting battery lives, I’ll buy one and travel with it. The computer is indeed the heaviest and most valuable item I travel with. I’ll also need a new backpack for my next big trip because my current one is falling apart.
Packing a backpack is different from packing a suitcase. For international travel I’d add to that list the following items:
- Passport;
- Visas (if required by the host family);
- Pocket phrasebook (if you’re going to a country or region where you don’t know the dominant language);
- Air filtration mask (for the more polluted cities of Asia and the American California)
For all travel I’d add the following:
- Half a kilo (seventeen and half weight ounces) of powdered laundry detergent
- Pocket knife;
- Rope (maybe 30 meters or 90 feet tops, it makes a practical clothes line when need be);
- Duct tape;
- Sewing kit (probably the most important one here)
- Mobile phone (with a decent phone, one could eliminate the need for pen and paper and play podcasted media)
- Caffeine pills (probably the most innocent ingredient in caffeinated drinks, might as well give yourself exactly what you need when you need it at the right dosage, no other toxins/sugar)
Just my $0.02.
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On the matter of razors: on my last trip, the screener did spot my DE safety razor in my carry-on, and they dug it out and confiscated the blade. So, at least in the mind of that crew on that day, it was a no-no. OTOH, I’ve carried it though several other times without issues.
You forgot the most manly way to fold/pack a jacket:
Starting point: Wearing the jacket
Then slip out one arm.
Swing the jacket around your back to the front (with the other arm still in the sleeve).
Then slip with ‘other arm’ – then one which is still in one sleeve, into the free armsleeve too.
Then fold it once
-> Is is folded by 1/4
-> It cannot wrinkle
One thing you should NEVER forget when packing… a (good) book. you never know when you will need something to kill some time, a book is perfect for this.
And I agree with rolling clothes up. no space, no time.
I find if I take everything that I need and put it on the bed next to the suitcase and then, using both hands, I stuff everything in at once and force the suitcase closed, sometimes having to stand on top of it, that everything pretty much comes out in the same condition as it was when it went in.