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panamamike May 23, 2009 7:31 pm

Packing techniques? Good for 22"
 
I've recently had to do some frequent travel, and I find myself spending quite a bit of time ironing my clothes.

I use an older TravelPro Plat 22" rollaboard and typically pack 4 shirts 3 slacks using the included suiter. (Business type attire)

It ends up resulting in well organized packed bag, but a wrinkled mess.

Are there better ways to pack? I did see one technique at on bag However I'm not convinced because I don't know how the resulting bundle will work with the other clothes I pack (not in the suiter section).

I'd like to know what techniques work for regular weekly business travelers.

Mike

zsmith2 May 23, 2009 8:11 pm

For the past 2 years I've been on the road I always have to iron something. I think in part because I'm a neat freak and everything has to be ironed before I wear it. Otherwise it doesn't matter what packing technique I do I find evey tip/trick has its' pros and cons. Happy travels!

mileageking May 23, 2009 8:43 pm

I travel overseas frequently using my 22" Tumi roller, at times upto 2 weeks at a time. Best thing that's happened to me is getting a Tumi packing folder which also comes with a small board within that shows you how to fold shirts as well as keeps them "almost" wrinkle free (still have to use to iron however my shirts/pants arent too messed up. I have two of these and fits well in my Tumi 22".

cheers.

obscure2k May 23, 2009 8:43 pm

I believe that this thread can be well-addressed in the FT Travel Products Forum.
Please follow in Travel Products...
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

tfar May 23, 2009 11:14 pm


Originally Posted by panamamike (Post 11795846)
I've recently had to do some frequent travel, and I find myself spending quite a bit of time ironing my clothes.

I use an older TravelPro Plat 22" rollaboard and typically pack 4 shirts 3 slacks using the included suiter. (Business type attire)

It ends up resulting in well organized packed bag, but a wrinkled mess.

Are there better ways to pack? I did see one technique at on bag However I'm not convinced because I don't know how the resulting bundle will work with the other clothes I pack (not in the suiter section).

I'd like to know what techniques work for regular weekly business travelers.

Mike

Mike, can you give us a more complete packing list. That will make things easier.

Here are some tips off the bat, that should work pretty well:

- shirts and trousers don't go in the same compartment or folder. The cloth is very different and the resulting friction will wrinkle the shirts.

- try a shirt folder with a board as described above. I have the Eagle Creek 17 or 18" model. Works quite well. Fold two shirts together at a time. This way one shirt reduces the creases of the other shirt. It's like putting silk paper in between the shirts, except it adds no weight. Alternate direction of collars when stacking the shirts. Wrap ties around the folded shirts. Be careful with velcro closure and ties.

- Put trousers lengthwise into the rollaboard with the cuffs first. The waist hangs out over the edge. Do not fold it over yet.

- Put a pair of shoes filled with underwear, socks or fragile things at the bottom of the case (where the wheels are). The shoes should be in plastic bags or shoe bags. Other heavy items go on the bottom, too.

- Put your shirt folder in the bag. If you have a sweater or cardigan, fold it and put it on top of the shirt folder.

- Now fold your trousers over the core. Ideally you'd have packed the trousers with one waist hanging over the top side of the case and one hanging over the bottom side of the case. Basically like the bundle diagram. The idea, as with the shirt collars, is to even out the bulky parts by avoiding big stacks on one side of the bag.

- If you have t-shirts or other undergarments, roll them up and put them in the spaces around this bundle.

- If you have a belt, don't spiral it up onto itself. wrap it around the perimeter of the bundle. This is easy on the leather and takes minimal space.

- Finally, pack suit jackets in the suiter compartment. Ideally, leave each jacket in one of the dry cleaner plastic bags.

You see this is a variation of the bundle technique. The pure bundle technique as explained on onebag is great if you have to minimize space and if you have the patience to undo and rewrap the entire bundle. In your situation the full-blown bundle technique is not necessary. You will achieve the desired effects and very orderly packing when you follow the steps above.

Why don't you do a test pack and report back?

Cheers,

Till

P.S.: Wrinkle free dress pants do exist. Brooks Bros. non-iron shirts are great, too. A pure wool suit (Super 100 or above) will unwrinkle very nicely while you take a nice hot shower.

mileageking May 24, 2009 12:01 am

very well described tfar!

cheers.

tfar May 24, 2009 3:38 pm

Thanks, 1k+!

There are certainly other valid packing techniques and it depends on what kind of things you take exactly. But this method has worked fine for me for what I think is a pretty generic packing list.

I should add that the outside compartments of the roller would receive three things:

1. The 311 toiletry baggy.

2. The in-flight bag, containing eye mask, ear plugs, ipod, pen and other necessities which you know you need in-flight. This way you don't have to get up to search them in your bag.

3. A little bag with the stuff you need to take off at security like watch, wallet, keys, chump change. All that goes in the bag even before I step into the security line. This helps a lot.

Till

panamamike May 24, 2009 5:56 pm


Originally Posted by tfar (Post 11796445)
Mike, can you give us a more complete packing list. That will make things easier.

Here are some tips off the bat, that should work pretty well:

- shirts and trousers don't go in the same compartment or folder. The cloth is very different and the resulting friction will wrinkle the shirts.

- try a shirt folder with a board as described above. I have the Eagle Creek 17 or 18" model. Works quite well. Fold two shirts together at a time. This way one shirt reduces the creases of the other shirt. It's like putting silk paper in between the shirts, except it adds no weight. Alternate direction of collars when stacking the shirts. Wrap ties around the folded shirts. Be careful with velcro closure and ties.

- Put trousers lengthwise into the rollaboard with the cuffs first. The waist hangs out over the edge. Do not fold it over yet.

- Put a pair of shoes filled with underwear, socks or fragile things at the bottom of the case (where the wheels are). The shoes should be in plastic bags or shoe bags. Other heavy items go on the bottom, too.

- Put your shirt folder in the bag. If you have a sweater or cardigan, fold it and put it on top of the shirt folder.

- Now fold your trousers over the core. Ideally you'd have packed the trousers with one waist hanging over the top side of the case and one hanging over the bottom side of the case. Basically like the bundle diagram. The idea, as with the shirt collars, is to even out the bulky parts by avoiding big stacks on one side of the bag.

- If you have t-shirts or other undergarments, roll them up and put them in the spaces around this bundle.

- If you have a belt, don't spiral it up onto itself. wrap it around the perimeter of the bundle. This is easy on the leather and takes minimal space.

- Finally, pack suit jackets in the suiter compartment. Ideally, leave each jacket in one of the dry cleaner plastic bags.

You see this is a variation of the bundle technique. The pure bundle technique as explained on onebag is great if you have to minimize space and if you have the patience to undo and rewrap the entire bundle. In your situation the full-blown bundle technique is not necessary. You will achieve the desired effects and very orderly packing when you follow the steps above.

Why don't you do a test pack and report back?

Cheers,

Till

P.S.: Wrinkle free dress pants do exist. Brooks Bros. non-iron shirts are great, too. A pure wool suit (Super 100 or above) will unwrinkle very nicely while you take a nice hot shower.

More complete list
3 plain white T's
3 casual T's
1 pair of exercise shorts
1 pair of jeans
3 slacks
4 dress shirts
4 boxer shorts
1 pair tennis shoes (Need to go straight to office after deplaning)
Toiletry kit. Has quite a bit of stuff in it, shampoo, after shave, conditioner, toothpaste, general medication, asprin, claritin, ect... This is probably my biggest obstacle since it takes a good deal of space in the 22 "
3 pairs of white sox.
4 pairs of dress socks. usually in the inside side pockets.

I'll typically put one shoe on either end. I don't put anything in the shoes, I can flatten them pretty well and I don't know how well stuff would smell after being in the shoes in an enclosed space inside a plastic bag :P

Thankfully I haven't had to wear a formal jacket or tie. If I have a jacket I just wear it.

It looks like your packing technique advocates not using any of the dodads that they include in 22 inch bags... So you don't think those things aren't useful?

Mike

panamamike May 24, 2009 6:16 pm


Originally Posted by tfar (Post 11798789)
Thanks, 1k+!

There are certainly other valid packing techniques and it depends on what kind of things you take exactly. But this method has worked fine for me for what I think is a pretty generic packing list.

I should add that the outside compartments of the roller would receive three things:

1. The 311 toiletry baggy.

2. The in-flight bag, containing eye mask, ear plugs, ipod, pen and other necessities which you know you need in-flight. This way you don't have to get up to search them in your bag.

3. A little bag with the stuff you need to take off at security like watch, wallet, keys, chump change. All that goes in the bag even before I step into the security line. This helps a lot.

Till

Should the bag be a ziploc? What do you use for the valuables? I don't know what TSA thinks of non clear bags. Also, is there a theft concern if you have all of your stuff in an easy to take bag?

tfar May 24, 2009 8:42 pm

Mike,

with that packing list you can exactly follow my method. Put the socks in the shoes. That's where they end up anyway. Put both shoes in the bottom, though. You'll see, better for weight distribution. It prevents the roller from tipping over too easily.

You almost don't need the suiter in your case, because you don't carry a jacket but would wear it. What you can do is to use the suiter compartment instead of the shirt folder. That should work quite well. Just don't put your pants in there, too.

Since you don't have a real core without the shirt folder you could get a packing cube for the t-shirts and underwear. Use that instead of the shirt folder as a core to wrap the pants around. Make sure that the packing cube actually is small enough so that it compresses the contents. You want that thing to save some space at least. Most people use cubes and don't use them as compression devices. This is a bit stupid (sorry) because it adds bulk and weight.

For my in-flight bag I use an Eagle Creek pocket. It has a carabiner and is made of transparent plastic with mesh around it. It's about the same size as a 311 bag. Since there will likely not be any liquids in there, you don't have to take it out of the main bag. So use whatever little bag you deem appropriate.

For the valuables I use either a ziploc or put them in the in-flight bag. What I do even more often though, is to put the valuable in jacket pockets which either have a zipper or at least a button to close them. The jacket needs to go through the x-ray anyway, so there is no additional step.

You say the toiletry bag is a problem. Like you, I have identified those big-... heavy toiletry kits as a problem to light packing. They weigh almost one pound when EMPTY. So now I use ziplocs for my razor, hairbrush, nail scissors and the other non-liquids I have. It works great. If you need more than one, you can split your stuff up e.g. razor and hair brush in one baggie, then toothbrush and scissors in another bag. You just saved yourself 1lb and tons of space. You'll see. Also you want to go with as small bottles of toiletries as you can, and avoid glass bottles of cologne.

Risk of theft is always there. See my thread on theft prevention in the travel buzz section.

The thing is that if you pack the way I told you, you will pack lighter and more organized which will allow you to carry on and not worry about theft.

Till

amlothi May 24, 2009 9:24 pm

As mentioned by some above, it's all about the quality of the material. Buy wrinkle free clothes that are actually wrinkle free. (I find many of them are no different than cheap clothes.)

I roll my pants around a bundle of socks/underwear/tshirts/etc. That seems to work well - if there aren't any folds or creases, you won't get wrinkles.

I use a suit-er for my shirts. It works, but it took some practice since the carry-on sized suit-er isn't wide enough for my shirts to lay completely flat. I find that if I fold the sides neatly and then fold the sleeves straight down that it works pretty well.

If I do have to iron it the shirt later, it's only along that one crease.

Put the suit-er on top, the last thing you fit in your suitcase. If you put it in the bottom, the weight of the other items (and their shifting when you pick up the bag) causes problems.

GRD May 24, 2009 10:24 pm


Originally Posted by tfar (Post 11796445)
- shirts and trousers don't go in the same compartment or folder. The cloth is very different and the resulting friction will wrinkle the shirts.

- try a shirt folder with a board as described above. I have the Eagle Creek 17 or 18" model. Works quite well. Fold two shirts together at a time. This way one shirt reduces the creases of the other shirt. It's like putting silk paper in between the shirts, except it adds no weight. Alternate direction of collars when stacking the shirts. Wrap ties around the folded shirts. Be careful with velcro closure and ties.

Just a little feedback... I use the method quoted above, but have found I can wrap my dress slacks around my dress shirts directly, without wrinkles. I fold and stack my shirts as noted above, less the paper in between them. Next I snuggly wrap my slacks around my shirts sideways. Finally I enclose them in the packing folder which I close tightly. Even in an unstructured shoulder bag, they come out unwrinkled.

alexbriganza May 27, 2009 6:10 am

Collectively have So Many Packing techniques. In international trip your dressing should be neat & ironed, thanks for all useful tips

TexasMiguel May 27, 2009 7:43 am


Originally Posted by tfar (Post 11796445)
Mike, can you give us a more complete packing list. That will make things easier.

Here are some tips off the bat, that should work pretty well:

- shirts and trousers don't go in the same compartment or folder. The cloth is very different and the resulting friction will wrinkle the shirts.

- try a shirt folder with a board as described above. I have the Eagle Creek 17 or 18" model. Works quite well. Fold two shirts together at a time. This way one shirt reduces the creases of the other shirt. It's like putting silk paper in between the shirts, except it adds no weight. Alternate direction of collars when stacking the shirts. Wrap ties around the folded shirts. Be careful with velcro closure and ties.

- Put trousers lengthwise into the rollaboard with the cuffs first. The waist hangs out over the edge. Do not fold it over yet.

- Put a pair of shoes filled with underwear, socks or fragile things at the bottom of the case (where the wheels are). The shoes should be in plastic bags or shoe bags. Other heavy items go on the bottom, too.

- Put your shirt folder in the bag. If you have a sweater or cardigan, fold it and put it on top of the shirt folder.

- Now fold your trousers over the core. Ideally you'd have packed the trousers with one waist hanging over the top side of the case and one hanging over the bottom side of the case. Basically like the bundle diagram. The idea, as with the shirt collars, is to even out the bulky parts by avoiding big stacks on one side of the bag.

- If you have t-shirts or other undergarments, roll them up and put them in the spaces around this bundle.

- If you have a belt, don't spiral it up onto itself. wrap it around the perimeter of the bundle. This is easy on the leather and takes minimal space.

- Finally, pack suit jackets in the suiter compartment. Ideally, leave each jacket in one of the dry cleaner plastic bags.

You see this is a variation of the bundle technique. The pure bundle technique as explained on onebag is great if you have to minimize space and if you have the patience to undo and rewrap the entire bundle. In your situation the full-blown bundle technique is not necessary. You will achieve the desired effects and very orderly packing when you follow the steps above.

Why don't you do a test pack and report back?

Cheers,

Till

P.S.: Wrinkle free dress pants do exist. Brooks Bros. non-iron shirts are great, too. A pure wool suit (Super 100 or above) will unwrinkle very nicely while you take a nice hot shower.

Great tip TFar! I have modified my packing using some of your suggestions and it works great for my Air Boss! Thought I had it mastered until I read this! Gracias!

tfar May 27, 2009 11:13 am


Originally Posted by TexasMiguel (Post 11811882)
Great tip TFar! I have modified my packing using some of your suggestions and it works great for my Air Boss! Thought I had it mastered until I read this! Gracias!

De Nada.

I am very honored my tips are actually helping out. Thank YOU!

If you have an Airboss you could try the packing technique I use for suits in my Easygoing bag, which has a very similar layout to the AB. I use the Eagle Creek shirt folder as a core for wrapping the suit around. Then I put the bundle into a compartment of the bag.

Lay the suit jacket on the bed or on a clean floor (you don't want any dust on it, of course) the front side facing you, the back side laying on the floor.

Open the suit jacket and spread the front side open so you can see the lining and the interior pockets.

Put your pants inside the jacket. Waist up. The waist band should be as far up as possible. Basically by the collar of the jacket, leaving only a little bit of leg hanging out on the bottom.

Fold the sides back again but do not button them together. Instead you want to fold them over a bit more than necessary, so that you reduce the width of the jacket evenly. Evenly means the shoulders must come in a bit, too.

Now cross the sleeves over X-style. The buttons should face up. Take care to smooth them out nicely to avoid wrinkles. This sleeve position will follow the natural lines of your suit jacket.

All of the above takes 15 seconds to do.

Last step: Put the filled shirt folder horizontally on the jacket so that the bottom edge of the folder lines up with the bottom edge of the jacket. Fold whatever hangover you have from the pants over the folder. Horizontally means in a landscape format, not a portrait format.

The suit should be not much wider than the shirt folder if you have "shrunk it" correctly. Simply roll up the suit around the folder now. Pick it up with both hands as not to unravel the package and transfer into its own compartment.

The own compartment or at least a slippery plastic bag around the bundle is important to avoid the outside of the bundle sticking to other items and thus creating friction that can undo the bundle and wrinkle the suit.

Done!

This is a great method for people who like to use unstructured bags because they are so light and practical but who still need to take formal clothing.

Till


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