Alright, so you can tell I'm not a professional road warrior - please bear with what must be a silly question for most of you.

I have to go to New York in a few weeks for a professional board exam, and I was planning to bring my suit in a garment bag. Since I don't usually travel with formal clothes, I wanted to confirm that this was OK and called USAirways' call center. They advised that "it needs to be under 45 inches, length plus width plus height, when folded." Sensing my surprise, she confirmed that yes, it would have to be folded. D'oh! This is on a little regional jet (CRJ) and she stated that there's simply no closet anywhere on the airplane.

Alright, seasoned business travelers who wouldn't dream of leaving home without a suit - what do you do in this situation? Try to get on last so that your suit can at least be on top of the giant carryon in the luggage compartment, instead of under it? Or just check it in a hard-sided suitcase? Or is there some better way?

Thanks in advance!

Just one suit? If so, forego the garment bag and pack the trousers nicely in your suitcase. Wear the jacket on the flight and just make sure you fold it nicely when you put it in the overhead bin.

If you're talking more than one suit, I find as long as you don't overstuff the garment bag and you place everything in nicely and fold the bag in half knocking the air out, the suit is usually fine (or well enough that hanging it on the bathroom door while I shower is enough to get the wrinkles out).

Many people roll their clothes and pack into a small suitcase or duffle, which is what I sometimes do (because I'm lazy). Others report great success in keeping their suits in good condition by bundle wrapping. Again, you would forego the garment bag and pack it in a duffle or small suitcase. As EWR ATC Hold suggests, you probably don't need a garment bag for just one (or even 2) suits.

One that I've heard and had decent success with is putting everything inside several of those plastic bags that dry cleaners wrap everything in. If you have some of them, I would put two or three of them over your suit on it's hanger and you should be ok. It will probably require some light pressing but nothing major.

CRJ's have teeny tiny overhead bins. If you don't want to pay checked bags fees, I would just use a standard 22" in rolling bag, which will be checked plane side. Even if you were traveling on an A380 don't bank on being able to lay a suit bag flat in an overhead bin in economy. FA's will squish and cram every available space out of an overhead bin.

Place the suit inside the bag while still in the plastic dry cleaning bag. Don't over stuff the suitcase. Gingerly fold in thirds. When you reach the hotel in the evening, immediately remove and if needed hang in the bathroom and run a steamy shower.

If you must go straight from plane to interview without a stop at a hotel for a shower then neatly fold the pants encased in dry clean bag in a small carry bag and carry/wear your suit coat. Hopefully you can lay the coat flat on top, worst case scenario you can lay it across your lap.

A problem for decades, addressed now as it was in 1960 (at least by me)...

The ubiquitous Blue Blazer (worn on the a/c, then sort of casually folded in the overhead bin).

Khaki chinos, brown penny loafers (quick at TSA)

In my bag, dress shirt(s), tie(s) and a pair of fawn or tan slacks.

Most of the current crop of blazers are "de-wrinklish" to the point that they can simply be folded in a rollaboard.

My now elderly uncle, a road warrior of some note, IAH or HOU/LGD, JFK or EWR and back the next day, as often as twice a week, simply always bought suits with 2 pair of trousers, packing one pair in his bag while wearing the jacket and other pair, one in a procession of light weight Navy Blue w/chalk stripe "Banker's Specials".

I would not take a chance on a airline checked bag arriving if your suit is critical for your exam. Most stores sell low cost approx 10 mil plastic bags for suits and cost probably is less than $10 (mine were free give aways in Marriott hotels). Get one and carry it aboard. I would guess the dollar stores may carry them.

MisterNice

Go back read the OP's post. He wants to carry it on in a garment bag but he wants a place to lay it completely flat. Unless the OP is wearing a linen suit it really shouldn't wrinkle that bad if it is folded gently and with lots of room in a 22" rolling case. Most CRJs will require plane side checkinng of everything but the tiniest of cases.

I stuff my suits into a standard carry on. Then I hang them in the bathroom and turn the shower on hot for 15 mins. Let it hang overnight = wrinkles gone. ^

Thanks for all the input! I'm leaning towards the following, based on the FT recommendations:

- Bring the suit with me on the plane (it's not mandatory for the exam but certainly recommended)
- Wear a "backup" coat-and-khakis (if USAir somehow loses it while I'm wearing it, I suppose I have greater problems than the exam )
- Use the shower as an impromptu steamer at the destination. This is brilliant! I've used that trick before, now that I think about it, but I had forgotten all about it. Thanks for jogging my memory.

There is of course the option of (gasp!) ironing your suit at your destination. Pretty much every hotel will either stock an iron and ironing board in the room or send them up to you if you call housekeeping to ask for them. I'm a dedicated carry-on-only traveler, squash my clothes unmercifully in my 20-inch rollaboard, and just iron things at the hotel before I need to wear them. It takes maybe ten minutes.

Probably a dumb question, but can you iron a suit like you would a shirt? I know that many suits (at least the ones I wear) are wool (or perhaps a wool blend). I've always assumed the worst...

Yes, certainly you can iron a suit. There are settings on the iron for wool, cotton, silk, etc.

pun intended?

nice one.