Layering
The layering or bundling method, layers the clothes in alternating directions in the suitcase and then has you fold each article of clothing onto the last piece to create one intertwined bundle of clothing. This is a great method to reduce wrinkles and we were easily able to pack as many as 25 items of medium-sized women’s clothing in one 22” carry-on. The downside is that the entire bundle would have to be removed and unwrapped to retrieve your clothing. Therefore, this method is best if you plan to hang your clothing once you get to your destination.

Rolling
Rolling the clothing is another popular method. You can roll each item individually or group like items together and roll as a bundle. For example, with shirts, you want to fold the sleeves in and then roll from the bottom of the shirt up to the neck. For pants, you want to roll from the waist down to the ankle. If you have wrinkle-prone clothing, we suggest using plastic (e.g., dry cleaning bag). Lay the clothing on the plastic bag and then roll the item up with the plastic as you go. We found that grouping like items together did save some extra space and reduced some of the wrinkling that can occur with various fabrics when rolled.

Folding
And finally, the folding method.  This method does take up more space than layering or rolling. However, for some fabrics, it’s a better way to reduce wrinkling. Folding the clothing with a piece of tissue paper or plastic in the middle will reduce friction and, therefore, the wrinkles.

In the end, we found that a combination of methods often works best. Rolling items that don’t wrinkle easily and folding others with tissue paper were the easiest techniques to combine. Once the larger, bulkier items were placed in the suitcase, we filled in all the gaps (including the shoes) with smaller items like underwear, tank tops, bathing suits and belts, so that every nook and cranny was filled.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time

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