cd

I read on this forum once that some feel rolling the clothes and placing in zip lock bags packs a tighter suitcase. Is this true? And do the clothes become wrinkled?

k

Sweaters,pants,good things fold as flat as possible inside plastic.Socks,undies,pjs,smaller items roll around the sides, or in pouches.When you pack clothes inside a plastic bag or individually wrapped in dry cleaners plastic, the fabrics don't rub togetrher, they slide and that prevents wrinkling.It is easier to unpack, and there have been instances on airplanes where luggage has gotten wet and the clothes inside also, plastic is protective .

Therese

I use the same technique as k, basically. Layer the items between sheets of dry cleaner plastic, laying them directly into the suitcase and just folding in the bits of the item that didn't fit, like the arms, or folding them once (with a piece of plastic in the fold) if they are too big. The plastic keeps wrinkles at bay, and I manage to pack enough for a week in Europe (professional wardrobe, plus a normal-sized pillow) in a carry-on (I fly Delta and AirFrance and so far haven't had a problem with this) <BR><BR>I have never packed using zip lock bags (or any other seal/vacuum sort of thing), though I suppose one could try that with things like socks and underwear and bulky sweaters where wrinking would not be much of an issue, but then I tend to pack non-bulky items and just layer as necessary. If I do take a bulky sweater I generally wear it.

Wayne

My own approach is somewhat the same. For very flat items such as trousers, I lay them flat and then place a plastic garbage bag (the kitchen size, about 2 by 2 by 2.5 feet) flat over them, then lay other flat items (knit shirts, etc) over them and place another garbage bag. I put smaller items such as underwear or socks inside plastic bags you typically get when you buy things at the supermarket. That makes it easy to retrieve these items. The bigger garbage bags make it easy to lift out items in layers from a suitcase to get to stuff at the bottom. And toward the end of the trip, the garbage bags can serve as containers for soiled clothes you don't intend to wear again. The real secret that all travelers discover very quickly is to use only clothing items that don't easily wrinkle and that are quickly washable and drip-dry.

Dina

A slightly different topic, but I stuff shoes with rolled socks and small panties, even jewelry in the toes, that way only the shell of the shoes takes up space, and it's very little.

joedirt

Here's tried and true technique; I take each piece of clothing, wad it up as small as I can, then put about 7-8 (your discretion here) rubber bands around the wad to secure it and place it in my bag. It is amazing how many of these balls you can get in a carry-on.

haha

Joe, you are stupid.

navyflyer

These days, there are these air tight bags that you fold your clothes in and then use a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out. I was amazed at the difference in size and weight. When you get to your destination, you just break the seal. It comes in handy for me since I have to lug uniforms all over the place. You can buy the stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond. If you fold things well enough before putting them in there, you rarely have to press. It has worked for uniforms. Got there inspection ready.

John G

I never ever go anywhere without my iron.

Therese

This is a response to navyflyer, who points out that he "was amazed at the difference in size and weight" after he'd used one of the vacuum/seal devices. The items occupy less space, navyflyer, but they weigh the same. Really. <BR><BR>And if you want to pack for the return trip the same way (though we're generally less worried about wrinkles on the way home) you'll have to track down a vacuum cleaner.

kathy

Just take the plain old zip locks that you can buy in a grocery store, the plastic bags they give you at the dry cleaners for sweaters or the plastic that your hanging things come in, wrap it around your clothes.You do not need to go out and purchase special plastic, it is the idea of plastic being slippery and waterproof that makes it good.Use your imagination, you might come up with something not even mentioned here.

Mari

I tried the zip lock bags for packing and it really works great. Buy the largest size you can find. Simply fold and stack items so that they fit in the bag - don't overload. Zip to almost closed and then roll up (this works best for me) or press (I kneeled on them!) on the bag to squeeze out the air as you zip closed the rest of the way. The clothes do not get wrinkled and you definitely can fit more in the suitcase. It also made it easier to unpack once you were at your destination. I didn't take clothes out of the bag until I was going to wear it - takes up less space that way. Use the bags again to repack, but I do suggest taking along a few extras because sometimes they split as you zip up especially if a part of clothing gets stuck in the zip lock. I saved the bags upon returning home and have used them for other trips. Give it a try.

Packer

Problem here is that we have two difference kinds of travel, which means two different kinds of wardrobe and two different packing methods.<BR><BR>Rolling things into balls, tubes, rolls is fine for packing duffel bags for trips by trekkers, walkers, hikers, back-packers, and hostel-stayers.<BR><BR>Laying flat with minimal folds, with or without plastic, in layers, etc. is for hotel-stayers, tourists, restaurant and/or church goers, business people, etc. who have to or want to reduce wrinkles but who have to wear something other than sweatshirts and denims.

Tom

My wife is a wonder at getting an enormous amount into a suitcase, which she does by minimizing airspace. This means a lot of very flat, minimally-folded clothes with everything that can't be laid flat tucked into all the nooks and crannies (shoes with heels are placed with the heels in the corners of the suitcase, socks stuff in the empty places). <BR><BR>What all this efficiency means, however, is that her luggage is very very heavy, much heavier than mine.<BR><BR>So I would guess, "cd," that if you roll the clothes, you may end up with a lot of empty space, which will indeed make for a lighter suitcase. But the clothes will get much much more wrinkled.

joedirt

Packer: I fit into neither category. I only wear 100% polyester, never denim. If you get the really cheap polyester (K-Mart is my fav) you absolutely cannot wrinkle it.

Ellen

I suspect that those of you who are skepticalabout the merits of rolling haven't tried it. I roll everything, and no I'm not a backpacker -- I roll silk blouses, dress-for-success suits, linen pants, etc. They key is to roll smoothly without wrinkes. Then there's no way for wrinkles to get in!<BR><BR>The rolling method and the sealed-plastic-bag method are just two different ways of minimizing air space. This minimizes clothing movement, which can introduce wrinkles.

Gretchen

Totally agree with Ellen. If you roll carefully with no wrinkles it will not crease--as for instance ironed khakis or wool slacks. Try it--you'll like it. Also has nothing to do with a duffle bag--we use roll-aboards.

Sue

OK, here is a different method which you can incorporate with rolling or plastic bags, sort of like Wayne's. I lay big things flat across the bottom of the suitcase with the longer parts (sleeves, pants legs, skirt bottoms) hanging over the edges. Then I pack the smaller bits, Ts, tops, underwear (usually in plastic bags), sleepwear. At the end I fold the longer parts over the stuff in the middle. I saw this somewhere and find it works quite well.

Ronda

I like to use zip loc bags because as clothes get dirty, I move them to one bag and keep the clean items in another (I use several). This keeps my suitcase fresh. <BR><BR>I also like to use the method where you lay things as flat as possible without folding but find that this makes it a little more difficult to find things since some are smaller and get sandwiched in. I do find that the entire "mass" does tend to shift toward the bottom (where the rollers are) after carrying.<BR><BR>Ellen, I really would like to try your rolling method for silk but I am so skeptical. Have to try it.<BR><BR>Zip loc does make 2 gallon bags but I can't find them in the grocery store. I e-mailed the company and they said they are around and can be ordered directly from them if I can't find them. They said to try K-mart.

cd

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Thank you everyone for such great advice. I just got through packing with zip lock bags, as suggested here, and cannot believe how compact everything is!!!!My husband is now doing his and I keep hearing "oh my gosh!" Also, I went to the Dollar Store and purchased underwear. Did you know you can buy 4-5 pairs for $5:00!! (mens and womens) So I took each pair and packed them in small air tight zip lock bags. They are about the size of a peanut. Now, every morning after our showeres, we will take the soiled pairs and put them in one of the bags and pitch into the trash! I love the thought of NOT lugging around dirty underwear! (I also heard this tip on this board) Thanks again!!!