OK I have a question regarding two unrelated topics: here is the first - wrinkles: <BR> <BR>Hubby & I did a test pack this weekend and I unpacked a portion of clothes this morning to wear my skirt to work and voila, it had wrinkles that I HAD TO iron out. How do you pack to NOT have wrinkles in your clothes. ALL the clothes I packed had wrinkles. I packed them VERY carefully, layered & rolled. <BR> <BR>The second question (don't laugh); is what kind of pillows will 3 & 4 star hotels in Italy have: I say feather. Or will they be polyester & hard as stone. Hubby's worried. <BR> <BR>Thank's for your help. We are getting down to the wire. The good news is, fully packed my bag weighs 18 pnds, Hubbys is 20. Ha Ha.

Don't worry. No one will be concerned about your wrinkles, expecially if it hot. If there is something you are particularly worried about, put it in a drycleaning bag before you pack it. Someone told me it is the cloth rubbing against cloth that causes wrinkles. We hung things in the bathroom while showering to help de-wrinkle them, but NEVER ONCE did we use the travel iron we packed. (In other words, don't bring a travel iron.) There were multiple pillows, and extras, in the 3-4 star hotels we stayed in over 20 days in Italy. You can always ask for another if you need it.

I usually pack my clothes in plastic bags which keep out the wrinkles very well.

I have folded items with tissue paper between them, and that seems to work.

The best way to pack so as not to get wrinkles is to roll roll roll...you need to take several items and lay them out so that the most wrinkly items are on the outside of the roll... then roll them just like a sleeping bag.. you would be amazed.. pants may get a wrinkle or two in the cuff.. but the legs with be smooth as silk, it also take up between 10-20% less space then folding. You may have to practise a few times but trust me on this, I took a class in packing, of all things that was hosted by flight attendants. <BR>I would not pack anything that is super super wrinkley to begin with, and as far as pillow go, there are as many different pillows as there are hotels.. not one is standard...

They add bulk (well, a little bit) but I use Eagle Creek packing envelope things. The clothes still have fold marks, but those are where I put them, and they are HYSTERICALLY GEOMETRICALLY PERFECT. (I spend a lot of time folding things really carefully) <BR>I also put bottom layers (tee shirts etc) on the inside of the bundle and put my skirts and pants on the outside so they are folded less. <BR>I also tend to take things that bounce back pretty well - wool crepe, wool jersey, cotton/lucra knits etc. <BR>Practice makes perfect - and after you wear many things for an hour or so, they look better (especially if it's humid!) <BR>good luck

I used to roll but have found an even better way to avoid wrinkles. Check out this web site http://www.packinglight.com <BR> <BR>It is a travel shop in Sacramento which teaches a system similar to the one I use. Mine is even a little simpler but this is very close so instead of me writing out the instructions - just look in at the website and click on the step-by-step packing lesson. This system eliminates all wrinkles - I never take a steamer or iron. <BR> <BR>

Put everything on hangers, cover with plastic from the cleaners and put in suitcase , foldover if you have to and hang us in closet when you arrive. <BR>No wrinkles and they are ready to wear. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip.. <BR>

ok, if you can afford to stay in a 3-4star hotel in italy maybe yo can afford to buy clothes that don't wrinkle.

Have you considered stuffing those hard, miserable pillows underneath your clothes when you wear them? Kill two birds with one stone.

So I asked my personal valet, "How do you keep the wrinkles out of my clothes when we travel?" and he replied, "Why madam, I get up and iron all of your clothes before I bring you your breakfast, of course". <BR> <BR>And I never knew this. <BR> <BR>So I thank you all for helping me to have a better understanding of what my staff does. <BR>

I didn't know what this was about so I opened it. If any of you are going to Germany, there is(was) a fabric called Trevara that clothes are made out of. When I lived in Germany, I bought a couple of suits and my wife bought some skirts made out of this stuff. If is fantistic. I had to sleep one night in my car on one of my trips to Octoberfest and I took a walk for 1 block and the wrinkles were gon. This material is also washable (like in a washing machine) and comes out fantistic. <BR>Regards, <BR>Art <BR>

DJ -- Congratulations on packing so light! <BR> <BR>There is a spray-on Wrinkle Remover product that I bought at a travel store. However, I have to confess that I would not bring it again. Even though it was small, I did not use it enough to merit bringing it. I just don't worry about wrinkles when I travel unless I'm attending a wedding or some special event. I usually just pack mostly dark-colored things that don't show the wrinkles very much, and I also tend to wear lightweight knits that shed wrinkles easily once you hang them up or put them on. In a pinch, you can do the old "hang them up in the bathroom and run the hot water in the shower full-blast" trick to help steam the wrinkles out a bit if necessary. Also, many hotels have irons that they will let you borrow. Definitely do not bring one -- it's not worth the space it takes up or the added weight. <BR> <BR>I agree that packing clothes in plastic -- like dry-cleaning bags -- definitely helps prevent wrinkles. However, I usually don't bother. I do like to pack things in the large ziplock bags, but still end up with some wrinkles -- no big deal. If you're going to be sightseeing, you're going to be mostly around other tourists, most of whom will also be wearing wrinkled clothes from their own journeys.

Thanks all for the advice. I'll try the dry cleaner bags trick. <BR> <BR>Oh, Les, your comment went right over my head; suppose it was meant to. <BR> <BR>And M&M, I guess there's one in every crowd. A Smart_ _ _ that is! You're so witty don't you know.

I don't use plastic bags as they would take up space, wouldn't they? I roll some items that seem suitable (knits), but mainly just don't pack clothes that wrinkle very much so it's not a big problem. I think you mayh have the wrong kind of clothes, or wrong fabrics and weaves if you see a lot of wrinkles. I like nice rayon blouses but don't usually take them traveling as rayon wrinkles terribly. I take knits and twill weaves mainly, and silk sometimes. Sometimes I have some blends (with a little polyester) that I take which I wouldn't usually wear because they travel better (blouses). Maybe you are worried a little more about wrinkles, there might be some slight ones in my clothes when I unpack, but they work out upon wearing them and aren't that noticeable. I like tops with some lycra, also, those really work well for no wrinkling (shirts or Tshirts). I have some wide-legged drawstring pants and a shirt made from Tencel, also, and they don't wrinkle too badly. I just came back from a trip of almost 3 weeks and had 4 skirts, none of which wrinkled much and don't need ironing: a broomstick casual print (it's supposed to be crinkled, just twist it up to pack), a lightweight black denim miniskirt I wore for casual bistros/cafes/going out, a long calf-length black rayon & something heavyish-weight knit skirt (very cheap, Cherokee brand from Target), and a dressier floor-length black knit skirt with some lycra in it (I had to go to a formal reception in Paris). I don't take formal preppy-style or tailored trousers as that kind of stuff that might be more of a problem (I would never have anything with cuffs, for example), or pants or skirts that are not either knit or twill weave. I can't imagine packing everything with dry cleaner bags and hangers (?), I would have no room left, but I think I don't dress that formally as others. On the pillows, I am very picky and only use goosedown at home and do not like thick pillows. Most hotels give you cheap thick pillows (foam rubber, often) which hurt your neck, I just more often sleep without one. I've been in very few hotels ever that have comfortable pillows to me as they are too thick, but I doubt if any have had feather pillows (I have only been in 4-star hotels a couple times in my life). Don't know about Italy, specifically, though.

DJ <BR> <BR>Have you ever heard of Weekender clothing? It is absolutely wonderful. The Classic line of their clothing features 9 articles of clothes which make over 20 outfits. They do not wrinkle, you can wash them in your hotel sink and hang to dry perfectly (if you want) and you can accessorize them for all occasions.

Vickie, <BR> <BR>What store's carry the Weekender line?

Hotels in Italy are just as helpful with pillow requests as in North America. Ask for what you want: my husband has an allergy to feathers and we were almost invariably rewarded with a good (not concrete) plyester pillow when this was mentioned in advance or at check in. Have a great time!

We had quite different pillows on our recent trip to Positano -- raw wool pillows. Has anybody else found raw wool in their pillows?