My Two Favorite Ways to Pack
At least one weekend a month I go on a short trip. It’s almost never thought through. I usually have 24 hours to plan and execute a trip if there is one. I’ve learned to pack my gym bag quickly and efficiently, although I dream of one day being the person who prepares for a vacation weeks in advance. Even under such circumstances – which again are my fault – my clothes and necessary items are always neatly packed, without wrinkles and ready to be unloaded upon my arrival. Here are two methods I prefer to pack clothes and save space for other essentials.
Packing method 1: rolled packs.
My mother taught me when I was a child that clothes should be folded rather than folded to prevent them from getting wrinkled in a suitcase or bag. If your clothes have a longer tube shape, they will also be a little more pliable so they can be stuffed into the bag around larger items. I still roll clothes, but I do it a little differently than she taught me: I roll them around each other and put something valuable or fragile in the center. For example, I wrap my sunglasses in swimsuits and then wear beach clothes over them. I’ll wrap the sandals in the outfit I plan to wear with them. You understand.
By making these big burritos, I keep the centerpieces safe and reduce wrinkles on my clothes. The most important ones, like the dress I plan to wear to a wedding or the outfit I want to wear to a nice dinner, are placed on the outside of the roll so they spread out the widest and are least likely to wrinkle. Less important items, such as swimsuits or tank tops, can be placed towards the center where they will be wrapped more tightly.
I can then line the bottom of the bag with rolls and leave room on top for everything else I need, like toiletries and larger shoes. The bundles are tight so nothing gets damaged in transit, and they take up less space than each item would if folded and placed in the bag separately. There are a few considerations, though: I sometimes wrap each bundle in plastic grocery bags in case anything spills in there, but I also keep liquids like makeup and sunscreen in a separate bag for added safety. In the absence of a toiletry bag, bottles fit snugly between the bundles, using all available space and remaining secure.
The best part about this method is that once I arrive at my destination, I simply pull each package out of my bag and place it in a drawer or closet. As I group similar items together, the outfits are ready to go.
Packing method 2: compression bags.
My mother also once told me about compression bags. They’re best for long trips, which I don’t really do, but on those rare occasions when I’m away for more than two or three days, they come in handy because they save a lot of space. You can buy ready-made vacuum storage bags. You use a vacuum or hand pump to suck the air out of them, compressing them into much smaller bundles.
The one above even comes with a hand pump to make it much easier. When my mom taught me how to do this, we simply used trash bags and her vacuum cleaner hose, and it had the same effect, although the fragile bags were prone to tearing while we were away and it wasn’t always possible to rebuild them. vacuum them when we were somewhere in the hotel so that the bags weren’t so well packed on the way back. A hand pump is the best option if you really want to use the bags again on the way home.
Again, pack them in some sort of system, such as putting each day’s clothes in a separate bag, so you don’t have to open them all at once upon arrival.