Making it all fit

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Making it all fit is the third of 4 blogs focused on helping make your travels easier by offering best practices and products for getting your bags compact, organized and lightweight.

In part 1 – Get Organized, we talked about utilizing packing organizers like cubes and folders.

In part 2 – Take this, not that, we talked about what to pack in those cubes and folders.

Now, how are you going to get everything you want to pack in those cubes and folders?

Are you a roller, a folder, or a bundler? Do you know the difference? Which one is better for you? You may find that the answer is a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Rolling
Rolling clothes is the best way to maximize space. Clothes that have less structure, like t-shirts, shorts, and underwear, are great candidates for rolling. Rolling helps prevent large, deep creases, but can add a bunch of small ones. Synthetic materials like nylon can handle being rolled versus natural material like linen. If you are more concerned about space than wrinkles, rolling is definitely for you. Rolled clothes fill gaps and lets you pack more.

Clothes are rolled to save space and pack more.

Folding
Folding clothes is the easiest and most traditional way to pack. Clothes that are structured like suits, jeans button-down shirts are great candidates for folding. Folding helps prevent massive amounts of perky wrinkles and helps keep your ironing to a minimal. Folding is also the faster way to pack.

Folding clothes is the easy and most common way people pack. 

But wait…. There’s another method you can try. It’s called bundling.

Bundling
Bundling is when you wrap your clothes into one solid bundle that, in turn, fits in your bag. This method leaves fewer wrinkles. I will say, it is not ideal for grabbing a specific item later but it works. The technique is to place your wrinkle-prone clothes on the outer layer of the bundle, wrapped around items that are less prone to wrinkle. Start by laying out suit jackets and dresses. Follow those items with pants/jeans, sweaters, shirts, undies and socks.

Check out the bundling method in action:

So which way is best for you? By combining these different techniques, you will find what works for you. I have used all these and found that folding and rolling is my go-to.

Some tips for packing clothes

  • Remember to unpack (if you can) as soon as possible to minimize wrinkles
  • Packing organizers help you stay organized, and you can use either methods above to prep your clothes before putting them in a cube, folder, or bag
  • Coordinate your clothes for where you’re going and what you are doing
  • Folding clothes prevents small wrinkles and is the fastest way to pack
  • Rolling clothes helps you make the most of your space and lets you pack more
  • Bundling clothes is the best way to minimize wrinkles but limits quick access to specific items in your bag

Speaking of bags, in the next and final installment of Packing like a Pro, we’ll talk about bags. Are you a carry-on or checked bag person? Backpack or wheeled? We give you the pros and cons.

Which of these packing techniques work best for you?

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