Pack a Carry on Suitcase

If you are like me, you do more than your share of travel. Business conferences, etc... Lots of places where you ahve to spend a couple days in khakis and collared shirts, and maybe a sport coat. Life is so much easier if you can fit all your stuff into a carry on. Using this technique maximizes space an minimizes (but does not prevent) wrinkles. You may need to touch up with an iron in the hotel room.

Here is how I Pack my carry on suitcase.

Step 1: Lay out your shirts.

Notice that we start outside the suitcase. Lay out your shirts flat as you can, one on top of each other on a flat surface, such as your bed. Button any shirt all the way up and make sure the collar is not folded funny.

Comments

[instructamaker]

Im moving from the east coast to california so I need a good way to pack my carry on this is perfect.

[makissm1986]

nice instructable. book of complaints

[sidmarx]

Oops! Multiplecats explained that one already. Sorry...

[sidmarx]

FWIW: To fold a sport or suit jacket, try pulling one sleeve inside out and feeding it all the way into the other. This puts a crease from the collar down along the rear seam. Anyway, both halves of the jacket nest into each other to lay flat. then lay a folded shirt or something on the chest before folding the jacket bottom to top, to stop a horizontal crease from forming under pressure.

[kyleslab]

Love the thought , but just like you I fly often, although it's a good idea and saves money so you don't have to check your bags, but I really hate it when these people come on the airplane with a medium sized bag (larger than a small carry-on bag)
and shove your stuff aside so they can squeeze their bag into the overhead compartment. It makes me angry because that is like saying their clothes and stuff are more important than my stuff. When I open my bag my stuff should not be smashed! Nothing against you but I just hate when people with huge bags smash my tiny bags. They should start making people pay to bring carry-ons rather than to check their regular bags.

[multiplecats]

I've been trying a few different methods lately and this is an excellent one - especially when you realize too late your hotel room doesn't have an iron. Doh!

Just a couple of thoughts from my experiences... Pressing some wadded up newspaper (or extra unmentionables) into your dress shoes helps them keep their shape.

With the jacket, there's a great method where you can essentially fold one shoulder into the other, put a rolled-up t-shirt into the shoulder, and then fold the jacket in half. Lining out. Prevents it being smooshed and protects the outside from being wrinkled or marred by the suitcase or anything inside that spills.

Nice Instructable, thanks!

[marvthecarpenter]

Just a note now you have to have your liquids in that zip lock out so you can show it to security when you travel. so don't put that all the way in the middle of things.
Other than that little flaw this looks like a great plan! thanks for sharing.

[mwarren_us]

www.OneBag.com also suggest this packing technique and adds a couple more things to reduce wrinkles even further. That site alternates shirts (one up, one down) as well as pants and then wraps each item individually. They also suggest wrapping jackets as the outermost layer with the sleeves crossed in an X to minimize folds/wrinkles.

[Spookeriffic]

Quick question? What size carry-on is that? I think mine is a touch smaller. I was able to cram the stuff in, but it's a pretty tight fit!

[teftef]

A better way to pack with a a new type of suitcase equiped with a special device that's amazingly helpfull for packing - check at : www.expan-zion.net

[XaiofDren]

I saw this instructable a while back and I thought I commented...but if I didn't oh well:
This is very useful and excellently written.

YOU MENTIONED THE UNMENTIONABLES!!!

[csmiler]

Where/what is the safest place/way to travel with a laptop?

[!werdna!]

Isn't this just the "Red Oxx" way of Bundle Wrapping your clothes?
[Bundle Wrapping JPG] http://blog.mikezhang.com/wp-content/uploads/bundle-wrapping.jpg

[nublado9]

Excelent instructable!! I especially love how it all folds into a square that fits perfectly into your carry-on suitcase. I think I have one that size, and I'm gonna try it out! :)

[kardelen133]

(removed by author or community request)

[Gjdj3]

Html doesn't work on comments.

[Gjdj3]

You have the same toothpaste as I do! Nice job.

[Thornburg]

The only problem with this is that it would be very hard to be able to access those things in the middle. Otherwise nice job.

[cindyann]

Brilliant. I am so impressed.

[gowithflo]

This is way less work than the martha stewart way of rolling each thing up individually. Since i'm usually travelling somewhere in order to make art I never have luxury of not checking bags, I always have to bring sewing machines and tools and bolts of fabric . . .

[kambizpascia]

Thank you i am going to prepare my suitcase and you take mi a greate idea

[jones_von_stone]

realy good! I gona use this. thx!

[Cristian Lavaque]

Thank you for the instructable! I find it very helpful :D.

[delgaudm]

Yup. This was actually the pack job I used in the hotel in LA. This was the packup for the way home. There was nothing better to do, so I made an Instructable!

[techhut]

I really liked this. I will keep this in mind for my next family trip that is coming up.

[trebuchet03]

Very Nice :P I have been rolling up my pants, but I'll give this a shot :P I'm going on a longish trip and I'd like to have lots of extra luggage space on the way back for purchases :D I guess you 'recenty' flew out of LA international (LAX sticker/marker)?

[fungus amungus]

Nice folding technique there with the pants and the shirts. I often end up with two other pairs of shoes. One pair of dress shoes and one pair of running shoes along with the regular sneaks. I often pack those into a small backpack with my notebook and reading material.

[intoon]

Very nice instructable!