How to Pack an Organized Suitcase

Get advice on packing your luggage from someone who does A LOT of traveling!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Suitcase
• Gallon and quart-sized Ziploc bags
• Your stuff!

1. Start by deciding what you will wear on the day of travel. I suggest wearing your heaviest shoes or shoes that take up the most space in your luggage (sneakers, most likely). Also, choose clothes that take up more space in your luggage: jeans, sweatshirts, etc. Remember to layer your clothes for variations in temperature.

2. Pack your jeans/slacks next. Fold them in half and lay them horizontally in the suitcase, alternating the direction the waistband is facing (this helps conserve space. Keep the waistband of the pants against the side of the suitcase so as not to create an uneven weight.

3. Rolling your shirts is the best way to keep them wrinkle-free and to fit more of them into your bag! Fold them in half length wise and fold over the sleeves. Start at the bottom and tightly roll the shirt up. I suggest packing similar shirts together in gallon-sized Ziploc bags. You can probably fit about four shirts (more if they are tank tops) in a bag. Pack all your short sleeves together, all tanks together, etc. This will make finding your clothes easier and will keep you from having to re-pack your suitcase over and over. You simply pull out the shirt you need, and the rest of your shirts stay neatly packed.

4. Sweatshirts, sweaters, or sweatpants can be rolled up and placed in the space between your pants and the front or back edge of the suitcase. You'll want to put the Ziplock bags containing the shirts on top of it all. If packing a jacket, lay it on top of all the clothes.

5. Rolling underwear also saves on room, and keeping it in a Ziplock makes it easy to find. Socks can simply be folded over once and - you guessed it - placed in their own Ziplock bag!

6. Pack your toiletries in Ziplocks as well. In case anything leaks in your luggage, you'll be glad you did! I always organize mine into three bags: things needed for the shower, things needed before bed, things needed for the morning.

7. Chargers should also be placed in a Ziplock. This keeps the cords from getting all tangled in your luggage!

8. Aside from your carry-on, have a smaller bag that will fit under your seat packed with the things you know you'll want on the flight. This will keep you from having to get into the overhead compartment several times while in flight.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to push as much air out of the bags as possible.
• Re-use empty bags by keeping your dirty shirts in them. Pack dirty pants on the bottom of the suitcase.
• Pack your old, worn-out socks and underwear and throw them away as you go!
• Pack plenty of extra Ziplock bags!
• If you breathe a little easier by locking your luggage, but don't want to make things a hassle for the airlines, "lock" your luggage with a cable zip-tie, found at any hardware store. Pack a small pair of scissors in the front pocket (the unlocked part) of your checked luggage so you can clip off the zip-tie when you arrive! You'll know right away if your bag's been opened while you've been away from it.
• If you need to bring paperwork along with you and don't need the originals, shrink it down on a copy machine and make it back-to-back. Your eight pages of documents will turn into one!
• Bring clothing items that are versatile. If you have a pair of pants that only looks good with one of your shirts, don't bring them!