How to compactly put things in a suitcase

The need to pack suitcases appears in connection with a move, travel or business trip. The ability to compactly pack things will be useful to you on any trip, because it will help save time on packing, space in your suitcase and will greatly facilitate the process of moving in space. We have several life hacks on how to pack a suitcase quickly, efficiently and accurately.

how to put things in a suitcase
In order not to forget anything, make a list of necessary things.

Things to Consider When Packing Your Suitcase

Before you start packing, you need to put all your clothes, shoes, accessories, hygiene items, cosmetics and gadgets next to your suitcase. In order not to forget anything, write a list where you take into account all the little things. Then put all the things that you will take next to the suitcase. If you see that there are much more clothes than space in a suitcase, then revise the list, perhaps something will not be required on the trip.

how to pack a suitcase
Re-read the list and think about which items you can replace with more compact ones, and which ones you can not take with you at all.

When collecting things, follow the instructions:

  1. Take only clothes for the weather, even if you go for a month, be sure that the weather conditions will not change dramatically.
  2. Some hygiene items (soap, shampoo), as well as accessories (slippers, panama hats) can be bought on the spot.
  3. Take one type of each item, and two or three underwear, socks and T-shirts. When going on a business trip for a week, bring an extra set of business attire.
  4. Put outerwear, sweaters, suits and shoes on the bottom so that the most necessary things for every day are within the reach.
  5. Do not try to take clothes or shoes "just in case" and "in reserve", most likely, they will remain dead weight until the end of the trip.
  6. Do not take bulky and useless things with you, for example, books, hair dryers, cosmetics in large containers. There will be a hairdryer at the hotel, books can be downloaded to a smartphone, and cosmetics can be bought upon arrival.
  7. If you are taking a straw hat with you, put it on top so as not to damage the crown and brim.
hat in suitcase
Put together sets of clothes for each day you travel.

When you've sorted out the unnecessary and left only the essentials, it's time to put your things in your suitcase or travel bag.

How to compactly fold clothes

Many people are interested in how to compactly put things in a suitcase so that they do not have to take an additional bag for everything that does not fit. We've got tips for all types of clothing and other items that you normally carry in your checked baggage.

things in the suitcase
Try to combine things so that you don't have to take too much.

How to roll up your pants

On a trip, it is important not only to take your clothes to your destination, but also to keep their attractive appearance so that you do not have to look for an iron or laundry when you arrive. For this, trousers, suits and other wardrobe items are stacked in compact rolls, and not in a pile. This method allows not only to conveniently transport clothes, but also not to wrinkle them during transportation.

how to fold the trousers
Suit trousers must be folded across in half and, starting from the fold, twisted with a regular roll.

To compactly fold suit pants or any pants, fold them in half so that one leg rests on top of the other, and then roll up tight, starting at the waist. Jeans are folded differently due to the specifics of their material: turn the top of the trousers outward, bend them in half with the legs towards each other and roll them into a roll, starting from the bottom. Then wrap the top of your denim pants around the roll.

folding trousers by roll
Starting at the bottom, roll the jeans into a roll.

When folding the trousers with the arrows, fold the trousers along the arrows, otherwise you cannot do without ironing the suit.

Important! Stack things up by category: trousers to trousers, T-shirts to T-shirts, as you will always know where the item of clothing you need is.

How to roll up sweaters and shirts

The roll method is suitable for stacking blouses, shirts and any sweaters made of knitwear, cotton, silk and other materials. Bulky and insulated things can also be folded into rolls or use another method of packaging, which we will discuss a little below.

how to roll a shirt
Starting at the neckline, roll the item up and wrap it in the folded part.

So, to conveniently roll up a sweater or long-sleeved shirt, use the following instructions:

  • put the sleeves on the main part of the jacket, bending them slightly in the middle;
  • twist and fold the lower part so that it covers the sleeves;
  • fold the jacket in half lengthwise;
  • roll the thing into a roll, starting from the neck.

Using this method, you will be surprised how compact the roll will be.

how to fold a jacket
Shirts and jackets are folded similarly.

You can do it easier: fold the shirt or jacket in half, place the sleeves along the body, and then roll up, starting from the top. This prevents shirts from wrinkling in the suitcase and can be put on immediately after unpacking the suitcase.

How to fold t-shirts

For T-shirts, the same method is suitable as for sweaters and shirts. Simply fold the sleeves inward, fold the garment in half lengthwise and roll into a tight roll. If there are many T-shirts and they are the same size, then put two or three T-shirts on top of each other, repeat the steps with the sleeves, and then roll them into a tight roll.

folding t-shirt
T-shirts fold in much the same way as sweaters.

If there are not many things in the suitcase, then t-shirts made of knitwear that does not wrinkle can be folded in the classical way, but cotton and linen items will still have to be rolled up, otherwise they will be wrinkled after transportation.

how to roll a t-shirt
To save time, you can roll several T-shirts together.

Important! Use hair ties to secure the rolls so you can fit almost your entire wardrobe into your suitcase if you need it on vacation.

How to roll up dresses and skirts

For women, the actual question is how to fold dresses and skirts so that they do not wrinkle in a suitcase and take up all the free space. While skirts can be rolled into compact rolls, dresses can be difficult to handle due to the complexity of their design.

how to fold the dress
If the sleeves of the dress are long, fold the dress like a sweater.

Fold the skirts in half lengthwise, and then roll them into rolls. If the skirt comes with a belt, then it will have to be pulled out and folded separately. If the skirt is with flounces along the hem, then bend them up, and only then proceed to twisting. Do not roll leather skirts and shorts into tight rolls so as not to stretch or damage the material.

folding the skirt
It is enough to fold the skirt in half lengthwise and twist it in a roll.

Lay the long-sleeved dress like this:

  • fold the sleeves inward so that they lie on the main part of the dress;
  • bend the dress in half lengthwise and then across;
  • roll into a roll, starting from the neck.

Bend the dress with short sleeves in half across (along the belt line), then in half lengthwise and start twisting into a roll, starting from the belt.

how to fold short sleeved dress
Short sleeved dresses are folded in the same way as T-shirts.

If the dress wrinkles a lot, then do not fold it in half along the belt line, but start twisting it, bending the sleeves inside.

How to fold warm clothes

Warm bulky clothes, for example, sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, jackets, are folded not only in dense rolls, but also in covers or vacuum bags.

Using the advice on folding sweatshirts, you can similarly twist a jacket, sweater or sweatshirt. The jacket is folded like shirts: in half, then the sleeves are placed along and twisted, starting from the collar.

how to fold a jacket
To save space, it is better to put things in a suitcase not on top of each other, but vertically.

A bulky item must be tied with elastic bands, put in a case with a clasp or a vacuum (compression) bag. This way you will minimize the volume of large items and will be able to take everything you need with you on a long trip.

Important! Do not stack rolls of warm clothes in a suitcase on top of each other, but put them vertically to save space.

how to pack a suitcase
A warm jacket can be rolled up in a tight roll and tied with elastic bands for reliability.

How to compactly fold shoes

Unlike clothes, shoes cannot be rolled into rolls, but there are several ways to place sneakers, shoes, sandals and other types of shoes in a small suitcase.

clothes in a suitcase
One pair of closed shoes will fit about 6–8 pairs of socks.
  1. Put bulky shoes on the bottom, small things and accessories can be put inside the shoes or sneakers to save space.
  2. Place textile shoes, flip-flops and sandals upside-down and tie with an elastic band.
  3. Fold sneakers, sandals, heels and boots as they were in the box - with a jack. Place rolls of clothes in the resulting voids at the bottom.
shoes in a suitcase
Shoes can be folded over the edges of the suitcase.

This is how you can compactly and conveniently pack your shoes in a suitcase or travel bag.

How to fold your underwear

For lingerie, travelers know their life hacks. It is important not to put your laundry together with your everyday clothes. To pack panties, bras, pajamas and dressing gowns, use separate bags (you can use vacuum ones). Then use any packing method you like. For example, men's and women's briefs can be rolled up and arranged in organizers or bags.

how to fold the laundry
You can't just crumple the laundry: it can deform and take up a lot of space. The packaging also needs to be approached wisely.

Women's bras are placed one in the other, and panties are placed in the cups. You can also bend the bras by attaching the cups and stacking them on top of each other.

There are special molded organizers for transporting bras. They come in handy if you are afraid that the bra will deform during the trip.

bra organizer
You can choose a laconic chest organizer or an unusual bra-shaped organizer.

How to fold personal care items and cosmetics

When packing your suitcase or travel bag, be sure to leave room for your personal hygiene and beauty products.

how to put makeup in a suitcase
It is best not to take full-sized versions of the grooming products with you. They will take up a lot of space and make the suitcase heavier.

Use these tips:

  • Do not travel with large bottles of shampoo, gel, toner, or shaving balm. Today, manufacturers produce travel versions of care and hygiene cosmetics that do not take up much space and can easily fit in a cosmetic bag or travel organizer.
  • Use several organizers: for hygiene products, for care cosmetics and for decorative.
  • If you are afraid that powder, blush or eyeshadow will be damaged in transit, put a cotton pad in each box.
travel cosmetic bag
Shampoos, gels, balms, toners and other liquid cosmetics can be poured into small bottles.

Simple guidelines will help you collect everything you need in minutes.

Using vacuum bags and bags

Vacuum bags save even more bag space than organizers. Use them to pack bulky items like jackets, sweaters, suits. To do this, place the garment in a bag, zip it up, and roll it up to extract air. Before your eyes, a large item will lose more than half of its volume.All that remains is to put the packages in a pile in a suitcase.

vacuum bags for clothes
Thus, you can fit almost a whole wardrobe, not only in a suitcase, but even in your carry-on luggage!

Important! Be sure to use bags for linen and bedding, as these items should not be mixed with clothes and shoes.

We fold compactly various little things

You already know how to pack a suitcase so that it can fit as many necessary things as possible. Now let's dwell on how to pack small items and gadgets.

Case for headphones
It is better to resort to using special storage devices.

Here you will also need an organizer, you can use a homemade one with pockets for small items: headphones, chargers, USB cables, flash drives and more.

Accessories (scarves, shawls, belts) can be placed in the voids from things or rolled into rolls with them. If jeans or a skirt comes with a belt, then tie it to the desired roll.

compactly folded things
Small belts can be inserted into shoes, and large belts can be wrapped around rolled jeans.

Put jewelry and watches in boxes, glasses - in cases to keep fragile things intact.

We hope our recommendations on how to put things in your suitcase will help you quickly and easily get ready for your trip and prepare for the move. Now you are guaranteed to avoid the stress of packing and save tons of time and energy.

suitcase with clothes
At the very top, put what can be immediately useful to you. For example, sleepwear or toiletries.

VIDEO: How to compactly put things in a suitcase.

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