How to: Pack Luggage

We're just starting to prepare for our Friday morning flight to AT headquarters and ICFF, and that means dusting off the old luggage set and picking out what to take over yonder to the other side of the States. This time, we think we're going to take the advice of luggage packing guru, Doug Dyment of onebag.com, and follow his diagram that shows how to save space in a suitcase...

"If it's not on your list, it shouldn't be in your bag," advises Dyment of OneBag.com. "What happens with people is that they pack before their trip, and that packing activity consists mostly of talking to yourself and saying, 'Well I might need this and I might need that and what if the queen invites me to dinner?' And that's death to light packing."
Dyment has two big tricks for packing a bag correctly: Don't let any space go unused, and wrap your clothes in bundles.
"If you're packing a pair of running shoes, say, don't forget there's a lot of space inside those shoes that you can use to pack stuff," he says.
When it comes to clothing, Dyment says travelers who fold items individually, put them in a stack and force them in the suitcase are making a huge mistake.
Instead, he suggests using a technique called bundle wrapping, because it keeps clothes from getting wrinkled and takes up less space.
"You think of laying a shirt flat on your bed and placing this bundle where the chest would go and then gently wrap the sleeves around the bundle, and then bring the bottom up and wrap it around the top," he says.

More tips and the audio interview from NPR radio here.

Comments (22)

I use "pack cubes" -- square-ish zippered nylon bags that come in different sizes.

They are infinitely neater than packing items loose. It's like having multiple drawers in your luggage. Ebags, Eagle Creek, and others make them. No more digging for an item at the bottom.

It is interesting to show the diagram and make a big point of bundle wrapping/packing, but the AT pictured suitcase does NOT do that!

"Dyment says travelers who fold items individually, put them in a stack and force them in the suitcase are making a huge mistake."

It doesn't appear that you followed the diagram...

The best tool is to just lay out what you're going to wear every day you are there, add some fun accessories and ONE "what if" outfit and just pack that. I can't tell you how many 3-day weekend trips I've been on with my girlfriends that bring a full sized suitcase... what is in that thing???

plain jane: whoa there! Ee just snapped the photo quickly to accompany the post...those aren't even necessarily the clothes we're taking with us. Consider it a "before" image.

I've done the bundle wrapping. It works really well in terms of fitting a lot more stuff into your suitcase. But it's a pain to dig for that shirt in the middle of the bundle, and then have to reconstruct the bundle.

I guess it would work better if you're only heading to one destination and you could unpack your stuff and hang it up.

When I tried it, I was jumping from town to town, spending only a night or two at each place.

I roll things that won't get wrinkled, pack all my toiletries in the middle, shoes around the edges and place the likely-to-be-wrinkled clothes on top.

I use the roll and stuff method, seems to work well. I don't really care if clothes get wrinkled, since I never go anywhere where it matters (nor do I care generally anyway).

I tried bundling on my last trip to France and it SUCKED. I packed more stuff, but I had to dig for it. I'm a fan of the Eagle Creek Compression bags now. I don't overpack and I can find everything I need.

Luggage packing 'Guru'?

just roll everything into tightly compressed rolls and you'll be surprised how much you can fit in there... there might be some ironing waiting for you if your clothes wrinkle easily though. :)

I travel to trade shows 3 or 4 times a year. For three days I see the same people everyday, so I need several professional looking outfits in just one bag. I have learned to lay out all my outfits together. Then I can see which garments can do double duty. I even lay out my shoes and jewelery. That way I have everything I need and nothing more.

Thought I would share my article called Pain-free Packing.

One of my tips is to pack like those clever Europeans and bring a lot of black or other neutral clothing that can be mixed and matched for multiple events and settings.

Thank you,
Crystal D.
Sparkleizer and Home Organizer
www.sparkleize.com
E-mail crystal@sparkleize.com

foreign dignitaries have unexpectedly invited me to dinner enough times to justify my over packing....well maybe not but i need options!

Bundling has never worked for me - it makes MORE creases not less and they are untidy creases - if you fold a shirt on its own at least the creases will all the in neat places - with bundling the creases just happen all over the place - awful - and trying to get something out of the middle of a bundle is a nightmare

I can do a whole week with just a carry-on bag - its all a question of multi-use

I use the zip-lock bags for undies - fabulous (remember to take a spare for the used undies - don't want to have to mix!)

And always remember to wear your heaviest shoes on the plane ride to save space and weight

Doesn't necessarily work with short sleeved blouses.

short sleeves go in the middle of the bundle - first layer around the core.

I just packed a suitcase for a trip! Great technique! "Smart balance" the bag feels lighter too!

Thanks for this article. It lead to some very interesting discoveries.

Bundle packing SUCKS especially when you are staying at different places and cannot afford to unpack all of your luggage.

ixnay on the bundling - too much trouble to unbundle and rebundle. I pack carry-on with (5) 5 gallon zip lock bags for trips up to 3 weeks duration, and it's easy to pack and repack - just throw the bags back into the suitcase. (1) bottoms (2) & (3) tops (4) sweater, bathing suit, pajamas (5) underwear. Put electronics in shoes, toss in packable rain coat in it's own pouch, and I'm good to go.

OMG! Just what I want to do is bundle-unbundle-bundle again. Might save space, but what a waste of time.