When packing your luggage there is always someone giving you advise which way to pack your clothes. Many say roll, some (including me) say fold.
Now I can see the benefit of rolling if you are backpacking with a rucksack. As a backpacker in a previous life (the one before kids), you don’t generally settle into one place for more than a few days and you certainly don’t get cupboards in hostels to unpack you luggage. So rolling your clothes with each cylinder of clothing facing up makes it easier to access you next item of clothing without pulling everything out your bag.
However I had a backpack that could be unzipped completely and open like a suitcase. So I found it easier to pack by folding.
I would sit the backpack up like a rucksack and fold each item neatly to fit the size of the pack thereby creating layers of clothes. When I unzipped the bag I could access the layer of clothing I wanted with ease.
Now these days I travel with my family and we take a suitcase to a resort.
I start by laying skirts, trousers and dress shirts across the bottom of the case to keep them flat – who wants to iron on holidays? Then I pack the clothes by folding each type of clothing together eg. T-shirts, shorts, underwear.
This means when we arrive and I unpack our luggage into the cupboards, I can pick up all my T-shirts and put them on a shelf, then all my sons shirts and shorts on to the next shelf, all the underwear onto the next shelf- you get the picture now 🙂
Of course you pack more than just clothes so toiletry bags, shoes in separate plastic bags, food is all placed into available spaces. Start with the biggest items first and the small ones will fill in the gaps.
Now many have suggested filling shoes with socks – a great idea. I also wrap belts round objects such as the formula tin. In my backpacking days the belt went round a mug with a small tin of coffee sitting inside; there’s nothing worse than getting to a hostel that doesn’t supply breakfast and you can’t get a coffee 😉
Protect fragile items by placing them between groups of clothing.
Finally use the straps in the bag to keep everything in tight and less likely to move about as the ground staff throw your bag from conveyor belt, to container, and back to conveyor belt.
With a little luck everything should be in it’s place when you arrive at your destination.
So how do YOU pack your bag?
(If you have a post on packing leave a link in the comments and I will add the picture to my Pinterest Board Packing for Trips.
Thanks for sharing your packing methods! It’s always fun to see how travelers pack their things. We did an experiment when we traveled for 80 days last year to see if rolling or folding was more space conscious.
http://www.suitcasesandsippycups.com/2012/08/rolling-clothes-vs-folding-clothes.html
I just read your article.
So it is true the roll takes up less room.
I tried the roll when first heading off backpacking but couldn’t get my things to fit, so created my layered fold method.
We start out folding but on the return we roll, so we do both!
On the return I do the shove method. It’s all dirty clothes stuffed in a garbage bag.
Love seeing other’s take on the chore of packing for a trip. I’m a folder, though I might roll a few things here and there. Now that I have a little one to look after, I like to plan outfits ahead of time (so that I don’t have to think about at our destination), and I organize the pieces together as best I can.
Yes I’m much the same. I always have the shirt and shorts on top of each other so I don’t have to search for matching outfits.
I’ll be disappointed when he starts having an opinion on what he wears.
We don’t do either. We lay everything flat. Oddly enough, I pack everything next to my suitcase, on the floor, and then move it all into the suitcase. No idea why this works for me so well, but I’ve been able to cram a ridiculous amount of clothes into my suitcases doing this. I’ll have to do a post of it later.
When I’m preparing to pack I lay everything out on the bed, then walk away for a few hours, while I think about what I have forgotten.
I’m a roller all the way. I’ve tried space bags, stacking, etc. and rolling is how I fit three of us into one bag. Thanks for linking up today!
I’m impressed 3 kids clothes and yours.
I only have 1 child and me. However I find it’s really all the bulky things like toiletries and food that take up the space.
I am a folder, but my hubby is a roller. It’s always easy to tell whose clothes are whose in the luggage. I just don’t like the weird wrinkles I get when rolling.
I agree!
I will be packing my toddlers clothing in zip lock bags (one for each complete outfit) Looking forward to the challenge and will have to try both ways with hubby and my clithing!
Love to hear back on how the zip lock bags go.