Need help Packing...

Ok so I'm a mom who never had to pack a suit before without a hanging bag so I need little help... Do I leave the jacket on a hanger and kinda fold in the bottom of the suitcase? I have it in the plastic sheath it came in I can keep it in that as well and kinda fold it like I do my dresses...Please help a freaked out mom:) Or someone can just come pack for me :D

Thanks bunches!

Let me preface this by saying I'm a man, so take everything with a grain of salt <G>:

I'd suggest you take it off the hangar (there's plenty on the ship, and yours would take up extra space in your suitcase). Lay the suit out neatly in the suitcase - start at the bottom, and make sure it's as flat as possible, so you don't get wrinkles. Before folding it over, put in a layer of other clothing - this will keep you from creasing where the suit folds. Then fold over the top portion, and neatly fold the arms across the body of the suit. Voila! This also works for your other clothes.

Or, you could simply get it in the suitcase as best you can, not worrying about wrinkles, and send it to the ship laundry for pressing. It's reasonably inexpensive. That's what my wife does for her formal gowns.

Good cruising!

Same as above. Layer your jacket, then dress shirts on up to your tshirts and fold them all together so there won't be any creases in your outside layers. My wife is very good at this.:cool:

I fold it as large and neatly as I can and if it comes out wrinkled I send it in for pressing ASAP after boarding the ship so it will be ready for the first formal night (usually the second night on most itineraries).

I've read dozens of recommendations for packing techniques, none of which has worked 100% so I just relax and don't worry about it and send the stuff that comes out wrinkled in for pressing. The few dollars that pressing costs is easier on me then the time, effort and cost of fancy packing methods I've read about.

hey there,

As one who travels for business quite a bit, here's my process

Pants:Align as if they were going on a pants hangar

Put the waistband end at the bottom part of the case ( wheels end), cuff end hanging out of case ( will address in a minute)

Button the jacket. Place on a flat surface. Fold as if it was a dress shirt. Wont feel easy as obviously a lot thicker, but as even as possible. Fold bottom up to collar.

Before placing in case, grab a dry cleaning bag, the clingy stuff. This keeps the jacket " in motion", as its the inability to move that causes wrinkles

Place the jacket on top of the waistband at the bottom of the case.

I use the rest of the space for my shirts

Finally, fold the bottom of the pants over the clothes in the case.

Works for me most of the time. Trick is to pack tight. Socks, t shirts etc work great as"fillers" to keep the overall movement in the case down.

Last of all, don't fret it. As poster says, a quick press, or even the old steam from the shower trick will loosen most creases form a good wool garment

Good luck !

crumple it in a ball and stuff it in the suitcase. Once on board, give it to your room steward and have it pressed. You'll be out a whopping $5.95!

I would gladly pay $5.95 not to be "freaked out"!:)

For several years now I have been packing DH suit this way, I got this information over on the fashion board.

Fold the pants in thirds. Take the jacket turn it inside out. Put one arm iniside the other arm, make sure everthing is neat. The collar should be up. Fold it over and put it in the suitcase. This should be on the top of other things. Take a drycleaner bag and lay it across the top of all of this.

When you get on board, take it out of the suitcase and hang it up. If you think you see some wrinkles, put it the bathroom and turn on the shower. I have never had to do this. I hope this helps.

I fold it as large and neatly as I can and if it comes out wrinkled I send it in for pressing ASAP after boarding the ship so it will be ready for the first formal night (usually the second night on most itineraries).

 

I've read dozens of recommendations for packing techniques, none of which has worked 100% so I just relax and don't worry about it and send the stuff that comes out wrinkled in for pressing. The few dollars that pressing costs is easier on me then the time, effort and cost of fancy packing methods I've read about.

Hi Gatrbait,

Agree with LSIMON above... there really isn't a right or wrong way to do this...

BUT here then is what I do, and have had great success with.

First, look to see if your suitcase comes with any "extras" to help with suit packing. Some suitcases will have a "hook" or "ring" attachment where one can place an item on a hanger. With your luggage open, if there is such an "attachment" it will be found on the top side of the suitcase. Additionally, there may be strap that goes across the same side of the luggage for securing an item in place (with luggage open and facing you, the strap would run the whole length of your suitcase from left to right)

THE STEPS...

Take the suit off the hanger.

Fold the Pants in half and lay at the bottom of your suitcase (along with any other pants you have to pack)

Pack the rest of your suitcase with everything else, leaving the suit jacket for last.

Put the Suit Jacket back on a hanger (can be any sort of hanger... doesn't have to be a suit hanger). And do up the buttons.

Cover the Suit with a Drycleaning Bag (much lighter weight than a true suit bag)

Attach the hanger to the attachment in your Suitcase if you have one...

Fold the suit in half from the bottom to the top.

Then if there is a securing strap, click it into place (the suit will now be packed onto essentially what is the "lid" of your open suitcase)

Close the suitcase and you are done.

--- --- ---

TIPS

The hanger serves to help "maintain" shape... if the hanger was problematic for you, or there was no "hook" or "ring" attachment, you can either remove the hanger entirely, or just flip it upside down.

The drycleaning bag serves many purposes... it keeps the suit clean and dry, and also prevents wrinkles. Plastic also makes compressing things easier when packing.

On that note... I line my suitcase with a large plastic bag BEFORE I begin to pack. Placing either a Clear Leaf Bag or Garbage Bag into the bottom of the suitcase. These bags are very big, so they cover the bottom, and wrap a bit up the sides. If your luggage is cloth (which most today is) and ends up being left out in the weather somewhere when in transport... rain, snow etc can soak thru the cloth, and either wet or ruin your clothes (especially if colours run). Having the plastic bags means that your clothes are wrapped in a circle of waterproofing (in the case of a suit in a drycleaning bag at the top... the same result is achieved). The large plastic bags work great as "laundry bags" for packing dirty clothes when it is time to go home... or seperating clean items from dirty... and again keeping the contents of your luggage dry.

Hope this is helpful,

Cheers!

PS... Lol, don't have a full-size suitcase to work with? Want to take a suit with you in a small space, then by far this is the best solution... check out this video =

Ya know I didn't even think of getting it pressed by the ship...Dummy me I have usually sent MY stuff out to get pressed...crazy packing day :rolleyes:

Thank you for all the advice I really appreciate it especially the roll it in the ball technique :p I needed a smile!

Have a great day!

Micky

I pack pants using empty paper towel roll or similar round object, and carefully wrap a pair of pants around it. Put it in a plastic grocery sack to secure it firmly.

Then if there are still wrinkles, a spray of wrinkle release and a little tugging and smoothing by hand will do the trick 9 times out of 10, or doing that and hanging it in the bathroom to steam while you shower.

Sometimes just letting it hang in the closet for a while is all it takes.

There have been times when I unpacked something that looked wrinkled and hung it in the closet, thinking I would need to send it out to be pressed the next day. When I took another look at it a day later, the wrinkles were already gone.

Thanks guys! Ya'll are great!

Micky

My advice (I think originally read about in these boards) for packing for a trip.

Put all the clothes you want to bring on your bed, along with the cash you want to bring....take 1/2 the clothes and twice the amount of cash.

Try these - they work! I just use sheets made from the cheapest bin [trash can] liners in place of expensive tissue paper.

Sue

we always save dry cleaning plastic bags and use those for packing. they help keep everything crease free. To remove creases, just turn on the hot water in the bathroom and hang the garment in there for a while. No irons allowed! We tend to bring a couple of good hangers as the ones on the ship are the hookless kind that detach from a rolling holder in the closets. Hope that helps!

And if you thought you were confused at the begining I bet your even more confused now. GOOD LUCK carol

we always save dry cleaning plastic bags and use those for packing. they help keep everything crease free. To remove creases, just turn on the hot water in the bathroom and hang the garment in there for a while. No irons allowed! We tend to bring a couple of good hangers as the ones on the ship are the hookless kind that detach from a rolling holder in the closets. Hope that helps!

Think this depends on the Cruise Line or Ship (maybe even Cabin Category ?) ... our Concierge Cabin on the Solstice had very nice wooden hangers (not the hotel kind... but regular kind that hooks over a closet rail)... they also had a cross-bar so they could also be used for hanging pants as well. And there were also some wooden hangers (similar in design) that had clips to hang skirts etc.

Overall found the Stateroom to be well fitted out for Storage... for more info see my recent topic entitled *Celebrity Solstice Storage (S-Class Ships)* = http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1560620

Hope this is helpful,

Cheers!