Jacket Packing Tips Please

[2BACRUISER]

We are going on QV later in the year and this is the first cruise we will be bringing 'proper' formal wear eg suit and other jackets for DH.

DH does not do packing so its all down to me.  Do i just bite the bullet and buy a suit carrier or is there a way to pack jackets with minimal creasing in our cases. 

For shirts i lay them all out then fold in the arms across then do one fold to bring in the bottoms of the shirts and they travel quite well. Whats the best way to do jackets? 

i dont want my old man to look any wrinklyier or crumpled than he already is naturally ha ha ha!

Thanks in advance. 

 

[bodsfanclub]

I have this dilemma too. In the end, to save toting a suit carrier around and having it slip and slide off and around me in the terminal, I pack the suits and jackets last thing on the morning before we cruise. I put them in a hard suit case on top of hubby's other trousers and non creasables (not the same suitcase as his shirts) and then the suit trousers. I put the jackets in next, folding the arms in and the lower part up, and then the suit jackets on top but fold them so they are effectively in half down the vertical. I put tissue paper around and inside the suit jackets and on top, and then close the lid. When we get to the cabin, they are the first thing out and unpacked and on the day of wear, I pop them in the bathroom, on a hanger with the shower on hot, and the door closed, to steam out any creases. Works pretty good. 

[PORT ROYAL]

53 minutes ago, 2BACRUISER said:

We are going on QV later in the year and this is the first cruise we will be bringing 'proper' formal wear eg suit and other jackets for DH.

DH does not do packing so its all down to me.  Do i just bite the bullet and buy a suit carrier or is there a way to pack jackets with minimal creasing in our cases. 

For shirts i lay them all out then fold in the arms across then do one fold to bring in the bottoms of the shirts and they travel quite well. Whats the best way to do jackets? 

i dont want my old man to look any wrinklyier or crumpled than he already is naturally ha ha ha!

Thanks in advance. 

 

 

For Formal wear (Tux), Suits (Smart) and Jackets (Casual), we just utalise the QV pressing services on unpacking, then after each wear.   Simples....

[shipgeeks]

We pack larger garments such as jackets, trousers, men's shirts as follows:  Lay half of the first garment into the suitcase, with half hanging out.  Put half of the next garment over it, hanging out in a different direction.  Continue, perhaps six or eight garments, then start folding over til all are tucked in.  No sharp creases.

We also leave many of those garments on their hangers in the suitcase.  Easy to hang as soon as we have them in the cabin.

 

[navybankerteacher]

Tell him to wear a good jacket  while travelling to the cruise - a good way to have one on board without using up space in luggage - also convenient to have pockets for documents, etc.

[lissie]

Maybe  Ibought the wrong jackets - but the one's my partner has don't really crease - he got a light weight suite carrier from the shop he bought from  so we were just going to  lay the whole thing at the top of the bag. I've never found ja

 

Shirts are more of an issue - they crease more - but figured with wearing a jacket over the top he can just iron the front in the hotel before we board! 

[Bigmike911]

During my working career I usually spend three of every four weeks traveling, usually international and developed a packing arrangement where in I could pack a weeks worth of dress clothes in a roll aboard. To do this I developed a series of packing rules using tissue paper and misc. clothing to immobilize my packed clothing and prevent creasing.

 

Here are my tips for packing shirts as well as jackets. First,  Buy a large package of white tissue paper at a hobby store, or order from Amazon. 

 

For shirts button the top and every other button, place the shirt front down on a clean flat surface. My dining table does the trick. Take three sheets of tissue folding lengthwise and place the top of the tissue against the neck of the shirt. Fold the sides in to the edge of the paper, and then fold the top of the sleeve at a 45 degree angle so that the length of this sleeve is parallel with the folded side of the shirt. Then fold the shirt up from bottom to top in three even folds. Make sure that when these are folded and turned over the top of the collar is with-in the fold. You will have a neat rectangle. When you pack alternate collars top to bottom so the whole stack is even. 

 

For jackets, gather three or more sheets of tissue in a "long scrunched" roll, one for each sleeve down the inner sleeves of the jacket. If you are using a hanger for jacket and pants. place four or more folded pieces of tissue over the pant hanger and put the pants over the paper in place. Lay the jacket or the jacket and pants on the table on the jacket back, and  snug both sides of the jacket so that the buttons cross the button holes, then fold the sleeves at the elbow at a 90 degree angle as if the arms were folded across the chest finally fold the bottom of the jacket and pants so that the bottom of the jacket is folded up over the padded sleeves. If you wish you can place three or four folded sheets on the upper jacket before you fold it. 

 

If you are using a suit carrier or if you suitcase has a provision for suits, place it flat on the surface and put the folded suit in the area of the suitcase provided. Mine has a provision for fastening the hook to the suitcase. You want the suit to be as immovable as possible so there is less chance of a crease forming. I often use pairs of socks to fill in the space between the suits and the case. 

 

I use this technique for packing formal clothes in my suitcases for voyages. I usually sent a 50lb suitcase via LuggageForward.com with formal wear and shoes, sweaters and jackets. I then have a roll aboard and a briefcase for my toiletries and electronics which I carry on the plane. I usually wear a nice wool blazer on the plane and pack a second cashmere one in my roll aboard. Cashmere is highly crease resistant. 

 

A long post but guaranteed results. 

 

 

[naturelovergirl]

There are some really good packing videos online to help.

But

Always remember that you can use the irons in the complimentary laundry room on the floors... I saw several people ironing their clothes before putting on their evening wear. You can also send them to be pressed for a nominal fee.

(My husband is honestly not a fan of ironing has been known to hang his clothes in the bathroom while he takes a shower and let the steam do its work... hehehe)

[Vic The Parrot]

Another thing to keep in mind ...

 

After picking up the suits and/or jackets from the cleaners, leave those plastic bags on the garments. 

 

They help reducing the wrinkles somehow.

[IB2]

19 hours ago, Vic The Parrot said:

Another thing to keep in mind ...

 

After picking up the suits and/or jackets from the cleaners, leave those plastic bags on the garments. 

 

They help reducing the wrinkles somehow.

Or you can buy a whole pack of dry-cleaner type plastic clothes covers from Amazon, which is what I did last year.  Enclosing jackets and dress trousers in plastic before folding or rolling them reduces wrinkles considerably.   On my trip around the states I left them all folded individually in plastic on the rear seat floor of the hire car, and then packed them again for the return crossing.  A quick run over with the iron in the ship’s laundry after boarding and they were good to go. 

[Neuhoftraveler]

For packing dress shirts (formal and business), I simply take them to our neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishment and have each one washed with light starch, ironed, folded around a cardboard insert, and wrapped in a plastic sleeve.   All this for only $2.50 per shirt.  (Yes, I know, please don't reprimand me about the plastic.)  (Or about the trees  sacrificed to make the cardboard.)

 

Speaking of neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishments, is this a US thing not found in the UK?  On every visit to London I've tried to find one in central London (Trafalgar Square area/Mayfair) and found nothing.  A Google search for "cleaners"  or "cleaning services" yields office maintenance contractors only.

[IB2]

7 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

For packing dress shirts (formal and business), I simply take them to our neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishment and have each one washed with light starch, ironed, folded around a cardboard insert, and wrapped in a plastic sleeve.   All this for only $2.50 per shirt.  (Yes, I know, please don't reprimand me about the plastic.)  (Or about the trees  sacrificed to make the cardboard.)

 

Speaking of neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishments, is this a US thing not found in the UK?  On every visit to London I've tried to find one in central London (Trafalgar Square area/Mayfair) and found nothing.  A Google search for "cleaners"  or "cleaning services" yields office maintenance contractors only.

 

Neighbourhoods of London where ordinary people actually live will always have a dry cleaners.  Quite often it’s near the tube station as the ideal location for people to drop off and pick up on their commute.  If you’re looking for a dry cleaner near Trafalgar Square you are going to have a long walk; rents there make that sort of business uneconomic.  I believe there is one in Pimlico. Launderettes are however less common; most homes have space for a washing machine and Brits have noticed that clothes tend to dry by themselves if you are willing to wait; central heating rather than AC makes home drying practicable, plus air dried clothes feel nicer and last longer. So we don’t all insist on having a dryer.  So far fewer people do their laundry away from home.

Edited February 13, 2020 by IB2
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[frantic36]

9 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

Speaking of neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishments, is this a US thing not found in the UK?  On every visit to London I've tried to find one in central London (Trafalgar Square area/Mayfair) and found nothing.  A Google search for "cleaners"  or "cleaning services" yields office maintenance contractors only.

 

When we stayed In London in 2014 in Whitehall we were there over a week so we had some laundry done and they did a good job. I just googled London laundry cleaning services near the name of our hotel, for example  

 

http://London laundry cleaning service near corinthia hotel

 

and then clicked on the map to check out what is available. There are quite a few called American Dry Cleaning Company which appeals to my sense of humour since your American 😊.

 

Julie

 

 

[PORT ROYAL]

14 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

For packing dress shirts (formal and business), I simply take them to our neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishment and have each one washed with light starch, ironed, folded around a cardboard insert, and wrapped in a plastic sleeve.   All this for only $2.50 per shirt.  (Yes, I know, please don't reprimand me about the plastic.)  (Or about the trees  sacrificed to make the cardboard.)

 

Speaking of neighborhood dry-cleaning/laundry establishments, is this a US thing not found in the UK?  On every visit to London I've tried to find one in central London (Trafalgar Square area/Mayfair) and found nothing.  A Google search for "cleaners"  or "cleaning services" yields office maintenance contractors only.

 

When next in London consider Jeeves, we use nobody else.