How to pack a weekend bag efficiently
Marshall Roy — November 23, 2009 @ 11:44 am
Packing for short trips is one of those things that’s neither easy enough to be thoughtless nor disruptive enough to to warrant any extreme effort in finding a better way. It’s just sort of lame. But whatever. We deal with it.
At the dawn of the holiday season, I thought it’d be a good idea to research packing techniques that might make the act a bit less painful. There are a lot of folks out there who think they’ve written the gospel of packing—here are the three most important guidelines, in my opinion:
1. Plan ahead, and be strategic about which items you take.
I will rarely make generalizations, but I need to say something: The way some women pack is ridiculous. They bring everything, and decide later what they’re going to wear. That’s like ordering everything on the menu and deciding after it arrives what you actually want to eat. Don’t fall into that trap. Spend a little time thinking about where you’re going on your trip, and what you’ll want to wear. Don’t bring swim trunks if you won’t be swimming. Don’t pack bulky dress shoes if you won’t need to get dressed up. Sorry if that’s overly obvious, but I’ve seen too many gals dragging steamer trunks for weekend getaways not to mention it. (To be fair, men sometimes do the opposite. One time I went on a ski trip with my brother wherein he packed exactly zero pairs of pants.)
2. Pack items that can pull double-duty.
Err on the side of versatility. You might love your navy pinstripe wool pants, but they’re not the best choice when you’re kickin’ it casually with your family or friends. A pair of simple blue twills, on the other hand, are fine for lounging around in a t-shirt or hoodie, but can be dressed up with a shirt and blazer when it’s time for dinner. Similarly, a simple oxford shirt or two are awesomely comfortable, but can quickly transition into a sharper ensemble when you need them to.
The most important place for versatility, I think, is shoes. They’re bulky and heavy. You don’t want to bring more pairs than you need. Luckily, a pair of brown loafers is just about the most socially versatile shoe out there. With jeans, twills, even a casual suit, loafers are the answer.
3. Fold or roll everything neatly, then play Tetris.
Once you’ve figured out what you’re taking, play Tetris in your suitcase. As a former bellhop, I cannot stress enough the importance of good weight distribution. Be mindful of where the suitcase’s bottom is—when you’ve laid it open for packing, the apparent “bottom” is actually the side—you pick a suitcase up to transport it, thereby angling it perpendicular to the ground. This puts the majority of the pressure on what was previously the “side” of the suitcase. Pack shoes and other rigid items along the true bottom, although it may look incorrect when the suitcase is laid down for packing. (You should also use your shoes to store small items, like socks/underwear/accessories.)
There is lots of advice out there about how you should fold or roll your clothes for transport; generally, any arrangement that’s clean and consistent will work fine. This blog offers a great technique whereby your pants fold over and enclose your shirts and sweaters.
A few sources advocate separating items with tissue paper to avoid wrinkles; this seems too fussy to me—do it if you wish, but remember that the best way to prevent wrinkles is to pack your suitcase well, so that the weight is evenly distributed and items don’t get squished. Hang up any wrinkled items when you arrive at your destination. The wrinkles will relax on their own—if they’re stubborn hang the garment up in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. This is a total ninja move that I’ve put to good use when I’m sans iron, like at a hotel.
And remember—if you’re traveling to see family this holiday, your relatives probably won’t notice or care if your shirt’s a little wrinkled or if you wear the same pants two days in a row. They’ll be much too busy bickering.
Ah, the holidays.
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I am spatially challenged, and the concept of minding a suitcase’s “true bottom” is nothing shy of revolutionary. I am forever in your debt.
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Or you could always pull a rock-star ninja move and have a few new pairs of Bonobos shipped to your destination!
“Sir, here are two keys to your room, the key for the mini-bar, and this package arrived for you earlier.”
How sweet would that be?
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J Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Agree, agree, agree. However – you would need to get them hemmed.
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Marshall Roy Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Corey—
Funny you mention that. When I worked as a bellhop in college, there was a guy who used to stay at the hotel all the time (I still remember his name, actually) who always FedEx-ed his luggage whenever he was traveling. It would arrive in the morning before he did, and one of the bellhops would deliver it to his room and set everything up (hang clothes in the closet, put toiletry bag in the bathroom, set up shoes by the door, etc.) before his arrival. Kind of ludicrous… but he was friendly, a good tipper, and never had to carry anything! Plus, now that many airlines charge to check a bag (WTF, btw), shipping your stuff might not be a bad idea….
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Hey Marshall – what’s your reccomendation for best “dopp” kit? Is there a BBB (backed by bonobos) reccomendation?
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