Has anyone mastered the art of folding a sportcoat into a suitcase?

[LSUfan4444]

My next sailing is on the Dream (4 night Bahamas) and has one optional dress up night. I'd like to just wear jeans, a dress shirt and a sportcoat. Normally, I would wear it on the boat but I am cruising in May so thats not an option and I really don't want to take a garment back for one article of clothing.

Anyone have any success packing it, then hitting it with some dewrinkle spray or something once you got to your room?

 

[Otimon]

Button the jacket and lay front down. I would put several layers of tissue paper along the back of the jacket. Bring the arms back and lay them on top of the tissue.
Place more tissue across the middle of the arms and fold the top of the coat back over them. Hang immediately upon unpacking. Good luck.

 

[FigmentSpark]

What about sending it off to be pressed by the ship's drycleaning services?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

What about sending it off to be pressed by the ship's drycleaning services?

This is what I was going to suggest. I've found the dry cleaning to be very reasonable and the pressing charges are usually half what the dry cleaning charges are. Do your best to fold it, but if it still comes out wrinkled, send it off to be pressed once you are onboard.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Now that I never thought of. Anyone know what they would charge to press one coat if it gets too wrinkled?

 

[cedricandsophie]

I always wrap my husbands jacket in plastic wrap from dry cleaner, leave it on hanger, immediately hang up and spray with dewrinkle spray. Never had a problem. I bring a couple small bottles of wrinkle stuff and spray everything once it comes out of suitcase.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Now that I never thought of. Anyone know what they would charge to press one coat if it gets too wrinkled?

I think this is from 2013 and I don't know if prices have increased, but if no increase, it would be $2.25 to press a jacket.

 

[LSUfan4444]

it would be $2.25 to press a jacket.

Yeah...more than worth it.

Thanks everybody for the tips and suggestions.

 

[surran12]

That's what I've done the two cruises I've been on. The first day we board we fill out the slip for pressing only and send out a bag full of stuff and I've always had it back by mid afternoon the next day which is usually the formal night.

 

[Scillycruisers]

My DS folds his jacket neatly, like a shirt then slides it into one of those vacu-bags. Instead of removing all the air, he inflates it slightly then packs at the top of his suitcase. It takes up a little more space but does not wrinkle or crease despite going on a transatlantic flight.

 

[belac]

We send them to press, even on longer cruise 2 suits and 2 formal dresses well worth not fussing about

 

[Sir William]

Button the jacket and lay front down. I would put several layers of tissue paper along the back of the jacket. Bring the arms back and lay them on top of the tissue.
Place more tissue across the middle of the arms and fold the top of the coat back over them. Hang immediately upon unpacking. Good luck.

This is what I do on any trip that I have to take a sports coat or suit jacket. With my tux I use a packing board, which just helps the tux from shifting around in the suitcase. Hang it up immediately upon getting onboard (I carry it in my rolling day bag, with my wine) so it's ready to hang once the cabin is ready). Minimal wrinkles and they come out once the jacket has hung for about 24 hours.

If it's too badly wrinkled when I unpack, I put it in the laundry bag and give to my steward as soon as possible for pressing and return by the next day. I've only had to do this twice (on 8 cruises) and one of those was because I decided to have the tux cleaned and pressed vice cleaned and pressed at home before sailing, after getting onboard.

 

[kittymamma]

Agree with Sir William (above ). We use packing boards and tissue paper and have had great success with preventing wrinkles. Using the on board laundry/pressing service is a real god-send....not expensive and worth every penny. Hubby always had his tux steamed/pressed but then he discovered that renting the tux was more practical and more cost efficient than hauling it along from home. Same with my clothes .... tissue paper is the answer !!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I suppose it depends on the size of the jacket, but my husband just keeps his in a thin garment bag and lays it in the bottom of the suitcase. Then he packs other stuff on top. As we pack last minute and unpack as soon as we get our bags, it seems to work fine.

 

[bumbershoot]

The pressing or dry cleaning services are SO worth it. And a bargain.

This week I had DH and DS's suits dry cleaned and one shirt cleaned and pressed at home for a funeral. It was $46.

If you look at that price list, it's, what, $20 in the ship? (One suit is a three piece)

And the cleaners had a longer time to do it in than what the ship does.

(Royal has a good cleaning/pressing service as well)

 

[jabrony76]

Turn one shoulder inside out and slip that side inside the other normal shoulder. Then fold neatly and put on top layer. Key to keeping it as good as you can is to put it in at the last minute and get it out as soon as you can.

 

[phinz]

FWIW, I don't pay attention to peoples' wrinkled clothing on board. We're all living out of a suitcase, after all. Wad it up in a ball and stick in the bottom of the CPAP bag. It doesn't matter. I doubt any of the judgmental ones will ever see you again anyway.

 

[ludari]

I can agree that packing a sports coat into a suitcase was not easy until I found a travel one (London Fog). It's made of microfiber, doesn't wrinkle and packs into it's own little bag that is just a little larger than a sheet of paper (9.5X11) and is 2-inches thick (without compressing it). I've taken this coat on my last five cruises.

 

[hamm1207]

We use a suit roll for my husbands tux and dress shirts. I think it's called a Sky Roll. It has cool compartments on the end to access the middle of the roll, which is the perfect spot for dress shoes and what not. It keeps it fairly wrinkle free (unless we overstuff it). We've used dry cleaning on the ship pretty much every cruise (for other items) because it's so cheap!

 

[mmouse37]

All I do when packing his sport coat is to fold it in half and put it in the suitcase. It never seems to wrinkle and always looks good. No special tricks except maybe putting it in the bottom of the suitcase.

MJ