Is there a trick to packing clothes so they don't wrinkle?

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I roll our clothing but it still comes out slightly wrinkled. My solution is ironing..... now I know, who wants to iron on vacation? My version of ironing (even at home, I hate actually ironing) is to hang our clothes from the shower rod while we are showering. The wrinkles fall right out of everything from the steam.

 

[tchrrx]

I've also learned to not pack so far in advance. I used to pack for our trips 3-4 weeks out. The clothes were always a wrinkled mess when I arrived. This year, I am going to do a 'dry run' about a week out. But, I am not going to actually iron the clothes and then pack them neatly until a day or two before.

Thanks for the tips about packing cubes. I'm going to look into this.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I've also learned to not pack so far in advance. I used to pack for our trips 3-4 weeks out. The clothes were always a wrinkled mess when I arrived. This year, I am going to do a 'dry run' about a week out. But, I am not going to actually iron the clothes and then pack them neatly until a day or two before.

Thanks for the tips about packing cubes. I'm going to look into this.

Wow, that's definitely far in advance. I try to pack the weekend before I leave.


I have found that if I do it all at once I won't forget things but if I do it over the course of several days, I forget what I packed & didn't pack.
For tops & shorts, etc. I roll everything. For cruising with formalwear, I use a garment bag and don't put the clothes in until right before we leave for the airport. Once we get to our hotel at MCO, I quick open it & hang everything in the closet. This only takes a minute since everything stays on its hanger. Then put it all in the garment bag in the am.
I just can't see taking dh's suit and rolling it up like a sausage.

 

[tchrrx]

Wow, that's definitely far in advance. I try to pack the weekend before I leave.


I have found that if I do it all at once I won't forget things but if I do it over the course of several days, I forget what I packed & didn't pack.
For tops & shorts, etc. I roll everything. For cruising with formalwear, I use a garment bag and don't put the clothes in until right before we leave for the airport. Once we get to our hotel at MCO, I quick open it & hang everything in the closet. This only takes a minute since everything stays on its hanger. Then put it all in the garment bag in the am.
I just can't see taking dh's suit and rolling it up like a sausage.

We are cruising this year, so it is our first time needing dressy clothes. Do you have a soft sided garment bag? Do you check it or carry it on? We have found some hard side garment bags that we like, but the cheapest that we can find is around $350. I'm afraid that a soft sided one would not protect the clothes very well as they are transferred at the airport & onto the ship.

 

[tchrrx]

I've also learned to not pack so far in advance. I used to pack for our trips 3-4 weeks out. The clothes were always a wrinkled mess when I arrived. This year, I am going to do a 'dry run' about a week out. But, I am not going to actually iron the clothes and then pack them neatly until a day or two before.

Thanks for the tips about packing cubes. I'm going to look into this.

No sooner did I post this, then I ended up in my guest room packing! Apparently I haven't actually learned my lesson! The only thing I really packed though is our pirate costumes. They are cheap, nylon Halloween costumes, so I don't think they'll really wrinkle anyway. Some day, I will learn to wait....

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We are cruising this year, so it is our first time needing dressy clothes. Do you have a soft sided garment bag? Do you check it or carry it on? We have found some hard side garment bags that we like, but the cheapest that we can find is around $350. I'm afraid that a soft sided one would not protect the clothes very well as they are transferred at the airport & onto the ship.

Ours are similar to this, not sure if it's the exact Samsonite model.
http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/lug.../Samsonite+Attraction+Wheeled+Garment+Bag.jsp
We only buy when they're half price and then since I have a Kohls charge, I can use a 30% off coupon and free shipping. I find the luggage in the stores has been dragged around and picked through so much. Any tags/accessories that might come with it have been removed; so buying it online just arrives in better condition.
We bought my inlaws one for our last cruise for $103 shipped to their door that was reg priced at around $250-300.

 

[ZoZo]

DH is our packer and he rolls everything. We never have an issue with wrinkles. It also allows you to pack more.

Yep, me too. I might have to touch up one or two things with an iron, but most things arrive wrinkle-free.

 

[nkereina]

I second Downy Wrinkle Release. I have a big bottle of it at home that I use all the time, and they have travel size bottles at Target and I bring a couple of them. If you can't find the travel size bottle, just buy a small empty spray bottle and fill it up with the big bottle of Downy Wrinkle Release. When I get there, I unpack and spray all the clothes with it so they can dry and "release the wrinkles". Works great for basic wrinkles.

Rolling never seems to work for me and packing cubes I've never tried but I can't grasp the concept of them. Seems like they would take up more room to me.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

I've had really good luck with packing them in large ziplock baggies. For some reason they don't wrinkle if I fold them up nicely and then put them in the large ziplocks with all of the air squeezed out.

I do this too! I have gotten so much in each suitcase it is amazing!

I am chubby and I am envious of thin packers. We fat girls have waaay more fabric to pack. That being said, I am a really, really good packer. I travel a lot, and I rarely wrinkle. The secret? Trash bags.

Tru dat!!! My suitcase will be the only one with no wiggle room for souvenirs b/c my clothes are bigger!

I've also learned to not pack so far in advance. I used to pack for our trips 3-4 weeks out. The clothes were always a wrinkled mess when I arrived. This year, I am going to do a 'dry run' about a week out. But, I am not going to actually iron the clothes and then pack them neatly until a day or two before.

Thanks for the tips about packing cubes. I'm going to look into this.

Wow, that's definitely far in advance. I try to pack the weekend before I leave.

I have found that if I do it all at once I won't forget things but if I do it over the course of several days, I forget what I packed & didn't pack.
For tops & shorts, etc. I roll everything. For cruising with formalwear, I use a garment bag and don't put the clothes in until right before we leave for the airport. Once we get to our hotel at MCO, I quick open it & hang everything in the closet. This only takes a minute since everything stays on its hanger. Then put it all in the garment bag in the am.
I just can't see taking dh's suit and rolling it up like a sausage.

Hahahaha! I started packing two months before my trip!!!! Now, in my defense, I have 7 people to pack for, and I was doing Disney projects and trip planning for 12 people! Packing can be confusing for 7, so I like to start way in advance and that way I can keep pulling things that I might have taken on a whim previously. Just last night I went through and pulled at least one outfit from each suitcase and re-rolled all the air out of my ziplocs. This is my first time doing ziplocs, and I LOVE IT!!! Everything is so organized, and it all squishes down to nothing. I have had most items in the suitcases for 2 months, and there are still virtually no wrinkles! I am very happy.
I looked into the packing cubes, but it would've been an unnecessary cost for our family, and actually would've been quite a large financial committment to outfit seven people with them. I am an extreme couponer, and got all my ziplocs for free, so they worked out very well for our family. I will probably do the cubes eventually, but i won't buy them all at once. Purchasing a couple here and there works well for me.
We decided this week to purchase our princess dresses before the trip instead of at BBB b/c we were worried about finding the right sizes for our older girls. I had to find some extra space to carry them with us! I resquished all the ziplocs, and found tons of space! Yay!
If I waited to pack till the weekend before I left, I would forget so much! I have to think of everything times 7 for 11 days! There's five cell phones, 5 chargers, 7 cameras, 7 camera chargers, at least 77 pairs of underwear...you get the picture...