Whether you're trying to save space in your carry-on bag, or just don't want wrinkled clothes, how you pack matters. Not only can they help organize your outfits, they also compress your clothes to save space and let you isolate dirty clothes from clean ones. Thick bulky hangers take up a lot of space. Purses, backpacks, belts, ties, and scarves can hang on hooks, regular or specialty hangers or they can be put into bins or drawers.
But if, for example, having shoes lying around generally doesn’t bother you (or actually make you feel happy because they give it a “lived-in” feeling, as one former housemate once expressed to me), then you have to make peace with the fact that a room clean enough for you doesn’t include shoes neatly put away, despite what the magazines show. If, however, you aren’t able to do that at the moment (read: your two-year-old just spilled grape juice on his sister’s brand new white dress and you definitely don’t have time to walk back to the office to put your pen and notepad away), you put whatever it is you’re using in the drop bin and empty it out in the evening.
No more digging through layers of pjs when you just want to grab a sweater out of your carry-on. It can take extra time, but the payoff is being able to fit more clothes in your suitcase and, in some cases, reduce wrinkles. If items have not been worn during this time, donate or trash them, because it isn't likely that you'll wear them again. Assuming you have somewhat organized dresser drawers or closet shelves, most of your clothes are already folded, so it's easy to grab them and plop them in your luggage.
There are only 5 steps to it so it is fast as well. The folded clothes suitcase was nearly full, while there was room for at least three more items in the rolled clothes suitcase. If you’d prefer to avoid people or there aren’t any available donation centers, standalone donation boxes can often be found in large parking lots so you can slide unwanted clothing and accessories in there. Here’s some quick things you can do at the end of the day to tidy up your closet: replace shirts, slacks, and suits on hangers, fold and stack t-shirts and sweaters in drawers, match and place shoes in storage bins, place purses on shelves, and store accessories on hooks or in containers.
They also let you move things around and find the item you want. Some people try to organize by just moving things around but this often just serves to confuse you more as to what you should keep and what you should store or give away. Another benefit of packing cubes is that they can compress your clothes, allowing you to bring more with you and giving you more suitcase space.
I wanted to see which method takes up the least amount of space, uses luggage space the most efficiently and minimizes wrinkles. You can see your clothes more easily, because they aren't stacked on top of each other. It even comes with a companion guide that addresses some of the more pesky points of clutter such as photos, kids’ artwork, and more! That said, even two packing cubes can make a big difference in keeping your bag organized, so if you have the cash to spare, it's worth giving them a shot.
While purging clothes can be interesting work, it might have its dull moments. Any clothes in your dresser that haven’t moved from the bottom or the back of a drawer also likely haven’t been worn in a while. If you stack your folded clothes one on top of the other, it can be hard to get out that shirt you want buried in the middle. Packing cubes are endlessly versatile and come in many shapes, sizes and styles (check out the options from Baggu if you like prints).
Are you packing your suitcase wrong? You don't need them to effectively pack a suitcase -- the methods above are just as good. OK, so what's the best way to pack my clothes? Despite traveling often, I had never given much thought to how I pack my suitcase. The only downside of packing cubes is that they are another thing to buy on top of a suitcase or duffle bag.
These are just a few reasons why packing cubes rock! Here are a few strategies that can be useful. It starts with a few books and in a month you’re practically using your drawers as a bookshelf. Now, four years after I originally published this story, I am still using the packing cubes I bought to write it. Using packing organizers is a quick, easy way to bring order and harmony to your bag-and to your trip.
There's not a single trip that I haven't used them for in that time -- I've shoved them into a duffle bag for an overnight away and used them in large checked bags. Now you just need to maintain this system so that your clothes remain organized and continue saving you time. I used to wear a watch but now I just use my phone. You can use them to organize outfits, including shoes and accessories, into a single pouch.
You can certainly haphazardly shove clothes and shoes into your suitcase and sit on top of it to make it close, but there's a better way. Any clothes that still have the hanger the wrong way haven’t been worn in that time. I have done a purge, and it was enlightening! Do you have clothes that don’t fit? Anyone who has tried to fit too many clothes into their carry on (guilty) can appreciate that.
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