Packing Tips

  • Knowing how to efficiently pack your carry-on luggage can eliminate the need for you to check in baggage, saving you time, money and aggravation. Here are some Packing Tips to help you make the most of the space you have.

  • Knowing how to efficiently pack your carry-on luggage can eliminate the need for you to check in baggage, saving you time, money and aggravation. Here are some Packing Tips to help you make the most of the space you have.

  • Introduction

    • If you're a frequent traveler, you've probably gone through the hassle and aggravation of checking your luggage at one time or another. Not only do you have to wait in line before your flight to check your bags, you also have to wait at the baggage claim area after your flight to pick them up. One way to avoid this is simply to only bring luggage that is small and light enough to be taken on the plane as a carry-on item. Now this may not work for people who are going on long trips. But for those who are only traveling for a short period of time (a few days to a week), fitting all of your items in a carry-on bag can save you time and money. Here are 10 tips on how to make the most out of a limited amount of luggage space.

  • Tip 1: Choose The Right Bag

    • In general, there are two schools of thought when it comes to picking what type of carry-on bag to buy (both of which work from the assumption that you're luggage will get damaged at some point).
    1. Buy the cheapest luggage: Your bag is bound to get damaged or lost at some point during your travels, so buying the cheapest luggage will make it hurt less when it does happen.
    2. Buy the most expensive luggage with the best warranty: High-quality luggage manufacturers such as Samsonite will usually create products that are better able to stand up to the wear and tear of constant travel. While some may offer a warranty, they will usually only cover the cost of repairs due to defects in construction.
    • See Mahalo's Guide to Luggage when researching what bag to buy.

  • Tip 2: Roll Your Clothes

    • One of the best ways to free up extra space in your luggage is to roll your clothing rather than fold it. Rolling your clothes will decrease the amount of space they take up, leaving more room in your luggage for other things. Besides that, rolling your clothes can also help prevent wrinkling. Here's how to roll your clothes:
    1. Lay the item flat on a hard surface.
    2. Fold it in half.
    3. Fold in the sleeves (or for pants - bring the legs together)
    4. Begin rolling from the bottom
    5. Smooth out the creases as you work your way up.

  • Tip 3: Put Things In Other Things

    • Another simple way to save space when packing your clothes is to try and identify which items can fit inside other items. This is a great way to minimize the amount of space your clothes take up. For example:


    1. Take your socks and stuff them inside your shoes until they are full. This will help create more space, and it will keep your shoes from getting bent out of shape.
    2. If you're bringing fragile or breakable items, try wrapping them in your clothes instead of their protective cases.
    3. Stuff your underwear into the nooks and crannies of your suitcase that normal items may not fit into.
    4. Make sure that you fill up the outside pockets of your suitcase with small items such as keys, maps, or books.

  • Tip 4: Consolidate Your Power Adapters

  • Tip 5: Wear Your Heaviest Clothes

    1. Small items, such as keys, sunglasses and watches can be kept in the pockets of your jacket.
    2. If you're wearing your heaviest shoes, you may also want to wear two pairs of socks to prevent blistering.
    3. Once on the plane, you can take your heavy jacket off and use it as a pillow or a backrest.

  • Tip 6: Buy Travel Sized Products

    1. Drugstores such as Walgreens and CVS carry a wide range of travel sized products such as shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, and sunscreen.
    2. The toiletries that you do bring should be all be put in a single, quart-sized plastic bag and kept in an outside pocket so that you can take it out when you go through the security screening.
    3. Only take the toiletries that you will absolutely need. There is no need to bring 5 types of facial cream or multiple toothbrushes.

  • Tip 7: Use Hotel Toiletries

    • Although we just discussed how you should buy travel sized toiletries in order to save space, if you are going to be staying at a relatively nice hotel you may be able to save even more space by leaving those out entirely. Hotels (even most of the cheaper ones) usually provide occupants with small bottles of shampoo, shower gel and soap. So if you aren't too attached to the ones you use at home, just leave those out and use the ones they provide you.
    1. Nice hotels will also usually offer bathrobes and towels, so you may want to leave those at home also.
    2. Sometimes the front desk will also carry toothpaste, deodorant and other items for you to use free of charge.
    3. If you have some extra room in your bags on the way home, feel free to take some of the hotel toiletries home with you. You can use them at your house for visiting guests.

  • Tip 8: Vacuum Seal Your Clothes

    • A great way to save even more space when packing clothes is to use a vacuum sealed bag to hold them. By placing your clothes in an air-tight bag and removing all of the air with a vacuum, you can free up even more space in your luggage for other items. While you may be able to use the large zip lock bags laying around your house, many retailers sell bags that are specially designed for this purpose.
    1. Ciao.com: Vacuum Storage Bag Reviews
    2. Space Bags: Vacuum Sealed Storage Bags
    3. eBay: Vacuum Sealed Bags

  • Tip 9: Donate Your Clothes

    • One way to free up space in your luggage for the trip home is to bring old or used clothes that you can donate or sell along the way. This may not work for people who only want to bring nice clothes with them or who don't want the hassle of having to find a donation spot for their clothes. But for those that don't mind wearing old clothes, or who know that they will be purchasing a lot of clothes to take home with them, this can be an appealing option. Here are some resources for donating your clothes:
    1. Goodwill Industries: Store Locator
    2. Salvation Army: Donate Goods
    3. Vietnam Veterans of America: Household Goods Donation Program
    4. RealSimple.com: How to Donate Old Clothes

  • Tip 10: Keep Excessive Stuff At Home

    • This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's one of the things that travelers often seem to forget. Bringing excessive items with you can increase the weight of your luggage, take up room that may be used for other essential items, and can increase the risk of losing something while you travel. Here are a few things that you can leave behind:
    1. If you have a large key chain, only bring the keys that are necessary (your house and car keys, the key to your luggage). No need to bring the key to your gym locker or storage unit.
    2. Valuables. Unless absolutely necessary, try not to bring expensive items like jewelry, antiques or high-priced electronic devices.
    3. Nice hotels will usually provide hair dryers, irons and bathrobes. So if you know you'll be staying at a nice hotel, you should probably leave those behind.
    4. Choose similar colored clothes so that you can mix and match various outfits with the least amount of clothes.

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