Gather all the garments you anticipate needing. Then put
half of them back. Select clothes in the same color family, packing more tops
than bottoms. For a five-day trip, you’ll likely need five shirts, two pairs of
slacks or jeans, and one skirt, says Kathleen Ameche, author of The Woman Road
Warrior ($15, amazon.com). The average 22-inch check-in bag fits roughly two
pairs of jeans, three sweaters, two dresses, and five shirts.
Choose knits, wools, and cottons. These fabrics tend to
resist wrinkles and are versatile (some garments can do double duty, like yoga
pants that moonlight as pajamas).
Roll softer garments and fold stiffer ones. Underwear,
T-shirts, jeans, cotton pants, and knitwear won’t wrinkle when rolled tightly,
says Judy Gilford, author of The Packing Book ($13, amazon.com). Stiffer
fabrics, such as starched cotton shirts, blazers, dressy pants, and skirts,
should be carefully folded.
Arrange rolled items in the bottom of the bag. Think of your
suitcase as a three-layer cake. The suitcase is the icing; the rolled items
make up the first layer.
Place folded garments next. For your (cream filling) middle
layer, start with the longest items, like skirts and slacks. Stack the garments
on top of each other, alternating waists with hems. Position the pile flush
with the suitcase, draping leftover fabric over the opposite end. (This
conserves space since thick waistbands won’t be piled on top of one another.)
Wrap the draping ends of the pile into the center. Next, lay collars of shorter
items, like shirts, at the hinge with the ends over the handles. Fold the
collars and ends over once and fold the arms in.