Exercises in Folding and Stowage 2

Exercise 2: The Super-pack

Having learned new and interesting ways to fold clothes and save space I naturally started packing that way too. And I got really good at it… I have had friends ask me to come over to their house to help them pack because of what I can fit into a carry-on suitcase.

Here, I will show you… Last month my friend Gary came to visit. Like always happens when he visits I made him buy an entirely new wardrobe. I hate shopping for myself but I’ll tell you, I got a talent for helping other people pick out the hottest clothes.

So when Gary left I had to pack his bag for him. One standard sized carry-on bag, this is what I was able to fit into it:

15 shirts (both t-shirt and button down)
7 pairs of underwear
7 pairs of jeans
5 pairs of socks
4 Tank Tops
3 pairs of shoes
2 Belts
1 Toilet Bag
1 Electric Razor

Here is how to do it...

Step 1: First put in the shoes. Heel to toe across one side of the suitcase.


Step 2: Using the shirt fold I already taught you, put as many shirts as you can fit between the shoes and the other side of the suitcase. You will be able to stack two levels of shirts this way.


Step 3: Roll up the pants as shown below and lay them over the shoes. Like the shirts, you will be making two stacks of pants. Fold your underwear into squares and put them in the gap between your shirts and the wall of the suitcase.


Step 4: When you have all shirts, pants, underwear and shoes in the suitcase roll up your belts. Sometimes it helps to put a rubberband around them. Lay them on top of your underwear.


Step 5: My recommendation to you is to find a decent sized toiletries bag like this one. You don't need to take your entire bathroom with you every time you travel. My rule of thumb is to take the essentials: toothbrush, hair product, toothpaste, condoms and some little lube packets maybe, and whatever medication you may need. Things like shampoo, toothpaste and what not you can get when you get to wherever.

Lay the bag on top of your shirts. Socks go into the shoe pockets on the lid of the suitcase, and tank tops get folded into squares and put in the top zipper on the lid. This is also a good place to put any extra shirts like you see in the picture.


Step 6: Zip bag. As you can see the extendable zipper is still zipped so you should have no problem carrying this onto the plane. If you have loose small stuff than you can either put them into the outside compartment of the suitcase on in your other carry-on. You can have two, a suitcase and a small personal case/laptop case.


If you are going on vacation, this is a good way to pack, but you may run into problems if you buy a lot of souvenirs. If you do get a lot than you can always just buy a separate bag to put all your new stuff into and check this one.