Tetris for travelers: how to pack a suitcase so that everything fits?

Any trip, especially for a long period, can be confusing for an inexperienced traveler: there seem to be much more things than a suitcase can accommodate. In addition, another question arises: how to make sure that nothing is wrinkled, and even had the opportunity, if necessary, to quickly get a specific item? How compact to pack in a suitcase, given these nuances?

* Click on image to enlarge

Nothing extra

If you have a trip, it is better not to pack your suitcase at the last moment, a few hours before the train or plane: something will be forgotten, and folding your baggage in a hurry will make it impossible to fit everything. To avoid this and to be able to compactly pack all things in a suitcase, it is important to remember the rule: we take only the most necessary. So more likely to fit everything.

Beginners will find the following tips useful:

• Make a list in advance of what you need to take with you. Reread it several times - you will definitely find something superfluous or missing. Perhaps some items will be replaced by less voluminous counterparts.
• Vary combinations of things in sets so that you can get by with a minimum (for example, take several different t-shirts to one pants or take away trousers, a skirt and several blouses that are suitable for both).
• Use weather conditions to make your wardrobe practical (for example, you don't need stilettos at sea, and sandals in late autumn).
• There is no need to pack things “just in case”: the risk is high that this case will never happen, and things will simply take a precious place.
• Do not take what you can easily and inexpensively buy already in place (soap, toothbrush and paste, or something else).
• Gels, shampoos, and other hygiene products should be cast a little into smaller containers. Surely 300 ml of tonic will not end in a few days, and they will add much weight to the luggage, moreover, such a bottle will take up more space than a jar of baby food.
• It is better to lay heavy, bulky things or those that will be needed soon, to the very bottom, and essentials - to the very top (slippers, night pajamas, toilet paper).

General rules

So that everything fits in a suitcase, there are many tricks. This is not only compact folding, but also practical packaging.

If you have to travel often, it makes sense to stock up with several special organizers: they will help save space in your suitcase and time to find the right item. For example, there are organizers for cosmetics, bras, various cords, hygiene items.

If you stack things correctly in each of them, then the useful volume of your travel bag will increase significantly.

There are two main ways of folding clothes:

1. Things are stacked on top of each other, and then cross-stacked as well. Moreover, they form one fairly compact package. The disadvantage of this method is its impracticality: in order to get the right item on the spot, you will have to unearth this entire structure in reverse order. Accordingly, the entire wardrobe will have to be hung right away, which after a exhausting road can turn out to be a real test.
2. If each item is individually rolled up and laid so, then finding the right one and getting it just will not be difficult. In addition, things are not much remembered.This is especially true if the trip is supposed to live "in hiking conditions" when there is no place or time to hang out the entire wardrobe.

So, the second method is more practical and economical, therefore, further options for folding clothes will be considered precisely according to it.

Socks and shoes

Closed shoes are a great travel container, which is unreasonable not to use. In each pair of shoes you can fit up to 8 pairs of socks. Socks can be rolled up very easily: just fold them in pairs along, displacing several centimeters in length. The gum of the sock that turned out to be higher, you need to turn out. Now the socks begin to twist, moving to the elastic. At the end, the resulting roll is wrapped with a rubber band.

The shoes themselves are placed in bags or special covers, and then placed on the edges of the suitcase.

Things with sleeves

Sleeves are located on the front of the sweatshirt, body shirt, women's dress or men's shirt, along or across. The bottom edge of the garment is turned outwards by about 15 centimeters. Next, one side of the jacket is wrapped to the midline and covered with the other side. Starting from the neck, the thing is rolled up. Then the inverted section is wrapped around the resulting convolution. Similarly, you can fold a jacket, jacket or windbreaker. To save time and space, these wardrobe items are best put together several (for example, sweater, batch file and a pair of T-shirts).

Voluminous warm clothes (woolen sweaters, jackets) are folded according to the same scheme, but it is better to put them in vacuum bags to expel air, significantly reducing the space occupied by the jacket.

Jeans, pants, skirts

Jeans and sweatpants are folded in the same roll. First, the upper part is turned off by about half, then they are folded along the central seam and twisted, turning at the end with a lapel.

Sleeveless dresses or skirts fold in half in length and also twist.

Try to refuse products pleated or pleated. It’s unlikely that they can be folded carefully and transported.

Pack the suitcase

Correctly stacking every thing is only half the battle. Now you need to pack all this wisely - optimally positioned inside the travel bag.

• We put the shoes around the edges of the suitcase. Next, we pack things according to the degree of need: those that will be needed soon, we place them below, and those that will be needed immediately, we put them up.
• Small items are conveniently collected according to their purpose in organizers or small dense packages. This will save space, in addition, you do not have to look for something you need among all things.
• The necks of jars and bottles with cosmetics must first be wrapped with cling film, and then tightened and assembled together in one container.
• We place the jewelry between two layers of cling film, drive out the air, turn it off and send it in a small package.
• Small belts or belts can be placed in shoes or folded into a bag and put into one of the rolls of clothing. Large, you can wrap large clothes or lay them around the perimeter of the bag.

Packing all your luggage compactly is a science. And here are far from all the tricks and subtleties. But if it is reasonable to approach the selection of a wardrobe and follow these recommendations, the problem of tolls will cease to be a problem.