# Best way to pack shirts



## Hanzo

I'm going to Italy for a few weeks and will be dressing business casual with a mixture of polo and dress shirts. I'm not too worried about the polo shirts, but what is the best way to pack dress shirts to avoid wrinkling? As it will be warm, I'll probably not be wearing a coat most of the time and I don't know that I'll have access to an iron. Any suggestions or any tips on good ways to avoid looking like a mess?


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## kakinuma-kun

*Cleaners*

Personally, I chose my shirts in advance and send them to the cleaners for a wash and fold.

When I pick them up they're boxed singly, in doubles, or three in a box.

The I just pack the box in my hard-case suitcase.


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## Chouan

Good idea. Otherwise, assuming that they're already ironed, and on a hanger, fold them in half vertically, then roll them up. Hang them again as soon as possible on arrival at your hotel. Most good hotels will iron them for you anyway.


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## Hanzo

kakinuma-kun said:


> Personally, I chose my shirts in advance and send them to the cleaners for a wash and fold.
> 
> When I pick them up they're boxed singly, in doubles, or three in a box.
> 
> The I just pack the box in my hard-case suitcase.


I've always wondered about this. Wouldn't that just cause creases from where they folded them? I'm not trying to be negative or anything like that, I just always think about how badly creased my shirts are when I first buy them all folded up. Do the laundry places somehow manage to avoid it?


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## JerseyJohn

I also have my cleaner "box" them instead of putting them on hangers if I know I'll need to pack them. This doesn't eliminate all wrinkles, but they do a better job of folding them than I would, and the front of the shirt (the part that shows :smile stays pretty smooth.


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## ada8356

I've been using Eagle Creek's "Pack-It" system for years with great results.

https://www.eaglecreek.com/packing_solutions/


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## stubloom

I would advise you to fold you own shirts for travel.

Here's the problem you face when your dry cleaner folds shirts:

1. They know, in advance, which shirts are to be folded and which shirts are to be hung. Armed with the knowledge that your shirts are to be folded (and therefore, by definition, screwed up), there is absolutely no incentive to do even a half-assed job on the pressing.

2. They fold by machine, not by hand. This machine pulls and wraps the shirt rather tightly around a shirt board and destroys the half-assed pressing job.

3. They do a short fold (shirt folded in 2 1/2), not a long fold (shirt folded in half).

4. They insert the shirt in an ultra-thin poly bag (typically 0.6 mil), not a thick poly bag (we use 4 mil poly bags).

The net result of all this is a shirt that looks like you slept in it.

I would advise you to fold them yourself. For each shirt you'll need a shirt board, 2 sheets of 36 x 36 tissue paper, and an 24 x 12 poly bag that's at least 4 mil thick.

We clean, press and ship hundreds of shirts around the country every week using this method*. Our clients tell us that they ship beautifully and that they ready to wear right out of the packaging. Many have commented that the shirts shipped folded across country have fewer wrinkles on receipt than shirts picked up from their local cleaner on hangers!

Follow this procedure and you'll enjoy Italy without having to worry about looking like a vagabond.

*We do follow one more step that you'll not have available to you when you fold your shirts at home: We put a small cushion of air in the bag and then heat seal the bag so that the bag is air tight. This way you can push down on the bag with the palms of both hands and still not touch the shirt. At home, I'd suggest that you fold the open end of the 4 mil bag over and "seal" it with a good packing tape.

For more information on this topic....

Blog post: Why your folded shirts look like a rumpled mess
https://www.ravefabricare.com/true-quality-cleaning/2011/1/25/why-your-folded-shirts-look-like-a-rumpled-mess.aspx

For more photos of the type of folding I am referring to....

Blog post: Trust your Budd custom shirts to RAVE FabriCARE
https://www.ravefabricare.com/true-quality-cleaning/2011/4/27/trust-your-budd-custom-shirts-to-rave-fabricare.aspx


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## Hanzo

ada8356 said:


> I've been using Eagle Creek's "Pack-It" system for years with great results.
> 
> https://www.eaglecreek.com/packing_solutions/


I just looked this up and really like the idea. A few of the items I don't think have much merit, but the folder looks great. Which size do you use? Can you tell me a bit more about it from personal use?


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## greeny

fold em and stick em in. not so hard


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## ada8356

Hanzo said:


> I just looked this up and really like the idea. A few of the items I don't think have much merit, but the folder looks great. Which size do you use? Can you tell me a bit more about it from personal use?


Hanzo -

Sorry for the long delay.

I think I use the size 18 folders. They are terrific. I also use a few different sized cubes that they offer. It makes packing and unpacking a breeze.

I've been using the Eagle Creek for 5 or 6 years now. I introduced my wife to their stuff and she loves it too. Every piece I've bought is still going strong. Actually it's hard to see how any of the stuff could wear out. My Eagle Creek suitcase is starting to show some pretty good wear on the corners, but it has traveled a lot of miles with me.

Container Store always lots of their stuff in stock so you can go check it out in person. Typically, they can even show you the different products and explain the best ways to use them.


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## Hanzo

ada8356 said:


> Hanzo -
> 
> Sorry for the long delay.
> 
> I think I use the size 18 folders. They are terrific. I also use a few different sized cubes that they offer. It makes packing and unpacking a breeze.
> 
> I've been using the Eagle Creek for 5 or 6 years now. I introduced my wife to their stuff and she loves it too. Every piece I've bought is still going strong. Actually it's hard to see how any of the stuff could wear out. My Eagle Creek suitcase is starting to show some pretty good wear on the corners, but it has traveled a lot of miles with me.
> 
> Container Store always lots of their stuff in stock so you can go check it out in person. Typically, they can even show you the different products and explain the best ways to use them.


ada8356,
Thank you very much, I really appreciate that. I think I'll be picking one up soon. Its a relatively simple idea, yet I haven't seen it done before and it looks like it'll work well.


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## Jovan

Hanzo: Hang the shirts up when you take a shower once you get to the hotel.


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## TheMac

I also wondered about this! I am gonna try the boxing as well before leaving. Though I always have the intention to check my clothes after the cleaners.


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## Hanzo

By the way, I have long since returned from Italy and wanted to discuss what I did and how it worked for any others who may be looking for info. At the time, I didn't have any neat gadgets, so I just did the best I could. 

I took all of my shirts (8 or 9 if I remember correctly) and alternated them between long sleeve "dress" shirts and polos that I brought. Basically, I just stacked them all up (unfolded). Then, I folded them all together in a military fold (basically the way you see them packaged at a store with the front showing). By doing this, it created a thicker fold so that the fabric didn't crease. When I got to the hotel, I unfolded them and hung them up. 

Did it prevent wrinkles? No. But, it made them managable. When able, I ironed them, if not, well...you wear what you've got. The polos resisted wrinkling pretty well, and I wore a coat over the dress shirts, so it wasn't as obvious. It wasn't the perfect solution, but it worked.


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## hansa

If you want the 'outer' clothes to look smart, then put tissue paper between the clothes as you fold them so they don't crease so badly, keep the big and ironed things spread out as flat as possible, pushing them to squeeze out air, while still doing the rolling up trick with things that do not show when worn. Can you take more than one bag? Do you need to take as much clothing? These two last are things to ponder on as well.


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## arodriguez

Either rolling up clothes as small as possible or putting in a plastic bag and vaccuum it to remove any air pockets. This helps make the best use of all the space in your luggage


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