Packing Your Nice Dresses/Suits

[summer_girl]

Just wondering how all of you pack your formal or dress clothes so that they don't look horrible when you unpack on the ship.

 

I don't have a "garment" type bag, but I am thinking about purchasing one.

 

Looking for any hints about keeping the nicer clothes wrinkle free!! :confused:

[Bowie MeMe]

I slip one arm of the coat into the other and neatly bring together and fold over once if I have to. Bottom of suitcase. Hang in shower or send out for a press on the ship.

 

IMHO Garment bags are the biggest PIA luggage of all. They slip and slide and are awkward and they don't sit on ground or in most cases roll. There is no longer a storage area for garment bags on planes. Traveled with a friend and a blue garment bag that involved transfer at Heathrow from one terminal to another. My language was shocking even to me:eek::D:o

[ducklite]

There are different types of garment bags. Mine is actually luggage as opposed to a nylon version of a dry cleaning bag. Mine can be checked like any other luggage and can be set on the ground like any other luggage. It works great for formalwear.

 

That said, I travel for business and when I pack suits, I fold them up neatly and put them in my roll on. Hang them when I get to my hotel, generally the wrinkles fall out overnight. Sometimes they need the steam from my shower in the morning. I've never had to press one.

[cb at sea]

I have a suitcase with a 'garment bag" built in....it's the top section of my expandable suitcase. I put dry-cleaning bags over the items, fold only as much as I have to..and nothing wrinkles that you could possibly notice!

Saves me from having to carry a separate bag!

[Boo2]

Just wondering how all of you pack your formal or dress clothes so that they don't look horrible when you unpack on the ship.

 

I don't have a "garment" type bag, but I am thinking about purchasing one.

 

Looking for any hints about keeping the nicer clothes wrinkle free!! :confused:

 

My formal clothes are all bought with cruising in mind; none of them are made from material that will wrinkle. I roll all my dresses up (including my evening gowns) and despite being left that way for several days, they come out of my suitcase looking perfect. I put pics up of all my dresses in the thread "Post a picture of your dress Part 2"; you can see that they are all wrinkle free.

 

I know this doesn't help you pack now but it might help you in the future when you are buying clothes for cruising.

[jkudzu]

I put them in my regular suitcase with tissue paper sandwiched in between. Haven't had a problem yet. :)

[summer_girl]

Thanks for the advice!! I bought a formal type dress that is not very prone to wrinkles so I am hoping it will be fine. I am not so certain about HIS dress shirts, but we will do our best!!

[lel5344]

Thanks for the advice!! I bought a formal type dress that is not very prone to wrinkles so I am hoping it will be fine. I am not so certain about HIS dress shirts, but we will do our best!!

 

I can tell you with absolute certainty that Traveler dress shirts from Jos. A. Bank have the perfect name. They travel splendidly. Disclaimer: I am a former employee of Jos. A. Bank, but I still swear by those shirts!

[Nebr.cruiser]

A lot of my 'cruise clothes' are made in very unwrinkable fabrics. I lay my nicer dresses in the suitcase last and have never had a problem with wrinkles, even with a long satin evening gown.

 

I've heard tissue paper and dry-cleaner bags help too, but haven't needed them yet.

 

My husband normally takes a sport coat (sometimes a suit or tux) and just lays it on top of the other clothing too--again, no problems.

 

I personally wouldn't take something on a cruise that was easy to wrinkle. If ships have laundry rooms you can touch things up with the iron there. Or I've heard it is very inexpensive to send something out for ironing only.

[5326jan]

Here's a video on how to pack a suit.

This guy could pack an elephant into a carryon! :D Watch his other videos too. Amazing and they will whet your appetite for travel.

[summer_girl]

Oh, cool...a video!! Thanks for that!!

[Bowie MeMe]

Thanks for the advice!! I bought a formal type dress that is not very prone to wrinkles so I am hoping it will be fine. I am not so certain about HIS dress shirts, but we will do our best!!

 

Send them to the dry cleaners and ask for them to be folded. Problem solved. I never wash hubby's shirts anyway--he likes the cleaner's starching better.

[summer_girl]

Folding of the shirts...wow...I didn't even know about that...LOVE IT!

[Happy ks]

I have a huge rolling garment bag. Where I work part time in a luggage store, people take one look at it and think "overweight" immediately. But I have yet to pack it full to the brim and have it be overweight, it usually comes in @ around 48 lbs., even with a bottle of wine and both pair of our sneakers inside.

 

I think it is due to the fact all the clothing is hung on hangers, none of it folded, so you just can't get as much clothing in there as you can a standard suitcase.

 

We pack all our evening clothes into it, plus a few more of my husbands Tommy Bahama shirts, all of it packed into their own dry cleaner bags. We never have wrinkles in any of the clothing packed in there. I'll also fess up to not packing quite as much as other people do, we don't pack for all 7 nights, just 3 plus the formal nights.

 

Since I sell garment bags, there is a huge difference between different brands and types of bags. We sell what I consider to be a garment cover that I would never advise people to check (they usually don't fold down small enough to be carry on), but there are some that I wouldn't hesitate to check onto an airplane. The difference is the material the case/bag is made from and the basic structure of the bag.

 

I would check these (none of these are rolling garment bags, most rolling ones are built to check in) just an example of sturdy vs. not sturdy enough for airline handling:

http://www.coloradobaggage.com/cbc/product.asp?s_id=0&prod_name=Tumi+Alpha+Classic+Garment+Bag&pf_id=PAOHIDLHKGILAHFI&dept_id=11287

 

http://www.coloradobaggage.com/cbc/product.asp?s_id=0&prod_name=Victorinox+NXT+5%2E0+Paratrooper+Tri%2DFold+Garment+Bag&pf_id=PAOHADNEECJIFEIG&dept_id=3167

 

But never these:

 

http://www.ebags.com/product/wally-bags/45-extra-capacity-garment-bag-w-two-pockets/93264?productid=1232724

 

http://www.ebags.com/product/us-traveler/ballistic-nylon-tri-fold-carry-on-garment-bag/133930?productid=1347494

 

We sell the Wally bags and I advise people to use them for car trips only.

[SadieN]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=790622

http://www.luggagepros.com/ricardo-san-mateo-21-expandable-spinner-wheelaboard.shtml

 

We bring fabrics that don't wrinkle.

[Blueboss]

Send them to the dry cleaners and ask for them to be folded. Problem solved. I never wash hubby's shirts anyway--he likes the cleaner's starching better.

 

I didn't think of this, great idea! I can get away with starching them at home, but can't use the heavy stuff the cleaners use. Did that for hubby and son's shirts at our wedding. Son broke out in a rash and hubby itched most of the night. I carry Downey Wrinkle Release and that works pretty good. I also pack all out dress clothes using trash bags like tissue paper. Dirty or wet clothes go in the bags for the trip home.