Rolling Or Folding Clothes When Packing
Preparing for a vacation or short getaway is an experience full of excitement and joy. We find ourselves counting down the hours in anticipation for the big day to arrive. However, there’s just one, tedious obstacle, which gets in the way every time. Packing.
The main downfall to vacationing is packing, and very few people find the process an enjoyable one. There is nothing worse than cramming everything into your suitcase, only to find that it doesn’t zip up and you have to start over again. Or, in the lucky instance that the suitcase does the zip up, it turns out that you are way over the weight limit. There’s just no winning!
Whether you are an organized person or not, the challenges of packing are a universal issue, but what if there was a way to organize everything neatly? What if you could pack so well, without having to rummage around to find what you need? Behold, the rolling vs folding clothes debate…
The Debate
There’s no doubt that everyone you speak to will have their own techniques when it comes to packing. Most the time, everyone just wings the whole thing. A debate which seems very popular amongst travelers is the rolling clothes vs packing clothes debate – do you have a preferred option? It’s time to pick apart these techniques and see what works best.
Advantages Of Rolling Clothes
It’s all in the name. The ‘rolling’ technique involves rolling your garments into tight rolls. The main advantages include:
- Space saver: when you roll your clothes, they take up less surface space. This means that you can pack more clothes than expected in the same suitcase.
- Organization: due to all of your clothes being rolled up in neat lines, you’ll have a clear view of your items when you open your suitcase. This makes it far easier to find your outfit for the day and reduces the risk of messy rummaging!
Disadvantages Of Rolling Clothes
- Creases: as you will be rolling clothes as tightly as possible, they are likely to get very creased during the process. It’s unlikely you’ll be carrying an iron on your travels!
- Bulky clothes: rolling up thin clothes is fine, but when it comes to jackets or denim, you’ll end up with a roll as chunky as the suitcase. Not every piece of clothing is made for rolling.
Advantages Of Folding Clothes
Perhaps a more traditional technique, the folding method simply means that you fold your clothes into piles when packing.
- Layer effect: you will be able to layer more clothes on top of each other thanks to their neat edges, meaning you can have more height on your clothes.
- Room for extras: also due to the neat edges on folded clothes, it’s likely that you will be able to sneak a pair of shoes into the side of your suitcase.
- Time efficient: folding clothes is not a new hobby for any of us, so packing this way doesn’t take long at all.
Disadvantages Of Folding Clothes
- More surface area: folded clothes take up far more room due to their square nature, meaning your suitcase will end up bursting at the seams!
- Hard to find things: as all of your clothes will be layered on top of each other, you will have to go through the tedious rummage to find your desired outfit.
Learn To Pack Efficiently
As you can see, both packing methods have their pros and cons. If you want to maximize space properly, then it’s recommended to mix the two techniques together for ultimate packing success. The idea is to roll up the thinner pieces of clothing which you don’t mind getting creased, then fold the thicker, more luxury, items that you want to keep fresh.
Mixing the two techniques together will help you out massively, but another great packing hack is to use packing cubes. Essentially, these cubes work as little compartments in your luggage, meaning you can neatly fold, or roll, your clothes without the worry of everything getting unorganized. Packing cubes are a necessity if you don’t want to be wearing crumpled clothes, and they are perfect for long haul ‘living-out-of-the-suitcase’ trips. If you’re serious about saving space when packing, then you can even get vacuumed packing cubes for extra help.
Tips To Remember When Packing
So – you now have the packing technique sorted, what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, packing can sometimes be a tedious procedure and may take a few trials before being successful. If you’re lucky and get it all sorted in one go, then we salute you. However, if you’re losing the will to live, check out these following tips to remember when packing. Some of these tips have been covered earlier in the rolling vs packing debate, but having these pointers will be sure to help you, and save you from a lot of stress.
- Be stern with what you need to pack and only take what you’ll wear. We are all guilty of over-packing, but it always results in having crumpled clothes that have sat at the bottom of a suitcase for days. Be strict with yourself and you will be saving a lot of space and time!
- As mentioned previously, roll the dainty items so that they don’t take up unnecessary space like they would when folded.
- Likewise, fold the thicker items so that they can be flattened easily.
- If you’re going on a plane, weigh your luggage before jetting off. There are handy luggage scales you can buy. The last thing you want to experience is an overweight bag and a hefty fine. Or, in a worst-case scenario, you will have to forfeit some items of clothing and ruin your neatly packed plan.
- Once again, if you’re getting on a plane, make sure you aren’t going over the liquid allowance. To prevent liquids like colognes, aftershaves or body washes leaking over your clothes, use a dopp kit to store them safely.
Never Pack Stressfully Again!
With all this packing wisdom right at your fingertips, you’ll never find yourself dreading to pack ever again. Focus on the real reason why you are packing and enjoy the adventure that awaits.
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