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How to Fold and Pack a Suit Jacket…Better

By The Editors of GQ

We've all been there. You're packing for a trip and following every hack you're supposed to: rolling your socks, wrapping your ties in tissue, alternately stacking your dress shirts. And when it comes time for your suit, you try folding it four different ways before realizing it's going to crease no matter what you do, toss it on top of the pile, and zip up your luggage. Of course, when you arrive and unpack, the suit comes out a wrinkled mess that no shower steam can fix.

We're here to help. Once and for all, here's the proper way to origami your suit into a shape that not only fits neatly inside any travel bag, but ensures that your tailored jackets come out as crisp as they were when you packed them.

Step 1. If you have a suit, stash your suit in a plastic dry-cleaning bag.

Step 2. Fold it in half.

Step 3. Lay it in your suitcase. Boom. You're done.

But if you're working with something smaller, like a weekend-size duffel, try this inside-out trick we call "suit jacket origami."

By Jeremy Freed

By Gerald Ortiz

Step 1. Grab the suit jacket and pop those shoulders inside out. No need to be delicate here.

Step 2. Fold it in half so the lapels touch.

Step 3. Fold it again.

Step 4. Throw it in your bag.

Step 5. When you get to your destination, pop the shoulders back into place and your jacket is good to go and wrinkle-free.

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How to Pack a Suit for Travel Without Wrinkling It

What’s the best way to pack a suit? Whether you’re trying to pack for your airline carry-on, or simply get your suit to your wedding in pristine condition, the last thing you want to do is damage it or crease it so it can’t be worn on the other side. Today, the team of expert tailors from Oliver Wicks takes an in-depth look at how to properly pack your suit for convenience and safety, without having a wrinkled mess to sort out at the end of the trip.

The Right Bag

A little helper, pro tip: check you have everything, pro tip: know your jacket, every fold - think “roll”, not “crease”, the classic way, using a dry cleaning bag, the inside-out shoulder, for a carry-on bag, shoes, belt, and accessories, preparation.

Did you know that the number one cause of wrinkles and other issues when packing a suit, for airline travel particularly, is simply overpacking? Because of those funky weight limits, we cram as much as possible into each bag, and it is really not the way to go with something as expensive and important as your best suit. Years ago, we’d use a garment bag to carry the suit onto the plane separately, but with carry-on luggage becoming ever more limited, that’s no longer quite as practical as it once was—you probably need more than just your suit and laptop on the plane, right?

Garment bags certainly still have their uses—if you’re traveling by car, for example, one will be invaluable to help your suit arrive in one piece. And you may like to use one to hang your suit in when you arrive at your destination. But for airline travel, we advise ensuring you have a high-quality, sturdy piece of luggage instead. One with sufficient room to fit all your items in without cramping them. Make sure it has a hard shell or stiff sides to protect your suit and other items from the jostling in the cargo hold. It’s important to make sure that the suit that fits you also fits your luggage well, so you don’t damage the garment. This preparation will pay you back when you look fitted, tailored, and amazing on the other side.

If you’re able to squeeze it into your luggage allowance, a small hand garment steamer will be the single best investment you can make. If you can’t, there are some workarounds—hotels often have ironing services, or you can do a lot with some hanging time in the steam of a hot bathroom. But the ability to properly de-crease and care for your garment on the go will be invaluable to you.

Next, make sure you really do have your full suit. Do you want to hear fun stories of guests, grooms, and businessmen who’ve landed to find one cufflink, a shoe, or a belt missing? Sure, that’s fun! Do you want to be that guest, groom, or businessman? Not so much.

Dressing is a pretty instinctive act, especially if we often wear a suit, but you’d be surprised how many little details you can leave out of the mix in a rush. And if you’re not wearing a suit often, unfamiliarity will catch you. So, take some time before the rush of packing to itemize everything and make sure you have every detail—from the jacket, suit pants, and dress shirt right through to belts/bracers/cummerbunds, shoes, socks, cufflinks, pocket squares, ties or bow ties, and any accessories that you plan to wear. We suggest making a list and ticking it off as you pack for extra peace of mind.

How to Actually Pack Your Suit 

Now you have everything you need for suit packing, let’s get to the nitty gritty—how are you going to make this stiff, bulky, and expensive item fold up neatly and safely? Don’t worry—it can be done, we promise! Learning how to pack a suit for travel is surprisingly simple.

If, however, you’re really not able to squeeze your suit into the luggage space you have available, you can always consider wearing it to fly. After all, men and women alike used to dress up for travel! While it comes with an element of risk (a bit of turbulence and your inflight meal might end up in your lap!) , it will ensure your suit gets there. However, the rigors of travel will leave small creases, so don’t expect it to be ready to wear—luckily, your hand steamer will help with that!

By far the hardest part of a suit to fold is your jacket because it has the thickest fabric and most complicated construction. Take a moment to examine exactly how your jacket is built. Whether it has a full or half canvas, for example, will drastically impact your ability to fold it, as well as how badly affected it will be by the process. 

So, get to know your suit a little and you’ll feel more confident about selecting the best packing method. Knowing what suiting fabric was used in your suit will also help you determine how it will hold up in travel.

We are going to focus on packing the jacket for now—we will touch on other parts of the suit under different headings below. Knowing how to pack a blazer for travel is the toughest part.

Huh? We’ll explain…

When folding a letter to fit inside an envelope, you’ll fold the paper on itself, and run your finger down the fold for a nice flat crease. Take note - Try to avoid doing this with garments.

Instead, try to make gentle, loose rolls. When it’s time to unpack, this will lower the chances of having any crease/fold marks left in the jacket, which would be equally as bad as wrinkles, thus defeating the purpose of trying to pack carefully in the first place. In many cases, a deep crease is actually harder to rectify than wrinkles.

This method is very efficient, creating a neat square, but it will involve the most folds as you are packing your suit jacket both horizontally and vertically, so keep that in mind.

• Face your jacket down on a flat surface
• Fold one shoulder into the midpoint of the back, sleeve flat along the back
• You may need to fold the sleeve back toward the outside
• Mirror the other side
• Now you have the two sleeves parallel down the center back of the jacket
• Fold the hem to just under the collar
• Slide your hand under the folded jacket and flip it (lapels will be up, facing you)
• Place it on top of the rest of your packed luggage, lapels up for minimum damage

In addition to your jacket, you can pack your vest this way, as there are just no sleeves to fold.

This method will protect the fabric better, and can cut down on creasing, but is a larger fold in the end. You can use a traditional suit garment bag, or a thin dry cleaning bag—both work.

• Hang the suit inside the garment bag, with the hanger
• Lapels should face you
• Gather the bottom hem of the jacket and fold it up to the collar
• Think of it like a taco shell shape with the lapels and front of the jacket inside and the back outside

This has similarities to the classic method. It is best for satin/silk-lined jackets as it will cut down on creases a lot. If you were wondering how to pack a tuxedo in a suitcase, this could be your method of choice.

• Spread the suit jacket on a flat surface with lapels down
• Fold one shoulder to the center midline, with the sleeve back
• Fold it back toward the outer edge as needed
• Now, turn the other shoulder inside-out
• Insert the first shoulder into the “pocket” created
• Bring the inside-out sleeve toward the center
• Fold the jacket in half down the center
• Fold the bottom to the top
• (Optional) Encase the folded jacket in a dry-cleaning bag

Place it into your suitcase, on the top to avoid additional pressure. There are some variants of this “pocket” method you can try, too.

If you have limited space, for example, when packing a suit in a backpack, or if you want to know how to fold a suit in a carry-on, this is for you.

• Pop both shoulders of the jacket inside out
• Fold it in half so the lapels touch (the lining will be on the outside)
• Fold it again, in thirds

It is ready to pack. This one is easier than it sounds, so try the following video if you need a visual—it also shows you how to fold the trousers, which we are about to cover.

Now your jacket is done, let’s get the trousers packed. You can use any of the jacket folds we’ve covered here for this.

• Simply lay your suit pants out folded in half lengthways (one full leg visible)
• Place the folded jacket in the middle, around knee height
• Fold the cuffs up and over the jacket, then the belt section (in thirds)

Now your jacket and pants are in a neat square, ready to pack. 

Remove your collar stays before packing, so they don’t bend. Also, take off any boutonnieres, collar pins, etc. so they don’t get pressed flat or pushed into the wrong sections of material.

• Spread out your dress shirt face down on a hard, flat surface, buttoned up
• Fold the sleeves toward the center, up the middle
• They’ll look crisscrossed.
• Now, fold the cuff straight up the back on both sides to meet the collar
• Fold the shoulder of each side to the centerline (meet in the middle)
• Now, fold the hem to the collar

Need a video? Try this one :

Invest in a drawstring shoe bag to pack your dress shoes . You can see these simple bags in the following make-your-own video , but they can be bought commercially, too. Grocery bags will do, but c’mon—let’s be elegant.

The bag will keep wax, polish, and any dirt from impacting the rest of your luggage. Ideally, use two and pack the shoes individually at the bottom of your bag. If necessary, you can pack them in one together—place the soles on the outside, and the shoe heel to toe. This may crush them together a little, though.

You can roll up socks, ties , belts , bracers, pocket squares, and other accessories and place them in the shoes for safekeeping and extra space.

However, we do not advise storing cufflinks, watches, or other expensive and small jewelry items in your shoes. Those are best placed in your carry-on luggage in a small, discrete bag for safety. They should not be checked due to theft risk. You can grab a cheap woman’s jewelry roll to keep them safe and easy to find. There are many styles of these—you can see one in the following DIY video . A drawstring bag or old sock will do in a pinch but if you let the individual pieces move against each other, they could scratch or catch.

Packing a Suit—Dos and Don’ts

Now you know how to pack a suit for a flight, let’s look at some travel dos and don'ts.

• Take the time to pack properly—the tired traveler on the other side with a near-immaculate, safe suit will thank you!
• Steam your garment before you go—just make sure it dries
• Consider taking a garment bag along to place the suit into when you unpack
• Unpack your suit as soon as you can and hang it
• Place your suit on top of your luggage, and your shoes at the bottom
• Throw some spare (clean) plastic bags and a dry cleaning bag into your luggage. They fold to nothing, weigh nothing, and will be useful for storage and hanging when you arrive
• Bonus point if you can arrange for the airline to slap a “Fragile” sticker on your suitcase.
• Never pack a damp garment, ever—mold and damage happen quickly
• Don’t crush, tightly crease, press, or force your suit, as this can do long-term damage
• Don’t place items on top of it in the bag
• Never place shoes on top of garments—not even your unmentionables, let alone your suit! 
• Don’t leave pins, cufflinks, boutonnieres, and other sharp or metallic items in packed suits—they can snag, catch, and cause damage
• Never pack valuable jewelry and accessory items in checked luggage

Now you know how to pack a suit for travel like a true pro! Your investment garment will arrive as safely as it left, and you will have minimal work getting it ready to wear on the other side.

Don’t be disheartened if your suit still arrives with minor wrinkling. It’s often an unavoidable aspect of traveling, but follow these steps and you will greatly reduce the problem. If possible, it is always a good idea to have a plan on how you might deal with minor issues at the other end.

Need some more helpful tips and tricks like this? Remember, the Oliver Wicks newsletter will bring them right to your mailbox, weekly. All you need to do is head to the bottom right of any of our website pages—it’s free! You’re also welcome to reach out with any questions you have to the helpful Oliver Wicks team at [email protected] at any time—we love to hear from you!

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How to Pack a Suit for Travel (Step By Step Guide)

Written by Becca

Updated on April 26th, 2024

How do you fold a suit without it wrinkling, and pack it into a packing cube in carry-on luggage? Here’s my best foolproof way to pack suit pants and a suit jacket for travel.

This article may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commissions when you purchase via those links — and it's free for you. It's only us (Becca & Dan) working on this website, so we value your support! Read our privacy policy and learn more about us .

Table of contents

• Take inventory of your travel suit components first
• How to pack a suit
• How to pack a suit in a backpack
• Keep improving on your travel suit-packing skills
• Invest in a wrinkle-free travel suit (and wrinkle-free dress shirts)
• Last idea for avoiding wrinkles: wear your suit instead of packing it
• Best ways to pack your travel suit, a conclusion

Even though I don’t wear suits, I’m typically in charge of packing Dan’s suits so that they look crisp when we attend a wedding in another state or country. Initially, I did a lot of research about how to pack suits for travel, and I came up with my own system that works every time.

At first, I was Googling search queries like “How to fold a suit, “How to fold a suit in the best way,” and, “How to fold a suit so that you avoid wrinkles.” The answers are far and wide and come in the form of videos, articles and lists. In fact, the hardest part is actually folding the dress shirt, but we won’t get into that.

Read on to learn how you can pack your suit to prevent wrinkles and save some space while you’re at it.

Take inventory of your travel suit components first

A suit usually has two pieces, the jacket and the pants. If you’re super fancy, maybe you have a vest, but if you have any experience with suits, you know that these are reserved for tuxedos or for people who truly enjoy wearing suit vests.

Other components of having a suit ready for travel are the following (I write this out as a travel suit checklist because there have been times when we get to our destination and realize Dan is missing an undershirt or a belt… you get it).

• White undershirt (like these white cotton undershirts by Hanes )
• Belt (brown belt for a gray or navy suit, and a black belt for a black suit)
• Suit socks (Dan likes fun socks from time to time, but you can’t beat a pair of versatile gray socks)
• Suit shoes (again, brown dress shoes for a gray or navy suit, and black shoes for a black suit)
• A nice watch to go with your suit
• Dress shirt (we recommend the Meridian dress shirt from Bluffworks )
• A skinny tie that matches your suit outfit, with a backup in case you attend multiple events and stain one with wine, ketchup or hot sauce
• A packing cube for everything to go in (we recommend the BluffCube or any of these packing cubes )

If you love diving into travel apparel, check out the aspects of Bluffworks pants I mention in my guide to the best travel pants for men .

How to pack a suit

Learn the quick steps you need to take to learn how to pack a suit. More detailed information about each step is below!

• Lay flat & button the suit jacket
• Fold the suit jacket in half
• Fold both suit jacket sleeves in
• Fold the jacket thirds, and in thirds again
• Slide the folded suit jacket into a packing cube!
• Start folding the suit pants and zipper them closed
• Hold up the travel suit pants
• Fold them exactly in half
• Fold in the crease seam
• Start the suit pants thirds-folding
• Fold up another third, and finalize
• Slide the folded suit pants a travel packing cube

Suits are tough because they are unlike the things you usually take on a trip: T-shirts, shorts, bathing suits, jeans, joggers , hoodies, etc.

With a suit, you’ll probably either be wearing it at a business event at which you need to look legitimate (industry conferences, client meetings and more), or at a dressy event at which you’ll be in photos (weddings, wedding rehearsal dinners, religious events or services, holidays).

Wrinkles are a traveler’s worst nightmare, especially when the hotel room is missing an iron, you’re staying with a friend who doesn’t believe in irons, or your Airbnb doesn’t have one at all. I actually don’t recall much ironing during trips, and if I needed to iron something, it was definitely one of Dan’s button-down dress shirts .

I learned a few folding rituals from Marie Kondo, and as for the rest of how I pack a suit into a packing cube, I use common sense and see what works time after time, because we travel for weddings so seemingly often.

Here’s the most foolproof way to pack a suit for travel, as shown in these photos of the method that works for us and Dan’s suits for a no-nonsense wrinkle-free result.

Step 1: Lay flat & button the suit jacket

This may sound simple, but trust me: lay the suit out flat so that there are no wrinkles in the back of the jacket. With this step, you’re setting yourself up for success in being cognizant of wrinkles, the size of the garment, and how it folds.

Step 2: Fold the suit jacket in half

I don’t believe in that common method of “turn one sleeve inside out and put it inside the other sleeve.” I think that may work for some people, but it makes me a little uncomfortable. I’m very delicate and respectful of clothes and their builds.

So with step 2, fold the suit in half and make sure that the sleeves match up.

Step 3: Fold both suit jacket sleeves in

Here, fold both sleeves on top of the already halved body of the suit jacket. Be mindful of the crease where the sleeves meet the jacket body.

Step 4: Fold the jacket thirds, and in thirds again

One of my favorite Marie Kondo techniques is the folding in thirds so that clothing does not get too bulky. It also evens out the creasing so that you’re not folding any garment too tightly.

In this step, eyeball a 33% fold, and then another one, so that you are folding the jacket into a small square.

Step 5: Slide the folded suit jacket into a packing cube!

Like we mentioned above, we like the Bluffworks packing cube , which was designed for suit jackets, suit pants and dress shirts. It has some cool features like a compression strap and a side zipper, so it’s really the whole deal.

I find that with the jacket folded into thirds, it slides right into a packing cube so that I have peace of mind.

Step 6: Start folding the suit pants and zipper them closed

We’re ready to start with suit pants now. The first step is to zip up the fly of suit pants so that the fly won’t open and get a weird crease that would totally mess up a group photo at a destination wedding.

Step 7: Hold up the travel suit pants

Yes, that’s it! Just hold them up so that you can assess how much extra fabric there will be to fold, and get the hang of what you’re working with.

Step 8: Fold them exactly in half

This is the beginning of a Marie Kondo move: fold the suit pants exactly in half, and be precise. There is no room for error. Make sure you take the intersection of where both legs meet, and pull it out to pinch flat.

Step 9: Fold in the crease seam

Take that crotch crease and fold it in, ever so slightly. If you’re visual like I am, picture that by folding in this part, you’re creating a completely rectangular shape.

In the build of the pants, this is the only part that is not part of the large rectangle that would otherwise be a perfectly quadrilateral shape of pants shapes.

Step 10: Start the suit pants thirds-folding

Now that you’ve achieved the quadrilateral overall suit pants shape, start folding down the top third.

Step 11: Fold up another third, and finalize

Fold up the second third, and if space permits, fold the suit pants in half so that they fit in the packing cube, and also will not wrinkle.

Step 12: Slide the folded suit pants a travel packing cube

Incredibly, you can get those suit pants into the same packing cube as your suit jacket. If you’re feeling motivated, try to also fold your dress shirt and lay it in its folded form on top of both suit pieces.

How to pack a suit in a backpack

For the times when we’ve only traveled with backpacks (which is often), we’ve had to figure out how to pack a suit into a backpack. Dan uses his Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack for basically every trip we take, whether road trip or flight. It’s a great piece of luggage. One benefit is that it opens clamshell-style, so we can put his packing cubes in and stack them neatly, rather than shoving them into a backpack that opens top-down.

For getting that suit to stay wrinkle-free and neat when folded up for packing, I use the magazine folding method for the dress shirt. I then put the dress shirt into a large packing cube, or if we have a smaller packing cube available, I give the shirt one “hamburger fold” to keep the fold lines straight.

For the suit pants, I tuck in the inseam and do a quadruple fold, ensuring that all the pants lines stay neat and lined up. I put the pants into a packing cube with one of Dan’s ties, folded up neatly.

For the suit jacket, I fold it in half vertically, and line up the arms, folding them in. Luckily with the Bluffworks suit jackets, they don’t wrinkle, so they help keep us low-stress when we know we have a wedding to attend and we may not have time to iron everything.

With all parts of the suit going into packing cubes , we stack those in Dan’s backpack and everything arrives without wrinkles at our destination. If you have a top-loading backpack, make sure your packing cubes stay flat, rather than sagging or collapsing, which might wrinkle up the suit components.

Keep improving on your travel suit-packing skills

Based on the size of your suit and its material, you will probably need to experiment and find the best way to pack your suit and its accessories. This is far from a one-size-fits-all process, just like suits themselves, which need to be altered and fitted periodically over time.

As promised, we’re going to dive into the best travel suit that will guarantee you a wrinkle-free pack.

Having an anti-wrinkle suit has done Dan rather well in weddings we’ve attended in Los Angeles, Chicago and even our own wedding in New Jersey (we did have to transport the suit from NYC to NJ, after all, and it certainly got packed up!).

Invest in a wrinkle-free travel suit (and wrinkle-free dress shirts)

As for a wrinkle-free lightweight travel suit that looks fantastic, we couldn’t recommend the Gramercy suit from Bluffworks enough.

We roughly fold it in a packing cube from Bluffworks, and take it out right when we get to our destination. It comes out wrinkle-free with no fuss.

We’ve never even come close to thinking, “Wow, this could really use some ironing” — far from it. This suit comes out without wrinkles the first time.

The Bluffworks travel button-down dress shirts are even better. They are wrinkle- and spill-resistant, which makes them perfect multipurpose clothes to pair with a travel suit.

One of the practical use cases for the Bluffworks suit shirts is being able to roll up the sleeves without causing any wrinkles.

Get an immediate 15% off, with our exclusive Bluffworks discount code (one-time use per customer)! Use code halfhalftravel15 at checkout.

Get the deal

Dan is able to roll up the sleeve in the middle of an event, take off the shirt at night, roll it into a ball and wear it the next day like it’s brand new. (Just kidding — he doesn’t have a real reason to roll up the shirt into a ball, nor would I let him, so that was just being dramatic).

Interested in the wrinkle-proof travel dress shirts? See our rundown of both the Meridian shirt and Zenith shirt, here .

Last idea for avoiding wrinkles: wear your suit instead of packing it

Sometimes the easiest method is the one that’s been staring right at you: you don’t need to pack your suit if you wear it during your travel day.

If you’re flying, you can wear your suit directly on the plane. You may want to pack a fresh shirt or wear a nice T-shirt instead, because some people sweat on planes or get smelly.

This might be another plug for my favorite travel suit, but quite honestly, if you were to wear the Bluffworks Gramercy suit on a plane, you’d probably walk off that plane in a wrinkle-free suit. I’m not joking. It’s hard to believe, but this suit just won’t wrinkle or crease! It’s incredible that it looks great 100% of the time.

Best ways to pack your travel suit, a conclusion

A final way to take your suit on a trip would be to bag it up in a tote so that it doesn’t get compressed among your luggage. I can see this being a backdoor route to avoiding both packing it into a compressed packing cube and/or wearing the suit on the flight.

To conclude, here are our three ways to avoid wrinkles by taking a suit on a trip:

• Use the 12-step method to fold up the suit into a travel packing cube
• Wear the suit on a plane (or train, bus or car ride)
• Loosely fold a suit into a tote bag so that it doesn’t get too compressed

Like we mentioned, the way for the most stress-free suit-packing experience is going to be by owning a wrinkle-free travel suit. If you’d like to find out more about the best travel suit I’ve found, read more at my Bluffworks Gramercy travel suit review .

The Gramercy Collection

Look the part and get the suit. The Bluffworks Gramercy Suit is a great addition to your collection.

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How to pack a suit for travel and avoid wrinkling

By Ryan Wagner on November 24th, 2017

Do you know how to pack a suit for travel and minimize wrinkling? The last thing you want when traveling for business or pleasure is to arrive at our destination only to discover that our nice suit has been seriously wrinkled.

Ron and I have traveled with our suits for many years now. Unfortunately, the best way to travel with a suit is simply to not put it into any piece of luggage. Period! Ideally, you transport it in a garment bag and hang it from something. But when most of us travel, we use the overhead compartment on the plane.

So, you usually have two options. Either you wear your jacket onto the plane and wear it while seated, or you pack your suit in a bag. None of us really enjoy wearing a suit jacket during a three hour flight, but if you did, I don’t think it’s the worst idea because you would probably only see minimal wrinkling. For a short flight, taking your jacket off, gently folding it in half, and laying it across your lap is a smart move.

But most of us will need to actually pack our suits at some point. Therefore, how should you do it?

Luggage options

When you have a great looking suit it doesn’t feel natural to stuff it into a piece of luggage. If you’re checking your bag, your best bet is to find a piece of luggage that folds over onto itself. This way, you’re basically just folding your suit once. This is Ron’s go-to strategy and he’s had great luck with it. Here’s a great bag by David King & Co that we like. Slightly more compact, is an innovative design by Biaggi. It’s a bit of a tri-fold design. I haven’t tested it myself, but it has some great reviews and will apparently work for carry-on, although it looks a bit large for my taste. We also sell a lightweight bag perfect for storage and travel within your suitcase.

I have a soft-sided Tumi bag and so as long as no other flyer puts anything on top of my bag, or otherwise compresses it, I’m in good shape. After landing, the first thing that I do is remove my jacket and put it on. If you have a hard shell piece of luggage, be careful to not over pack. There’s a good chance that your jacket will be compressed and come out pretty wrinkled.

When you arrive at your destination, take out your suit right away and hang it up. Fine quality fabrics are likely to return to their normal lengths. You can also hang your suit up in the shower and give it a bit of a steam. Or, call up the concierge and have them give it a proper steam treatment. But the thing to remember is that even a badly wrinkled suit will normally come back to life overnight.

How to pack a suit for travel, other opinions:

From Business Insider: How to pack a suit for business

From GQ: How to fold and pack a suit

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What is a dopp kit and how to shop for one .

Some smart options on luggage .

Practical style tips for business travelers

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Learn How to Pack a Suit Like a Road Warrior

How To Fold Your Suit to Avoid Wrinkles Traveling

Traveling with your suit can be an unavoidable fact of life for some men. Often, this comes with facing the frustrations of figuring out how to pack a suit so that it looks just as good as it did before you checked your bag. As suit connoisseurs, we can relate, and you’re not alone. Many, many men look for answers to solve this problem, our customers included, like Jason.L who asks, “I’m wondering how to pack a suit in a suitcase without it looking like wrinkled tissue paper when I get to my hotel.”

Let’s be honest, there are enough problems to face while traveling , so let’s make this one easy. Learning how to pack a suit is simple, that is, once you have the folding part down. We’ve broken down how we fold our suits for travel into an easy, four-step process.

The 4 Steps to Easily Pack a Suit

Step 1 The first step to packing a suit begins while holding the suit jacket upright. With the jacket at attention, pop in one of the shoulders and pull it inside-out as seen below (some choose to pull the entire sleeve inside out as well, but this is not necessary).

Step 2: After that, you will want to fold in the opposite shoulder into the one previously popped inside-out until the entire length of the lapel is lined up nicely. Understanding how to pack a suit means realizing that in order to work with a small space like a suitcase, these alignments need to be clean, so make sure the lapel is, indeed, lined up.

Step 3: Then, fold the suit jacket vertically so that everything is lined up to the width of one shoulder. Again, make sure that when you’re folding your suit for travel that these alignments are perfect in order to mitigate wrinkles.

Step 4:  The last step when folding your suit jacket for travel is to fold the jacket horizontally in half so that the top of the shoulders is lined up with the bottom edge of the jacket. After that, all you need to do is simply place your suit jacket inside whatever container you’re using to travel!

Good to Go!

There you have it, you now know how to pack a suit with the correct folding technique! That’s how to pack a suit in a suitcase Black Lapel style. The suit jacket is now ready to pack. Fold your pants along the crease and your suit should come out looking just as fresh at your destination as it did at your departure! Incidentally, this is also how your suit arrives fresh out of the Black Lapel box.

A Final Note About Packing a Suit

No matter how well you master folding your suit the way we’ve shown, you may still have slight wrinkles in your suit jacket when you arrive at your destination. No matter, as there are easy ways to solve any slight wrinkling (if any occurred). The simplest way is to hang your suit jacket in your bathroom while you’re running the shower, allowing the steam trapped inside the bathroom to correct any leftover wrinkles you may have.

Got any questions about this folding method? Need some travel suits to get your started? Leave a comment below or send us your questions at [email protected]! 

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83 thoughts on “Learn How to Pack a Suit Like a Road Warrior”

The local cuisine you described sounds so tempting. One of the best parts of traveling has to be tasting new foods and flavors!

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Thanks for the great idea

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Thought I knew how to pack a suit in a case ( wrong ) packed my suit a week ago in with rest of clothes to see how they would fare given the distance travelling, South Australia to Los Angeles 15 days Cruising Hawaii,a week back in LA then back home to S.Australia, I was amazed that there was not a wrinkle at all, will feel relaxed knowing that my suit will be wrinkle free when on board ship. thank you for a great idea.

That’s some vacation for a suit! We’re glad you were able to put our advice to the test and still come out with a wrinkle-free suit.

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Just to let you know you were featured on our blog!

Why thank you, Colleen. We’re honored. Not as honored as we would be if you, say, sent us some tickets to Hawaii to show off our packing skills, 😉 but honored!

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What do you consider a long time to have a suit folded in this position?… I am mailing a couple suits home from another country and I looked on here for some advice.

Unless you’re talking about a very short trip, Julius, you’ll want to steam the jackets before wearing them when you return. Don’t worry, though, you won’t do any damage to the jackets by having them packed up for a few days while you ship them.

Will be flying from Georgia to Guam for a wedding in May. I will definitely be using this method to keep my stuff in decent condition. Luckily, I should arrive with enough time to hit up a dry cleaner if necessary. Now all I need to stress about is the flying with my wife and three children.

Wow, Georgia to Guam with three kids for a wedding! The bride and groom ought to buy YOU a gift. If you need to give them a hint, tell them Black Lapel offers gift cards ;-).

Come across this incredible website and ordered a steam shower and never ever glanced back, great information here cannot give thanks enough

Glad to be helpful. A steamer can be live saver, or at least a style saver! Keep it handy, use it often.

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Thanks for that. It’s something I need to know ’cause we’re going to a Wedding in L.A. Mike- Southampton, England.

Southampton to L.A. is a long trip, Mike. Now that you’ve got the jacket figured out, get some rest so you don’t arrive looking like YOU were stuffed in a suitcase for the whole trip!

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Very quick and very helpful. Thank you ever so much!

Glad to help. Safe (and stylish) travels!

Just changed my life with this one! Can’t wait to pack…

Life changing? You better believe it! If anybody questions your packing skills, you have now earned the right to say…”Pack it up, pack it in / Let me begin / I came to win / Battle me? That’s a sin.”

Another tip that has worked for me business travelling for 20 years. First thing you do when you get to your hotel room – even before you unpack. Go to the bathroom, open the show curtain full and turn on the hot shower on full and walk out closing the bathroom door behind you.

Start you unpack etc and after 15+ minutes, get your suit(s) and put them on hangers with jacket and trousers separately and trousers full hung from the cuffs and hang them in the now steamed up bathroom (turn water off first). Close door behind you and leave till next morning when any travel wrinkles and creases will have dropped out…

Kev, thanks for sharing the smart tip! The old shower steam method is a classic quick fix when you find yourself with a bind with a wrinkled suit and no time for a visit to the dry cleaners.

A while back I purchased a roll-up carry on suitcase for keeping clothes wrinkle free on short trips – would it be preferrable to pack the suit jacket as outlined here, or is rolling it in my skyroll an okay option?

We prefer the method outline here as it not only prevents wrinkles, but is extremely efficient and easy to do. However, if a roll-up carry on suitcase works keeps your suit wrinkle-free, there’s no reason why you can’t opt for it on those shorter trips.

What about if a suit jacket doesn’t have shoulder pads? I find it much harder to do and can’t seem to get it right.

Nic, it may be a bit trickier to do with a suit jacket that doesn’t have shoulder pads (and a little flimsier), but the method is the same–pull one shoulder inside out (in your case, use your hand for extra support in lieu of the shoulder pad) and slip the other shoulder into it until the entire length of the lapel is lined up. Folding the suit in half should also help keep it place. Hope that helps!

Thanks for the tips! What do I do with the sleeves though? Do I just leave it as is when I start folding 1 shoulder into the other?

Ken, once you do the tuck, lay the jacket down flat and adjust the sleeves accordingly so they’re laying inside flat and neatly before you fold in half. Hope that helps!

Thanks for this. I have been using this technique for a while, but I wish that I had printed copies of these instructions to hand out on planes and trains. I cringe every time I see someone crumble up his suit jacket and place it in the overhead compartment. I am going to share this on my blog, in the hopes this tip will save a few wrinkled souls.

Print copies of The Compass for every plane and train…we like the sound of that! Thanks for reading and sharing Matthew!

THANK YOU! This is a lifesaver especially with more than one suit.

We’re real glad this helped Danielle!

Brilliant. I was in Melbourne airport and with the summer found that wearing a jacket through the flight would be top uncomfortable. Did a quick online search search and found your site. Folded the jacket as you suggested and put it in my carry on.

Thank you very much.

Glad we were able to help you out Shai!

I needed this last week. My jacket is totally wrinkled now. THanks for this post!

Glad it was helpful Riley!

I use this method but actually feed one sleeve through the other sleeve. Then, when its folded, its less likely to create wrinkles. I’ll also use the roll method using socks or shirts.

Amit – Not a bad idea with the sleeves! We’ll have to give that a try!

Please pack a shirt too!

Hey Jim, we plan on it! For now, check out this excellent video on folding and packing a dress shirt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDGWW7_O2sI#t=1m43s

Hope that helps!

Barney Stinson would be proud. Suit up !!

Haha agreed! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT_vf5ioXXk

It works extremely well – I have seen this tip eons ago in a book written by a butler (Stanley Auger?), and used it since. Thanks so much for bringing it to the surface again!

No problem Modernist! Just passing along the good wisdom!

Let us know if you ever find the title of that book. We’d love to check it out!

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My mother taught me that technique over thirty years ago. Over the years I’ve passed it on to lots of people.

Simon, a mother knows best!

That’s the way I have been folding jackets for the past 40 years. Sales at J.Press Inc.

Brilliant. What’s the longest that we could store our jackets as so without fear of wrinkling it?

Thanks Adrian! This method is probably better suited for packing your suit jacket during shorter trips. If you want to store your jacket for longer periods without it wrinkling, we recommend hanging your suit on a proper suit hanger in a cloth garment bag (with the zipper open to allow air). Hope that helps!

What’s the reason to allow air inside the garment bag?

Hey Michael, keeping the garment bag open will allow the suit to air out and remove any moisture that may be damaging over time.

I’d probably slide my folded slacks or a couple of t-shirts inside the last fold of the jacket, just to add a bit of crease protection.

I tried it today and it worked flawlessly. Amazing… thanks!

Glad it worked for you Sebastian! Thank YOU for reading!

A smart tip is to put a shirt or two in between the two folds when folding the jacket over. That way you avoid a sharp crease in the middle of your jacket when packing it in a full bag or briefcase.

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Wonderful idea. How about the sleeves though? Do they stay unwrinkled too?

Great. But what do you do about the dress shirt!

Hey Dan, here’s a great method for folding and packing a dress shirt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDGWW7_O2sI#t=1m43s

I travel all the time and I see how wrong I have been in the past.

This is going to make my life so much easier.

Thanks Black Lapel!

Great tip… must share with my other road warrior coworkers.

Glad you enjoyed it Charles!

Exactly how my suit jacket was folded when I opened up the box last week. So, so pleased with the fit (like a glove) and the overall service; I’ll definitely be taking these tips into account the next time I travel with my suit!

Thanks BO! This comment really made our day! We’re so glad you’re pleased with the suit and experience!

that’s genius!!!

Thanks Sarah! We thought so too!

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How to Pack a Suit in a Carry-On Bag

Travelpro Travel Expert Editor

Travel Planning

Sometimes, packing for a trip requires more thought than just piling folded clothes into your carry-on. When your plans include attending a meeting or special event, you may wonder how to pack a suit without causing wrinkles or damage.

Good news: With the right technique and the right luggage you’ll know exactly how to pack a suit in a suitcase.

Choose the Right Carry-On Bag

Suits are an investment, so you’ll want to make sure your luggage is built to protect what’s inside. If you travel often for events that require formal attire, consider an expandable carry-on with some compartments built in—bonus points if it comes with a  drop-in, fold-out suiter to keep clothes wrinkle-free during travel. Need to pack more than just a suit? Avoid all wrinkles by learning how to fold all clothes for packing .

Conserve Space

When packing a suit in a carry-on, don’t compress it. It will likely take up the most space in your bag, therefore it’s best to keep your other items to a minimum to minimize wrinkling. Opt for lighter fabric clothing and limit the pairs of shoes you pack. Check this guide on  how to pack your carry-on for more helpful packing tips.

How to Pack Dress Shoes

First, decide how many pairs of shoes you need for your trip. Ideally, if you’re traveling with just a carry-on, you’ll want to pack your dress shoes and wear your casual shoes to the airport. Consider using  shoe bags to protect your shoes from scuffs and your clothing from getting dirty. Stuff the packed shoes with socks and underwear to maximize space and help the shoes hold their shape.

How to Fold a Suit

If you have to fold your suit to pack it, doing it right will keep you looking sharp and wrinkle-free.

Step 1: Fold the trousers horizontally and lay them on a flat surface

Step 2: Turn the suit jacket inside-out and pull it closed so the lapels meet

Step 3: Place the jacket on top of the trousers

Step 4: Take the bottom third of the jacket and fold it upwards. Then, take the top third of the jacket and fold it down — similar to how you would fold a letter

Step 5: Fold the bottom half of the trousers up and over the folded jacket; fold the top half of the trousers down to complete

Step 6: Place the folded suit in a  packing cube to place in your luggage

How to Fold a Dress Shirt

Step 1: Before folding, button the dress shirt all the way up to the collar

Step 2: Place the dress shirt face down on a flat surface with the arms stretched out to the sides like a “V”

Step 3: Take one sleeve, fold it along the crease of the shoulder, and place it diagonally across the back of the shirt, keeping it nice and straight

Step 4: Repeat this step with the opposite sleeve so they cross in the middle of the back

Step 5: Now fold the bottom of both sleeves upward so the cuffs meet the collar

Step 6: Fold the right and left sides of the shirt inward so they meet in the middle

Step 7: Fold the bottom and top thirds of the shirt in to meet in the middle of the back; make sure the shirt collar is laying flat

Investing in a Garment Bag

The best way to travel with a suit is by using a  garment bag <>, which keeps clothes hanging while packed — no fancy folds necessary. Go a step further with a rolling carry-on garment bag with lots of built-in compartments for ultra-organized packing. 

With the right tools and a few tips, you’ll be traveling in style and arriving without a wrinkle.

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Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

But if you're committed to packing the suit (or transporting more than one), here's a step-by-step guide to doing it the right way.

1. If the suit is still in the plastic liner and on a hanger provided by your dry cleaner, leave it like that.

2. Fold it in half horizontally.

3. Place it in the suitcase.

Duffel or Carry-On

1. Hold the suit jacket with the liner facing you and turn one sleeve inside-out.

2. Fold the jacket in half lengthwise, lining up the shoulders and lapels.

3. Fold it over on itself horizontally.

4. Fold the trouser bottoms over the jacket and repeat with the top of the trousers.

5. Unpack everything immediately when you arrive at your destination, and if there are any minor creases, hang the suit in the bathroom and run a hot shower. The steam will remove the wrinkles—no portable steamer required.

T. Anthony 21'' Weekender Duffel, $435 Buy Now

Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.

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How to Pack Your Suit for Travel

Traveling with your suit can be intimidating, especially if you’re not just driving a few hours down the road.

If you are traveling by car, the answer is obvious: simply hang it up in the garment bag. But if you’re flying, you have a choice to make: garment bag, or folded into your luggage?

This really comes down to how many bags you want to bring.

Garment Bag

Hang everything up, secure it in the bag, and fold it in half. You can easily stow the folded bag overhead on airplanes, or politely ask your flight attendant if there’s room in a closet for it to hang unfolded.

Warning: Not all airplanes have closets, so if you go the garment bag route, expect to stow your suit in the overhead compartment.

Packed In Luggage

If you do it right, your garments will remain as wrinkle-free as they would in a garment bag—after all, it’s called a suit -case. We recommend packing an important suit (think weddings) in your carry-on, just in case your checked bag is lost.

Option C: In The Black Tux Box

We specifically designed our boxes to be perfectly sized, and durable enough to protect your suit during a flight. They’ll fit in the overhead bins on most airplanes and have a nifty handle that makes them easy to carry. Just pack your suit, covered in the included garment bag, into the original box that it came in, and strut onto that plane like you own it (even if you’ve got a middle seat in coach).

Pro tip: Remove your suit from the box as soon as it arrives to avoid wrinkles or creases setting in too deep. Then, just before you leave for the airport, put it back in the box.

And even if your suit does pick up a few wrinkles along the way, just hang it up overnight. The merino wool our suits are made of is wrinkle resistant, which means the wrinkles will gradually fall out of the fabric once it’s freed from the fold.

Now that you know how to pack a suit, learn how it should fit: read our guide to talking to tailors .

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How to best pack and fold a suit for travel

You’ve been called in to interview for your dream job in your dream city. You’ve already booked your flight and you’ve chosen your all-star suit with the perfect fit. You’re going to rock the interview. Time to pack. But wait, won’t folding your immaculately pressed suit in your suitcase ruin it? Now what?

That’s why learning how to fold a suit for travel is a must-have skill that not many people actually seem to know.

Wearing a suit during your travels can sometimes be necessary , whether it is for a job interview or simply because you want to just look absolutely incredible on your trip. The problem arises when trying to figure out how to fold a suit for travel. Clumsily stuffing your suit without care may introduce permanent creasing to your beloved suit.

READ MORE : We also share the ultimate packing list for your next trip abroad

Read on to learn the 3 best ways to fold a suit for travel.

3 best ways to pack and fold a suit for travel

• Method 1 – fastest and simplest way to fold a suit jacket for luggage
• Method 2 – reduces creasing as no foldings of the suit is required
• Method 3 – best way to fold a suit for travel with a duffel bag

Method 1 – how to fold a suit for travel in six seconds

• Step 1: Put your suit jacket on a hanger
• Step 2: Pack your jacket in a dry-cleaning bag
• Step 3: Fold the jacket in half from top to bottom (not from the sides) making sure you fold the sleeves as well
• Step 4: Lay in your suitcase

This method is simple to get your suit packed with as few folds as possible. It is also very quick, making it one of the best ways to pack a suit for travel.

Method 2 – how to roll a suit jacket in the suitcase without folding

• Step 1: Similar to method 1, lay your jacket on a flat surface with the back facing up
• Step 2: Work one jacket shoulder inside out and tuck the other shoulder into it
• Step 3: Starting from the top, carefully roll the jacket until you reach the bottom

This method effectively reduces creasing by eliminating the need for folding. Additionally, you can tuck other items inside the roll. Just pay special attention not to add too many items or else you encourage the formation of wrinkles.

The downside: the roll will have more volume than folding, which will require a bit more space when packing a suit.

Method 3 – how to fold a suit for travel with limited space

• Step 1: Take your suit jacket and pop both shoulders inside, not the whole sleeve
• Step 2: Fold it in half so that the lapels touch
• Step 3: Fold it twice, in thirds, so there are three equal lengths one on top of the other

This method is perfect for packing a suit if you are carrying a smaller duffel bag or a carry-on as it reduces the amount of space the suit takes up. This method makes travelling with a suit easier for those on short trips or one-day trips who need to carry a suit with them. When you need to wear the suit jacket, just pop out the shoulder and give it a shake and you’ve got a wrinkle-free suit jacket ready to wear.

You’ve now learned the tried-and-true best ways to pack a suit for travel. But that’s just half the battle. What should you do after you’ve arrived at your destination and unpacked? Check out the following tips to eliminate any possible wrinkles and preserve the integrity of your beloved suit jacket.

• Tip 1: Minimize the amount of time your suit stays packed in the suitcase when you travel with a suit. Once you arrive, remove your suit jacket as soon as possible and hang it on a proper coat hanger.
• Tip 2: Use the hotel iron to gently press out any wrinkles on the suit. Place a cotton sheet underneath your suit jacket while ironing. Don’t get tempted to slide your iron across the fabric; instead, gently press and hold for just a few seconds at a time, then release.
• Tip 3: If you don’t have access to a quality iron, hang the suit in the bathroom and turn on the hot water to create steam. The steaming effect should help reduce wrinkles.

7 Key things to remember when folding and packing your suit for travel

• The fewer folds, the better.
• Avoid stacking other items on top of your suit.
• Use a flat surface to fold the suit if you can.
• If you have a garment hanger, use that instead.
• Use the plastic cover from your dry clean to hang over your suit.
• If possible, wear your suit during travelling instead of packing it.
• Choosing the right suitcase can make an impact on preserving your suit. Opt for hard-cased suitcases instead of soft-cased ones.

Take care of your suit, and your suit will take care of you

Packing a suit for travel isn’t impossible. Sometimes it is necessary to travel with a suit, such as for work. Other times you just want to look amazing during your vacation by wearing your favourite suit. By paying special attention to how to fold a suit for travel, you can end up with a suit looking just as good as before you packed it.

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How to bring a suit on a plane (and look like a total boss doing it)

One of the biggest challenges in a traveler’s life trying to is figuring out the formula for arriving in style with clean, wrinkle-free clothes. Some types of clothing are easier to manage than others, but I’m about to discuss the biggest challenge of them all: how to bring a suit on a plane without destroying it (or your sanity).

Long story short, the easiest way is to use a hanging bag specifically made for suits. However, you can also pack it in a traditional suitcase, roll it, or even wear it.

There’s a lot more to it than that though, and the following is an insanely detailed overview of all the techniques you can use to keep your suit in great shape. Even after a long flight!

The best (and safest) ways to bring a suit on a plane

As I’ve already mentioned, you have several different options for how to bring a suit on a plane. I’ve tried everything over the years, and the the following 4 methods are what have worked best for me:

1. Use a high-quality hanging bag

The best option for traveling with a suit is a hanging bag. It’s specifically designed to hold suits, jackets, and other items that are difficult to pack into a suitcase. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to check with your airline first, as a hanging bag might count as your one permitted carry-on.

If you do use a hanging bag, you’re better off bringing it on the plane instead of checking it. That’s because most luggage handling systems (and personnel) will be too rough on hanging bags, which have soft sides that will wind up getting crushed by heavier luggage.

You have two choices for storing a hanging bag on a plane:

• Ideally, you can hang it up in one of the closets , which are typically in the First Class and Business Class sections. However, closet space on a plane is limited and might only be available for passengers sitting in those sections.
• If you can’t store your hanging bag in a closet, the next best storage location is the overhead compartment. Fortunately, most hanging bags fold in half, saving space without wrinkling the suit. Try to place your bag on top of any other luggage in the bin.

2. Pack it in your suitcase

As long as you pack carefully, you can put your suit in a regular suitcase. Here’s how:

• First, pack the suitcase with your other clothing.
• Then, turn your suit inside-out.
• Place one shoulder of the jacket into the other shoulder.
• Move your rolled-up socks into the shoulders to help keep the suit wrinkle-free.
• Now you’re ready to pack the pants. Fold them at the seams.
• Then, place them into the suitcase with the waist flush with one side. Let the legs hang down off the other side.
• Put your dress shirt on top of the pants with the sleeves crossed and folded.
• Next, put the jacket on top of the shirt.
• Finally, fold the pant legs back into the suitcase, covering the jacket.

The same technique can be used if your luggage happens to be a cardboard box. Yes, it is possible to check a box as luggage (and I highly recommend it if you are transporting precious cargo such as a suit).

3. Roll it up

If you want to pack your suit in a suitcase, but you don’t have much room to spare, you can roll up each part individually. The rolling method takes up the least amount of room in your luggage. However, wrinkles are more likely with this technique than any other, so make sure you roll carefully.

• First, steam the suit to remove all wrinkles. Then, place each item on a hard surface, such as a kitchen table. Roll each item separately.
• Make the roll as tight as possible. Pull sections taunt before wrapping, and try to line up the edges of the material evenly as you go.
• Tying the roll with a ribbon can help keep it tight during travel.
• Place the rolls into your luggage. Try to pack other clothing tightly around each roll to help keep everything secure. Alternatively, you can place the rolls in the webbed compartment of your luggage.

4. Wear it (like a boss)

If your flight will be short, you can skip packing the suit entirely and instead wear it on the plane. It’s an excellent option if you plan to head to a function immediately after landing.

• Before sitting, take off your jacket. Ask the flight attendant to hang it up in one of the plane’s closets. If that’s not possible, lay the jacket across your lap for the duration of the flight.

Wearing your suit on the plane is easy but does pose certain risks. Sitting in a cramped airline seat, especially for a long time, can make your suit look wrinkled and worn. Fortunately, if you’re only on board for a few hours, wrinkling should be limited to around the waist area, which is generally covered when you’re wearing the jacket.

Also, make sure you avoid food or drink during your flight. One clumsy spill can ruin your entire appearance, as you might not have time to find a dry cleaner once you land.

Products to make traveling with a suit easier

Most methods for how to bring a suit on a plane are based on technique. However, there are a few pieces of gear can make travel easier:

Hanging bag

Frequent travelers will likely want to invest in a high-quality hanging bag. The PLX Hanging Garment Bag and the Misslo Travel Garment Bag are both affordable and well-made choices perfect for travel:

• Great for traveling: Each non-woven bag completely covers garments, helping protect valuable clothing from most environmental conditions. 
• Completely cover clothing in 40” x 24” bags: Each bag is designed to completely cover each garment for maximum protection.
• Store all of your coats, suits, blouses, tuxedos, uniforms, winter coats, fur coats, costumes, dance recital clothes, pants, slacks and dresses up to 36” in length depending on the hanger.

• 43 Inches long zipper suit garment bag with 3.5 gusset which holds 3 suits and 1 dress while traveling with ease.
• Wardrobe bag carrier with 5.4 wide square see-through window allows you to see which the garment is inside without opening the bag.

Note: you’ll want to avoid hanging bags made for home storage, as they’re usually too flimsy for the demands of air travel.

A portable steamer can remove wrinkles from your suit quickly and easily. The Hilife Handheld Garment Steamer is durable, portable, and weighs less than two pounds.

• 240ML capacity, lasts for 15 minutes of continuous steaming.
• 700W Steamer produces soft and long-lasting steam; 9ft Power Cord.
• Whats in the Box: 1 Hilife clothes steamer, 1-cup, 1-brush, Power cable, user manual.

Another excellent option is the Polardo Portable Travel Steamer , a lightweight, cordless steamer that you could even use in an airport bathroom.

• Advanced heating element & metal steel head ensure great performance & reliability.
• NANO water filter lets you use tap water, with no risk of calcification. Handheld garment steamer always stays cool on the outside & can be put on any surface. Automatic shutoff.
• Electronic pump system & innovative steam channeling design. Steam evenly from any angle.
• Use it upside down with no water spitting & leaks, while ordinary unsafe steamers cannot be tilted over 45 degrees.

Anti-wrinkle spray

If you don’t want to travel with a steamer, you can instead bring along anti-wrinkle spray, such as Grandma’s Secret Wrinkle Remover Spray . A few quick sprays will remove wrinkles and odors.

• No More Wrinkles! Grandma’s Secret Wrinkle Remover is a convenient way to look fresh and wrinkle-free in no time! Just a spray and you're on the way!
• Easily removes wrinkles & odors. Just a few sprays and you’re ready to go. Safe on virtually all fabrics.

To save space in your luggage, you can pour some liquid from the original bottle into a smaller spray bottle.

One final tip (for when all else fails)

Despite your best efforts, your suit still might get wrinkled during the flight. Fortunately, sprucing it up is usually a painless process. In fact, you can turn any shower into a makeshift steamer (it’s my favorite method actually). Here’s how:

• Hang your suit on the back of the bathroom door.
• Turn on the shower as hot as possible.
• Leave the curtain pulled back or the shower door open.
• Close the door, keep the shower running, and let the steam build up in the room for at least 15 minutes.
• Switch the shower off but leave the suit hanging in the bathroom. By the time the steam clears, the suit should be wrinkle-free and ready to wear.

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Comments (2).

My friend does this all the time. Here’s his secret: he just wears the suit.

Oh, right, I should also mention that he’s a pilot.

Scott (SANspotter)

Haha, yup, wearing it is always the best option.

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How to Pack a Suit in Your Carry-On Bag

Gentlemen, knowing how to pack a suit correctly is important. Whether you’re a frequent business traveler or simply heading to a wedding, packing a suit takes a lot more thought than stuffing it in a suitcase. The only thing worse than an ill-fitting suit is a wrinkled or damaged one. Here’s how and where to pack it if you want it kept crisp and safe, all while saving yourself time and stress at the airport.

See recent posts by Shannon McMahon

How to Pack a Suit for Your Carry-On Luggage

You can protect your suit from wear and tear by folding it the right way. Here’s how to do it.

Skip the Garment Bag

Some airlines have in-flight hooks for hanging garment bags, but there’s no reason to let your suit take up your personal space. Instead, use a weekender bag or rolling carry-on . When possible, don’t check a bag with a suit; not only will you treat the bag—and therefore the suit—more gently than the luggage handlers will, but you won’t have to wait at the baggage carousel upon arrival.

When you pack a suit, the menswear experts at  Brooks Brothers  say you should fold your jacket and dress pants into each other by turning the jacket inside out, folding it down, and folding the pants around it.

First, turn the suit jacket inside-out without pulling the sleeves through, so it looks like this:

Leave the collar and arms flat inside the jacket. Then fold it in half horizontally and lay it on top of your dress pants, which should be laid out flat along their front and back pleats, like this:

Save ironing time by placing a sweater or T-shirt inside the horizontal fold of the jacket to prevent hard crease lines. Finally, fold the pants into thirds by pulling the bottoms and then the waist over the jacket to form a bundle:

If you have a plastic dry-cleaning cover lying around, you can use that to wrap your pants before the final fold. Or, you can place it around the final bundle to prevent other damage.

How to Pack Dress Shirts and Ties in Your Carry-On

Place lighter items like dress shirts and ties on top of the suit. Dress shirts can be buttoned and folded as they would have been when you purchased them from the store, or in half vertically (with the sleeves tucked inside) and then rolled from the bottom up. Ties and belts should be rolled up to prevent creasing.

When you arrive, use the hotel iron to steam out any wrinkles and hang the suit up immediately. If the hotel room doesn’t have an iron or ironing board, you can probably request one from the front desk. As a last resort, hanging the garments in the bathroom while you take a hot shower might help release some of the wrinkles.

Business Travel Essentials for Men

Stylish Suits to Pack in Your Carry-On

Men’s conference in orlando outfit, shop the look.

Cap Toe Oxford

Dress Shirt

Leather Strap Watch

Men’s conference in vegas outfit.

Sutton Wool Twill Suit Jacket

Wrinkle Free Shirt

Charcoal Skinny Tie

Bracelet Watch

Dress Shoes

Men’s suit style 1.

Wool Sutton Suit Jacket

Unbutton Down Shirt

Woven Suede Belt

Men’s suit style 2.

Blue Slim Fit Suit

Floral Cotton Shirt

Faux Leather Belt

Plaintoe Dress Shoe

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How to Fold a Suit for Travel

Last Updated: February 21, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Caitlin Jaymes . Caitlin Jaymes is a Closet Organizer and Fashion Stylist based in Los Angeles, California. With a background in Fashion PR and Fashion Design, she specializes in creating wardrobes for her clients with pieces they already own. She has experience working with celebrities, editorial shoots, and men and women of all ages. Caitlin uses fashion and organization to help instill and influence confidence, ambition, and stress-free lifestyles for all her clients. She runs her business by two guiding principles: “fashion has no rules, only guidance on how to look and feel your best” and “life has too many stressors, don’t let clutter be one of them.” Caitlin’s work has been featured on HGTV, The Rachael Ray Show, VoyageLA, Liverpool Los Angeles, and the Brother Snapchat Channel. This article has been viewed 233,438 times.

Business travel requires you to look your best. Unfortunately, most business attire is prone to wrinkles. Suits, dress pants, and collared shirts often wrinkle in a suitcase and need to be pressed upon arrival at your destination. While the best way to carry business attire is generally in a garment bag, with smart folding techniques, this becomes optional, rather than mandatory. Avoid paying for dry cleaning at your destination by learning to properly fold your suit.

Folding a Suit Jacket

• If you're pressed for time, you may want to iron the suit yourself. If you do so, ensure the lapels are well-ironed - it's possible to hide wrinkles elsewhere on the suit, but nearly impossible to hide them on the lapels.

• If you're using a plastic bag, try to trap a little air in the bag with the suit. This protective "bubble" can prevent the other clothes in the suitcase from pressing into the jacket, eliminating wrinkles.

• For persistent wrinkles, try hanging the jacket in the bathroom. When you take a shower, the warmth and steam will loosen the fabric, helping to release any difficult wrinkles.

Folding a Collared Shirt

• If you happen to have extra dry cleaning bags, you may want to lay one squarely in the middle of the back of the shirt. This prevents the shirt from pressing against itself while folded, reducing the chance of wrinkles.
• At this point, a good rule of thumb is that the shirt's shoulders should now be shortened so that only an inch or two of material is left on either side of the collar.

• If you have a bag that's big enough to hold the shirt in its current partly-folded state, use it. If not, you can try bunching up the bottom of the shirt in the bag - since this part of your shirt will be covered by your jacket, it's not as important for it to be 100% wrinkle-free.
• If you laid a dry cleaning bag in the middle of your shirt at the beginning of this method, it will protect your shirt from pressing against itself at this point. You can also get a similar effect by slipping a flat cardboard insert between the two halves of the folded shirt.

Folding Trousers

• You may also fold the pants in half vertically to further save space.
• One great idea for pants folded horizontally is to "sandwich" them within the two sides of the folded suit jacket. This provides them the protection of the inside-out jacket fabric as well as the jacket's bag.
• ↑ Caitlin Jaymes. Closet Organizer & Fashion Stylist. Expert Interview. 16 December 2019.
• Videos provided by Morts & More
• http://www.blacklapel.com/thecompass/ask-a-black-lapel-stylist-how-to-fold-a-suit-jacket-when-traveling/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2K6I1XqCSs
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWz6aJPae7s&feature=related

Expert Q&A

• If possible, carry your suit in a garment bag. Many luggage companies make rolling garment bags that are ideal for business trips. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2
• Fold suit pants by rolling them carefully. This will avoid creases that are created with traditional folding. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 3

Things You'll Need

• Plastic dry cleaning bag

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About This Article

To fold a suit jacket for travel, start by turning the jacket inside out to protect the outer fabric. Next, put your hand inside the coat and push them into the shoulders so the lining pops out, which will make the jacket easier to fold. Just fold the jacket in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again horizontally to make a square. To fold pants, start by making a vertical, lengthwise fold along the pleats.Then, starting at the bottom, roll the pant legs into a tight bundle. To learn how to fold a collared shirt, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to pack a suit when you’re traveling light

Travel can be stressful at the best of times, and it's made worse when you're trying to leave multiple huge, heavy bags around with you. If you're going on a trip, learning to pack efficiently and to bring just the essentials on the plane with you will make your trip smoother and more pleasant. You'll also save on the increasingly costly fees for checked bags or carry-on luggage that many airlines now charge.

Fold it down, pack it away

Send it in the mail,  just wear it, use a traditional suit bag, how to travel with multiple suits.

However, packing gets more tricky when you're trying to bring smart clothing like a suit with you, such as if you're heading to a conference for work or to a special event like a wedding. You might be able to scrunch up a couple of t-shirts into a ball and toss them into a bag, but you don't want to take the same approach to your suits. If you need to travel light and pack a suit, however, it is possible to do that and save yourself both hassle and expense.

What You Need

Suit roller bag

Mailing supplies

Regular suit bag

It does take a bit of time before you learn how to pack for your travels in a convenient way, maybe even need a helpful guide in order to get you started. Lucky for you, we've gathered the five best ways to take a suit with you on a short trip. Take your pick of the method that works best for you and never have to stress about that part of traveling again.

Assuming you're traveling with carry-on luggage, the kind that will fit into most overhead bins, you're going to be able to pack a suit with relative ease.

Step 1: Fold the suit in half along its back axis so that its shoulders are touching. The trick to making sure it arrives relatively wrinkle-free, however, is to follow the lines of the suit, meaning its seams and sleeves.

Step 2: Fold one-half of the jacket inside out so that the liner is exposed.

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Step 3: Make sure both sleeves are smooth and flat and then fold the jacket in half over your forearm. It will now be in a slender, rectangular package ready to be laid down in your bag.

Step 4: Smooth your suit pants, fold them in half, fold them again, then put them on top of the jacket. All done!

Sure, you could buy a fancy suit roller bag and save yourself some time, but there's really no need for such a specific accessory. But it's easy to roll up your suit for compact, efficient travel without the need for any additional travel luggage. And that's kind of the point here anyway.

Step 1: The secret to the rolling technique is to make sure your suit is folded in half across all its natural seams and with its sleeves as flat as can be.

Step 2: Next, find something roughly tubular around which to roll the suit. Ideally, use a pair of non-dress pants for this, as any garment rolled tightly will wrinkle. Use your best jeans to make the central tube, for example, then carefully roll your suit jacket around them. Follow that with your suit pants.

Step 3: Tuck everything into a t-shirt and secure the bundle with a belt, or just stow it in a bag. This tube of clothing should easily fit in most backpacks .

Strange as it is to believe, it's much cheaper to send a Priority Box via the United States Postal Service than it is to check a bag with most airlines.

Step 1: Plan ahead by about three days and mail your suit to your hotel.

Step 2: Pack it using the same process as outlined in the fold it down method, tuck the suit into a large Priority Box, and send it along for cheaper than what the airline would charge.

If you need to bring a suit along for your travels, one way to keep it in relatively good shape is to just wear the thing while you're on the plane. Change at the airport and shove your casual clothes into a bag, then as soon as you get off your flight, change again, draping your suit over your shoulder on a hanger. Your slacks and blazer will be fine for a few hours on your person without looking soiled, especially if you're just sitting there in your seat.

Packing a suit bag is intuitive enough that you don't need step-by-step instructions. Why isn't this the first option, though? A suit bag will only protect your slacks and blazer if the bag itself is properly handled. Once it's stuffed into a bin or crushed under another bag, there goes all your proper planning.

Step 1: Politely ask the flight attendants if they'll let you hang your suit bag in that handy storage closet near the front of the plane.

Step 2: If that doesn't work, carefully slide your unfolded suit bag atop other passengers' roll-aboard luggage.

Step 3: As a last resort, after takeoff, retrieve your folded-up suit bag from the overhead bin or from under the seat in front of you and unfurl it across your lap and knees.

For some events like work conferences or travel to different climates, you might need to pack more than one suit. In this case, think carefully about which suit to wear and which ones to pack.

Step 1: It's a good idea to wear a lightweight suit for travel — something like linen is very comfortable to wear and creases in an elegant rather than a rumpled way, so that's always a good choice for a travel outfit — and carry other, heavier wool suits in a garment bag. Wool doesn't crease as easily as other fabrics and you can get any minor creases out when you arrive by hanging the suit up in your bathroom while you take a shower as the steam will help the fabric to relax.

Step 2: If you're going to travel with multiple suits then investing in a garment bag will make your life much easier. You can find garment bags with plenty of pockets so you might even be able to fit all your clothes and accessories for a trip into one garment bag and one carry-on bag, which will help you travel light. Hard shelled suitcases may not be necessary for a work trip and you can save yourself the extra fees from the airline and extra weight from heaving around a large bag by using a soft garment bag instead.

Step 3: The real difficulty when packing multiple suits is generally not the suits themselves but the multiple pairs of shoes you might need to go with each suit. Shoes are bulky and annoying to pack, and if you let them bounce around in your garment bag or suitcase they will cause bad creasing, not to mention getting your suits dirty. Always put your shoes into their own bag — even a plastic bag will do — and put them in your carry-on bag instead of in with your suits to keep everything neat.

The next time you have to take a quick, last-minute trip , or you're just really struggling with designating space in your luggage, look over our tips for how to pack your suit. Not only will your suit arrive in one piece, but you'll be able to wear it without needing to get it pressed.

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Pack light Efficient packing is key to enjoying a stress-free airport experience. If you can, try to avoid checking your bags and travel with only a carry-on. This will save you valuable time at the airport as you won’t need to stand in long lines to check your suitcase or wait for your luggage to arrive after your flight. You also won’t need to worry about the airline losing your bag and making your journey even more complicated.

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How to Fly with a Suit

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As someone who has traveled extensively with clothes in a garment bag, I can say that it is definitely possible to fly with a suit. However, there are a few things you need to know in order to make the experience as smooth as possible. Since flying with a garment bag is different for each airline, I always reach out to the airline before bringing the bag with me. It gives me peace of mind. I don’t like running into surprises once I arrive at the airport. In this guide, I’ll explain how to fly with a suit and provide a variety of options to make things easy for you. If you’re curious to learn more, check out the content below.

The Bottom Line Up Front

Yes, you can fly with a suit. However, doing so may not be as cut and dry as you’d like. In most cases, you can fold your garment bag and store it in the overhead bin.

Options for Flying With a Suit

Check your garment bag.

A common option for flying with a suit is to put it in a garment bag and check it as luggage. This is the best option if you have a lot of bags, since you can include the garment bag as part of your checked luggage. However, I urge you to be careful with this option. Don’t assume that you can check the garment bag. Ask the airline ahead of time. 

Furthermore, your suit could get lost. Just like checked luggage can get lost, so can your garment bag. If you’re not willing to take that risk, don’t check it. If you decide to check your suit, use a hard bag. A soft-sided garment bag is easily tossed around, which could ruin your suit. 

Here’s a pro tip: include a copy of your itinerary inside the garment bag. That way, the airline staff will know where it needs to be sent when it arrives at your destination. 

Ship Your Suit Ahead of Time

If you choose to ship your suit ahead of time, there are a few steps to follow. Make sure that the shipping company has a good reputation and that they offer insurance in case of loss or damage. This option is a bit extreme, but it comes in handy if you don’t want to bother with checking your suit or carrying it on the plane. You can ship via FedEx or UPS, and they’ll ensure that your suit arrives at your destination.

Wear Your Suit On the Plane

Another option is to wear the suit on the plane. This is not always a good idea— especially if you are flying on a smaller plane. However, it’s worth trying if you won’t have a lot of time after getting off of your flight. If you choose to wear your suit on the plane, try to avoid wearing anything too tight or too bulky under the suit. I also suggest only trying this option if you’re in Business or First Class. Economy is tighter, which means your suit is more likely to wrinkle due to lack of space.

Also, be prepared for some extra scrutiny from airport security personnel. They may want to take a closer look at you if they see that you’re wearing a suit. You may have to remove your belt, jacket, and other accessories. This is just a precaution because suits have hidden pockets and creases. It shouldn’t take them too long to clear you through security.

Two Ways to Pack a Suit

If you’re heading out of town for a trip, you’ll need to pack your clothing carefully to avoid wrinkles and creases. I’ve figured out a couple of methods that work fairly well. Here’s how to do them:

Fold It Lengthwise

First, lay your suit jacket flat on a bed or other surface. Then, fold the sleeves in, so they’re lying parallel to the body of the jacket. Next, fold the jacket in half, lengthwise.

Now it’s time to fold the pants. Start by folding them in half, lengthwise. Then, fold the legs up, so they’re lying parallel to the waistband. Finally, fold the pants in half again, widthwise. When you’re finished, your suit should be neatly folded and ready to pack into your luggage. Just be sure to wrap it in a garment bag or other protective covering to keep it clean and free of wrinkles.

With a little bit of care, you can easily pack your suit into a suitcase without worry.

One of the easiest ways to fold a suit is to simply roll it up. This method is quick, easy, and doesn’t require any special skills or equipment. To roll a suit, first lay it flat on a smooth surface. Then, fold the arms in towards the body of the suit. Next, fold the bottom of the suit up towards the waistline. Finally, roll the suit from the bottom up, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles as you go.

This method is great for traveling, as it doesn’t take up much space in a suitcase or carry-on bag. However, it’s important to note that rolled suits can sometimes become wrinkled, so it’s best to hang them up as soon as you arrive at your destination.

My Favorite Garment Bag Types

There are many types of garment bags available on the market, and it’s hard to know which one is right for traveling. Luckily for you, I’ve tried different types. Below are the ones that I like best:

1. Rolling Garment Bags

This type of garment bag functions much like a suitcase. It has a handle and wheels, which makes it easy to travel through airports and hotels. One of the best things about rolling garment bags is that they often come with a detachable shoulder strap. This means that you can carry it like a suitcase or wear it like a backpack.

One thing to keep in mind is that rolling garment bags can be bulky and difficult to pack in small spaces. If you’re traveling by airplane, make sure to measure the bag to make sure it fits in the overhead bin.

2. Tri-fold Bags

Tri-fold garment bags are a good option if you’re looking for something compact and lightweight. These bags can be folded into thirds, which makes them easy to store in small spaces. Tri-fold bags are also great because they often come with multiple compartments. This means that you can keep your shoes and other items separate from your clothes.

One downside of tri-fold bags is that they can be difficult to carry. Most don’t have handles, so you’ll have to carry them over your shoulder. Additionally, the lack of wheels makes it harder to maneuver through airports and hotels.

3. Hanging Bags

If you’re looking for a garment bag that’s easy to use, then a hanging bag is a good option. These bags have a hook that allows you to hang them in a closet. This makes it easy to pack and unpack your clothes. Hanging bags also often come with multiple compartments, which is great for organizing your belongings.

One downside of hanging bags is that they’re hard to travel with. Hanging bags are sometimes bulky, which makes them difficult to pack in small spaces.

My Favorite Garment Bag Brands

1. samsonite ascella x softside luggage.

I really like this Samsonite garment bag. It’s spacious and has a lot of compartments and pockets for organization. The fabric is also really nice and feels durable.

One thing I don’t like about it, however, is the price. It’s definitely on the more expensive side compared to other brands. But overall, I think it’s a great bag and would recommend it to others. But you’ll definitely get your money’s worth if you travel a lot.

2. UniqueBella Garment Duffle Bag

This option is a great mid-range choice. It’s not as expensive as the Samsonite bag, but it’s still a high-quality option. Not to mention, it’s super easy to carry. It’s designed with a shoulder strap and handles, so you can wear it a few different ways. I also like that it comes with a pouch that holds your shoes.

3. Zegur Suit Carry-on Garment Bag

This Zegur garment bag is another fantastic choice, especially if you’re looking for something affordable. It’s made from high-quality materials, and it’s super durable. Plus, it has a ton of compartments and pockets for organization. This bag also comes with a handy travel strap, so you can easily carry it on your luggage.

4. Degeler Carry on Garment Bag

I really like this Degeler garment bag. Much like this Samsonite, it’s a bit expensive, however, it’s larger in size. It’s perfect for long trips, or if you need to pack a lot of clothes. This bag is designed to carry three suits on one hanger. Plus, it has compartments for other items, like ties and socks!

Guidelines for Flying with a Garment Bag 

Every airline has a different guideline for flying with a suit. Here are a few of the most popular airline rules:

1. American Airlines

When flying with American Airlines , soft-sided garment bags must be no more than 51 inches / 130 cm (length + width + height). You can take them on the aircraft as your carry-on item.

2. Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines doesn’t have specific rules for flying with a suit in a garment bag. However, their carry-on policy states that you’re allowed one personal item and one carry-on bag. So, as long as your garment bag meets the size requirements of no more than 45 inches, you should be fine. To be on the safe side, reach out to Delta directly.

3. Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines also doesn’t have any specific rules when it comes to flying with a garment bag. However, they allow garment bags as a replacement for carry-ons.  The dimensions must not exceed  10 x 16 x 24 inches. However, if your garment bag can fold up and fit into the overhead bin, it should be fine.

4. United Airlines

United is another airline that allows garment bags as long as they meet carry-on requirements. For United Airlines, their dimension restrictions are 9 x 14 x 22 inches. Again, you can always fold your garment bag and place it in the overhead bin.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to reach out to the airline directly. Since most airlines don’t have a specific garment bag policy, you want to make sure that you ask before showing up at the airport.

FAQs – How to Fly With A Suit

Answer: There are a few ways to avoid wrinkles in your suit. First, you can choose a suit made of wrinkle-resistant fabric. Second, you can hang your suit on a hanger when you travel. Third, you can pack your suit in a garment bag. Finally, you can steam your suit when you arrive at your destination.

Answer: Most airlines allow you to bring a suit in a garment bag without charging an additional fee. However, it is always best to check with your airline before you travel.

Answer: No, it is not mandatory to check your garment bag. However, some airlines may require you to do so if your bag exceeds their size limits. Again, this is one of those situations where the answer might differ from airline to airline. Don’t assume. Be sure to ask before you bring a suit with you.

My Final Thoughts on Flying With a Suit

Flying with a suit isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it’s doable. I suggest neatly folding it in your suitcase and knocking the wrinkles out once you get to your destination. I find that easier than stuffing a garment bag into the overhead bin. And, of course, it prevents you from having to wear an uncomfortable suit on the plane.

Well, I hope these suggestions help to make your journey easier. Happy Traveling!

Recommended Reads:

• Best Airlines to Fly to Mexico – My Top 5 Airlines
• Best Airlines to Fly to Paris – My Top 5 Picks
• Lufthansa Economy vs Premium Economy
• American Airlines: Business Class vs First Class
• Best Airlines to Fly to Spain
• Best Airlines to Fly to Greece
• Best Airlines to Fly to Africa

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How to pack a suit jacket (the right way).

If you're planning to travel in the near future, you might be wondering how to pack a suit jacket . Whether you're traveling for business or leisure, you may need to bring a formal outfit. While you can stuff t-shirts and other casual garments in your luggage, suit jackets require a little extra care. Stuffing a suit jacket inside your luggage will typically result in wrinkles that are stubborn and hard to remove. You can still pack a suit jacket, but you'll need to take a different approach so that it doesn't develop wrinkles.

Choose a Wrinkle-Resistant Suit Jacket

For starters, you should consider choosing a wrinkle-resistant suit jacket. Wrinkle-resistant suit jackets live up to their namesake by offering a high level of protection against wrinkles. They aren't necessarily immune to wrinkles; all suits and other garments can develop wrinkles. Nonetheless, wrinkle-resistant suit jackets are made of a material that naturally resists wrinkles.

Suit jackets made of synthetic blends are wrinkle resistant. Synthetic blends, of course, are materials consisting of a synthetic fabric that's mixed with an organic fabric. It's not uncommon for suit jackets to feature a small amount of nylon, polyester or lycra, for example. These are synthetic fabrics. Assuming they are mixed with an organic fabric, they will create a synthetic blend that protects the suit jacket from wrinkles.

Clean Beforehand

Regardless of what it's made of, you should clean your suit jacket before packing it. Packing a dirty suit jacket is never a good idea. Even if it only has superficial dirt, it may develop stains during transit. Superficial dirt can work its way deeper into your suit jacket. Upon arriving at your destination, you may check your suit jacket to discover unsightly stains on it.

Different suit jackets have different cleaning requirements. You may be able to wash your suit jacket at home by placing it in the washing machine with the cold water setting, followed by air drying it. Alternatively, you may need to get your suit jacket dry cleaned. Refer to the care tag on your suit jacket to determine the safest way to clean it. By cleaning your suit jacket beforehand, you can rest assured knowing that it will develop stains during transit.

Rub With a Dryer Sheet

In addition to cleaning your suit jacket before packing it, you should rub a dryer sheet on it. Why is this important exactly? Rubbing a dryer sheet on your suit jacket will leave it smelling nice and fresh. More importantly, perhaps, it will neutralize static electricity.

Suit jackets can develop static electricity. Static electricity is particularly common when suit jackets are packed in luggage or bags. As your suit jacket rubs against the sides of a luggage or bag, it may develop static electricity. A simple way to protect your suit jacket from this phenomenon is to use a dryer sheet. Rubbing a dryer sheet on your suit jacket will coat it with an antistatic compound that neutralizes and prevents the buildup of static electricity.

Use a Garment Bag

The safest way to transport a suit jacket is to use a garment bag. Avoid placing your suit jacket in a suitcase or similar piece of luggage. Instead, place it in a garment bag. A garment bag will preserve the shape of your suit jacket while simultaneously protecting it from damage.

Garment bags are large, heavy-duty bags that are designed for garments. You can use them for just about any type of garment, including suit jackets. Most garment bags even support the use of a clothes hanger. Rather than just placing your suit jacket inside of a garment bag, you can use a clothes hanger. The clothes hanger will help to retain the shape of your suit jacket.

Fold When Storing in Luggage

If you're going to transport your suit jacket in a piece of luggage rather than a garment bag, you'll need to fold it correctly. There's a wrong way and a right way to fold a suit jacket when packing it. Unfortunately, most people use the wrong method. How do you fold a suit jacket when packing it in luggage?

Start by lying your suit jacket on a flat surface, such as a table or ironing board. Next, fold it in vertically in half by bringing the arms together. You can then fold your suit jacket horizontally in half so that it turns into a small square-shaped package. When finished, place your folded suit jacket in the luggage. Using this folding method will protect your suit jacket from wrinkles. A garment bag is still a better solution, but you can fold your suit jacket by following these simple steps.

Bring a Lint Roller

When traveling with your suit jacket, you may want to bring a lint roller. It's an otherwise simple tool that can make a big difference in the appearance of your suit jacket. Your suit jacket may develop lint during transit. Whether you store it in a piece of luggage or a garment bag, there's always the chance of lint accumulating on it. Fortunately, you can clean your suit jacket in just a few minutes by running a lint roller over it.

Lint rollers consist of handheld rolls of one-sided tape. As you press and roll it on your suit jacket, the adhesive side will pick up any lingering lint. Once you've arrived at your destination, go over your suit jacket with a lint roller. It's a quick and easy way to clean any lint off your suit jacket.

In Conclusion

When traveling out of town, you may want to bring a suit jacket. It will allow you to create a formal outfit that looks professional and clean. Keep in mind, though, that you shouldn't just stuff your suit jacket in a piece of luggage. You should either place it in a garment bag, or if you're going to use a piece of luggage, fold your suit jacket.

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• Packing Tips

How to Pack a Suit in a Carry On

Published September 26, 2019

Written by:

Bennett Collins

Awkward Instagramer, hater of air travel, and intense lover of donuts, Bennet spent most of his 20s, as a nomadic...

Fred Perrotta

Co-founder, tortuga.

Fred Perrotta is the co-founder and CEO of Tortuga. His first backpacking trip to Europe inspired him to start the...

Jeremy Michael Cohen

Jeremy Michael Cohen is a co-founder of Tortuga. He also works as a screenwriter and director. Aside from travel and...

The Tortuga Promise

At Tortuga, our mission is to make travel easier. Our advice and recommendations are based on years of travel experience. We only recommend products that we use on our own travels.

Table of Contents

If you’re like me, you’re at the point in your life where weddings are taking up your weekends and work is taking up your weekdays. How should you dress in formal settings? How do you do it when you have to travel there?

Believe it or not, you can pack a suit in a carry on bag . I once packed a suit in my backpack, flew to London for three weeks, then flew back to the States for a wedding where I wore that same suit without ever ironing it.

Before we begin, I have one, overarching piece of advice. Do not overpack your carry on when you’re trying to preserve the wrinkle-free integrity of your jacket, pants, and shirt. Even if you fold and pack everything correctly if any portion of the suit is crushed under pressure for long durations of time, you will get wrinkles. Don’t take the risk. Leave the extras at home when you have to pack a suit. 

Disclaimer: The following advice is for when you do not have time or the ability to iron, steam, or dry clean your suit. 

Let’s get to it.

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How to Pack a Suit Jacket and Pants

Normally, we suggest wearing bulkier items on the plane instead of packing them. Plenty of people would recommend this for a suit too. However, wearing your suit during your flight will result in wrinkles. Placing it in the overhead bin is even riskier. In this case, we recommend packing the suit, even if it takes up a lot of space in your bag.

For your suit to arrive sharp and wrinkle-free, pack it properly in your bag . You have two options for how to pack your suit.

The Folding Method

The fold method is the most popular, proven approach and the one I used for my trip to London and back. Even Brooks Brothers recommends this method. 

I used this “lining out” method where you tuck one of your jacket’s shoulders into the other one.

Here’s a second, similar method where the finished product looks ready to be displayed in a store. Watch through the end of the video for a bonus tip on using a plastic bag, with a bit of air in it, as a cushion. The air pocket provides a buffer and prevents your suit from getting smashed or wrinkled.

The Dry Cleaner Bag Method

If you don’t have much else to pack in your carry on , or you’re willing to sacrifice space for a nearly wrinkle-free suit coat and pants, the dry cleaner bag method is the simplest and most efficient method.

Very simply, keep your suit coat and pants in the plastic dry-cleaner bag, hung on a hanger, and fold the suit in half horizontally. This method will keep your folded jacket protected in your suitcase rather than leaving it unprotected in the overhead compartment.  GQ has a good walkthrough complete with GIFs.

Using a dry cleaning bag is not an efficient use of space. If you have to travel for a longer period and carry more than just your suit, the fold method is the better option.

How to Pack a Dress Shirt 

The shirt is arguably the trickiest thing to pack. The end of the video above shows one method that leaves your shirt perfectly folded and ready to be displayed at a department store.

If you need extra help, we have a whole separate article on how to do this well. To distill this article into its main points:

• Fold, don’t roll, your shirt
• Lay the shirt on a flat surface and fold the arms into the middle, halfway up the sleeves
• Fold in each side 3 inches and then fold the shirt in half from the bottom once, and again for a tighter fold 
• Shirts made of wrinkle-resistant fabrics like merino wool or polyester are better than non-iron materials that have a “spray on” chemical coating

Bonus Tip #1: I take out the collar stays (the plastic or metal pieces that go into the collar wings) to avoid bending them. 

Bonus Tip #2: If you’re packing more than one shirt, layer them facing opposite directions.

How to Pack a Waistcoat and Cumberbund

There’s a time and a place for a three-piece suit, just as there are occasions that demand a cumberbund. Those are typically the occasions when packing a suit carries even more stress, since those events are more formal than business-related, suit-worthy occasions. 

The good news is that neither of these items is complicated to pack.

• Waistcoat: Make a fold along the vertical center back seam and then a horizontal fold (just two folds altogether).
• Cumberbund: Roll it instead of folding it and stick it in a shoe.

How to Pack Dress Shoes

Truthfully, I think packing dress shoes is a risky thing to do and these are the only item of your suit outfit that I would wear on the plane. Pack your casual shoes instead. That way, you know your shoes will be in good condition when you land. Plus, cleaning your shoes is much easier than cleaning a full suit. 

If you’re going to pack your dress shoes, make sure they’re stuffed so they don’t collapse and crease. Stuffing them with dress socks, a rolled-up tie, or your cumberbund is helpful.

How to Pack Ties, Socks, Belts, and Accessories

A wrinkly tie or another accessory can ruin all the hard work you put into having a perfect-looking suit. You have to nail the details if you want to look great.

Packing accessories is straightforward. Roll your ties and belts. Roll or fold your socks, as you wish. Pack all of those in your shoes (if you packed them).

Keep your pocket square, cufflinks, suspenders, and any other accessories to your suit in a separate bag that keeps them together and easy to find.

Don’t cram your suit into an overpacked bag if you’re trying to avoid wrinkles. Spend a few minutes learning the advanced folding and packing methods from the videos above. Smooth out the wrinkles in your clothes then pack them. Take your time. By investing a few extra minutes in upfront work, you’ll save yourself more work on the back end when you’re supposed to be enjoying your trip.

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Awkward Instagramer, hater of air travel, and intense lover of donuts, Bennet spent most of his 20s, as a nomadic human rights researcher. His time abroad has taught him to travel the world with care, respect, and in his own time.

Bennett treats globe trotting like a nice meal out – never rushed and savoring every moment.

Read more from Bennett

Fred Perrotta is the co-founder and CEO of Tortuga. His first backpacking trip to Europe inspired him to start the company. For over a decade, he’s traveled the world from his home base in the Bay Area while working remotely. When he’s on the road, Fred enjoys both walking and eating as much as possible.

Read more from Fred

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Nordstrom’s Low-key Sale Has Comfy Spring Clothes Up to 60% Off — Shop an NYC Stylist’s 53 Top Picks

You'll be happy you added them to your cart.

• Best Women's Clothing
• Best Men's Clothing
• Best Luggage and Travel
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Best Beauty Deals

Travel + Leisure / Tyler Roeland

Spring is finally here. After a few false starts and trepidation, I’m finally packing away my sweaters and boots for the sweet embrace of darling sundresses and beach-ready, comfy sandals . To start the season off fresh, I’m doing my spring shopping at Nordstrom — particularly in its sale section, which is booming with deals. With up to 60 percent off clothes , shoes, and travel necessities, it makes finding what I need for the rest of spring and summer easy (and more budget-friendly).  

As an expert shopper, my unofficial job as a fashion stylist and editor, I always look ahead to see if I need (or want) new looks for what I have on my calendar. With vacations booked, most of what I’m eyeing are those effortless travel clothes to wear while in transit or easily packed in my carry-on suitcase (psst: they have those on sale, too, for 60 percent off!) Plus, newly discounted items like flowy maxi dresses (which are 40 percent off) for the beach and a denim jacket for chilly nights; I already have this 50-percent-off one from Mavi in my cart.

This is just a taste of what you can score. To make your life easier, I sorted through everything in the Nordstrom sale section and found the 53 best deals. Keep in mind that you'll have to act fast since some of the spring items are only discounted for a limited time and are selling fast. 

Best Women's Clothing Deals

As stated above, most of my shopping focus is on building my summer vacation wardrobe, so hitting up the women's clothing section on sale at Nordstrom is my priority. The necessities are comfy travel pants, swimsuits, and new fun items, like Free People sundresses (this one is currently 30 percent off), or my favorite travel companion: a denim jacket ; follow my lead and grab this one while it's 50 percent off. 

• Free People Shea Smocked Yoke Shift Minidress , $90 (originally $128)
• Mavi Mellie Denim Jacket , $69 (originally $138)
• La Blanca Island Goddess Ruched One-shoulder Tankini Top , $66 (originally $93)
• Free People Going Steady Ruffle Sundress , $118 (originally $168)
• Open Edit High-waist Wide-leg Trousers , $53 (originally $70) 
• Loveappella Maxi Dress , $41 (originally $68) 
• Noisy May Kirby Cargo Joggers , $34 (originally $55)

Open Edit High-waist Wide-leg Trousers

Best men's clothing deals.

There are also huge deals on men's clothes right now at Nordstrom. Some of the best men's active brands are discounted, like this Vuori high-performance short-sleeve shirt with UV protection, which makes the perfect vacation shirt. And for any man looking for a new bathing suit, these highly-rated and eco-friendly swim trunks are currently priced at under $25.

• Fair Harbor The Anchor Swim Trunks , $24 (originally $68)
• Vuori Bridge Athletic Fit Short-sleeve Performance Button-up Shirt , $59 (originally $74)
• Rhone Gramercy Quilted Zip Vest , $58 (originally $128)
• Zella Restore Soft Performance Half-zip Pullover , $32 (originally $ 69)
• Goodlife Long-sleeve Henley , $49 (originally $98)
• Zella Tricot Performance Joggers , $56 (originally $79)
• O'Neill Reserve Light Check Water Repellent Bermuda Shorts , $42 (originally $60) 

O'Neill Reserve Light Check Water Repellent Bermuda Shorts

Best luggage and travel deals.

I plan on reevaluating my luggage situation before I head off on the few trips I have scheduled in the next few months. As luck would have it, top-quality carry-on and checked bags are now discounted up to 60 percent off. You can also snag some travel bags from Tumi on sale. For shorter excursions (or if you need a second carry-on bag), the brand's Harrison William Backpack at a rare 20 percent off is an awesome option. 

• Briggs & Riley Sympatico 21-inch International Carry-on , $240 (originally $599) 
• Herschel Supply Co. Heritage Hardshell Large Carry-on Luggage , $193 (originally $250) 
• Briggs & Riley Medium Sympatico Expandable 27-inch Spinner Packing Case , $280 (originally $699)
• Mali + Lili Riley Vegan Leather Weekend Travel Bag , $60 (originally $148)
• Herschel Supply Co. Strand Duffel Bag , $32 (originally $80)
• Briggs & Riley Sympatico 30-inch Large Expandable Spinner Packing Case , $308 (originally $769)
• Tumi Harrison William Backpack , $459 (originally $575) 
• Herschel Supply Co. Novel Recycled Nylon Duffel Bag , $83 (originally $110)

Herschel Supply Co. Novel Recycled Nylon Duffel Bag

Best women's shoe deals.

Sandal season is my favorite season. I love letting my toes free and indulging in some biweekly pedicures. What I don't like is paying full price for new pairs — hence, one of my favorite places to shop is Nordstrom's shoe sale section. Besides open-toe options, I'm eyeing new travel sneakers to support a full day of walking. And with a summer wedding to attend, I might take this as an opportunity to get a new pair of heels worthy of a dance floor .

• Veja Dekkan Alveomesh Sneakers , $84 (originally $210)
• Calvin Klein Terisa Slide Sandals , $66 (originally $109) 
• Aerosoles Camera Platform Sandals , $80 (originally $135)
• Nike Air Max 1 '87 Sneakers , $105 (originally $140)
• Sam Edelman Poppy Espadrille Sneakers , $84 (originally $120) 
• Steve Madden Mona Sandals , $54 (originally $90)
• LifeStride Zuri Platform Sandals , $54 (originally $90
• Vionic Beach Collection Malibu Slip-on Sneakers , $53 (originally $70)

Steve Madden Women's Mona Sandals

Best men's shoe deals.

There are some equally good shoe deals for men, too. To get ready for sunny weather and travel, opt for these waterproof Adidas Adilette 22 Sport Slides , which are up to 33 percent off. You can also find travel-friendly sneakers, like this highly-rated style from Cole Haan , for up to nearly 40 percent off. 

• Adidas Adilette 22 Sport Slides , $40 (originally $60) 
• Nike Air Max 270 Sneakers , $99 (originally $160) 
• Reebok BB 4000 II Sneakers , $59 (originally $100) 
• Jordan Air Jordan 1 Retro High Top Sneakers , $
• Adidas NMD R1 Primeblue Sneakers , $98 (originally $150)
• Birkenstock Arizona Slide Sandals With Genuine Shearling , $116 (originally $165)
• The North Face Oxeye Tech Hiking Shoes , $78 (originally $129) 
• Cole Haan GrandPro Topspin Sneakers , $100 (originally $160)

Nike Men's Air Max 270 Sneakers

Best travel accessory deals.

Accessories aren't exclusively used to make an outfit feel new. From a travel perspective, they can make packing a breeze and help you have a smooth trip. Arrive with your bling organized and tangled-free by investing in this on-sale travel jewelry box , now 40 percent off. An array of trendy sunglasses is up to 60 percent off for those wanting an updated summer 2024 beach look. Also, take the opportunity to update your makeup bags and totes.

• Bey-Berk Leather Travel Jewelry Case , $42 (originally $70)
• Kate Spade New York Kimberlyn 56mm Gradient Cat-eye Sunglasse s, $64 (originally $160) 
• Hydro Flask 32-ounce Wide Mouth Water Bottle With Straw Lid , $32 (originally $45)
• Longchamp Small Le Foulonné Leather Crossbody Bag , $274 (originally $365) 
• See by Chloé Joy Rider Belt Bag , $214 (originally $285) 
• Treasure & Bond Vacation Panama Hat , $24 (originally $39)
• Naghedi Medium St. Barths Tote , $187 (originally $310)
• Tumi Alpha Small Ballistic Nylon Crossbody Bag , $219 (originally $275) 
• Herschel Supply Co. Settlement Belt Bag , $16 (originally $40) 
• Brahmin Small Charmaine Croc Embossed Leather Train Case , $102 (originally $145) 

Naghedi Medium St. Barths Tote

Take advantage of the wide selection of travel-friendly beauty products on sale — like sunscreen and dry shampoo , both under 3.5 ounces, making it easy to remain carry-on only. Treat yourself to luxe under-eye patches to apply at the end of a long flight. Upon landing you'll feel refreshed and like you just left a spa, not an eight-hour flight. I am stocking up on my favorite foundation with SPF and other makeup items for my special events.

• Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox Hydra-Gel Eye Patches , $47 (originally $55)
• Mario Badescu Drying Duo Set , $21 (originally $24)
• Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 , $40 (originally $46)
• Jack Black Two for the Road Value Set , $14 (originally $20) 
• Coola Suncare Classic Face Sunscreen Mist SPF 50 , $28 (originally $32)
• Stila Walk The Line Stay All Day Eyeliner Duo , $19 (originally $38)
• Drybar Detox Scented Dry Shampoo , $13 (originally $28)

Coola Suncare Classic Face Sunscreen Mist SPF 50

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