How on earth do you pack and don't get the clothes all wrinkly?

[Jorg_]

Going on Celebrity Reflection soon, and noticed that there are no ironing facilities available (other than as a paid service). Are there any good tricks on how to pack ones clothes to aviod them getting all wrinkly?

[paul929207]

we make a pile of them and then roll the pile up. That keeps them pretty neat. We do have the advantage that if something is wrinkled, we just give it to the Princess laundry and they take care of it.

[brillohead]

I haven't tried it, but I hear that the KonMari method of folding (thirds, halves, thirds) reduces wrinkles.  

[nat9511]

I pack shirts, underwear, pajamas, odds and ends in 2 gallon zip lock bags.  Dress slacks are in a dry cleaners bag. I put cut up dry cleaner bags in between the layers of shorts.  

.  

[Essiesmom]

We pack things that don't suffer from a few wrinkles.  In fact, some come already wrinkled.  You can hang things in the bathroom while you shower, or pack or make a wrinkle release spray.  If you don't want to take a bottle of Downy Wrinkle release, take an empty spray bottle, put a dryer sheet in it and add water.  EM

[spookwife]

easy.  I only pack clothes that are travel friendly.  yes, even my formal  gown is a knit that the wrinkles fall right out of once it's hung.  my evening wear is the same as my day wear: skorts,  sundresses, etc.  I have a few pants that are meant to be wrinkled for cooler nights.   

[Roz]

I have packs and cubes that I bought from Eagle Creek.  Keeps me organized and clothes virtually wrinkle free. 

 

Roz

[GeezerCouple]

Some of the clothing just gets wrinkly.

It's part of travel.

 

Most things will hang out, and one trick is to hang them in the bathroom while you run the hot shower.

 

We try not to bring anything that *really* needs pressing, other than a suit for DH when he decides to bring one (usually he doesn't, these days, unless there is a business meeting included somewhere along the way).

 

IF there is something that looks seriously unkempt, we'll send it out for pressing.

 

GC

[SRF]

1)  As has been mentioned, try to have things that don't wrinkle much.  Or things that are OK wrinkled.

 

2)  I use Eagle Creek PackIt to fold shirts and suits, folds are not wrinkles. 🙂

 

3)  Downy Wrinkle Release.  Or put a small amount of liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle with water (this is actually what the Downey product is.

 

4)  Hang up clothes in the bathroom while you shower.  The steam will help release wrinkles.

 

3)  It is a VACATION, don't worry about it. 😄

 

[GTO-Girl]

All of our casual clothes I roll.  Our dress clothes are left on hangers and covered with a plastic dry cleaner bag.  

 

All rolled items go in the bottom of the suitcase....the dress clothes are folded in half and placed on top.

 

No problem with wrinkles...

[navybankerteacher]

Pack things snugly, so they do not shift. Clothes neatly folded will generally keep their shape, and using rolled up things : tee shirts, bathing suits, polos, etc. to hold folded items in place seems to work.

[MontezumasRevenge]

Hang your wrinkled clothes in the bathroom on the ship and run the shower on hot until the steam gets them out. Works great.

[evandbob]

I pack the night before a cruise, whether flying to Florida from NY the morning of the cruise or just driving from SWFL to a FL port.

I pack only what I need, so my one 21" suitcase isn't jammed.  I use travel friendly clothing, which can be rolled or folded with a minimum or wrinkles.

I unpack immediately after Diamond priority boarding.

 

I don't iron at home, no reason to do so on a vacation.

[gerif]

All of my clothing is travel friendly as I flatly refuse to iron (haven’t owned an ironing board in at least 40 years). If something gets creased, I just spray with a little water and hit with the hairdryer. I like the roll method. 

[wannavacay]

I have tried nearly all of these ideas.  I also generally pack wrinkle-free or wrinkles-fall-out clothes, but that is NOT true of my husband.  Consequently, I do carry a travel size Downy Wrinkle Release, which is kind of helpful.  We have also hung clothes in the bathroom while showering, which is sort of helpful.  I have tried tissue paper, dry cleaner bags, rolling individual items, none of which were even remotely foolproof...  I have been MOST successful with a combination of 1) Bundling method 2) Packing Cubes 3) Downy Wrinkle Release 4)Hanging in the bathroom while showering.  The Bundling really makes the biggest difference, even though I apparently don't do it right based on this video. :)  The packing cubes make it easy for me to pull out just what I need at the hotel the night before the cruise without messing anything else up, and also put outfits together vs separating by types of clothes.  Good luck!

 

[angie7911922]

First, pick clothes that don't wrinkle a whole lot. Then, roll them instead of folding them. Also, make sure you use a suitcase large enough to pack what you are taking. If your suitcase is so full from cramming everything in, your clothes will wrinkle. Get a bigger suitcase or take a few things out. 

 

Good Luck!

[GeezerCouple]

I forgot to mention one thing... We've started trying to put things on hangers within those plastic dry-cleaning covers, regardless of whether that's how they are typically "stored".  And if they are just back from being cleaned, all the better.

 

And then we put some other carefully laid out (folded if necessary) items between the plastic.

 

And then small items, like socks or sleepwear/etc., can get tucked into the corners or wherever there is a place that isn't packed as fully.

But those plastic bags really help.

 

AND... we've started traveling with one (shared) large fold-over wheeled bag.  Then most of those hanging items don't get folded tightly at all.

But then that bag is heavy.

(However, we simply have not been able to travel with only carry-on.  In part, it's because our meds/supplies take up too much space, unfortunately.  Ah, for the days when "meds" meant a few aspirin and some bandaids  )

 

GC

[MsMolly]

I roll everything when packing then hang everything as soon as we arrive in our cabin. This works ok!

[zqvol]

15 hours ago, Jorg_ said:

Going on Celebrity Reflection soon, and noticed that there are no ironing facilities available (other than as a paid service). Are there any good tricks on how to pack ones clothes to aviod them getting all wrinkly?

 

Roll them, and take a wrinkle releaser, and remember that everyone else is in the same situation, no one will notice any wrinkles except for you.

[GottaKnowWhen]

I am not all that concerned about wrinkles but I did a fair amount of travel for work and often now in retirement. So I have evolved a few “best practices “ that work for me.

1. I have travel clothes and I have clothes for when at home. Different needs, different clothes.

2. My travel clothes are few, they are light weight, they don’t wrinkle, and they can mostly be washed in the sink and dry overnight. Even my suit jacket.

3. Two suppliers that I use for most of my travel clothing: Rohan and Territory Ahead (associated with TravelSmith.) Rohan started supplying UK treckers who wanted to travel light but look presentable at the pub at the end of the day. Good stuff. If I wanted to push the limits, for a 4 week trip I could get by with two of their trousers and two Territory Ahead shirts and plan to wash one or two most evenings...

4. But I actually do take more with me in my one carryon. I put 2-3 shirts or similar mass of clothing into a Super Size 2.5gal. ziploc freezer storage bag. Roll up from the bottom to force the air out before zipping shut. Then flatten out in the suitcase, repeat for another clothing bundle. This all not only saves room but somehow helps prevent wrinkles.

 

Cruises are a special vacation and it is natural to want to look your best in this new environment. Don’t fret. Everybody you will meet is either on their first cruise or they will have been on their first cruise at some point. 

Stan

[K32682]

Like other posters I roll my clothes, choose travel-friendly clothing and will hang anything with wrinkles in the shower. 

 

I really don't care if my clothes are a bit wrinkled because everyone else is in the same boat both literally and figuratively. Everyone else's clothes will likely be wrinkled too. 

[SRF]

On 1/21/2019 at 9:31 AM, navybankerteacher said:

Pack things snugly, so they do not shift. Clothes neatly folded will generally keep their shape, and using rolled up things : tee shirts, bathing suits, polos, etc. to hold folded items in place seems to work.

 

This is the idea behind the Eagle Creek Pack Its.

 

You fold clothes, then the Pack It keeps them from shifting around.

 

 

[Jeremiah1212]

I absolutely hate rolling. I use the bundle approach from the video above if I know I can't iron. It works far better than rolling. I can fit well over the usual 50lbs weight limit into a 25" suitcase if I bundle. Just put your toiletries and a change of clothes or two in your carryon and you don't even need to touch your large suitcase until you're on the ship. I'll also stop at a drug store or grocery store and grab a full size bottle of wrinkle release just in case. 

[MicCanberra]

4 things,

1. Don't pack clothes that really crease up, try wrinkle free type clothing.
2. Use packing techniques like displayed in the videos above but we also pack in a large vacuum bag and leave a little air in so the bag will be cushioned and will not crush.
3. If something has a crease, hang it in the shower and run the hot water and the steam will help remove any wrinkles. 
4. Don't stress, everyone else is in the same boat. (pun intended).

[flamomo]

I tried the rolling method for my clothes and found they were quite wrinkled when I unpacked. I read here on CC that using 2 1/2 gallon Ziploc bags was a better way to go, and I found that is true. I like that method best and have been using it for over 10 years, anytime I travel. It is extremely rare that I have iron anything before being able to wear it. Packing cubes are an unnecessary expense. IMO. I've used the same Ziploc bags over and over for years. The key is to fold things VERY carefully to prevent any wrinkles from forming while folding, don't stuff the bags overly full, and be sure to "burp" as much air as possible out of each bag before sealing it, so clothing items in them can't shift when the suitcase is being manhandled by airport and airline luggage handlers. For things like long pants or dresses, which I do not put in  Ziploc bags,, layer each item with a large plastic bag before folding to reduce the chance of creases forming at the fold lines. These are laid atop the stacked Ziploc bags in the suitcase. Socks and other small items are tucked inside shoes. Each pair of footwear is put in a plastic sleeve (saved from my daily newspaper delivery) so no dirt rubs off on anything in the suitcase.

Get yourself a travel luggage scale so you can be pretty sure that your luggage won't be overweight when you check in at the airport. That's another thing I have used for many years and since I  started using it, have never been required to pay an overweight bag fee. Paying that $100 fee once was enough for me. LOL

 

Happy Cruising!!

Edited January 23, 2019 by flamomo