Packing formal wear for air travel?

[Shockey86]

We are flying to Orlando for our cruise Jan. 11th. I don't want to rent a tuxedo on board for our formal night, but would rather bring my own black suit/dress shirt/tie.

 

What is the best way to bring it? I assume packing it in a garment bag and checking it with your luggage? (I don't do much flying) If so, does the suit usually remain OK or does it come out full of wrinkles from being stowed away?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but any response would be appreciated.

[orenaeo]

Have your item pressed by the dry cleaner prior to your trip. Keep all garments in the plastic cleaner bags and pack your clothes in the garment bag. The dry cleaner bags help keep the clothes from wrinkling. Also, purchase a travel container of Downey Wrinkle Release. This will also help if there are any folds or wrinkles when you take it out of your luggage.

[on board]

We pack all of our clothes that need to be hung on a hanger in the garment bag. WE pressed everything before we left and most came out just fine. My lacy Cotton tops were the only things that needed some work. Be sure to take everything out ASAP and hang them up. You can also place them in the bathroom while you shower and this will get the wrinkles out. Just make sure the have plenty of time to dry before you need them.

[megabill]

The suitcase i use has a garment "area" that folds up. As other posters suggested i keep my suit in the plastic cover from the Dry Cleaners and that does help a bit. Since i'd rather not send a suit to the laudry faciility onboard just to get a few wrinkles out - i usually just hang the suit on the line in the bathroom and let the bathroom steam up... the wrinkles usually come right now.

 

Probably the same effect as the Downey wrinkle release - but i've never used that so i can't say.

[hajekfam]

We are flying to Orlando for our cruise Jan. 11th. I don't want to rent a tuxedo on board for our formal night, but would rather bring my own black suit/dress shirt/tie.

 

What is the best way to bring it? I assume packing it in a garment bag and checking it with your luggage? (I don't do much flying) If so, does the suit usually remain OK or does it come out full of wrinkles from being stowed away?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but any response would be appreciated.

Would this be the only thing in the garment bag?

What kind of garment bag is it?

If it is soft and doesn't stand up on its own, I would not use as checked luggage as you might have a wrinkled mess on your hands. Baggage handlers might not make sure your bag is nice and flat - it could end up as a crumpled lump on the plane.

We normally use a rolling garment bag that stands up alone. If I do use a soft one, we pack it so full that it does stand up and not dissolve into a puddle on the floor.

We have also used the suiter in our regular luggage.

In all cases, we have used dry cleaner bags on each hanging item and have not had a problem with wrinkles - provided it is only packed for a day or two. It seems the dry cleaner bags allow the garments to shift ever so slightly and also provide a small cusion of air so that they don't wrinkle.

[linanbob]

We are flying to Orlando for our cruise Jan. 11th. I don't want to rent a tuxedo on board for our formal night, but would rather bring my own black suit/dress shirt/tie.

 

What is the best way to bring it? I assume packing it in a garment bag and checking it with your luggage? (I don't do much flying) If so, does the suit usually remain OK or does it come out full of wrinkles from being stowed away?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but any response would be appreciated.

Baggage is not well-handled by airline employees and machines anymore. For checked bags, I use hardside cases exclusively.

 

Poke around with your friendly search engine and you'll find several methods to pack suits. Most involve turning the jacket inside out. I haven't always done that and my jackets have come out OK either way. (But I have decent quality wool or silk jackets that tend not to hold wrinkles.) Unpack them promptly, put them on a proper hanger, and a few minutes in a steamy bathroom usually does the trick.