The Right Way To Pack A Suitcase: Carry-On Only With Compression Cubes
It has been going viral.
People on the internet bragging about “raw-dogging” flights. It's this notion where you sit at your seat with no entertainment and you watch the flight map. Okay, but it did get us thinking…
“Are people still raw-dogging packing?”
Just taking your clothes and plopping them right into a suitcase?
No no no. It’s 2024. Say goodbye to stressful packing. Say goodbye to disorganized luggage along with your dirty clothes. Hello, clean organized systems using compression packing cubes.
It's time to learn the right way to pack a suitcase.
Watch along as we pack our suitcase the right way.
The Only Packing Method You Need
Before we get into the right way to pack your suitcase, let’s look at reasons why you might currently be struggling to pack.
The typical challenges people face when packing:
Overpacking or Under Packing
Packing too much and having the feeling of overwhelm or reaching your destination and realizing that you have not packed appropriately.
Weight Restrictions
Being told to check your carry-on due to your bag being overweight.
Packing for Different Events or Activities
Struggling to fit everything you must bring for your plans while traveling.
Packing for Different Climates
Being able to fit bulkier items for colder climates or changes in weather during your travels.
Time Management
Becoming annoyed and sick of packing because it takes an entire day all while adhering to constantly changing TSA regulations.
Don’t get overwhelmed by these challenges! That’s why we’re here.
Before we dive into the right way to pack your suitcase, start by pulling all of your items with Tripped’s 3-Day Packing Method.
Go ahead and start there. We’ll wait.
The Right Way to Pack a Suitcase
We're going to be taking all of the clothes that we pulled in our 3-Day Packing System and packing them into a suitcase. You might not think that everything in front of you is going to go in a carry-on. Maybe that's because you've been raw-dogging your packing.
We're going to use a compression cube system set to get all of this into a carry-on.
Create a Capsule Wardrobe
If you haven’t already, START HERE with our 3-Day Packing System to pull everything you’ll need for the trip.
Now, lay everything out on your bed.
A. ORGANIZE YOUR ITEMS FROM INFORMAL TO FORMAL
The best way to do this is to lay out everything very intentionally on a bed or on the floor. We like to begin by laying out your items from left to right from informal to formal, or if your brain works the other way, great.
REMEMBER: Not everything is going to go in the suitcase. A few of these items are for the Travel Day so they’ll be on your body, not in the suitcase. But, they are going to go with you to your destination so include them in your layout process.
Here you can easily begin to pair items because your more casual pieces will go together and your more formal pieces with go together. You can quickly see that you can create multiple combinations of outfits with the items that you’ve pulled.
B. SEARCH FOR REDUNDANCIES
Something that happens frequently at this stage is noticing redundancies.
For example, in the items that we pulled in Part 1: The 3-Day Method, we have two white shirts in this capsule wardrobe. For us, these two white are different enough because one is an athletic crop top and the other is an oversized cotton blouse.
Although, this could be an opportunity where you’d say, “Oh, I want a pink shirt and I could replace one o f the white tops here.” Make sure the top that you swap will fit for the reason that you grabbed the white shirt it in the first place.
C. MAKE VERSATILE SWAPS
So, redundancies like the white T-shirts are a great way to avoid overpacking. And then a great way to avoid under packing is to notice what might be missing in your capsule wardrobe. In our example, we do not have a more formal trouser pant.
At this stage, you can swap out something for another article that's more versatile. For example, we pulled a pair of light wash jeans that are pretty informal. If we were set on jeans for the reason that we pulled these in the first place for our Everyday, a great swap would be a pair of jeans in black that can go from day to night for versatility.
Make clothing swaps based on the trip your are packing for:
A Hiking Trip In The Rockies
You might not need many formal clothes, if any at all! Maybe swap out one T-shirt for a nicer top that goes with hiking pants in case you go out for a celebratory dinner at the end of your trek.
A Weekend Trip To The City With Friends
Chances are, you won’t have many days of the trip that require ultra-casual clothing. Swap out the pair of uncomfortable booties for an elevated pair of sneakers that can go from Central Park to cocktails.
2. Pack In Compression Cubes
Starting with a backstory.
We are biased. We started our travel gear company out of our love of compression cubes after living a year out of a backpack.
A. HOW TO USE COMPRESSION CUBES
Our carry-on set is specifically designed to fit in a carry-on sized suitcase. In the carry-on set, there are six cubes: two larges, two smalls, a laundry bag and an accessory sleeve.
The best way to use any compression cube, is to make sure it is fully expanded. With the compression technology, there are two zippers: one that opens the cubes, and one that compresses.
When it's in expand mode, you put your clothes inside and after you put the clothes inside (we’ll touch on exactly how to do that in a bit), you’re going to zip the second zipper into compressed mode.
Pros of using compression cubes:
Organizition
Your items with be organized by type of clothing, type of activity, day-to-day, whatever works for you!
Traveling and Repacking
When you get to your destination, you're going to pull these out like little drawers and put them quickly away. If you're moving between hotels on a trip, it saves you a lot of time. At the end of the trip, easily pack them back into your carry-on
No Security Blunders
Some airports, especially internationally, still require you to unzip your luggage while going through security. Having your items in compression cubes means that Mike from TSA and everyone in line behind you isn’t looking at your… unmentionables.
B. ROLL VS FOLD YOUR ITEMS
The age old question: do you roll or fold your clothes when packing?
Our method? A little bit of both. No two items pack up the same way, so there’s no sense in making a rule on how to pack them up into your compression cubes.
Whether you choose to roll or fold depends on two key things: bulk and material.
Jeans and jackets are two items that we tend to fold because when rolled, they fill up too much space.
Materials like satin and cotton do best when rolled to help with wrinkling.
TIP: If you choose to fold your items, fold them to the exact width of your compression cubes for the best fit.
3. Organize Your Items In Compression Cubes
Like we mentioned above, there are many way to organize your items into compression cubes. You can organize by:
Type of activity
Type of item
Day-to-day
Whatever works for you, do it. For our example, we’ll show you our favorite way to pack compression cubes which is by different type of outfits which we pulled for during the 3-Day Packing Method.
A. YOUR ESSENTIAL DAY
We’re going to take everything that we pulled for our Essential Day and try to fit it into one large cube. This would include:
Casual shorts
A T-shirt
Sweater
Undergarments
A nice purse
A dress
Shoes to go with your dress
Undergarments for your dress
Jewelry
Sunnies
Phew! Now to organize these items, we would look and say “Ok, if I’m getting off the plane and need to grab one cube, what would be in it?” Pack those items into a compression cube together.
REMEMBER: Items like shoes will go into their own area, not in this compression cube, and fragile accessories like sunglasses will be in your personal item or purse.
B. YOUR EVERY DAY
In your next largest cube, is going to go your next largest category. Maybe on this trip, you’re planning to go on a lot of hikes, so hiking gear is part of your Every Day. This might include:
Hiking shorts
Tank top
Sports bra
Hiking socks
Hiking boots
A sun hat
Hiking pants
A thick flannel
A bathing suit
Boom. Zip. Done.
Everything you need for your Every Day is in one cube, ready for you at your destination.
C. YOUR WHAT IF ITEMS
In Part 1, you pulled What If items that helps you nix that feeling of “What if I need xyz”. We like to take those items that we pulled and put them into their own cube. This could include a rain coat, a few extra pairs of undies, a pair of flats.
Anything you need to feel abundance and not lack while packing.
D. YOUR “COZY CUBE”
We may have just coined this term. Your Cozy Cube is going to be everything you need to feel cozy in your hotel room or Airbnb. You show up, it's late, and you're jet lagged. You can reach for your Cozy Cube.
Like the previous cubes, you’ve already pulled for this cube. This would include your pajamas, a lounge set, anything you need to feel at home while away.
TIP: This is the best cube to have in your personal item for keeping on the plane with you if you need to change clothes, if you lose your luggage, all that kind of stuff.
4. Pack Up Your Suitcase
Like we mentioned before, our compression cubes are designed to fit into specific luggage types. We have our:
Each set of cubes meant to fit perfectly into the luggage of your choice.
For our example, we’re going to go carry-on only. Which… if you aren’t doing already… time to get on board.
A. CHOOSING YOUR LUGGAGE
The right luggage can make all of the difference when packing! We like a carry-on suitcase that offers the ability to expand. While every airline is different, we have noticed that even when these carry-ons are expanded, they still fit the size restrictions to be considered a carry-on.
Our favorites include:
The Open Story Signature Hardside Carry On (available at Target!)
B. FITTING YOUR COMPRESSION CUBES INTO YOUR LUGGAGE
Ok, it’s time to play a game of Tetris.
When packing your compression cubes into your luggage, remember that heavier items should always go at the bottom of your suitcase. If your luggage as two sides to pack in, always pack heavier items in the back of your suitcase. This will help you avoid tippy luggage.
Some other helpful tips when packing up your luggage:
Shoes do not need to be kept in pairs. Fitting a shoe into each corner of your suitcase will help them all fit.
Utilize the space in between cubes. Fill the area with shoes, belts, or even your toiletry set.
Your Suitcase Is Packed
By using compression cubes for packing your suitcase, you should notice that you can fit wayyy more into your luggage than packing without compression cubes.
No more raw-dogging packing should be your biggest take away.
Before you leave for your trip, be sure to check weight restrictions on any of your flights to be sure you’re still within your weight allowance now that you can pack that much more.
Did you find Part 2 before completing Part 1?
Download our FREE 3-Day Packing Method below to be prepared to pack.