wrinkle free packing

A few readers have asked me about the lack of cool things lately. Laziness accounts for much of the inactivity, but things have been very busy at work and my blogging time has been reduced by planning a trip to Italy. Fortunately, this last endeavor has resulted in new discoveries, like today’s secret for wrinkle-free packing: Pack-It Folders from Eagle Creek.

Stuart is getting married in Lake Como, so that means beautiful vistas, Northern Italian cuisine and the need to pack dress shirts. For suits and shirts, I used to use a garment bag. Unfortunately, it can create unpredictable, deep wrinkles and, more damning for this trip, it lacks wheels.

The 21” and 24” bags that are now travel-standard solve the wheel problem but not the need for ironing on arrival. Enter an ingenious solution from Eagle Creek.

The Pack-It Folder is a giant envelope for your clothing. In the 15” size, the base is 15” x 10” and re-enforced with a plastic board. As part of the kit there is a second plastic board for folding clothes that creates perfect folds in shirts and pants. To use Pack-Its, simply stack your clothes up, place the folding board on top for extra support, and then pull the 4 Velcro-covered sides over the top to create a tidy and sturdy bundle.

You can see the 7 long sleeve shirts, 3 pants and 5 short sleeve shirts I wanted to bring on my trip. Notice the same clothes, compacted in 2 15x10x6 stacks. Finally, the same stacks in a rolling case with plenty of room left over for t-shirts, socks, shoes, etc.

Eagle Creek also makes an 18” size that is good for pants and even more items but, after arrivng it Italy and seeing the results of my efforts, I couldn’t be happier with the 15”. An added bonus for the 15: if you asked for your shirts boxed from the dry cleaner they will come folded 15x10. Pack-It Folders are available from REI and other fine retailers.