How To Pack A Suitcase, According To A Seasoned Traveler

Learning how to pack a suitcase can make future trips seamless and stress-free. With plenty of helpful packing methods out there, it’s easy to maximize the limited space of your suitcase so that you can bring as much as possible, depending on your itinerary. The best way to pack a suitcase depends on the length of your trip and other factors, such as the season you’re traveling in and your travel style.

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For cruises or a one-hotel trip where you won’t be changing accommodations often, you will only need to think about packing and repacking once. However, if you plan on changing hotels and cities often, you will be packing, unpacking and lugging your suitcase around throughout your trip, meaning you’ll need to have a plan in place. No matter your itinerary, we’ve outlined the best strategies to help you pack more strategically, as well as some essential items to make packing as easy as possible.

What You Will Need To Pack A Suitcase:

Best Suitcase: Away The Bigger Carry-On
Best Packing Cubes: Bagsmart Keep Shape Packing Cubes, Eagle Creek Pack-It Tube, JJ Power Travel Shoe Bag
Best Toiletry Kit: Travelon Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit
Best Tech Kit: ProCase Electronic Organizer
Best Cosmetics Bag: Eachy Cosmetic Bag
Best Jewelry Case: Bagsmart Travel Jewelry Organizer Case

Step 1: Consider The Type of Travel

Before you even open your suitcase, you should think about the kind of trip you’re going on and how much space essential items will take up. If you’re packing for a ski trip, you will need to bring heavier, snow-proof gear—but you can re-wear most of it. On a beach trip, your summer outfits will take up less space, but you will need more of them as you lather on sunscreen and deal with sand and sweat.

Whether you’re flying domestically or internationally also plays a role in how you pack. On a domestic trip, familiar products are easier to find and you don’t need to worry about packing adaptors to charge your electronics. When you’re flying internationally, there may be some necessities that will be difficult or impossible to find abroad.

Step 2: Decide On The Number of Items

After you’ve considered the essentials for the style of your trip, think about how long your trip will be. Short trips can be the easiest to pack for because you can get away with squeezing in a little bit more than you need, while longer trips of two weeks or more are not so bad if you count on doing laundry somewhere along the way. I’ve found that I’m more likely to overpack on a week-long trip when I don’t think I will have a chance to do laundry and want to be prepared for a few different weather scenarios.

Start with this basic breakdown of how many of each item you should aim to pack depending on how long you’ll be traveling for—with optional items included if you’re traveling somewhere you expect to swim. If you plan on hitting the hotel gym or going for a jog or a bike ride, you should also bring along one outfit for working out and a pair of sneakers.

Weekend Trip

For a weekend trip, you really only need three outfits, or four if it’s a three-day weekend. This includes one nice outfit for going out to dinner, but it does not include what you’ll wear on the way to your destination.

2-3 tops
1-2 bottoms
1 dress (optional)
1 pajama set
1 swimsuit (optional)
3 pairs of socks
3 pairs of underwear
1 pair of comfortable shoes
1 pair of “going-out” shoes (optional)
Toiletry bag with essentials (toothpaste, sunscreen, makeup, etc.)
Chargers and electronics

7-Day Trip

On a seven-day trip, you will need to pack clothes that can easily be mixed and matched, while prioritizing items that you can use multiple times, like jackets, jeans and sweaters that can handle multiple wears between washes. Always pack extra underwear and socks on a longer trip, especially if you’re doing a lot of physical activity.

5-7 tops
2-3 bottoms
1-2 dresses (optional)
1 pajama set
1-2 swimsuits (optional)
8 pairs of socks
8 pairs of underwear
1 pair of comfortable close-toed walking shoes
1 pair of “going-out” shoes (optional)
1 pair of sandals or flip-flops (optional)
Toiletry bag with essentials (toothpaste, sunscreen, makeup, etc.)
Chargers and electronics

Two-Week Trip Or Longer

If you’re traveling for two weeks or longer, you should plan to do laundry at some point during your trip so you can pack less and have a fresh start somewhere in the middle of your travels. However, things don’t always go according to plan, so you should still pack more than one week’s worth of clothes just in case.

7-10 tops
3-4 bottoms
2-3 dresses (optional)
1 pajama set
1-2 swimsuits (optional)
8-14 pairs of socks
8-14 pairs of underwear
1 pair of comfortable close-toed walking shoes
1 pair of “going-out” shoes (optional)
1 pair of sandals or flip-flops (optional)
Toiletry bag with essentials (toothpaste, sunscreen, makeup, etc.)
Chargers and electronics

Step 3: Choose The Packing Methods And Products To Help You Pack

Toiletries

If you are flying carry-on only, all of your liquids must be in containers no larger than 3.4 ounces and fit in a clear quart-sized bag. If you check your luggage you can bring toiletries that go over this size limit, but you should still pack, wrap and secure them tightly in plastic bags so that if they they leak during transit, the rest of your items will not be ruined.

To keep your toiletries organized throughout your trip, you’ll need a hanging bag like the Travelon Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit. This particular bag is a great choice as it allows you to see everything laid out just how you left it and it’s quick to pack up. However, if you need more space for a large makeup collection, check out the super spacious and customizable Eachy Cosmetic Bag.

Dress Shirts

To minimize wrinkles in your best shirts, use the narrow fold method. Button up the shirt and lie it flat with the buttons facing down. Fold the sleeves across the back of the shirt and then up at a 90-degree angle until the cuffs line up with the collar. Fold the sides to overlap on top of the sleeves, and fold the fest of the shirt up from the bottom until you have a neat square package. You may still have to iron out the folds when you arrive.

Shoes

To protect your shoes while traveling, pack them in a separate waterproof bag and fill any empty space with socks or other small soft items that will give them extra protection and help them keep their shape. You can use a plastic bag if you’re in a pinch, but these waterproof shoe bags are specifically designed to hold their shape and have an extra pocket to fit a pair of flip flops.

Packing Cubes

These essential travel tools make a world of difference when it comes to keeping your suitcase organized, but most people use them wrong. Your first instinct might tell you to put pants with pants and shirts with shirts, but the most effective way I’ve found to use packing cubes—especially on a trip with multiple transfers— is to group clothing by activity.

Keep your day-to-day sightseeing clothes in a separate cube from your going-out-for-dinner clothes or beach-gear cube. When it’s time to get dressed, you’ll have your outfit pre-planned and I also find that it’s also a good way to store accessories. For example, I always bring my favorite microfiber beach towel with me, so I keep this in a separate cube with my swimsuits, a beach dress and a sun hat. When I’m not looking for my beach clothes, it doesn’t get in the way and it doesn’t get lost.

I prefer cubes with some shape, like these BagSmart packing cubes, but I also like to mix it up. I’ve found that the Eagle Creek Pack-It Tube is the best shape for storing my rolled socks and underwear, which I always keep in my carry-on in case my luggage gets lost.

Jewelry

If you love to accessorize, you’ll need a system to prevent your favorite jewelry from getting left behind in random hotel rooms. Instead of bringing along a hard-sided jewelry box which could tangle your necklaces as they get jostled around, try a folding jewelry organizer like this case from BagSmart, available in three sizes.

Electronics

In addition to a good case for your laptop or tablet, you should also have a separate organizer case for all your wires, chargers, portable batteries, and hard drives. If you’re bringing a lot of electronics, protect them with a hard-sided case like this ProCase Electronic Organizer, which has multiple compartments and partitions to keep your gear tangle-free.

Is It Better To Roll Or Fold Clothes In A Suitcase?

If your goal is to fit as much as possible into your suitcase, rolling is the way to go. However, if you need your clothes ready to go as soon as you land and won’t have time for ironing, folding is preferable. The best strategy is to do a bit of both, rolling items like underwear and pajamas, but folding nice shirts and dresses.

What Is The 5 4 3 2 1 Packing Method?

The 5 4 3 2 1 packing method maximizes potential outfit combinations so you can express your personal style. It works by assigning a number to each category of clothing: 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 shoes, 2 dresses, and 1 bag. It’s a good jumping-off point, but you may need to adjust the numbers for longer or shorter trips.

Why Trust Forbes Vetted

From meticulously testing and reviewing the best luggage to bring with you to the airport to the best packing cubes to keep you organized, we at Forbes Vetted have dedicated ourselves to helping make travel easy. When it came time to put together a guide to packing a suitcase, we applied the same unyielding commitment to ensure that our readers have everything they need on hand to pack for their trips stress-free.

To break down how to pack a suitcase, we tapped the expertise of freelance travel writer Jamie Ditaranto. Along with contributing to Forbes Vetted, Ditaranto has spent the last eight years writing travel content for Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic and more. She has lived in Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Brazil and has visited all seven continents. As someone who is always packing for a trip, Ditaranto put her first-hand expertise as a frequent packer to the test for this story.