How to Properly Pack a Suit for Business Travel

When travelling on business, it is imperative that you know how to pack and travel with your suits. Anytime you are out of town on business, you are simultaneously representing both you and your company. First impressions, as they say, are everything; at the heart of first impressions are appearances, and like Hyacinth Bucket in the 1990s British sitcom, it is important that you keep those up too. A clean, pressed and unwrinkled suit is a small but significant step in projecting the image and impression you want your colleagues to have of you. Travelling with one or multiple suits can however present a challenge when it comes time to packing them. Here are a few tips to keep in mind the next time you go to pack your suits for wrinkle-free travel.

Pack Your Business Suit Like a Pro

Clean and Pressed

First, be sure that your suits are clean and have been pressed prior to packing. If these two conditions aren’t met, there isn’t much sense in worrying about wrinkles. If the lapel still has a tequila stain from last Friday’s office mixer, or the pants have a long crease from not having been folded on their hanger properly, you are just beating a dead horse.

Fold Carefully

When folding the jacket, begin with it face-down and fold back both shoulders, ensuring that the sleeves are straight and wrinkle-free down the length of the jacket. Before continuing, you can actually lay the folded pants on top of the jacket in its current position, and then fold over the other half of the jacket so that the pants are now fully covered by the jacket on both sides. The suit will now be in the shape of a square. Turn it over and ensure that the lapels are straight and crease-free.

Last Minute Tips

A good tip before packing your suit is to insert it into a large plastic or Ziploc bag. This is to keep it clean and separated from the other items in your suitcase. But be sure to keep some air inside the bag before you seal it. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the air inside the bag will actually keep the suit from incurring wrinkles. The air will provide a buffer between the suit and surrounding items. This will ensure that the pressure of those items against the suit will not cause it to wrinkle.

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