When I pack I have two goals:
1. Bring ONLY what I need
2. Be as efficient as possible when packing it
This can be extremely difficult when you’re planning for an exciting trip. All of a sudden you think you need that bronzer that you haven’t used in 4 months. For the longest time I was the kind of person that would rather bring it and not need it than need it and not be prepared. Ridiculous, I know. But in the last few years, I’ve become a much more efficient traveller.
When packing my tops, I’ve struggled in the past trying to find a way to store them that utilized the least amount of space and didn’t wrinkle my clothes. Folding took up too much room and caused them to wrinkle whereas rolling the clothes was space efficient but always came undone and wrinkled them anyway. So when I discovered Eagle Creek’s Packing collection, I was obsessed. The Pack-It Folder (pictured above) keeps all of my tops neatly organized and doesn’t result in wrinkles!
Here’s how it works:
When you first buy the Pack-It Folder, you are given the option to select a size. Since I always pack a lot of clothes, I bought the biggest one (I think I bought the XL one). Each folder comes with a plastic rectangle that is supposed to be used as a guide to fold your shirts so they fit perfectly within the folder. My shirts are very small so two piles fit perfectly side-to-side within the folder. To make sure each pile is even, I alternate the directions of each shirt.
Tip: To keep my clothes smelling fresh, I like to place a dryer sheet on top and below the piles of shirts. Afterwards, I place the plastic folding guide on top. This will serve as a shape protector for your clothes.
Then you wrap the sides up and you’re done!
Trust me, you’re life will never be the same after these.
For all my other clothes, I used Eagle Creek’s Packing Cubes. These are perfect for storing your jackets, pants, socks, or underwear! You can buy them individually but I just bought the pack of 3 sizes that range from small, medium, and large.
I used the large cube to pack my bottoms and jackets by rolling them and lay them side-by-side. These containers are extremely light weight and can fit almost perfectly in every sized suit case.
For shoes, I tried to only pack what I needed. Some booties for walking around town, sneakers for hikes, and my favorite rain boots. Cutting back on the amount of shoes you need is an awesome way to save space in your suitcase.
Due to the prevalence of rain in Ireland, I also decided to pack my Kate Spade duck head umbrella. The size is great for traveling and it’s also absolutely adorable!
