Nathan Hale's List: How to Pack a Mens Suit

• Press and Prepare

     
  •   Have your suit pressed at the dry cleaner prior to traveling, and when you get it home, slip the hanger out but keep the plastic intact. Grab two bath and two hand towels. 
     

  Ready to Roll?

     
  •   Fold your suit jacket in half vertically, then neatly fold and tuck the arms. Roll up a bath towel that is folded in half lengthwise and roll the jacket over the towel. The combination of the towel and the plastic will create an air cushion that will prevent most wrinkles. Lay the slacks flat on the bed with the crease intact, then again roll up a hand towel that is folded in half lengthwise. Beginning at the hem of the pants, roll them over the towel. You may repeat this process with shirts, too, or keep them in the paper folds from the dry cleaner. 
     

  Pack

     
  •   Pack shoes and toiletries, as well as jeans, T-shirts and underwear in the bottom of your carry-on luggage, then fold your remaining bath towel in half and place it over these packed items. Place the rolled items in your suitcase, zip it up and go. Your suit may arrive looking even better than you do.

• Pack it in the dry cleaners plastic on a hangar. Very seriously. I do this with four or five shirts as well in one plastic bag. even on long trips, they come out the the suitcase looking like new.
• I have two techniques: 1. Reverse one shoulder and insert the other inside it so that the inside of the jacket is turned out; shake to let the sleeves fall without wrinkles, fold in half. 2. Lay the jacket down, pull the front with the buttons across inside and the front with buttonholes across in the other direction on top, so that you have three layers, reducing the width of the jacket.  Drape the sleeves on top so that no wrinkles occur; pick the jacket up at the sides, so that the collar and bottom hand down, and lay it in the bag.  Fold the trousers with the minimum number of folds across the legs to fit it in the bag.  No. 1 will give you a smaller package and may wrinkle the sleeves more, which depends on the type of material.  Obviously, the suit should not be crushed in the bag, but it should be secured so that it remains flat as folded when the bag is picked up.  If it does get wrinkled, an old trick is to hang the suit in the bathroom with the hot shower on, so that the warm moist air can steam it.

• Packing a dress coat

   

  If you’re traveling on business or headed out to be the best man at your bud’s wedding, you’re probably going to pack a suit. We’ve shown you how you can fold your pants in order to reduce creases, but what about your jacket? Many large suitcases have a small rack so you can hang jackets. But if you’re just bringing a carry-on you may not have this option. Here’s a nifty method, lifted from a 1953 men’s wardrobe guide, on how to fold a dress or sport coat while keeping wrinkles to a minimum.

   

  1. Spread the coat out on a flat surface. Make certain collar is turned up, that sleeves are straight and laid out smoothly, free of wrinkles.

   

  

   

  2. Turn sleeves up so that lower portion is about even with armhole when folded. Keep all parts smooth and free of wrinkles

   

  

   

  3. Fold front side parts of coat over sleeves so that edges meet a rear center seam. Smooth out wrinkles.

   

  

   

  4. To pack in wide container: Double up over sleeves to top of collar. Pick up each side of garment and lay coat smoothly into bag.

   

  

   

  5. To pack in duffle bag or narrow container: Smooth out wrinkles, fold left side over right side, then bottom to top, and lay flat in bag.

   
• You forgot the most manly way to fold/pack a jacket:
   Starting point: Wearing the jacket
   Then slip out one arm.
   Swing the jacket around your back to the front (with the other arm still in the sleeve).
   Then slip with ‘other arm’ – then one which is still in one sleeve, into the free armsleeve too.
   Then fold it once
   -> Is is folded by 1/4
   -> It cannot wrinkle
• Just leave the suit on the hanger and bring it in a garment bag. I always bring this in addition to my carry-on and have never been forced to check it or charged more by an airline. (Maybe they consider the garment bag your “personal item.” I don’t know.) Then, as you step onto the plane and the stewardess greets you, just politely ask if you can hang your garment bag in the stewardess’ closet in the front of the plane. Usually, once they see you with a garment bag, they will offer to do this so you won’t even have to ask. Don’t feel bad about this either. The closets are almost always nearly empty. Now instead of worrying about your suit wrinkling in the overhead compartment as you fly, you can know that it is getting no more wrinkled than it would in your closet at home. Just don’t forget to retrieve it when you get off the plane.

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