Best Ways To Pack Carry-On Luggage

You’ve picked out all your clothes, gathered toiletries and other essentials….now it’s time to put everything inside your carry-on. By using a carry-on, you can skip long waits for luggage and save money by avoiding bag check fees. We’ve rounded up the best ways to pack your carry-on like a pro, so you fit everything inside your carry-on luggage.

Best Way To Pack Clothing In Your Carry-On

Let’s settle the debate once and for all. If you’re serious about maximizing space in your carry-on, roll your clothes. This takes up less room than folding. Set aside what you’ll wear on the plane—pro tip: layer to stay warm and reduce the items you’re storing in your luggage—and roll everything else, just like you’re rolling a burrito. Then place the bulky items on the sides of your luggage, and fill the space in the middle with smaller items. Unsure what items to take? Check out what to pack in your carry-on post.

If you don’t want to roll items—say, you’re heading to a wedding and can’t roll that suit or dress—then fold the items neatly. Keep the fancy dress stored in dry cleaner’s plastic as this will minimize the change of wrinkles while the items are pressed in your luggage. Once you get to your hotel, check your outfit and hang it in the closet. Don’t wait until the day of the event, when you might not have time to get out any wrinkles with an iron!

Compression bags can help you fit more in your luggage so buy a set of these if you’re always tight on space. To fit even more clothes in your carry-on luggage, take socks, bathing suits, and other small items and put them inside your shoes. Then bag your shoes and place them on the bottom of the bag. Keep accessories in plastic bags, pill bottles, mint tins, or other small containers.

Put your toiletries and beauty products in a clear quart-sized plastic bag. Don’t forget the TSA liquids guidelines, which limit liquids to 3.4 ounces or 100 mL.

Best Way To Pack Tech In Your Carry-On

When you’re living for the ‘grams, travel can mean taking along a lot of tech that helps you get the best travel photos. As with anything expensive, carry-on luggage is your best bet since so many checked bags go missing. So whether it’s a miniature tripod, tablet, or laptop, how can you get all your gear in your carry on? If you unsure your bag will meet size requirements, check out our airline carry-on size guide.

First, make sure you really need everything you’re planning to bring. A laptop makes sense for business travel or travel blogging, but if you’re having a girls weekend at the beach? You won’t miss it.

As you’re surveying your gear, make sure you’ve got all your chargers and extra batteries. These can be pricey to buy on a trip. If you’re going overseas, make sure you have a travel adapter (choose a multipurpose one to save space). Use a sunglasses case or packing cubes to keep your chargers and other small items from getting lost in the bag. Place anything you want easy access to, like headphones, in the outside pockets of your carry-on luggage.

Liquids are the enemy of tech, so always place any liquids in a sealed plastic bag. If you take a reusable water bottle, make sure it seals properly to avoid any disastrous spills!

TSA will want to see your laptop, so if you’re taking one, put it somewhere accessible. Otherwise, you’ll have to pull everything out of your bag, holding up the line. Pad the bottom and sides of your bag with clothes, then put your tech gear in the middle. By layering the things you won’t need until your destination at the bottom and your in-flight Netflix entertainment gear toward the top, you’ll get everything in neatly.