How To Pack A Suit By Rolling

I saw this video on You Tube, tried it, and it works. I knew I had to share it with everyone. (Ignore the wheeled case……)

Comments

[DannH]

I seem to recall that Brad had something very much like this on OBOW a couple of years ago.

[Frank@OBOW]

Are you thinking of our one and only video on youtube. It's close, but different.

http://www.youtube.com/user/1bag1world

[Paula S]

I'm thinking, this could be done with shirts too, right?

[Frank@OBOW]

Absolutely.

What I do is roll everything and then put it in a packing cube. Roll shirts starting from the bottom, not from the collar.

Occasionally, I'll still fold dress shirts and pants and use a packing folder or cube. Just for variety.

YMMV.

[Jackson Bavis]

(Ignore the wheeled case……). Typical OB-OW elitist comment. This is not One Bag, One World Without Wheels is it? I really enjoy this site and the advice...but always these subtle put downs of people who use wheels. After a three plane, 22 hour trip, from Milan to Chicago, with two missed flights (airline problems), two delays and three gate changes to different buildings I realized the fallacy of carrying your bag. My little wife with her wheeled carry on was relaxed and not aching and me (big guy) carrying my bag throughout airports with a sore shoulder and back (and my bag weighed only about 14 pounds after my two weeks in Italy). Am I missing something here on this site? Or are you guys missing something? Look at professional travelers, business people and the like and airline people. The vast majority of them use wheels. Wheels = labor saving device. No wheels = primitive. Come on you guys. Give it up. Wheels are better. (Yes even on those cobblestone streets which we are so afraid of.)

[Frank@OBOW]

This site is about the promotion of lightweight, non-wheeled travel. It always has been from the day it was started over four years ago.

There are plenty of sites, the vast majority of which, talk about wheeled bags. In fact, they never talk about non-wheeled bags.

We're different. We promote a certain type of travel. Just because others do something else, doesn't mean we have to conform. Would you ask Rick Steves to stop only discussing European travel and start talking about South America because that area's popularity is increasing?

I've become lenient and allowed discussion of wheeled bags under 6 lbs although
I now regret it because it's opened up a can of worms where some only want to talk about their wheeled bags.

No, we're not elitist. We're a group of people who prefer to travel a certain way. And this is a niche website that caters to that group of people.

If you prefer using wheels, that is definitely your right to do so. No one is going to stop you. But this site will not change. (BTW, many of the tips given can be used in wheeled bags just as easily as in non-wheeled bags.)

[Jackson]

Frank,
Non-wheeled travel? Is that simply stated on the home page? Is it implied on the home page? Maybe if there is continued confusion on the site content and in the comments it is a site problem.
Interesting you bring up Rick Steves maybe the contemporary father of One Bag travel, because he concedes that he will eventually have to used a wheeled bag (check youtube or his site).
Frank would you stop discussion on wheeled bags just because most people use wheeled bags and you don't like it? From your comment above you just might.
Obviously Frank it is your site, you chose what is said and how it is said. I think we call this censorship. Clarify the home page Frank.

[Paula S]

Wow I really never really notice that about the home page.
Maybe that is a problem.
Frank, you don't really censor things do you?

[Frank@OBOW]

First, the only thing that is censored off the forum is spam advertising, improper language, and rude behavior. (The same as you find on Rick Steves' board. I know his webmaster.)

As for the ideas of what this site is about, I suggest you go to the top and read the section marked "intro."

We have had discussions on wheeled bags before, even non-carry on sized bags. That's part of the forum. People are free to discuss what they please as long as it's non-commercial and civilized.(Civilized being non-name calling, disparaging remarks or direct threats. Discussions of differing ideas is not necessarily uncivilized.)

And just like on Mr. Steves board where there have been non-European discussions--even though the written rules state that only European travel be discussed--we're not going to automatically censor off topic postings. (Occasionally, their webmaster takes them down but no one seems to yell at him about censorship.)

However, the non-forum parts of this website will be about lightweight travel and the use of non-wheeled bags. There are a large group of people who are interested in travel that way and I want to provide a place for them to ask questions and share ideas. (I see the traffic statistics to this site.)

My goal is not to conform to one or two people who don't like what I'm doing. My goal is to offer an alternative to everything else.


And just for the record, Mr. Steves says in a video that someday he may have to use wheeled luggage but until thin he'll stick with his convertible cary-on. He also states, when talking about his own convertible bag, that there is an expansion feature that makes the bag too big to carry-on. His response, "don't let me find out."

Someday, I may have to switch back to a wheeled bag. Until then, I'll stick with my convertible carry-on.

While I plan to stick to "light" travel when I discuss bags and accessories, I plan to expand the blog to other general travel topics such as trip reports, travel news, etc. Those items could pertain to all types of travelers.

Please also see the posting "Website Confustion" to explain it all. (Even I started confusing the two things at one point with some of my responses.)

[Carrie]

'Someday' sometimes comes earlier than you expect. I am in my 30s and with shoulder and neck problems I've realized it's probably always wheels from here on out. I have two of those sub-6 wheelies in different sizes and otherwise travel in the same way that I imagine everyone else here does. I really hope that us wheelies aren't ever pushed out of here, and I agree that sometimes I don't like the tone when they're mentioned. My neck clicks almost every time I turn my head. Do you really think I should be using a shoulder bag?

[Frank@OBOW]

Carrie...there a few things I constantly say and you can see them throughout the website:

1) What we choose to use to travel with is completely up to the individual. Wheels, no wheels, carry-on size, steamer trunks. It doesn't matter. It's your choice. I, do however, believe that people who come to this website want to learn about light travel so I doubt we'll see much discussion on steamer trunks.

2) Never have I directly told anyone what they are doing is wrong. I respect the way everyone travels. And unless a poster asks for help or opinion, they won't hear anything negative.

I admit I sometimes make a joke about wheeled bags. Just as other websites make jokes about those of us who don't use wheels. It's all in fun.

Every person must decide what is right for them. While I prefer to discuss only non-wheeled bags, that is just a small part of what this website is about. More time and space is dedicated to tips on how to travel lighter (which can be used in all types of bags,), travel news, gear reviews and even travel stories.

"Someday" for me might be closer than I wish. I have a very bad shoulder. I've been able to alleviate some of the pain by using an Absolute Strap and carrying my bag messenger style when not using the backpack straps.

People who use wheeled bags will always be welcome. They have as much to offer in helping others become light travelers as anyone else. And I hope they do share their tips. That's what the Reader Forum is for.

But for now, the BLOG area is still a wheel free zone. Or at least free of wheeled bags weighing more than 6 lbs.

BTW....I get a lot of people who come to the website and instead of posting they send me a private message. Some ask for suggestions on what bag to get. You may be surprised to learn that in a few instances, I've actually suggested wheeled bags.

[Paula S]

I've just noticed another Paula S posting on here, to avoid confusion I will sign off as Paula - Bag Lass in future. (I was starting to think I was posting in my sleep when I saw the same name) LOL!

The thing with wheelies (I own two), they weigh heavy empty (heavy to me is over 4 - 5lbs, I even blanch at 3.5lbs). Yes they are useful in certain circumstances (which my approaching dotage is beginning to prove >sigh<), but I have yet to find one that actually is lightweight, light enough to be comfortable to carry using a shoulder strap, for those travel moments where I am walking on cobblestones, ascending and descending lots of stairs and running for the departure gate or soon-to-be-departing train or bus.
I am always looking at wheeled bag weights, which led me to thinking.....if James Dyson can invent a ball rolled vacuum cleaner, perhaps he could conjure up my perfect-sized, convertible wheelie bag that weighs empty in less than 3.5 - 4lbs. Just a fantasy on my part......about the bag, not James Dyson!

[Carrie]

Glad to hear it, Frank. I'd like to see us all get to the point where wheels aren't such a loaded topic. There are pros and cons to both no wheels and wheels and maybe the more productive thing for us all to share is how it feels when you realize a bag is *right for YOU*, because I think many of us have found that with our bags, regardless of their mode of locomotion, and that can help other travelers coming here for advice.

Maybe it should be more about developing a list of criteria by which all bags can be judged -- how easy is it to lift when packed into an overhead bin? how comfortable are you in going long distances with it? how do you get it up and down stairs? how would you move with it over cobblestones? do you have any back, neck, or shoulder issues? hand or elbow issues? what would you do with it while waiting in line? what would you do with it on public transit? how often do you expect to check it?

Different bags can come out ahead for different people when answering those questions. But maybe if we can get away from making it just about wheels vs. no wheels we can help more newbies make educated decisions that help them find the best bags for them.

And I agree that there is a lot to learn here and should be a lot more to the discussion than just bag type.

[Esther]

Jackson, I used to think like you, but then a turning point came.
In 2007 or so, my friend and I were flying back to DFW and we were at the London Heathrow ticket counter. The flight was full and BA was weighing everyone's bags. My friend's wheeled bag was too heavy and she was forced to check it in; meanwhile, my shoulder bag was allowed on. The difference in weight was such that I know it was the wheels that pushed her over. The main lesson I received was that wheeled bags will always be heavier than a wheel-less bag.
It's not enough to one bag. I've learned that you have to pack light as well. I have found that it's a lot easier to carry a bag that's 13lbs or less. Striving for less than 13lbs is not only less of a strain, it also means you can take the low cost carriers, like Virgin. Lani Teshima has a blog post about packing 13lbs for her trip to europe on virgin.
Learning to pack light is also not an expensive proposition either. Both the OPEC and goodhope bags are about 2 lbs and cost $30-$40.
If you decide to continue carrying your bag, I hope you'll try to move to lightweight packing. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.