How to Pack a Perfect Suitcase

Baggage restrictions on airlines keep getting stricter—and pricier—and shoving a suit jacket in your laptop case just isn’t going to cut it. Read on for expert tips on how to pack, perfectly.

1. Pack light. The lighter the better, and, if you can, it’s best to pack nothing but a carry-on. “You absolutely should not check a bag. It adds time at both ends and decreases your flexibility to standby for flights,” says Andy Dunn, co-founder and CEO of Bonobos, an online men’s apparel e-tailer. “Not checking a bag forces you to make good decisions about what you’re bringing.”
2. Pack right. If you can’t quite bring yourself not to check a bag just yet, make sure you pack it the right way. Make sure everything is packed in the appropriate place. “I use a suitcase that has a waterproof compartment area for my shampoo, conditioner and lotion,” says Lindsey Carnett, CEO of Marketing Maven Public Relations. She also recommends packing in a specific order. “The last clothes I’m going to wear, I put at the bottom.” Items she’ll use frequently, or ones that are delicate, are packed last, towards the top. In her carry-on bag, she keeps her laptop, a notepad, a neck pillow, a memory stick for presentations, a phone charger, and her files, ordered by when she’ll need them.
3. Plan ahead. Pack things that you can wear in different ways, suggests Dunn, and find a place to do laundry when you’re there. He usually packs a navy sweater, three pairs of pants, (one casual, one dressy, and one pair of jeans), and a casual blazer that he wears on the plane.

In general, the more options you give yourself when you pack, the better—just be sure to give yourself those options before your trip. “You need to take away the idea that you’re going to decide what you’re going to wear when you get there,” Dunn says. And whatever you bring on the plane, make sure it’s small enough to fit overhead. The rules of spatial reasoning aren’t going to change just because your plane’s about to take off. If there’s no room, check it.