Once you know what you want to take along, it’s time to shove—er, fit—it all in.
“Time and again, packing cubes beat out every other method for maximizing your packing space,” says senior staff writer Kit Dillon, Wirecutter’s luggage and packing expert. (I’m not sure if I can trust him, though—he also suggests not overpacking.)
Kit recommends rolling your lightest and softest stuff (tees, undies) and folding bulkier items (jeans, dresses). I take a similar tack by both rolling clothes and using Marie Kondo’s classic folding techniques.
Top pick
Simple and solidly constructed, this three-cube set keeps your stuff compressed and your bag organized.
Many overpackers rave about compression sacks, which can shrink your stuff down to about a third of the original size. This is a great way to pack items you don’t mind getting a little wrinkled (your underwear, perhaps). But I think it really shines as a laundry bag.
Staff pick
This 13-liter compression stuff sack can shrink to a third of its original size, squishing down a few days’ worth of apparel to maximize packing space.
If you want to kick it up a notch, you have an even more dramatic way to save space: compression storage bags, which are classically used for moving or for seasonal storage. Even the roll-up kind (read: no vacuum required) can still decrease an item’s size by 50%. I wouldn’t recommend these for a trip where you’re living out of your suitcase, but they can be useful on single-destination trips to reduce the volume of fluffy items.
If you don’t have the luxury of owning Briggs & Riley Baseline luggage, which has a truly exceptional internal compression system, there is an affordable alternative: Carry-ons with expandable sections allow you to increase the bag’s dimensions beyond carry-on size when you unzip that section—but you can make use of that expansion system in the opposite way, by packing the suitcase with the expansion open and then zipping the section closed to compress your stuff tight inside.
An especially important tip if you’re packing heavy: To prevent your suitcase from tipping, pack your heaviest stuff on the bottom, toward the wheels.
