Traveling with Men’s Trousers: Amazing Packing Tips

Business trips, weekends with the family, meetings in new cities—whatever the occasion, at some point you’re going to need to travel with some quality men’s trousers in tow. Here are a few packing tips that will help you travel as efficiently as possible.

Packing Hack 1: Wear Your Most Comfortable Trousers While Traveling

Traveling isn’t easy. Whether you’re traveling by train—which means extended periods of sitting—or taking a simple hour-long flight, you should make it easy on yourself and wear your most comfortable clothes.

True, wearing clothes on the flight means you don’t have to pack them. But wear something simple like your Basic Khakis in Flat Front, and you’re bound to have a better time.

The only exception: if you have a meeting and won’t have the time to change into a suit, you may want to already be wearing your slacks. Be sure to allow plenty of time for flight delays as well.

Packing Hack 2: Roll Your Trousers, Don’t Fold Them

The longer your trousers are going to stay in luggage, the more likely it is that they’ll wrinkle up. You can even wrinkle your trousers simply by sitting in them for an extended flight. To save yourself some frustrating ironing in the hotel room, roll your trousers before you pack them.

To roll your trousers, fold them in half first as if you were going to fold them completely. Then, with the legs out flat, grab them from the bottom hem and roll up to the waist. You should be left with a roll that’s a little smaller than a towel. If you need a visual aid, refer to eHow’s “How to Roll-Pack Your Dress Pants.”

This efficient configuration won’t wipe out wrinkles completely, but it will help to keep them at a minimum, reducing frustration if you need to iron them out again once you arrive at the hotel.

Packing Hack 3: Pack Your Belts with Your Dress Shirts

Most packers like to keep their trousers and belts together. But when you roll them up, you might notice the belts get in the way. What should you do with this essential accessory?

Separate your belt from the trousers and move them underneath the collars and you’ll be surprised at just how well the shirts keep their freshly-cleaned look.

This also accomplishes the feat of giving your belt some place to go when you roll your trousers away into the corner of your luggage, giving you more space for other accessories.

Packing Hack 4: Wear a Blazer or Jacket

What does this have to do with trousers? Simple: pockets. You’ll want to avoid stuffing your trouser pockets while you’re en route to avoid the following:

• Losing valuables. Leaning back in a pair of trousers might feel like a necessity on the third hour of a long flight, but this is also where you can lose track of items that slip easily out of your trouser pockets.
• Extra wrinkles via “pocket stuffing.” If you pack an entire Dopp Kit’s worth of accessories into your pockets, it’s not going to leave your pants looking their best.

Simple solution: use the inside pocket of a jacket to securely track items like your wallet and keys. Not only will this keep your pants comfortable, but it’s one of the most effective ways to keep your men’s tailored trousers looking their best.