1. Roll Your Clothes
This is an old military trick that has been in practice for ages. The beauty of this method lies in its simplicity and effectiveness. Fold clothes along their vertical axis so that they are narrow and long. Then, just roll tightly. Larger clothing items like jeans and outwear should be packed first, then fill in the rest with smaller, thinner items.
2. Travel Size Toiletries
There’s no need to bring an entire bottle of shampoo for a trip. Travel size toiletries are cheap and incredibly effective for saving space. Instead of buying new travel-size toiletries every time, you can buy refillable 3-ounce containers for an even greater focus on sustainability and efficiency.
3. Stuff Your Shoes
Shoes take up tons of room in a suitcase, but there is a way to make the most of them. While shoes take up space, they also have lots of room in them. You can stuff jewelry, socks, or thin undershirts into your footwear. Just when you think you’re out of places to put miscellaneous items, shoes can be your saving grace.
4. Wear your Heaviest Items
Instead of putting those heavy boots and thick jacket into your suitcase, wear both of them! Your body itself is a container, and you’d be surprised how much you can fit on your person.
5. Zip Your Suitcase and Reopen it
Once your bag is stuffed to its limit, zip it up. This will compress everything inside down into a smaller volume. When you open it up again, you’ll have a bit more room than before.