How To Pack a Suit Into Your Carry-on

The best way to pack a suit in a carry-on bag is to buy a garment duffel bag, which prevents creasing while still providing ample room for your travel gear.

If you want to use your existing carry-on bag, the best way to minimise creases (as you can't fully prevent them) is to:

• Fold the jacket using the inside-out shoulder method, tucking one shoulder into the other and folding lengthwise so the lapels face inward.
• Pad the main fold with a thin sweater or T-shirt to avoid sharp creases setting during the flight.
• Fold suit trousers along their natural crease and place them flat beneath or inside the folded jacket.
• Slide the jacket or full suit into a dry-cleaner bag, garment liner, or tissue paper to reduce fabric-to-fabric friction.
• Pack the suit last so it sits on top of other items, never beneath shoes, toiletries, or rigid objects.
• Lay the carry-on flat in the overhead bin and avoid storing it on its side or under heavy bags.
• Remove and hang the suit immediately on arrival to allow gravity and time to relax any light wrinkles.

Full guide below:

10 Step Process for Packing Your Suit (for minimal to no creases)

1. Start by Choosing the Right Carry-On for a Suit

The bag determines how many folds your suit needs - and how much pressure it takes during travel.

• Standard carry-ons force multiple folds and rely heavily on technique.
• Garment-style carry-ons or garment duffels reduce folding and support the jacket's shape.

If you’re weighing up different bag types for flying, we compare the main options and trade-offs here.

If you travel with suits more than occasionally, a carry-on designed to handle tailoring - especially a structured garment duffel - makes everything else easier and more reliable. This video shows how they work in more detail:

If you're still not sure how these bags are actually meant to be used, we walk through it step by step here.

If you’re browsing options, there’s a dedicated overview of popular models in this post.

2. Don't Overpack - Pressure Causes More Wrinkles Than Folding

Even a perfectly folded suit will wrinkle if it is crushed for hours.

Before packing the suit:

• Remove non-essentials.
• Limit shoes to one pair.
• Avoid bulging zippers or soft-sided collapse.

A carry-on that closes easily protects the suit far better than one packed to capacity. If you’re reassessing your setup entirely, we’ve rounded up practical options for work trips here.

3. Use the Inside-Out Shoulder Fold for the Jacket

This method protects the jacket's structure and minimizes visible creases.

How to do it:

• Lay the jacket face down on a flat surface.
• Turn one shoulder completely inside out.
• Tuck the opposite shoulder into it.
• Fold the jacket lengthwise so the lapels fold inward.

This prevents shoulder collapse and keeps the exterior fabric from creasing sharply.

4. Pad the Fold to Prevent a Hard Crease

Never fold a jacket against empty space.

Place a soft item (thin sweater, T-shirt bundle, sleepwear) inside the fold at the waist. This creates a rounded fold instead of a sharp line that sets during the flight.

5. Fold Suit Trousers Along the Crease, Not Across the Thigh

Trousers should follow their natural crease.

• Lay them flat.
• Align the seams.
• Fold once or twice along the crease depending on bag size.

Avoid flat horizontal folds across the thigh - those show immediately when sitting.

6. Reduce Friction With a Dry-Cleaning Bag or Fabric Barrier

Friction locks wrinkles in place.

Sliding the jacket (or the full suit) into a thin dry-cleaning bag, garment liner, or smooth fabric layer allows folds to shift slightly instead of setting hard during transit.

This small step makes a noticeable difference on arrival. If you’re wondering how this kind of bag is treated at the airport, including whether it counts as a personal item, there’s a clear breakdown here.

7. Pack the Suit Last and Keep It on Top

The suit should never support weight.

Best internal order:

• Shoes at the bottom (soles outward).
• Casual clothes as a buffer.
• Suit on top.

Keep rigid items - shoes, toiletries, chargers - away from the jacket and trousers.

8. Place the Bag Flat in the Overhead Bin

Orientation matters.

• Lay the bag flat, not on its edge.
• Avoid stacking other bags on top.
• Keep the suit side facing a flat surface.

Sideways compression creates deeper creases that take longer to relax.

9. If You Travel With Suits Often, Use a Garment Duffel Carry-On

At a certain point, technique cannot compensate for bag design.

A structured garment duffel carry-on:

• Allows the suit to curve around the lining gradually instead of hard folds.
• Supports shoulders and lapels.
• Separates the suit from shoes and hard items.
• Still qualifies as carry-on luggage.

This is why frequent business travelers and event travelers eventually switch to a garment duffel like the Grand - not for looks, but for consistency and peace of mind.

10. Unpack and Hang the Suit Immediately

As soon as you arrive:

• Take the suit out first.
• Hang it right away.
• Smooth the fabric with your hands.

Most light travel wrinkles relax naturally within 30-60 minutes if the suit was not crushed.

Waiting to unpack lets folds set deeper and makes recovery harder.

If you’re comparing broader travel bag styles beyond suits, we also break those down here.