Fold or roll: Experienced travelers advise on the best way to pack clothes in a suitcase.

When you're packing for a trip, how do you pack your suitcase? Some people prefer to stack their clothes, while others roll them up. The publication explored which is better. New York Times.

Seasoned travelers and travel bloggers packed hundreds of suitcases. They rolled T-shirts and shirts, folded cocktail dresses and suits—both business and swimsuits. They tested suitcases, travel bags, backpacks, and packing organizers, packing for themselves and others.

But behind all this practice, one question always remained: which is better - folding clothes or rolling them into rolls?

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"To get to the bottom of this, I took a thorough approach," writes the article's author, journalist and traveler Maria Adelmann. "I spoke with travel experts and packing cube enthusiasts, discussed the topic with stylists and fabric experts. I even found several former military personnel who learned to pack while serving in the military."

After that, I started packing and repacking suitcases and organizers myself. I folded things, rolled them, crumpled them, and closed the suitcase in the hope that everything would settle. I counted the folds, got out a measuring tape, and started again.

Ultimately, it turns out there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Each option has its pros and cons. How do you know which one is right for you?

If you want to simplify packing, you can simply transfer already folded items from your closet directly into your suitcase or organizer. No extra steps required.

"The thought of unfolding neatly folded items and re-rolling them the day before a trip, when I'm already nervous and rushed, seems like a great way to panic," said style writer Alexander Aciman.

Folding has another advantage: fewer creases. This may seem surprising, but as style writer Nicola Fumo notes, the folding itself gives the fabric a much better chance of not warping.

"My experiment confirmed this: identical cotton T-shirts that I first folded and rolled, and then left in a full suitcase for 24 hours, wrinkled less when folded," Adelmann continues. "Rolling is convenient if you don't want to rummage through your entire suitcase looking for the right item. Everything is in plain sight, and you don't have to sort through a pile of clothes to find what you need."

This method works especially well with packing cubes: items can be packed into a tight block that fits easily into a suitcase. You can remove one item without disturbing the others. Before rolling, it's best to fold the clothes in half or thirds to ensure the roll evenly fills the cube.

Rolled items are also convenient for filling gaps. A tightly rolled T-shirt fits easily, for example, into the narrow channel at the bottom of a suitcase where the retractable handle runs, or into the empty spaces around the edges.

Neither folding nor simply rolling guarantees space savings. Inside a packing cube, the rolls take up more space, while a stack of folded clothes takes up more height. In a suitcase, both items end up compacted.

If the main goal is to save maximum space, there is a more efficient rolling method, the so-called army roll.

This method, derived from military practice, allows you to pack items more tightly than with regular rolling. You fold the edge of the T-shirt under, fold it in thirds vertically, unfold it, roll it, and then secure the roll by tucking it into the folded edge. The result is a tight, compact bundle.

True, this method takes more time and can wrinkle the fabric more due to the edge securing it. However, it's suitable for compactly packing lightweight clothing, such as in a backpack.

In this method, the edge of the garment secures the roll, turning it into a tight and neat bundle.

If you're looking to combine both approaches, consider Claire Wilcox's advice on packing cubes: roll everyday items and fold more formal ones.

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Claire folds clothes with a clear shape—shirts, blouses, dresses.

"This way they end up looking neater," she explained. She also rolls lightweight items like leggings, T-shirts, knits, and synthetics that are less likely to wrinkle.

Ultimately, packing for a trip is more art than science. Just like the trip itself, planning is important, but so is flexibility.

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