Keeping a custom suit jacket wrinkle-free while traveling has frustrated well-dressed men for decades. Most people have heard of the classic inside-out shoulder trick. It works, but there’s a simpler method we often recommend to our clients that produces even better results. All you need is a proper suit hanger and a few plastic dry-cleaning bags.

This approach reduces friction between garments while they’re packed, helping your suit arrive ready to wear with minimal pressing. Below is the method we use.

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The best way to pack your suit jackets for travel. Keeping your jackets wrinkle-free in a suitcase is an eternal problem. You may have heard of the inside out shoulder method, but I’ve found a much better way. All you need is a good hanger and some plastic dry cleaning bags. Take your wide shoulder suit hanger, your jacket on the hanger, take your plastic dry cleaning bag, put it over the jacket. Now, take your next jacket, put it on top of the first, rinse, and repeat. I’ve found you can do this up to six times on the same hanger. The more jackets you have, the fewer wrinkles you’ll see. Why does this work? Plastic dry cleaning bags are magic. What’s the real reason it works? The plastic dry cleaning bags are designed to reduce friction, and it’s friction between the cloth that tends to cause wrinkles. So by eliminating the friction in the suitcase, your clothes will come out wrinkle-free. If you have a smaller suitcase, this works even if you have to fold them in half to put them into the suitcase.

1. Use a Proper Suit Hanger

Begin with a wide-shoulder suit hanger—the type designed to support the shape of the jacket. This helps maintain the natural structure of the shoulders while the garment is packed.

2. Dry Cleaning Bag on Jacket

Slip a plastic dry-cleaning bag over the jacket while it’s still on the hanger. This is the key step that makes the technique work.

3. Layer Additional Jackets

Place your next jacket directly on top of the first. Then add another plastic bag. Repeat this process as needed. You can typically stack up to five or six jackets on the same hanger.

4. Lay Hanger Flat in Suitcase

Once your jackets are layered together, place the hanger inside your suitcase. If the suitcase is smaller, you can fold the hanger and jackets in half before placing them inside.

Why This Method Works

Most wrinkles in packed clothing aren’t caused by folding alone—they’re caused by friction between fabrics. Plastic dry-cleaning bags reduce that friction. Because the jackets can move slightly against the plastic instead of pulling against each other, the fabric stays smoother during travel. In practice, this means fewer wrinkles and less time steaming your suit when you arrive.

When you do arrive at your destination, remove your jackets from the suitcase and hang them immediately. If any minor creases remain, a quick steam or simply letting the jacket hang in the bathroom during a hot shower will usually relax the fabric.