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Traveling with a Suit

So I am going to be traveling with a suit soon. Is it still OK to bring a suit (in one of those bags) on board a plane?
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Will you be doing a lot of "suit travel"? If so, invest in a suit that is good for travel. I am thinking of a fabric that is made of 'high twist' threads (tightly wound) that are woven together in a looser fabric. These can be both hard-wearing, and resiliant to creases.

Whether you wear the suit for travel or put it in a garment bag, creases are likely.

By 'one of those bags' I assume that you mean some sort of garment bag that carries the suit folded in half, and the bag zips together like some sort of suitcase? I see no problem for carry-on if it meets the size restrictions, and for checked luggage the main concern would be to make sure that there's enough other stuff in the bag for padding so the hanger doesn't get broken.

why not read the recent thread about the sorry decline in airport attire, and then wear your suit for travel? Once you arrive, you can have it pressed at any good hotel you stay at, or run the hot water shower and hang the suit in the bathroom and let the steam go to work for 10 minutes or so. (Same advice goes for when you haul the suit out of the suitcase.)
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Will you be doing a lot of "suit travel"? If so, invest in a suit that is good for travel. I am thinking of a fabric that is made of 'high twist' threads (tightly wound) that are woven together in a looser fabric. These can be both hard-wearing, and resiliant to creases.

Whether you wear the suit for travel or put it in a garment bag, creases are likely.

By 'one of those bags' I assume that you mean some sort of garment bag that carries the suit folded in half, and the bag zips together like some sort of suitcase? I see no problem for carry-on if it meets the size restrictions, and for checked luggage the main concern would be to make sure that there's enough other stuff in the bag for padding so the hanger doesn't get broken.

why not read the recent thread about the sorry decline in airport attire, and then wear your suit for travel? Once you arrive, you can have it pressed at any good hotel you stay at, or run the hot water shower and hang the suit in the bathroom and let the steam go to work for 10 minutes or so. (Same advice goes for when you haul the suit out of the suitcase.)

+1 A superlative answer.
 
Once you arrive, you can have it pressed at any good hotel you stay at, or run the hot water shower and hang the suit in the bathroom and let the steam go to work for 10 minutes or so. (Same advice goes for when you haul the suit out of the suitcase.)

I haven't had the greatest luck with shower steam, but I'll share a tip that works well for me, which involves an iron. Do not iron the actual suit, as this will leave shiny marks on it that won't come out. Rather, lay the suit on the ironing board, then lay a towel over top of it, and crank the steam setting way up on the iron. Then just iron the towel; the steam will go through the towel and end up in the suit, and the iron will flatten it, but it will be spared the wrath of the iron's direct heat.

Regarding the original question, Phil covered the bases pretty well and I don't have much to add.
 
I went to NYC a few weeks ago with my new Tumi carry-on. It has one of those garment bags that zip into the lining. I brought a suit in there and was amazed. It came through with minimal wrinkles (dress shirts too). Way better than my dedicated garment bag.
 
I was thinking of those bags you get from the department store, leaving the suit on the hanger, and placing it in the plane's closet. I would have that flexible, small bag along with my normal carry-on.
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
Think about a suit made from "worsted" fabric (worsted wool), this is a special kind of woolen fabric that is pretty much resistant against wrinkling, and if crumpled a bit in a suit case, just hang it up in a bathroom after you took a shower - this will straighten the material quite good.
 
Many planes don't have hanging closets anymore, or they are reserved for the crew. Expect to have to put it in the overhead.

I know for a fact that Southwest is like this now, you'll have to stow any suit in the overhead bin and hope for the best.
 
Wear the suit on the plane. After all you are traveling.


Liz Lemon: "If the event is not tonight, why are you wearing a tuxedo?"

Jack Donaghy: "It's after six. What am I? A farmer?"
 
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