How To Pack A Suitcase For A Business Trip

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Before we go into how to pack a suitcase for a business trip, you have to know what to pack. So what you should pack, honestly, I think you know that best yourself.

What To Pack For A Business Trip

Versatility Is Key

A light blue shirt for business casual with chinos and a blazer
A light blue shirt for business casual with chinos and a blazer

You want a wardrobe that is easy to dress up and down because you have very limited garments with you and you want to get the most out of them.

For a standard business trip, I suggest you pack at least one suit, maybe two, and a navy blazer. In terms of color, I think a grey suit is perfect because you can combine the pants with a blazer and have another business appropriate outfit.

Chinos are great for travel
Chinos are great for travel

If you want another pair of pants, I think chinos are great or if you need something dressier, of course, you can go with dress pants. Make sure there’s enough contrast and don’t go with something navy that is different than the blazer, or even exactly the same because, it just looks off.

Sven Raphael Schneider wearing a DB flannel suit
Sven Raphael Schneider wearing a DB flannel suit that would work for cocktail attire
Ancient Madder Silk Bow Tie in Purple Paisley - Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere

Ancient Madder Silk Bow Tie in Purple Paisley

A photo of a Blue Cornflower Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower Silk

Fort Belvedere

Blue Cornflower Boutonniere Buttonhole Flower Silk

A heavier fabric such as a flannel, wrinkles less than a lightweight high twist fabric. Yes, you can always have your suit pressed when you arrive or just hang up in the bathroom to release the wrinkles with steam, but ideally, you want a suit that wrinkles as little as possible because it makes it easier on you and provides peace of mind because you’ll always look presentable.

A checked dress shirt for casual night outs
A checked dress shirt for casual night outs

When it comes to shirts, I’d bring a white dress shirt with cufflinks, maybe a light blue one, and at least a checked one which is a little more casual that you can wear without a tie, let’s say if you go out at night.

Undershirts may help you to keep your dress shirt fresher all day. If you want other colors, I suggest stick with pastel colors for shirts because they’re easy to combine, very versatile. Don’t go with bolder colors and if you want to add a dash of something special to your outfit, go with colorful accessories such as your tie, your pocket square, or maybe your cufflinks.

How Many Pairs Of Shoes Should You Bring?

When it comes to shoes, it’s actually very different if you have quality men’s shoes because they’re usually a lot heavier than cheaper ones. Personally, I have traveled three or four weeks with just three pairs of shoes, one which I wore on the plane, and two that were packed, and I could do that because I know exactly the kind of events I would go to.

Black cap toe oxfords with Fort Belvedere shadow stripe socks
Black cap toe oxfords with Fort Belvedere shadow stripe socks

If you know you have lots of formal business events, I suggest to go with a black cap toe oxford, and maybe a pair of burgundy shoes because it always combines well, it always looks presentable, professional, but you can also combine it in a more casual way.

Wingtip monk strap shoes with Fort Belvedere socks
Wingtip monk strap shoes with Fort Belvedere socks

If you don’t have formal events, I would go with a dark brown pair, maybe  monk straps, or regular lace-ups, then a pair of burgundy shoes, because it’s so versatile, and another may be light brown or cognac tone, maybe a suede pair of shoes because that browns up your wardrobe, makes you look presentable and dapper no matter where you go.

Shoe Trees are a must have
Shoe Trees are a must have

Most people forget it, but it’s very important to bring at least one pair of shoe trees because it helps your shoes to stay in shape and lasts longer, while plastic ones are really lightweight, I don’t like them because they don’t provide the desired shape and hold I need.

No matter where I travel, I always bring a travel shoehorn because it protects my shoes, it helps me to get into my shoes at security and I never want to miss it because it’s such a small item that can save you a lot of dollars.

Burgundy Fort Belvedere Accessories
A colection of Burgundy Fort Belvedere accessories
Shantung Striped Dark Red, Blue and White Silk Tie - Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere

Shantung Striped Dark Red, Blue and White Silk Tie

Madder Silk Tie in Dark Ruby Red Macclesfield Neats Blue Orange Pattern

Fort Belvedere

Madder Silk Tie in Dark Ruby Red Macclesfield Neats Blue Orange Pattern

Burgundy Silk Pocket Square with little Paisley Motifs

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Burgundy Silk Pocket Square with little Paisley Motifs

A photograph of a Wine Red, Yellow,Blue, Green, Orange Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

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Wine Red, Yellow,Blue, Green, Orange Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Red Shoelaces Flat Waxed Cotton

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Red Shoelaces Flat Waxed Cotton

Red Boot Laces Round Waxed Cotton

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Red Boot Laces Round Waxed Cotton

Eagle Claw Cufflinks with Carnelian Balls - 925 Sterling Silver Platinum Plated

Fort Belvedere

Eagle Claw Cufflinks with Carnelian Balls – 925 Sterling Silver Platinum Plated

Stock Up On Versatile Accessories

In terms of accessories, I usually bring pocket squares, tie, sometimes bow ties, cufflinks, rings, maybe a collar pin, or a collar bar, and also boutonnieres. I actually use the Fort Belvedere gift box to travel with them because that’s perfect and they don’t get damaged that way, that being said, usually, I travel my cufflinks in my carry-on because I don’t want to lose my valuable gold jewelry.

Packed suitcase

Now Let’s Get Packing!

So how do you pack a suitcase? First of all, I suggest you go to the bedroom because if you have a large enough bed, you can put all of your things out there and you can have your suitcase up on the bed so it’s easier to pack.

The first thing I do is to stuff my socks and underwear into the shoes that don’t have shoe trays. I definitely recommend you use shoe bags or dust bags because they keep the rest of your clothes clean. The remaining t-shirts, polo shirts, or undershirts, and socks go into the bottom of the suitcase and especially on the side where you have the pull mechanism because it’s uneven and those socks help to even everything out.

I add belts or suspenders to it, then my Dopp kit, and ideally, you want something that’s lightweight and not too heavy, sometimes the nicer Dopp kits are really heavy and it just adds bulk so try to pay attention to that.

How To Fold A Dress Shirt
How To Fold A Dress Shirt

Folding could have a huge impact on how your clothing wrinkles, dress shirts are delicate and wrinkle very easily, therefore, you should fold them and not roll them. The best way to do that is to put the shirt flat down with buttons facing on the floor or the table. Fold the sides inwards with sleeves on both the sides, and fold over the hem, and fold in half or in thirds, depending on the size of your suitcase.

Do that with other shirts and then stack them with collars opposite from each other. You can use the same folding technique with sweaters, t-shirts, or polo shirts, however, sometimes it may make more sense to simply roll them because it’s quicker, it’s easier, and it saves you on space.

Plastic Hangers & Garment Bags Are Your Friends

Now in terms of a suit, the big advantage of a large spinner suitcase is that you don’t need to really fold your suit heavily. What I do is I use a lightweight plastic hanger with a wide shoulder pad, you want the shoulders to be about two inches wide and you want a trouser bar to not be rubberized because it usually doesn’t stick. You want a form of really grippy foam or anything else that really holds the trousers up. Simply hang your suit and put it in a garment bag.

Gagliardi Plastic Hanger
Gagliardi Plastic Hanger

Personally, I stay clear of the heavier cotton garment bags I use at home and I go with really lightweight cheap ones because they help to prevent wrinkles, at the same time, they don’t add bulk or weight to my suitcase. Never go with more than two garment bags. If you have more than two suits or two jackets, simply double them up in the same garment bag. If you have a vest, which is extremely helpful, because vests are easy to combine, you add it on top of the hanger underneath the jacket.

How to position your garment bags in your suitcase
How to position your garment bags in your suitcase

Once the garment bag is zipped up, you lay it flat in the suitcase then take the other garment bag laid flat as well. You fold them over one on top of each other. That way, the crease in the garment is not strong and it won’t wrinkle. I always try to fold it just at the bottom part of the lapel because that way, you don’t get any creases in it. Sometimes, if I have more pairs of pants, I put them either on the hanger but if it’s too heavy and it would break the plastic hanger, I just put them flat in the bottom of the suitcase first.

How To Keep Your Suits Wrinkle-Free

On top of the suits, I only put very lightweight items such as pocket squares, ties, for that specifically, I use a tie case that my wife made for me when we first dated so it’s very dear to my heart and I use it to this day. I found that rolling up ties usually makes them wrinkle much more easily and just laying them flat in your suitcase means they shift around and that way they wrinkle too so definitely get a tie case.

You don’t want to put any heavy objects on top of your suits because otherwise, it’s much more likely to wrinkle. It’s good for a suitcase to have that zipper on top so you can close up the suit compartment and focus your efforts on the other side. You also want a compartment on the other side because it’s much heavier and you don’t want to push on the suit side.

Brown shoes and a shoe bag

If you have issues with the size of your shoes, I suggest you wear the heaviest pair when you travel and put the lighter ones in your dust bags. I also suggest to put the sole to sole and pack them that way, because they’re more compact and you get more in your suitcase.

For my belts, I always try to roll them up and either I put them in my shoes or I just fit them on the side of the shirts, or the shoes, because there’s always extra room for little things like that. The same is true for items such as chargers, or maybe your electric shaver, to make sure you don’t overload your Dopp kit, get travel size products or little bottles otherwise, it’s way too heavy.

Finding The Right Suitcase

Over the years, I’ve tried lots of different things and I’ve found that two things are very important. One, you want spinner wheels that are really easy to roll because nothing is as bothersome as having to carry your suitcase for long distances which makes you sweat and uncomfortable at the airport. Also, when you’re outside and the pavement is not always the best, having bad wheels is really a pain in the behind.

Personally, while I love the look of suitcases like Globetrotter, they’re just very impractical and I’ve had good luck with these hardshell suitcases in polycarbonate; they’re lightweight and they have strong corners. I always go for the zippered version because it’s lighter than the metal frame version from brands like for example, the one I’m using here right now is from Samsonite, it’s not sponsored in any way it’s just what I happen to like.

I used to live in Germany and was dating my wife in the US so I was traveling a lot back and forth, and those lightweight suitcases are really the best, they will break eventually but it’s still better than carrying a heavier aluminum suitcase that won’t break as easily but it doesn’t allow you to carry on a lot.

My Samsonite polycarbonate luggages
My Samsonite polycarbonate luggage

Two, your spinner suitcase has to be wide enough. Ideally, your shoulders should fit in there no problem. Originally, I started with larger, more rectangular suitcases, but I’ve gone to a square shape which works really well for suits because you can fold it nicely, you get the width you want, and they’re very easy to handle. Honestly, if you invest in custom suits, I really urge you to use a larger suitcase because they’re easy on your suits and you will able to wear them for much longer.

Outfit Rundown

The suit jacket is vintage it’s from Caraceni in Milan and the fabric is very special because it has a number of different green tones which makes it very easy to combine especially with a travel wardrobe and I paired it with a cognac-colored pair of corduroys. The belt is brown alligator; it works well with the shoes and it has a silver buckle. The shirt was custom made for me, it’s white with a blue check on it and it has a wider spread collar. I use collar stays with it and I’m wearing a silk knit tie in blue from Fort Belvedere in a four-in-hand knot. The pocket square is an orange wool silk pocket square from Fort Belvedere and it works particularly well with the jacket and with the tie because it picks up those colors and combines with orange which works really well with green and blue.

Raphael wearing a typical travel combination for a fall winter season.
Raphael wearing a typical travel combination for a fall-winter season.
Knit Tie in Solid Prussian Blue Silk - Fort Belvedere

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Knit Tie in Solid Prussian Blue Silk

Orange, Green, Blue, Yellow, Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Fort Belvedere

Orange, Green, Blue, Yellow, Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Caramel and Dark Burgundy Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Fil d'Ecosse Cotton

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Caramel and Dark Burgundy Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Fil d'Ecosse Cotton

My shoes are Italian with a thin Blake rapid stitch. I made sure that it doesn’t have a metal element so it doesn’t beep when I travel. For the same reason, I skipped any other metal accessories such as cufflinks, collar pins, a watch, or a pinkie ring because much easier to get through security in the airport that way. My socks are shadow stripe, they are burgundy and cognac.

To learn more about how to combine shoes with socks and pants please check out our in-depth guide and for all the Fort Belvedere accessories, you can find them in our shop.

What are your must-haves for longer trips? Drop a comment below!

Reader Comments

  1. I log 200+ days each year traveling around the globe. Excellent advice and my exact strategy. My biggest trouble spot has always been the 4-5 day trip. I prefer to carry-on, but it’s just too many essentials for a carry-on in addition to suits, jackets, etc. I usually end up checking my bag, but always have that lingering fear in the back of my mind that my bag will not arrive.

  2. I used to travel pretty extensively for business, and found that an “interleaving” method like the one demonstrated here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–ZrYtRjYfs was the best in terms of preserving my clothes without wrinkles in a carry-on sized piece of luggage. I might suggest this as an alternative. Try them both and see which works best for you!

    1. +1 on the interleaving method. I also put my jackets in dry cleaning bags before folding them to avoid wrinkles, and unlike the video, assemble the bundle in the suitcase. Underwear goes in a plastic bag at the center of the bundle (socks are inside shoes).

  3. A few extra tips that work for me:
    -hang suit jackets in the bathroom while you take your post-travel shower. The steam will soften any creases.
    -if you have to fold a suit, invert the jacket and add socks or rolled t-shirts to support the shoulder.
    -wear your best suit on the plan (if it’s appropriate). Once on board ask the FA to hang it. If there isn’t space, at least you have it with you so you can check it’s not getting too creased.

  4. With a lot of domestic and international business travel under my belt here are my tips. A lot depends where you are going, when you are going and what you will be doing when you get there. A one-day summer trip for a tech startup in San Francisco is different than two weeks with investment bankers in Zurich during the winter.

    Domestic — ship a bag FedEx to the hotel. Not much more expensive than checking luggage, has a tracking number and never gets lost. Cost billed to the client.

    International — no choice other than checked luggage. I no longer “travel light” and take pretty much anything I think I may need (and more).

    Shoes are the hardest to pack. Single shoe bags are more useful as you and put each shoe in a different side of your suitcase.

    UK make Carlton hard side luggage is my favorite and served me well. Difficult to find here in the US.

    Large hard case luggage is better with latches than zippers — less prone to leak (in or out).

    I prefer two wheels over four as they take up less space.

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