The packing guide
The WayHome packing guide
How to pack a case so it closes on the way home
The flight out is easy. Everything is folded, nothing is dirty, and you have not bought anything yet. This guide is for the last morning, when the same suitcase has to take the same clothes plus whatever came home with you.
Before you leave
- Charge it all the way. It ships partly charged, and a low battery means visibly weaker suction. Charge it over USB-C the night before your first trip.
- Put the bag in your suitcase first, then press the button. This is the best trick we know. It compresses into the shape of your case instead of into a round brick you have to pack around.
- Decide what goes in it. Soft things: t-shirts, pants, underwear, a towel, a light jacket. About a week of clothes for one person, or the bulky half of a family case. Shoes can go in too, if you would rather keep them off your clothes, or in the suitcase on their own. Hard things do not shrink, so they take the same room either way.
The four steps
- Fold your clothes in. Leave a little room. Do not stuff it to the seams.
- Close the zipper all the way to the stop. This is the step that decides whether it holds. Run a finger along it once.
- Press the button once. Give it about 20 seconds.
- Leave it where it is. It is a soft bag, so it takes the shape of your suitcase. Pack toiletries and anything else around it.
The last morning
This is what the bag is for. Put the worn clothes in it, zip to the stop, press once. The clean things stay separate from the dirty things, and the space you free up is where the souvenirs, the gifts and the extra layer you bought go. Same suitcase, nothing left behind, no sitting on the lid.
Two things people get wrong
- Stuffing it to the seams. An overfilled bag is hard to zip and the zipper is what keeps the air out. Fill it, do not cram it.
- Stopping the zipper short. A gap the width of a fingernail is enough to let air back in. If the bag ever softens, check the zipper, then press the button again.
If the battery is dead
Zip it closed and press the air out by hand, the way you would with a regular compression bag. It still works, it just takes longer.
One more thing
Order at least three weeks before a trip. Free shipping arrives in 6 to 10 business days and it is worth having a charged bag and a practice run before you leave.