Packing clothes for moving is simple and easy – you can fold them or roll them, leave them in their drawers or on their hangers, put them in boxes or suitcases – or even in garbage bags. No matter how you pack them, they will likely survive the move safe and sound (clothes don’t break, after all).
When it comes to winter clothing though, the packing challenge goes up a notch – they are no more difficult to pack than the rest of your garments, but they’re bulky and take up a lot of space. And space is scarce when packing for a house move – you need to fit your items in as little space – and as few packing containers – as possible, so you can save on packing expenses (as you’re going to need fewer packing boxes) and reduce your overall moving costs (as your shipment will fit in a smaller vehicle and your movers will be able to load the moving truck faster – or even consolidate your shipment with other customers’ items).
Therefore, you need to find a way to pack your winter garments for moving without using too much space and inadvertently increasing the cost of your move. But how to pack bulky winter clothes in an efficient manner? How to make them compact enough for easy and cost-effective transportation?
To achieve this feat, you need to use the right tricks. Read on to find out how to pack winter clothes to save space – and save money – when moving to a new home:
Should you bring your winter clothes to your new place?
Before you begin wondering how to pack winter clothes for moving, you need to decide whether you need to move them in the first place:
- If you’re moving to a warmer climate, you won’t need any winter gear in your new area – the weather will be mild (or even hot) all the year round, so you’ll have no use for woolen sweaters, heavy coats, and fur-lined hats and boots. It’s best to give them away to family and friends, donate them to charity, or sell them to pocket some extra cash for your move;
- If you’re moving to a cold climate, you’ll definitely need a lot of warm clothes after the relocation. Yet, your winter gear may not be good enough for a really cold weather – it may be better to leave your winter clothing behind (except for a few outfits that you’ll wear in the first days after the move) and buy warm clothes from your new area where they’ll be selling items that actually work for cold climate;
- If you’re moving abroad, shipping your bulky and heavy winter garments to your new country will be quite expensive, so it may not be worth it. Besides, if you’re using sea freight (the cheaper method for moving personal belongings overseas), your shipment may take months to arrive – so, if it is cold in your destination country, you’ll need to buy warm clothes anyway. Your best option is to take several pieces of winter clothing in your luggage (so you have something to wear immediately after arrival) and buy everything else you need from your new country.
If you’re moving locally, it makes sense to take your winter clothes with you, of course.
Good to remember: Regardless of where you’re moving to, you shouldn’t bring all your clothes along – sort out your garments and get rid of any pieces that are too worn out to be used again, that don’t fit you, or that you don’t like anymore.
Once you’ve determined which of your winter clothes to move to your new home, you need to decide how to best pack them for moving.
How to pack bulky clothes for moving
When it comes to packing coats, jackets, sweaters, insulated pants, and other thick clothes for moving, you have several efficient options:
1) Vacuum bags
Because of their material (down insulation, synthetic fibers, knitted wool, etc.), most winter clothes are easy to condense – there’s a lot of air between their fibers and by removing it, you can make the clothing much easier to pack and save plenty of space.
Vacuum bags, also known as compression bags, are specially designed to compress clothing – there is a valve on the side of the bag that fits a vacuum hose or a hand pump and allows you to suck all the air out of the clothes in the bag, making them compact and easy to fit in a suitcase or box.
2) Packing cubes
Packing cubes offer an efficient way to organize and condense clothing items when traveling, moving house, etc. All you need to do is group your winter clothes, squeeze as many items from one group as you can into a cube, and zip it up – the packed cubes will fit like puzzle pieces into the moving boxes, helping to maximize space and keeping your garments conveniently organized.
3) Bundle wrapping
Bundle wrapping is an innovative clothes packing technique intended to prevent creasing and save space. It involves layering the clothes and folding them around a central core item to form a bundle that keeps the garments compact, ordered, and free of wrinkles. (See also: How to pack clothes so they don’t wrinkle during a house move)
When using bundle wrapping for packing winter clothes for moving, first you need to make a tiny pouch of smaller items like thermal underwear and socks. Then, lay a large coat or jacket on a flat surface and put wool dresses and skirts on top. Place insulated pants next and put long-sleeved shirts and blouses over them. Spread out your sweaters and knits and place your pre-made small pouch (“the core”) in the center of the layered clothes. Start wrapping the clothes around the core in succession to form a bundle (in the end, all garments will be wrapped in the coat).
The bundle-wrapped winter clothes will fit snugly in a moving box.
4) Rolling
Rolling winter clothes instead of folding them is another great way to save space when packing your warm garments for moving – when rolled, clothing items can take about 50% less space than when folded. Use rubber bands to hold the rolled clothing together – your garments will be well secured, creases will be almost completely avoided, and you will be able to stack a lot of rolls in a single packing box.
So, what is the best way to pack winter clothes for moving? All the above tricks will help you save space when packing voluminous garments for a house move, but each clothing item has its own specifics – and, therefore, its most efficient packing method.
Related: How to pack to save space when moving
How to pack winter coats for moving
When wondering how to pack a winter coat, consider combining different space-saving packing techniques for quick and efficient results:
- Zip up (or button up) the coat to make it compact and easier to fold;
- Fold the sleeves – Lay the coat flat on its front and fold each sleeve backward, parallel to the sides of the body of the coat, to make a rectangle;
- Fold the coat in half (with the front of the coat facing outward);
- Roll it up – Starting from the folded side, roll the coat upward as tightly as you can (be sure to squeeze any excess air out of the coat as you go);
- Use rubber bands to secure the coat and keep the roll tight;
- Place your rolled coat along the side of a moving box, so it takes up as little space as possible.
If your coat has a detachable hood, it’s best to take it off before you start folding the coat. Make sure you pack the hood in the same packing container with the coat.
If your coat has a non-removable hood, keep it extended until your roll the rest of the coat as described above. Then, hold the hood open and pack the rolled-up body of the coat into it. Secure everything in place with rubber bands.
Alternatively, you can pack your winter coat in a vacuum bag (once the air is sucked out of the bag, it will shrink down, greatly reducing the amount of space your voluminous coat takes) or use the bundle-wrapping approach to encase some of your other warm clothes in your large winter coat.
How to pack sweaters for moving
Soft and voluminous, sweaters also take up a lot of space – yet, they’re much easier to pack than coats and jackets:
- Lay the sweater on its front on a flat surface;
- Cross the sleeves across the back of the garment, so they look like the letter “X”;
- Fold the sweater in two vertically (keep the crossed sleeves inside);
- Starting at the bottom, roll the garment up to the neck;
- Secure the rolled sweater with a rubber band;
- Pack your sweaters near the top of the moving boxes – placing heavy items over your knits may ruin them.
When packing delicate sweaters (like angora or cashmere sweaters), place sheets of tissue paper between them and on top of them for better protection, especially when they’re folded in a box. Avoid using compression bags for packing fine knits.
Bonus tips:
- If you’re moving in the winter, be sure to set aside some warm clothes and comfortable boots for moving day;
- Pack some extra warm clothes for everyone in your essentials box, especially if you’re moving long-distance – your shipment may take several days to arrive, so you need to have something to wear in the meantime.
