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Are packing your suitcase for a trip, and want to keep your pants wrinkle-free for once? If you pack pants correctly, you can get away without ironing them. The trick is to fold them along the seams, so you won’t end up with an unsightly crease. Rolling pants is also effective, especially for jeans and casual slacks.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Folding Pants

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  1. Business pants and other pants made of fabrics that can be easily wrinkled should be folded instead of rolled, since folding cuts back on wrinkles. If you're traveling to a business meeting or another event that requires dress pants, you'll want to fold them to keep them from being completely lined with wrinkles when you reach your destination.
    • Suit pants should always be folded, never rolled, since rolling them can cause them to pick up unsightly wrinkles.
    • Pants made of 100 percent cotton wrinkle easily, and should also be folded.
  2. Start with ironed pants . If you pack wrinkly pants, they're just going to look worse after being packed in your luggage for several hours. If you iron your pants before packing them you're more likely to be able to wear them straight out of the suitcase when you arrive.
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  3. Do it on the floor or another hard surface to make sure your fold is neat. Lay them out flat and smooth out any crease or folds so that you can easily fold them neatly.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    Bring one leg over the other to fold them in half. Make sure the fold is right down the middle over the seam at the crotch of the pants. Straighten the legs to remove any creases at this time.
    • If you're folding dress pants that have a crease or pleat down the middle, fold the pants in half along the crotch so that the crease is preserved.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    Bring the cuffs up to the waist. Again, straighten the pants so that no creases make it into the fold. Run your hands over the fabric to make sure the folds are nice and flat. [1]
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    Bring the edges of the pants, the waist and the cuffs, down to meet the bottom of the fold. Your pants are now ready to pack. When you fold pants in half this way, you will end up with a crease across the knees, and other across the thighs. Strategically placing a crease there is better than having lots of wrinkles, but looking perfectly neat is of utmost importance, you might have to iron them.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Rolling Pants

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  1. Fabrics that don’t wrinkle easily can be rolled. It's a quick, easy way to pack pants that you don't mind getting a little more wrinkled. Rolling items will give you more storage space in your suitcase, since rolled items take up less room than folded items. [2] Here are the types of pants you can roll:
    • Jeans
    • Leggings
    • Workout pants
  2. Start with ironed pants if you want to keep them as wrinkle-free as possible. Lay them out and smooth your hands over the legs to remove any creases.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    Place one leg over the other leg to fold them perfectly in half. Smooth out the creases with your hands. Make sure there are no places where the fabric is rumpled.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    Use your fingers to start rolling the pants down from the waist, as you would roll up a jelly roll or sleeping bag. [3] Keep rolling until you reach the cuffs. Your pants will end up in a neat roll that you can easily tuck into your suitcase.
    • As you roll, make sure the fabric stays crease-free. Smooth out creases as you go.
    • Roll loosely, rather than tightly, as tightly-rolled fabric will end up creasing.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Packing Pants Effectively

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  1. If you’re concerned about damaging pants, or you need to show up to your destination and wear them without time to iron them, use a suit bag that will allow you to pack them vertically without folding them in half. This is the best way to keep your pants wrinkle-free.
    • Affix the pants to a pants hanger that won't damage the fabric. Some pants hangers require folding the pants in half at the knee and draping them over the top of the hanger.
    • Store them neatly in your suit bag, making sure they’re completely straight so they'll remain wrinkle-free.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    If you end up with a few pairs of rolled pants, pack these casual items below items that need to stay wrinkle-free. Tuck them in toward the bottom of the suitcase since it doesn't matter as much if they get a little crushed. [4]
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Pack Pants
    This way they won’t get crushed and wrinkled as you travel. Lay them over the top of the other items you've packed when your suitcase is mostly full. Don’t pack shoes or other heavy items on top of your folded pants. [5]
  4. This extra layer of protection will keep them from shifting in transit. It's a good way to keep freshly-ironed pants from picking up a lot of little creases while they're in the suitcase.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    I tried every method in this with my sweatpants, but they're just too thick. Any other way of folding sweatpants?
    Community Answer
    I'm not sure if you've tried this method yet, but fold the sweatpants in half first, and then roll the pant legs up.
  • Question
    How do I pack corduroy pants?
    Community Answer
    Pack them the same way you would pack any other pants using the tips you read here.
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      Tips

      • Take your time while folding your pants. If you rush, you'll probably end up with more creases. Make sure you smooth out the fabric as you go.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To pack pants so you don’t have to iron them after traveling, fold them along the seams or roll them. For business pants and pants made out of fabrics that can easily be wrinkled, iron them before trying to pack them. Once wrinkle-free, lay your pants on a flat surface and fold 1 leg over the other. Then, fold your pants vertically, bringing the cuffs up to the waist. Fold them in half once more before packing your pants. Alternatively, for jeans or casual pants, lay them flat before folding 1 leg over the other. You can then start rolling from the waist to the cuffs. To learn where to pack your pants to avoid wrinkling them, keep reading!

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