Avoid these common packing mistakes

Every time you’re on vacation, do you end up wishing you brought that other pair of shoes, or a different shirt? We’re not judging, but you probably suck at packing.

It’s not entirely your fault, you’ve probably been misled by so-called “packing experts” who lurk on the internet. They write articles and make videos describing various ways that you should deprive yourself the best parts of your wardrobe when you travel.

We’ve made a list of some of the lies you’ve probably been told about how to pack a suitcase:

• Stuff things in your shoes

  The only thing that should go in your shoes are your feet. Why not put other things in your shoes? Because your feet have been there, like, every day this summer.

• Pack only neutral colors

  You’re not a mannequin on 5th Avenue, you’re going on vacation. Vacation is the whole reason you have a Hawaiian shirt collection in the first place. Pack every single one of them, Magnum.

• Roll your clothes

  A good rule of thumb: only roll things that you plan to smoke. Clothes, on the other hand, should be folded. That’s the way clothes have been kept since Adam got his second loin cloth. But “they’ll get less wrinkled” the experts say. No, they’ll just have different kinds of wrinkles.

• Do laundry while you’re there

  Sounds fun. Let’s burn precious vacation days, fly across the country, and then pass up valuable beach time while we scrub our undies in the sink with bar soap. Good plan.

• Pack dual-purpose clothes

  How many purposes does a Speedo have? Nevermind, don’t answer. “Dual purpose” is code for your most boring, utilitarian gear. Planning your vacation wardrobe that way sort of defeats the purpose of having clothes you actually like in the first place.

• Pack one pair of shoes

  You can spot the geniuses who fell for this advice a mile away. If you pack one pair of shoes, you will spend two thirds of your vacation looking like you only packed one pair of shoes. Your call.

Feeling a bit discouraged to learn that everything you thought you knew about packing is wrong? Don’t worry, we put together a handy chart for you to use next time you pack. Follow these steps if you want to show up relaxed and looking sharp throughout your trip:

So, you only really need one rule for packing your suitcase: When in doubt, pack it. Life is short, you should look and feel your best when you’re on the road. If you don’t think you’ll need it, pack it anyway, you might need it.

But, my huge-ass suitcase will be a hassle to lug around. And, what about the ridiculous airline checked baggage fees?!?

We’ve got you covered there too. LugLess will ship your luggage ahead to your destination for as little as $15. That’s right, you do the packing just as we’ve described (pack everything) and then have LugLess ship your stuff to your hotel, Airbnb or wherever you’re staying. LugLess can even send it to a UPS or FedEx location, where you can pick it up at your convenience!

You’re a grown up now, it’s time you learned how to pack like one.