Are you looking for advice on how to pack Winter coats for travel? In this guide we will give you all our top tips for packing bulky jackets for winter jacket to help you pack light for Winter travel.
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Although, summer tends to be the most popular time of year to travel, Winter is actually one of my favorite times of year to visit many destinations.
Traveling in Winter you can be rewarded with less crowds, cheaper accommodation, and can also be a beautiful time to travel when places are dusted with snow and ice. However it can be challenging to pack a Winter Travel Capsule Wardrobe without overpacking just due to the size of items you need to pack i.e. thick coats and bulky boots.
In this guide we will tell you all of our tips for packing Winter coats for travel.
Note: want tips for packing other Winter wear? Then check out the below posts:
Also if you have are going on a particular winter vacation use our search bar at the top of this page and type the location you are traveling and the month or season to get some specific location guidance.
How to Pack Winter Coats for Travel Tips and Tricks
Wear them
Although you won’t be sitting on an airplane in a heavy winter coat it is worth thinking about wearing a winter coat for travel rather than packing them.
Adding a coat to your Winter Airport outfit will save you much space in your case and potentially save you baggage fees by helping you pack in hand luggage / carry on only.
The reason for this is that the warmer the coat you pack, the larger and bulkier it will mean inevitably taking up valuable luggage space.
We recommend wearing it at your departure point, and through the airport as needed.It can be then stored in the overhead bin while traveling without using up space in your checked or carry-on luggage.
Pack the Right Type of Jacket
Packing winter clothes is tough and picking the right coat that is best suited to the weather at your destination is really important . That is why we include detailed guidance of thickness and coat properties required in our Winter seasonal packing guides.
However if you are traveling in Winter to somewhere cold but not freezing where you will be doing lots of outdoor activities (I’m looking at you Hokkaido, Jackson Hole and Iceland to name just a couple!) it is worth thinking about how the coat packs down.
For instance puffy coats/puffer jackets and gilets are some of the easiest coats to pack. The reason for this is because they are quite air filled which is much easier to compress.
This can be done using a compression packing cube or vaccuum pack, or just folding your puffer jacker correctly then using weight to compress.
Note: the correct way to pack and fold a puffer jacket is to do the fastenings up on the front of the coat, cross the arms over one another, and place in your bag, preferably in a packing cube.
Click here to shop puffer jackets for travel.
Only Pack one Coat
We also recommend packing capsule wardrobes for travel and winter is no different. For this reason we recommend only ever packing one coat no matter where you are traveling.
We recommend packing the heaviest weight you need and also having something with wind resistance and waterproofing that covers you for all eventualities and weather.
In our opinion it is best to buy one better quality coat on the more expensive side that you know will last you for years of cold-weather trips. Rather than buying a series of cheaper coats that won’t last.
Some of our favorite brands of coats for Winter include:
- Eddie Bauer,
- Canada Goose
- Columbia,
- Marmot
- North Face and
- Patagonia
We tend to avoid wool coats when traveling in Winter as although these look very smart they are not the most versatile coat and can’t cope with rain as well as other types of coat.
Click here to shop coats for travel.
Note: for more information on packing winter capsule wardrobes be sure to check out our sudoku packing method and our 54321 method of packing.
Use a Vacuum Bag
Whether you are packing a puffer jacket or a more difficult to pack coat, a vacuum bag can be a great way to save space in your case when packing bulky coats.
Fold your coat correctly (fasten up front fasteners and then cross arms in front. Fold in half for longer length coats too) and place in the vacuum bag. Seal the bag and then use your vacuum to suck all air out of the vacuum bag. This will condense both the coat and bag and make it far less bulky to travel with.
Click here to shop vacuum bags for travel.
However you do need to be sure that you can find a vacuum or manual pump at your destination otherwise you will be carry vacuum bags with you and unable to reseal them which defeats their purpose.
Packing Cubes
If you don’t want to use a vacuum seal bag you could also package your coat in a packing cube. We love packing cubes as they really help to organise your suitcase however it can be hard to find packing cubes large enough for extra large, extra long coats.
We think these extra large compression packing cubes are the best size for most coats.
Pack at the Bottom
Whenever your are packing, it is a good idea to pack your heaviest and bulkiest items at the bottom of your suitcase or carry on luggage.
For this reason we recommend packing your coat near the base of your case.
The only time when you may need to alter this is if you are also packing winter boots too. In which case you should try and fit both these items at the base of your case.
Roll Your Coat
But if you don’t have packing cubes or vacuum seal bags then the method of folding your coat should be different. Instead of just folding we recommend rolling the coat once folded to save space.
Start by fastening the fasteners as usually, folding over the sleeves and then folding the coat in half as usual. However instead of leaving it there we recommend then rolling your coat.
You need to roll the coat slowly and tightly to get out any extra air. And the tighter you can get the roll to be the smaller the finished coat parcel will be.
Once you have folded it as tightly as you can you need to fastened the coat. To do this you are going to need some seriously heavy duty elastic bands or some tyvek cloth ribbon. Otherwise the bands will snap and the coat will unroll immediately.
Just be sure to unwrap the coat as soon as you arrive at your destination to prevent damage or excess creasing.
We hope this guide has helped you learn how to pack Winter coats for travel without taking up too much case space. However if you still have questions, then please do pop them in the comments below and we will do our best to answer.
And while you are here why not check our some of our regional Winter packing lists too: