Commuting - How do I carry a shirt?

I thought I had everything figured out for this weeks commuting when I was ferrying my work clothes, and then realized I had left a shirt (the traditional button down collar Oxford cloth) at home. I'm able to get my lunch and other stuff I need in this (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=6801), yet I can't think of how I could fold a shirt to fit in there and not have it come out wrinkled. I've got a laptop bag I've never riden with before that would probably work, but I'm hoping that someone else on this forum has the answer to yet another one of my questions.

Looks like you already have a rack on your bike, to carry that trunk bag thing...so your best bet is to get a set of panniers to hang on it. (Or just one pannier, for that matter.) That will give you more than enough space for a change of clothes, and lots of other stuff besides.

The more you commute, the more you'll be glad for the extra space, both for times when you need to carry extra stuff for work, and when you want to do errands or shopping before you go home.

Get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Pack-It-Folder-15/dp/B00007FB59, or do something similar, like folding your shirt and then sandwiching it between two .... plates??? And then strap it to the side of your trunkbag... or just wear the darn thing and don't ride fast enough to get all sweaty.

panniers.

there is one set by jandd (i believe) that is dressier cloths friendly, will explore links for you. all in all, pannier set (front/rear or both) with rack pack, should be more than enough to carry what you need!

Fancy work shirt? Have it cleaned at a cleaner near the office and store it there?

Roll it.

Panniers are on the wish list. I've had hard bags on my motorcycles, and got spoiled by being able to carry so much stuff in them. But I'm wondering how to do this for one day here, and manage to work up a sweat just walking downstairs to get to the bicycle. I can shower when I get to my girlfriends house and finish my commute, but I can't wash the shirt and have it look good if I wear it over there.

My dress button down shirts roll up and fit most anywhere. If you fold it narrow enough (and you're smaller than a 3x, you can even roll it in a ziplock and stand it on end in the waterbottle cage.

Roll it.

I could try that before I run out, would it work best if I folded the sides in like I was going to fold it and then rolled it?

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1160129-1160151-1,00.html

then you can roll it to make it even smaller

jandd #FCGBP "commuter garment bag pannier" $197.00 plus s/h @ jandd.com ...

i personally think you have better options for garment transport, as other's have suggested,
but here is another option!

t

Roll it like the others said, but then put it in a 1-gallon Zip-Loc bag and squeeze all the air out as you seal it. The shirt should come out relatively wrinkle-free (or close enough), and it'll take up the least amount of space in your bag. It'll stay dry, too.

Roll it.

+1

I considered the trunk bag option but opted for a single pannier instead. I'm a high school administrator and in the summer the kids and teachers are gone so we're very casual - shorts and a polo are generally OK.

Occasionally, I've needed to look a bit more presentable for doing interviews or meetings. I have found that a single TransIt DX (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=23923&estore_ID=1034) from Performance holds a pair of khakis, work socks, a white undershirt, and a polo shirt (all rolled) along with my small planner, a belt, and a thermos of coffee. They're quite spacious and the price is right!

I'm not sure how/if I'll get a dress shirt in there when we start up in the fall - I know it will fit, but I'm not sure about the wrinkling... I'll give it a try, but I also have my eye on this garment pannier (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24256&estore_ID=1034) from Performance.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

Their way is to easy to flub up. When I need a really good fold job, I do their steps and fold it around a National Geo. After the last fold, slide out the Geo and Presto Perfect!... yea then roll it...careful on the collar.

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1160129-1160151-1,00.html

then you can roll it to make it even smaller

Roll it for sure. Also, consider shopping at travelsmith.com or other places that cater to people who have to wear clothes right out of the suitcase or wash things on the fly--wear no-iron shirts, crinkle fabrics that don't show wrinkles, micro-fiber stuff, etc. A lot of travel clothes are less than chic, but if you are only shooting for unobjectionable they work fine.

Another vote for rolling. That's what I do with my pants and shirt.

I iron the shirt the night before and let it and the trousers stay on regular hangers overnight. In the morning when I get up, I roll both. For the shirt, just take some time make sure that the 4 panels of the short are laid out flat and wrinkle free before you start rolling. By the "4 panels", I mean the fronts from the side seams and the 2 panels that the back turns into. Neatly fold the arms over onto 1 side. Start rolling at the bottom because that will wrinkle, but the tails get tucked in anyway.

I've got a 30-35 minute ride, so the shirt is in the backpack for an hour or so. I pull the pants/shirt out when I get to the fitness center where I shower and hang them up. It takes me a few minutes to cool down before I can shower, but by the time I'm out of the shower, any "ride wrinkles" are pretty much gone.

I use a backpack. I've thought about getting a rear rack and garment bag, but I'm not convinced that clothes will stay dry in a garment bag.

I considered the trunk bag option but opted for a single pannier instead. I'm a high school administrator and in the summer the kids and teachers are gone so we're very casual - shorts and a polo are generally OK.

Occasionally, I've needed to look a bit more presentable for doing interviews or meetings. I have found that a single TransIt DX (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=23923&estore_ID=1034) from Performance holds a pair of khakis, work socks, a white undershirt, and a polo shirt (all rolled) along with my small planner, a belt, and a thermos of coffee. They're quite spacious and the price is right!

I'm not sure how/if I'll get a dress shirt in there when we start up in the fall - I know it will fit, but I'm not sure about the wrinkling... I'll give it a try, but I also have my eye on this garment pannier (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24256&estore_ID=1034) from Performance.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

I folded it like it showed in the link, then rolled it up and put it in the big baggie with a rubber band around it to keep it from unfolding. There are a few wrinkles in it, but those might come out before I need to wear it. I can get them out with the iron if needed. Thanks for the tips!

I'm thinking of creating my own solution for this. Two pieces of plywood with the shirt between, bolted together with wing bolts and nuts. Should keep it quite neat I guess.

Get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Pack-It-Folder-15/dp/B00007FB59, or do something similar, like folding your shirt and then sandwiching it between two .... plates??? And then strap it to the side of your trunkbag... or just wear the darn thing and don't ride fast enough to get all sweaty.

yes

Get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Pack-It-Folder-15/dp/B00007FB59, or do something similar, like folding your shirt and then sandwiching it between two .... plates??? And then strap it to the side of your trunkbag... or just wear the darn thing and don't ride fast enough to get all sweaty.
I have been using these for 6 years and I work in a shirt and tie office. I have no problems..with them. It fits nicly into my backpack, messenger bar or a pannier with no problems.

Roll it

I always keep one shirt and pair of pants at the office on hangers that I change into after commuting. For commuting to work, I roll a shirt and pants, put them in my messenger bag and put them on hangers upon arrival.The pants and shirt I just unrolled have a day to unwrinkle on the hangers before I need them the next day.

Garment pannier, if you get your shirts done professionally. Rolling a professionally pressed shirt makes it look like you slept in it. Starched shirts look even worse if you roll them.

If you have someplace to use it at work, one of those handheld clothes steamers is a great way to get your stuff wrinkle free after folding/rolling it for your commute.

How long is your commute? If you just gently fold (or roll) it and put it on top of your bag it should be fine. I've slowly been switching all of my dress shirts over the the wrinkle-free kind. They're great for commuting.

Edit: By "on top" of your bag I don't mean shock-corded to the outside. I just meant put it on top of everything else you've got inside.

I can get them out with the iron if needed.

Why didn't you say that you had an iron? :crash: ... ;)

I was going to say to just ball it up and shove it in your bag. Then, when you get to work, iron it while you cool off from the ride. If you're lucky and have a locker room, I'd say that an iron & board is an integral part of the room; if you're really lucky and have your own office, shut the door & blinds, then iron & change there. :thumb:

Why didn't you say that you had an iron? :crash: ... ;)

I was going to say to just ball it up and shove it in your bag. Then, when you get to work, iron it while you cool off from the ride. If you're lucky and have a locker room, I'd say that an iron & board is an integral part of the room; if you're really lucky and have your own office, shut the door & blinds, then iron & change there. :thumb:

And now for the rest of the story? My girlfriend is out of town for three weeks, and I'm keeping an eye on her place while she's gone. Which means I can ride the 5 miles over there, park the bike in her garage, change into the clothes I stashed there earlier after showering and checking on her cat, and then drive the last couple miles to the office in my car that I left there when I left the clothes. I found her iron earlier, and I'm hoping that will take some of the wrinkles out of the shirt that had been drycleaned earlier. The only way this could get any easier for me would be if she moved closer to my office, or if the folks I meet on the MUP could all keep to the right. I don't think either of those are going to happen either. :p

And my fashion sense allowed me to blend into the background of the before footage when someone I know was on "What Not to Wear". But even I know that wrinkles are bad.

And now for the rest of the story? My girlfriend is out of town for three weeks, and I'm keeping an eye on her place while she's gone. Which means I can ride the 5 miles over there, park the bike in her garage, change into the clothes I stashed there earlier after showering and checking on her cat, and then drive the last couple miles to the office in my car that I left there when I left the clothes. I found her iron earlier, and I'm hoping that will take some of the wrinkles out of the shirt that had been drycleaned earlier. The only way this could get any easier for me would be if she moved closer to my office, or if the folks I meet on the MUP could all keep to the right. I don't think either of those are going to happen either. :p

And my fashion sense allowed me to blend into the background of the before footage when someone I know was on "What Not to Wear". But even I know that wrinkles are bad.
Don't forget to clean up her place as well, and do some technical stuff as well. Fix some stuff, do some DIY and so on. I know my wife loves when I do stuff like that...

Don't forget to clean up her place as well, and do some technical stuff as well. Fix some stuff, do some DIY and so on. I know my wife loves when I do stuff like that...

That's already started....

If you drive to work at times, do you have the option of storing clothes at work? Usually Mondays I try to bring clothes to work and Friday bring them home. I still bike/bus those days, but at least there's only two days a week I have to worry about transporting clothes, and only one day a week I have worry about what shape the clothes are in at the end of the trip.

My Girlfriend travels constantly and she showed me a trick that really works well. She takes my dress shirt and lays it flat on a medium size garbage bag and just folds the shirt bag and all. I throw it into my panniers and when I get to work it's still nearly perfect.

Hope this is of some help.

A plastic garbage bag or a paper bag?

Has anyone suggested rolling it yet?

Has anyone suggested rolling it yet?

Sixth post. ;)

A lot of people say roll it but +1 on the person who said, gently fold. I've been through this a lot and I've found that, while rolling is OK, the best luck has been when I simply fold the shirt gently into the largest compartment in my pack. Or maybe a better way to put it would be, stuff it in loosely. It's hard to explain but it seems like if there's air in the compartment and the shirt is rumpled but not creased, it's fine when you get to work.

Or, if possible, put it in the very top of your bag. That way, the only weight pressing on it is its own (assuming that there aren't bungee cords wrapped over the top of the bag, too), which isn't enough to create bad creases.

Quickie” Asian Folding Guide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1S5RTgnTs4) :popcorn

Keep a bottle of this at work:
http://www.downy.com/en_US/products/wrinklereleaser.jsp

The stuff really works, especially if your shirt is only wrinkled from the ride in.

i have the eagle creek folder and it keeps the shirts pretty crease free, and it also a good way to keep any kind of clothes in such a way that they don't take up too much space in your bag

+1 on the Downy wrinkle releaser, especially with knits.

When I was a consultant, I had a local dry cleaner that I could request them to fold instead of hang. I did that before trips, worked awesome.

I thought I had everything figured out for this weeks commuting when I was ferrying my work clothes, and then realized I had left a shirt (the traditional button down collar Oxford cloth) at home. I'm able to get my lunch and other stuff I need in this (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=6801), yet I can't think of how I could fold a shirt to fit in there and not have it come out wrinkled. I've got a laptop bag I've never riden with before that would probably work, but I'm hoping that someone else on this forum has the answer to yet another one of my questions.

Roll the shirt.
I actually do this:
l
fold my pants in half and lay on their side
folder my undershirt in half, tuck the arms in neatly and lay it on top
fold my underwear and lay them at the bottom of the legs
lay my pair of socks at the base of the leg
start rolling from the bottom of the leg (the sock will be the starting point)
once rolled, you can put them anywhere.


I use this every week. I've been bringing in my clothes for the entire week on monday, then take whatever I wear each day home each day. Keeps the weight down on the way in each morning (except monday). This week, I used my new Trek Interchange Grocery bag and it fit 4 combos (4 under shirts, 4 shirts, 4 dress pants, 5 socks, 5 underwear) and also a towel :D

Before I had the Grocery Bag, I rolled one set of clothes and fit in my trunk (should work for you)

Is it big enough to fit a "boxed" shirt from the cleaners--i.e., folded onto cardboard and placed in a plastic bag at the cleaners? Works for me (but I have panniers).

You could try one of these (http://www.twowheelgear.com/features.php), or just cultivate a new rumpled look;)

Go into a gap and see how they fold their shirts on a display table. If you fold like they do, and gently place on top - it normally comes out ok. I stuff mine in a side pannier, which is smaller than yours - it works.

You could try one of these (http://www.twowheelgear.com/features.php), or just cultivate a new rumpled look;)

This is a great bag. I have been using mine for years.

Chris

How about a steamer kept at work? I'm also thinking one of those vacuuum pack things (where you can put your folded stuff in a plastic bag and then suck all the air out of it) sold on infomercials might work.

Get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Pack-It-Folder-15/dp/B00007FB59, or do something similar, like folding your shirt and then sandwiching it between two .... plates??? And then strap it to the side of your trunkbag... or just wear the darn thing and don't ride fast enough to get all sweaty.

+1

This thing is simply wonderful!

Get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Pack-It-Folder-15/dp/B00007FB59, or do something similar, like folding your shirt and then sandwiching it between two .... plates??? And then strap it to the side of your trunkbag... or just wear the darn thing and don't ride fast enough to get all sweaty.

This is the best option by so much it is almost unmeasurable. I commuted for a year with a complete wool blazer, shirt, wool pants, socks, and shoes. Your clothes come out great, and it also compresses the load so that it fits very well into a pannier, backpack, or even a plastic shopping bag strapped to a rack. I use the smaller version: http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessories/packing_folders/Pack-It-Folder-18-40154/

It is also essential for airplane travel.

This product is almost as transformational to my life as the Palm Pilot when it came out in the 90s.

Other tips (most already mentioned):
1. Brooks Brothers no wrinkle shirts and khakis
2. Wool, not cotton. A nice wool shirt can look good, not wrinkle, and not carry sweat smells. I am not talking about a jersey, I mean an icebreaker or equivalent.
3. Leave shoes at work. A good pair of brown shoes goes with grey and khakis.

Get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Pack-It-Folder-15/dp/B00007FB59, or do something similar, like folding your shirt and then sandwiching it between two .... plates??? And then strap it to the side of your trunkbag... or just wear the darn thing and don't ride fast enough to get all sweaty.Damn! Beat me to it! I have these in my travel luggage, and just realized they'd be great for commuting too!