Pack a better suitcase

To minimize the chaos of living out of a suitcase, if only for the length of a trip, here are some handy tips for how to better organize your packing using some ordinary household items.

Keep packed items separated and be spared the annoyance of digging through layers of clothing to get to your toothbrush. Just take some sturdy cardboard and cut out a piece that matches the width and length of your suitcase interior, and voila: You have a portable divider.

Put items you aren't going to need until later on the bottom of the suitcase, lay the cardboard on top, and place toiletries, a change of clothing, and the other items you'll use right away on the cardboard. Or place shoes and other heavy items on the bottom, then put lighter clothing on top to make it less likely to wrinkle.

Before hitting the road, save a few toilet-paper tubes and then put them to work when you pack for a trip. Here are three ways empty rolls will come in handy:

• Stuff one or two tubes with socks and use them as shoetrees to keep leather shoes from becoming crunched and creased.
• Wrap necklaces and chains around a tube to prevent tangling.
• Tape small pieces of delicate jewellery inside a tube for protection.

When it comes to packing clothing, rolling beats folding. Why? Because rolled clothes are less likely to wrinkle — and they take up less room in the suitcase to boot. Here are some helpful tools to get the hang of it.

• Plastic dry-cleaning bags: Your dry cleaner returns your clothing in sheer plastic bags because plastic prevents fabric from rubbing against fabric and creating tiny creases. You, too, can minimize creases by wrapping garments in the bags and rolling them up.
• Pantyhose legs: Simply cut off the legs of a pair of pantyhose and slip a rolled garment into each one. If you leave the panty-hose foot sections on, use these pouches as secure compartments for cameras, MP3 players and other valuables; with a piece of clothing stuffed into a hose leg, there's no way such items are going to fall out and play hide-and-seek in your bag.

Not with sandwiches, but with toiletries and other items that might spill or leak when jostled. Stashing cosmetics and toiletry items in such a compact, sturdy and separate case will also make it easier to get your hands on them. Of course, the lunch box will come in handy when it comes time to pack some snacks and beverages to take along on a picnic or day of sightseeing.