How to pack fragile items

No matter how much we take care of the fragile items in our luggage, the fact of the matter is that we will never be able to fully control the handling during transport. That can cause a lot of stress for people who travel on a regular basis and carry fragile items regularly.

Luckily, there is a proven way to avoid all of that hassle, and it starts and ends with appropriate packing. We are all probably guilty of packing in a rush and simply jamming as many things as possible in our luggage, but with fragile items, these principles don’t really work. Here are a couple of ways in which you can raise your packing skills to another level.

Use specific compartments and even add additional boxes when needed

If you are a frequent traveler, you probably already know that there is a huge difference between high-quality carry-ons and luggage most people use, which can even be usual gym bags. Proper carry-on bags have specific compartments which are usually padded and contain additional hooks that prevent your precious items from sliding all over the place.

If you are especially motivated to protect your fragile items even further, you can always add more padding in the form of packing cubes. A bit more affordable solutions are simple boxes which you can pack with some soft materials that prevent damage during transport.

Pack the softest items at the bottom and on top

Logically speaking, you always want to protect your precious items from all sides, just to be sure. Due to that reason, you should put some t-shirts, towels and other softer things on each side. If you want to be even safer, think about investing a couple of bucks into bubble wrap or different types of foam, which are lightweight, but be careful with the amount of foam you are using, as these things can eat up space in a hurry.

Additionally, if you carry more than one fragile item, do not put them in the same compartment! Any sudden movements, which include your luggage being dropped from a height might result in catastrophic damage to not one, but two of your items simultaneously.

Use space dividers when possible

It might seem counterintuitive to use space dividers in order to save space, but these things are incredibly practical. First of all, it will force you to adopt some minimalist habits, which will change your entire outlook on traveling. Once you see the benefits of this lifestyle, there’s no going back.

Still, let’s get back to the point. Space dividers are especially useful for travelers who carry lots of smaller items that they want to prevent from colliding with each other. If you obtain cardboard dividers, you can use this cheap solution for months to come and easily switch from one bag to another in seconds.

Wrap each item separately

Every compartment in this world won’t help you if you first do not wrap each item tightly in thick paper or foam. This is especially true if you carry lots of small decorative items that can be easily damaged and broken. For example, items such as china or decorative figurines that are hollow can be crushed under pressure. What would make you carry these items around the world is none of our business, but if you’ve already made this decision, here is a valuable tip.

Take a soft paper or a bubble wrap and jam it inside the hollow point of that specific item. Generally speaking, you don’t want to jam the paper too tight to avoid damaging the item yourself while trying to protect it, but it needs to provide at least some resistance from the inside in case of need. Once the job is complete, you want to use tape in order to secure everything as much as possible to stop it from moving about.

If you do all of the things we mentioned above, you give yourself the best chance to save your precious belongings. Still, prevention is the key to success, so make sure you handle your luggage with care during your trip.