You Packed What?

by Teresa Liao, First published for the July/August 2007 issue of Finery

It’s summer, and for many of you that means packing up and heading out to see the world. While I love to travel, it can be a bit of a challenge when you are trying to transport rather bulky and awkward costuming paraphernalia. So, as you travel in search of fantastic costume photo ops, or head to sunny California for Costume College, here are a few tips and tricks to take your gear with you.

Sewing Machines
The key here is lightweight. If you can’t lug it up a flight of stairs, don’t bother. And trust me, even if you can carry it, invest a few quarters in one of those airport carts. Also, check to make sure the dimensions of your machine case meet the airline’s carry on specifications. I have a soft case for my Kenmore that I pad with a few yards of spare fabric, then base my measurements on the filled case.

You shouldn’t have any problem getting through security as long as you remember to take anything sharp and pointy out of the case, including the needle you currently have in the machine, and pack that stuff in your check-in bag. (Remember too that if you have a bottle of machine oil in your case, you’ll need to remove that as well.) Be prepared to have the case searched-the machine will look pretty funny going through the x-ray, so they’ll want to take a closer look. (This also goes for carrying on an iron with a boiler.)

Once I’m on the plane, I usually get a hand from someone to help stow the machine in an overhead compartment; even if you think you can handle it yourself, it will reassure the people under you if you get someone to help. Be sure to enlist someone to help you get it down again at the end of the flight as well.

Bustles and Bumrolls and Hoops…oh, my!
Hopefully, everything you are packing can collapse down and be stored/packed flat. This is the case with most wire bustles and hoops. You’ll want to create a relatively flat, padded surface in your suitcase to serve as the base for these structures. Katherine Caron-Greig suggests using the petticoats you need to pack anyway to create that flat surface and “twisting the hoop into a figure 8 shape. Then to get it to stay, it needs something on top of it relatively quickly. Again, probably petticoats.”

While I’ve heard some people swear by Space Bags and other space saving techniques (i.e. lay everything flat, or roll everything into long tubes) my one hard and fast rule when I am packing for a trip is to pack loose on the way there and pack tight on the way home; never underestimate how much more you may come home with. Thus, if I’m bringing my Space Bags along, I fold them up and take them with me on the way, but only pack in them on the way home. This is also when expandable suitcases come in handy, or bringing along an empty bag for the return trip.

Too Much Stuff
Let’s face it, we costumers simply don’t adhere to the adage that less is more. Once we have taken into account the underwear, gowns, outerwear, shoes, accessories, bonnets, maybe even a few sets of mundane clothes …just in case…and all other sewing gear needed for the trip, the luggage restrictions most airlines have seem, well, a bit unfair.

Be sure to do a trial run of your packing before the trip, so that you can contact your airline to check on size, weight, and number restrictions on your luggage. Remember that, in some cases, you may be able to pay more to bring more, but that this varies from airline to airline and from one month to the next. It is always best to be in close contact with those who know.

When All Else Fails…
Ship it. Many hotels will receive packages for you and can arrange to ship them out again at the end of your stay. In some cases, this can even be a more cost-effective solution than paying for overweight luggage through your airline. Be sure to contact the specific hotel you will be staying at to make sure they will provide this service as well as to give them a heads up when you will be shipping and when you expect to check in and pick up your goods.