Interview luggage

[Etomidate]

Any suggestions for luggage that safely stores suits for interviews?

I don't know how to iron, so I need the suit to stay as wrinkle free as possible during the flights. I'll have it dry cleaned between interviews.

In addition, any other tips on things to bring and not bring on the interview trail?

Thanks.

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[DrBowtie]

Buy a garment bag. You stick your suit in on a hanger, and it folds over once. Also, LEARN HOW TO IRON. It isn't that hard and will make you look sharper.

 

[southerndoc]

Buy a garment bag. You stick your suit in on a hanger, and it folds over once. Also, LEARN HOW TO IRON. It isn't that hard and will make you look sharper.

Agree 100% with Brett's post...

I checked some of my luggage with suits in it. When I did that, I would wear a suit onto the plane (not the tie though). That way, if something happened and my luggage was lost, I would still have a suit. I could easily buy a tie, undershirts, underwear, socks, etc., but it's hard to get a suit tailored that quickly.

We had a guy interview with us last year who wore jeans because the airline lost his luggage.

 

[Smurfette]

You don't need to "know how" to iron. Watch someone else do it once. All you have to do is run the iron over the garment until the wrinkles are out and make sure to fold it along the proper creases before ironing over the creases to keep it looking sharp. It takes longer to heat the iron than to iron one piece.
I also interviewed with a guy who lost his luggage. One of the residents heard about it at the night-before dinner and lent him a suit which fit reasonably well. Even though everyone knows airlines lose luggage, there is no way that you will look good to the program if you show up in jeans and a polo shirt. If you are going on a fair number of interviews, having two suits is a good idea. ALWAYS keep a suit with you so it can't be lost...even if one is crumpled in your carry-on, at least you can iron it if your bag is lost by the airline.

 

[supercut]

I agree. You need to learn to iron. It's not rocket science. If you made it this far through medical school, you can learn to iron. No luggage can keep your suit perfect. You'll have to touch up in the hotel. Most hotels have irons and ironing boards in each room.

I don't understand why on earth anyone would check luggage when flying for interviews. CARRY IT ON!!! You wont' be gone long enough to warrant taking enough stuff to check baggage. Why risk it? There are plenty of luggage items designed after the flight crew's bags that you can get that meet all the regulations. You can take two items on, such as a backpack/briefcase and one of these wheeled bags, as long as they fall into certain dimensions. Even if you manage to combine several interviews into one trip, you will be wearing the same thing (your suit and your resident get-together outfit) over and over. (Heck, I went to Europe for two weeks after I graduated from medical school with two carry on bags only!)

 

[mary]

Brooks Brothers has an excellent line of wrinkle free shirts and pants that you can catch on sale if you watch closely, but even then you are goin to have to iron the suit to touch it up. Also, hanging the suit in the bathroom while you take a hot shower can cut down on ironing time, but not get rid of it completely. Just remember that everyone else will be looking their best (or trying to) and you don't want to stand out by not giving the same effort.

 

[Gut Shot]

Strongly consider investing in a carry-on garment bag, like the Skyway Tri-Fold for sale here. Being able to carry on all your luggage is a huge advantage, both in saving time as well as avoiding the risk of having your suit get lost.

 

[Etomidate]

Strongly consider investing in a carry-on garment bag, like the Skyway Tri-Fold for sale here. Being able to carry on all your luggage is a huge advantage, both in saving time as well as avoiding the risk of having your suit get lost.

I have decided to take everyone's advice and learn how to iron.

This looks pretty cool, but wouldn't it cause some serious wrinkles and creases?

 

[Gut Shot]

I have decided to take everyone's advice and learn how to iron.

This looks pretty cool, but wouldn't it cause some serious wrinkles and creases?

Not really, no. My suit always came out in fine shape (no worse than any other garment bag I've ever used), and I would generally touch up my shirt with an iron the night before. I got a Skyway for my birthday, just before I began interviewing, and it was a great purchase. Really saved my arse when I was taking lots of short one-way flights on a tight schedule.

If at all possible get your suit drycleaned whenever you get the chance. After a day of interviewing my jacket would have horizontal creases in it, and I would coax those out with an iron. Beware of using an iron directly on suit material though...

 

[Bobblehead]

I recommend you check out the website www.onebag.com. I hope you never discover the truth behind the two types of luggage (carry-on and lost) but in general it only happens when you cannot afford to lose your luggage (tight connecting flight, interview, etc.)

After reading the onebag website I bought an Air Boss which has worked really well for me so far. I use his bundle wrapping method to keep things from wrinkling. You can easily fit a suit jacket, pants, dress shirt, etc. into the bag using the bundle-wrapping method. I would strongly recommend using wrinkle-free dress shirts, for interviews and around the hospital. Unless you're planning on making a lot of trips to the cleaners or are just a genius with ironing (it takes me about 5-10 minutes to do a shirt well) you're better off with wrinkle free.

I followed the link from the prior post about the Skyway No-Weight Tri-Fold Garment Bag to ebags. While it looks interesting I'd like to point out that it already weighs 6 lbs and 9 oz empty. The Air Boss isn't a light bag but it weighs in just over 3 lbs. Bear that in mind next time you're running from one terminal to another in O'Hare..

 

[Daiphon]

If at all possible get your suit drycleaned whenever you get the chance. After a day of interviewing my jacket would have horizontal creases in it, and I would coax those out with an iron. Beware of using an iron directly on suit material though...

I invested in a $15 travel garment steamer... erases creases without damaging the material... best purchase i made all interview season.

-t,md

 

[GrandMasterB]

Any suggestions on good travel steamers? I followed the link too and looked for other trifold garment bags- found the jansport model that seems stylish and weighs about 3lbs.

 

[Bobblehead]

A cheap and easy travel steamer is to _immediately_ hang your suit up on arrival to the hotel in the bathroom. Close the door and run the shower very hot (or just take a shower). Instant steamer and no weight to carry around. By morning your suit will be fine. Or if you have the time and bought your suit at Men's Wearhouse you can see if they can press your suit the same day once you land. If you absolutely must have a travel steamer there is one listed at Magellan's that is under one pound.

http://www.magellans.com/store/Appliances___Clothes_CareEC213M?Args=

 

[Gut Shot]

I followed the link from the prior post about the Skyway No-Weight Tri-Fold Garment Bag to ebags. While it looks interesting I'd like to point out that it already weighs 6 lbs and 9 oz empty. The Air Boss isn't a light bag but it weighs in just over 3 lbs. Bear that in mind next time you're running from one terminal to another in O'Hare..

I don't want to start a "my bag is better than your bag" discussion, but I would like to point out a couple of things.

One: the Air Boss is a beautiful bag. From what I could see, it also costs $225. My little Tri Fold rang in at a palsied $80.

Two: if you want the simplicity of a garment bag (lay the clothes down, zip up and fold over) then the Tri Fold is the only one I've found that fits carry-on criteria. That single bag and a book were all I needed to do a three day, two interview trip. Well, that and the latest copy of Penthouse Letters.

Three: the empty weight difference is less than 3.9 lbs. If the thought an extra 3.9 lbs. really bothers you then I suggest you put an ad in the paper for your missing gonads and matching spine.

 

[mosche]

One thing that has worked for me: when you pick up your dry cleaning, leave it in the pastic wrap. When you pack items in plastic covering, they tend to have SIGNIFICANTLY fewer wrinkles. During my undergrad years I debated and sang in a quartet (i.e. I was on the road nearly every weekend), one of the ladies on our team suggested the idea to me. Well, I was skeptical; however, I was very pleased with the results and hope that ya'll will be too!

BTW, I realize that this probably sounds like a "Hint from Heloise" or something (maybe it is!), but it really works! 👍

 

[Bobblehead]

I don't want to start a "my bag is better than your bag" discussion, but I would like to point out a couple of things.

Three: the empty weight difference is less than 3.9 lbs. If the thought an extra 3.9 lbs. really bothers you then I suggest you put an ad in the paper for your missing gonads and matching spine.

It certainly would be helpful to keep this "discussion" civil and comments such as the one above are neither helpful to other readers nor personally appreciated.

It may be useful to consider that after the interview season a piece of luggage could serve more functions. Weight limitations, particularly on overseas flights are quite common. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways impose a 6kg (13.2lbs) cabin carry-on limit for economy passengers. Enforcement is clearly at the whim of the cabin crew at the moment. However if that were ever to change and enforcement became mandatory, or if you just happen to be the unlucky stiff who randomly got stopped, or the flight attendant didn't like the way you looked, etc. carrying a bag that meets weight requirements will be extremely beneficial to your stress level. Many of the short-haul carriers in Europe practice the same and enforcement there can be ruthless.

I make no inferences about how many times you've travelled with your garment bag but I will say after carrying my bag for a few miles wandering around the city after checking out of my hotel and having to be at the airport I do notice a 4 pound difference.

 

[Gut Shot]

It certainly would be helpful to keep this "discussion" civil and comments such as the one above are neither helpful to other readers nor personally appreciated.

Terribly sorry. Forgot to include the 😉 , indicating that it's okay for you to engage your sense of humor.

It may be useful to consider that after the interview season a piece of luggage could serve more functions. Weight limitations, particularly on overseas flights are quite common. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways impose a 6kg (13.2lbs) cabin carry-on limit for economy passengers. Enforcement is clearly at the whim of the cabin crew at the moment. However if that were ever to change and enforcement became mandatory, or if you just happen to be the unlucky stiff who randomly got stopped, or the flight attendant didn't like the way you looked, etc. carrying a bag that meets weight requirements will be extremely beneficial to your stress level. Many of the short-haul carriers in Europe practice the same and enforcement there can be ruthless.

Fair enough. Although when I travel internationally I invariably check my luggage, taking only one small carry on, stuffed to the gills with porn, with me in the cabin.

I make no inferences about how many times you've travelled with your garment bag but I will say after carrying my bag for a few miles wandering around the city after checking out of my hotel and having to be at the airport I do notice a 4 pound difference.

This is indeed purely anecdotal, but when I traveled for interviews (even with my hernia-inducing 6.9 lb bag 😉 ) my luggage was the lightest I've ever had, simply because I didn't take anything extraneous. The Tri Fold's overall shape is very long and thin, so one can hold it like a briefcase against one's body. This alone made it easier to carry than any other bag I own. I'm sorry, I'm just getting this warm, fuzzy glow thinking back on how glorious it was.