LITTLE ROCK — Q. I just read your article about swim trunks for travel and wondered if you might have advice regarding my forthcoming problem. In about a month I have three business trips in seven days. Although that may make it sound like I have a highroller job, the truth is I have and can only afford one really good business suit. I need it for each of these visits and worry that it will smell and/ or be wrinkled by the end. Any thoughts?
By the way, as a swimmer I can tell you those quick-dry board shorts you wrote about sound more beach oriented than useful for swimming laps.
A. Thanks for writing; first let me address the swimwear. You were not the only reader to comment; I also received a note from a reader pointing out that, “Real swimmers don’t wear board shorts for swimwear. Dragging along something that goes from your navel to your knee is not what you want for swimming.” He also wrote, “There are plenty of nylon and/or polyester swim-briefs on the market that will dry overnight.”
In response, I’d like to say, I’m glad I have so many healthy readers!
Now, as for your concern about your one good business suit. Even if you owned more than one, you may be like many men who don’t want to travel with more than one suit. There are definitely a number of options that will assist you at little or no extra charge. Their effectiveness depends on the time you have in each hotel before you need to wear your suit.
My first piece of advice is if you tend to be the type who takes off his jacket and just throws it on a chair, or worse, this is definitely the time to break that habit. For a good start toward avoiding wrinkles, remove your jacket as soon as you reach your hotel room and hang it up carefully on the fattest, most padded hanger you have at your disposal. Allowing it to air out overnight will also help.
Keep in mind that the suit itself is not likely to smell. When you dress in the morning, you shower, put clean underwear on your body, and then a clean shirt on top of that. Over all these clean clothes, you wear a suit. Under normal circumstances, barring spots, your suit will remain clean and fresh. If you air out the suit after each wearing and perhaps give it a good brushing, there is no need to worry in the short span of a week.
When you do your packing, use my time-tested method. Put each item on a separate hanger and cover it with its own dry cleaner’s plastic bag. The plastic bags will slip past each other and everything will remain unwrinkled.
Incidentally, do not wear the suit on the plane unless you need it that day. And if you do plan to wear it that day, I suggest not wearing the jacket but folding it the inside-out arm-into-arm way. Snapguide has a helpful guide with photographs that shows how at snapguide.com / guides/fold-a-mens-sportscoat-for-packing.
Here are a few other tips. It is a good idea to request a steamer from the hotel. Ask at the front desk as soon as you arrive, or buy and bring your own inexpensive one with you. Even easier is allowing your jacket to hang in the bathroom while you shower. Keep the bathroom door closed and the steam will freshen your jacket (this is especially true if it is wool).
My final suggestion: When the time comes to buy your next suit, consider getting one with a second pair of matched trousers. Since the pants are usually the first part of a suit to show wear, buying two pairs of pants can be a wise decision.
Send your questions for Male Call to:
lois.fenton@prodigy.net
High Profile, Pages 41 on 12/30/2012