Make your own flip-fold device

[Miking]

In my How To for packing dress shirts I alluded to making a DIY folding device for T-Shirts, in this tutorial I am going to show you how to build your own for under $2!

Step 1. Proof of concept. I made my first one out of cardboard. It was a bit flimsy but worked fine

Step 2. Obtain supplies. For this all you will need is a sheet of 20"x30" foam core presentation board, some type of tape, a knife and a straight edge/ruler
Step 3. Plan. For this folder I wanted the folded shirts to fit the Aeronaut small packing cube exactly so I made the center panels that size.

Step 4. Mark and cut.

Step 5. Tape. For this I used Gaffer tape, a cloth tape typically used on movie sets and stages. It is prohibitively expensive but luckily duct and packing tape will also work. Leave about a 1/4" gap between panels. Tape flat on the front.

Step 6. Reinforce back. Bend the joints over so they can flex where needed.

Step 7. Fold shirts.

Step 8. Enjoy fruits of your labour!

[Miking]

My t-shirt drawers after the fact. Dozens of shirts all ready to be placed in the packing cube! To store them neatly I just fold them in half again and place them in the drawer design up.

And inside of the packing cube.

Perfect fit!!!
Rolled! Even rolling from the folding shirts works better and there is not as much wasted space. Although it is worth noting I could fit in two more shirts by putting them in folded.

[dorayme]

I'll be going out to get our foam core board and duct tape on my next shopping trip, thank you for sharing this!

[TavaPeak]

Sheldon would be pleased. ;-) Helpful!

[Pita11]

Looks like a great weekend project. Looks like I may hit the art and/or hardware store for supplies.

[thegasguru]

I'm not sure what motivated me to make my own flip folding board, but thanks Miking! This works surprisingly much better than I ever would have dreamed! All my clothes in perfect 13.5 x 13.5" squares, ready to be laid into the packing cube and then to fit perfectly into my brand new Aeronaut. As a bonus, my local store had black foam board...couple that with the black duct tape, and I have a super cool noir folding board. (Um...can a guy with a custom folding board be super cool?)

Oh wait....brand new Aeronaut. THAT'S why I was all excited to try new concepts in packing! )

[Rev_Horton]

You could also learn the 5 second fold - How to Fold a T-Shirt In 5 Seconds - YouTube.

[Miking]

As a bonus, my local store had black foam board...couple that with the black duct tape, and I have a super cool noir folding board. (Um...can a guy with a custom folding board be super cool?)

Every time I use mine I feel like James Dean, (probably because I'm wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses)

You could also learn the 5 second fold - How to Fold a T-Shirt In 5 Seconds - YouTube.

Being the competitive type I tried doing this faster than 5 seconds, I ended up wearing the shirt inside out and backwards with my head through the armhole and arm through the head hole...