Few organisational tasks elicit as much discussion as packing the perfect suitcase. Should you roll or fold clothes? Do heavy items go at the bottom or at the top? And are compression bags really worth it? We’ve got all the packing hacks you need to make sure you're a true pro when it comes to preparing your suitcase.

Have you ever come home from the supermarket only to find you’ve forgotten the most important items? Packing is no different: you don’t want to arrive on holiday to realise you’ve forgotten your underwear, shoes or camera. A few days before you go, make a list of everything you think you’ll need and keep it handy so you can add anything you think of closer to departure day.

Before you start packing, decide on your luggage. If you’ll be walking lots, consider a backpack: it’s easier to carry around than dragging a suitcase down the street. If you’re keen on wheels, consider soft-sided versus hard shell cases. A hard suitcase is durable, offering better protection for your things, but is heavier and harder to store. A soft one is usually easier to store and more flexible, with more pockets and expanding sections, so you can cram more inside too.

Before you put anything in your suitcase, lay everything you’re taking out on your bed and be brutally honest about what you really need. Do you need three pairs of shoes when one will do? Are five t-shirts more sensible than 10? Will you ever wear that formal outfit you’ve brought just in case? (Here are 8 things you definitely don't need.) Take the bare basics and you’ll relish the simplicity. You’ll never face an excess luggage fee or waste valuable travel time desperately jumping on your suitcase in an attempt to close it. 

If you’re going on a trip with lots of stops where the climate might vary drastically, take this into consideration and pack things in order of when you’ll need them. Put things you’ll need immediately, like toiletries, adaptors, pyjamas or an easy change of clothes, at the top of your suitcase: it’s exhausting to arrive at your hotel late at night after a long flight only to have to unpack all your possessions in order to find your toothbrush.

While most trips do go smoothly and suitcases arrive at the correct destination, don’t pack anything of value just in case. That doesn’t just mean gadgets, jewellery and money: in case of unexpected delays, lost suitcases or cancelled flights, when you may find yourself unexpectedly sleeping in the airport or arriving with no luggage, ensure you have necessities such as small toiletries, your laptop, phone charger and any medication in your hand luggage.

To pack your suitcase perfectly, every single bit of space should be maximised. Any empty spaces should be stuffed with smaller items like socks, tights, underwear and belts. You should also pack these smaller items inside other things to make even more space: for example, stuffing socks into handbags or packing toiletries into shoes. We've got more tips here.

Wherever you stand on the roll versus fold debate, the truth is it’s best to do both. Clothes that don’t wrinkle too much, like t-shirts and jeans, should be tightly folded and placed in rows on the base of the suitcase. Anything more crease-prone, such as shirts or blazers, should be gently folded and placed over the rolled items below.

Planes have a tendency to become freezing, and there’s always limited space in a suitcase, so kill two birds with one stone and wear your heaviest items on the plane. Wearing things like jackets, scarves and walking boots on the plane might feel bulky at first, but you’ll be thankful once the air conditioning kicks in, and you’ll have space for extra things in your suitcase too.

Bringing huge bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel is just asking for accidental leaks, not to mention they’ll take up lots of space and weight in your case. Instead, buy refillable toiletry bottles and fill them up with all your preferred products. If you're travelling with hand luggage only, ensure they're under 100ml and place them in a clear cosmetics bag to get through security easily. Make sure you find a set that seals tightly to eliminate the chance of spillages, or tape the caps to be on the safe side.

Take a lightweight, foldable bag in your suitcase. You never know what you’ll find on your travels: if you do end up visiting a lovely market or spotting bargains at the mall, you’ll have somewhere to pack all your new items for the return journey without having to splash out on a new suitcase or attempt to stuff everything into the original one. We love the Riut Crush bag.

Carrying breakable items like perfume bottles or sunglasses? Protect them by rolling them up in clothes, then placing them in the centre of your suitcase, in between soft items, so that if your suitcase gets bashed about, they’ll still be safe. As baggage handlers reveal in this article, it's unlikely any 'fragile' label will really make a difference.

Think about it: you walk around sightseeing all day, then the bottom of your shoes get packed up against the rest of your clothes. For hygiene purposes, pack each shoe into a bag (plastic carrier bags are just fine), then place them around the edge of the suitcase for maximum space-saving.

If you’re planning a week by the beach accompanied by a pile of books and magazines, consider how much weight is going to be added to your suitcase and how much space is going to be taken up. Instead, invest in a an e-reader so you can read as much as you want without eating into valuable suitcase space.

Once you start dragging your suitcase on trains, through the airport and down the streets, you don’t want the heaviest items crushing more delicate things. When packing, make sure the heaviest items such as shoes or toiletry bags are closest to the bottom of the suitcase, by the wheels. This will also stop the case from toppling over.

The idea behind bundle packing is to have all your clothes in one folded mass to avoid creases. The most crease-prone items like shirts should be on the outside and the crease-proof items on the inside. Lay with the wrinkle-prone items out first and add clothes on top in order of most-to-least crease prone. Put your socks and underwear on top and then tightly fold or roll it all together. Effectively, you should have one big wrinkle-free, space-efficient bundle of clothes.

If you don’t trust yourself and a packing list to get all the items you need into the suitcase, there are plenty of apps to help you on your way. Download TripList or Packpoint to keep track of everything you need and make sure you never forget something essential at home.

While suitcase space, or a lack thereof, can be incredibly liberating in that it makes us use fewer products while we’re on holiday, if you’re set on bringing a make-up kit or other cosmetics, bring bottles that are nearly finished. At the end of your trip, they’ll be empty so you can throw them away and use the space they took up for souvenirs.

Whether your suitcase has lots of little pockets or two main compartments, make the most of dividers, especially once it comes to packing for the way home. One way of doing it is to pack everything dirty, such as worn clothes and shoes, into a separate pocket for the return journey to keep all the clean clothes separate and easily identifiable once you get back.

If you arrive at your destination and want to quickly pull out your adaptor, charger or USB stick, prepare in advance so you don’t have to unpack your whole case looking for various gadgets. Keep electronics together in a bag at the top of your case so you can easily access them as soon as you need them. It'll also keep all those wires from getting tangled and lost in your clothing.

There’s no use packing a perfect suitcase only for it to be mistakenly picked up by someone else at the luggage carousel. Check out our pick of fun travel accessories, including bright luggage straps and cartoon suitcase covers, so your suitcase always stands out from the crowd and is easily identifiable.

There are plenty of gadgets you can buy to pep up your suitcase, but don’t forget to use whichever tools your suitcase comes with too. That means if there’s a strap that clicks at the top to compress all your items, it’s best to use it rather than forgetting and packing on top of it. Make use of TSA-approved locks, built-in scales, GPS locators and clever compartments too – it's all there for a reason.

Theories abound for crafting the perfectly organised drawer in your wardrobe, so apply these to a suitcase too and you’ll be a truly efficient packer. One method is to take a fabric drawer organiser and place it in a suitcase to have a beautifully clutter-free way of finding all your things.

To maximise every centimetre of space in your suitcase, pack your clothes in roll-up compression bags. Put your clothes inside, zip up the bag and roll it to push out the air inside. The airtight bags will protect your clothes from dust and dirt, giving you lots of extra space to pack other items.

For truly efficient packing that would bring a smile to even the neatest of neat freaks, make use of packing cubes. Buy a set of five or six and use them to pack the items you’re bringing in different categories: toiletries, underwear, tops, trousers, shoes and so on. Your clothes will be compressed, protected from any leaks, and it’ll be super-easy to unpack and find whatever you’re looking for.

Scented drawer liners aren’t just for your cupboards. Place some sheets in your suitcase to keep your clothes smelling fresh, no matter how long your trip.

Whether you’re using packing cubes, compression bags or simply packing your clothes straight into your suitcase, do so in a strategic way. Think about your travel plans and pack accordingly: if you plan and group whole outfits together, it’ll be easy to find what you’re looking for and you won’t waste any suitcase space on pieces of clothing you’re not planning on wearing.