packing and gear

This Fold-Up Case Lets Me Travel With Six Pairs of Glasses Without Crushing Them

Photo: Alyse Whitney

As a certified four-eyes since the age of 4, I’ve gone through many different styles of glasses. But it wasn’t until I ditched contacts for good and fully committed to glasses as a fashion accessory that I ran into a very specific problem: finding room for my collection in my suitcase. When traveling, most people bring one pair of glasses and maybe a pair of sunglasses. Not me — I bring an entire wardrobe of glasses to match different outfits. I used to have between two and six different cases bouncing around my suitcase, which was annoying to keep tabs of, and I had to open and close each one to find which pair was inside (unless I labeled them with stickers). Now I can store all my glasses in one handy place that takes up about the same amount of space as a toiletry kit: a six-slot foldable glasses-organizer case.

There are six triangular pockets that my glasses nestle into, and when the case is rolled up, the base of each section becomes a lid for the section below it, and it snaps shut securely and takes up less space than a pair of shoes and about as much as a dopp kit. (When fully expanded, the case measures 18 x 6.7 x 2.4 inches.) I tried rolling and unrolling it multiple times at different speeds and angles to see if the glasses flew out without the velcro closures, but when unrolled flat on a table or held vertically, none of my glasses escaped their compartments.

The case rolls up into a package that easily fits in a suitcase. Photo: Alyse Whitney

This case protects glasses (or sunglasses) just as well as individual cases, but unlike with those snapping dragons, you can actually see all the frames laid out at once. It even has a handle to hang on a hook in the bathroom or on a hanger in your closet to keep them on display at all times — or it can be laid out on any surface. I use the case exclusively for travel — my glasses live in acrylic storage drawers when unpacked — but it would work well for keeping all your frames organized in one place at home too.

A few Amazon reviews note that oversize sunglasses don’t fit, but many of my frames are oversize cat-eye-style numbers, and I have had no issues other than some light indentations in the pockets from where the top of the frame hits them. All of my glasses are at least two inches tall and six inches wide, and I have an inch of space to go wider and at least half an inch to go taller. I have big square frames that are almost 3 inches tall, and they fit just fine. As long as you go into this purchase knowing perhaps bigger isn’t always better, you’ll be able to squeeze six pairs into your suitcase (or closet) to match a week’s worth of outfits (counting the ones you wear on the trip) with no repeats.

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I Travel With 6 Pairs of Glasses Thanks to This Roll-Up Case