How to Pack Two or More Pairs of Glasses for Travel

If you wear your regular glasses on the train and switch to sunglasses when you arrive, one hard case can serve both pairs. Take the sunglasses out, swap pairs, and tuck your regular glasses into the same case. The case does double duty as long as either pair fits and you have one pair on your face.

When a single hard case is enough

Before buying anything, try that swap at home with the case you already own. The lid should close normally over either pair without pressing on the frames. If you want to take both pairs off at once, pack a second case. Keep the everyday case in a bag pocket you can reach without unpacking.

For a pair that came with a fitted hard case, that case is a sensible choice, particularly in a tightly packed bag. Lens maker ZEISS recommends storing glasses in a hard case when they are off your face.

When a folding organizer earns its space

If you switch between readers, sunglasses and a spare pair, try laying out their closed cases beside the pocket where you plan to pack them. Separate cases can fit into different gaps. A folding organizer keeps the pairs together but needs one uninterrupted space when closed. Compare the shape of that space before choosing.

The Five-Slot Folding Eyeglasses Case has separate compartments, a clasp and a loop for hanging it open. That makes it useful for seeing several pairs at once when you arrive. Five slots tell you how many compartments it has. They do not tell you whether your largest pair will fit.

Measure the pair that takes up the most room

1. Fold the arms as you normally would. Use a ruler to measure the widest part of the frame front, top-to-bottom height and front-to-back depth with the arms folded. Curved sunglasses can be deeper than a wider pair of readers.
2. Compare those measurements with the usable space inside one slot. The dimensions of the whole closed organizer describe the space it takes in your bag. Ask for the slot measurements if they are missing.
3. Check the closure. If you already have the organizer, load one pair per slot. The clasp should meet without squeezing the case or bending an arm. Keep any pair that presses against its compartment in its own case.

Give the pair you wear first its own spot

For a weekend away, put the glasses you will need on arrival and their hard case where you can reach them. Pack the other pairs together if that suits your bag. On the free weekend packing checklist, write down each pair and the pocket or case it goes in. Use the same list when you leave the hotel to catch the readers still on the bedside table.