Ranger roll: An ex US soldier has become an online sensation for his luggage tips. Photo / Bailey Jester; US Army
Ranger roll: An ex US soldier has become an online sensation for his luggage tips. Photo / Bailey Jester; US Army
A demobbed soldier has found a new vocation as a packing guru.
After four years of active duty, living in and out of deployment bags, according to him the career change is not that lateral. And he has a one-size fits all packing tip that is changing travellers' trips.
Going by the name Army Gringo his YouTube channel has amassed 20 million views. He has uploaded over two dozen videos, specifically dedicated to the art of the 'ranger roll'.
The ancient martial art of compressing clothes into as small a package as possible, he has demonstrated the technique on all manners of clothing. From standard issue briefs to a flowing holiday sun dress, Gringo demonstrates the most versatile of packing methods.
"Ranger Roll vs Inferior Methods", "Army Packing Hack: how to fold your socks for travel", the videos read like an operations field manual.
Third step: roll from the collar as tightly as possible and wrap the slack material over the ends to a neat package.
Stop, tuck and roll: Three step guide to the ranger roll packing method. Photo / YouTube; Gringo
"Rolling it tight is the key to everything," he says.
"If you're doing some last minute packing, in a rush and about to hit the road, this is the way to go."
It's a method that Gringo has demonstrated on everything from beach towels to hooded-sweatshirts, with each item "rolled into burritos".
The benefits of the tight fold are that it helps compress your clothing, keep track of your items and stop your clothing stay in shape while travelling.
God forbid, you crease your camo.
While some of the videos are more niche, including how to use body armour casing for better travel storage, the ranger-roll is a hit on civvy street.
"I'm not in the army but I sure as hell like to over-pack so this has saved me from paying extra at the airport," wrote one fan of the roll and fold method.
"I love how it's the same technique for every clothing item," said one on the one size fits all approach.
"Awesome! Now I can fit my entire wardrobe into a duffel bag," wrote another.
"I did this with my clothes when traveling to Sweden. Let's just say TSA wasn't to happy about the way my clothes were rolled up," said one less impressed traveller.
"TSA ripped my holy suit case apart as well as unrolled everything for a "random" search. Took me forever to roll all those clothes back up and the TSA agents sat there and watched me. As I was being searched and asked questions he said there is no such thing as the 'ranger roll' and people only do that to hide something."
