DUFL Will Pack Your Suitcase and Deliver It to You

Road warriors, it’s time to pack your things again, but maybe for the last time.

There’s a service that will clean and press your clothes and deliver them to wherever you may be, so you can focus on business and less on ironing out creases caused by hasty packing. DUFL is a concierge service designed for those of us who see airplanes and airports more often than our office-based colleagues.

“I do a lot of business travel and have spent many weekends making sure my clothes were cleaned, packed and ready for my Monday morning trip,” says Bill Rinehart, CEO and founder of DUFL. “Time is a precious commodity for business travelers, and DUFL gives them that 25th hour in the day.”

Pack Once and Never Again

To start, download the app and create an account. DUFL will send you a Welcome Kit that includes a suitcase, welcome letter, instructions and shipping labels. Next, pack your suitcase with all the shirts, skirts, slacks and shoes to show you mean business. When you’re done (you have 30 days), notify DUFL through the app and your packed suitcase will be picked-up and shipped to Arizona where the company’s warehouse is located. Upon arrival, your clothes will be cleaned, itemized, photographed and entered into DUFL’s inventory and then uploaded to your profile, providing a pictorial view of your business wardrobe. Don’t like the idea of strangers taking pictures of your underwear? For personal items, DUFL simply provides a descriptive list.

When Business Calls

Enter your business destination and arrival date into the app. Select the clothes you want as if you were shopping online. Provided that you gave at least three days notice, your suitcase should arrive at your destination before you. DUFL has partnered with Fedex on shipping and users can track the status of their suitcase with alerts from the app. When you leave, arrange for a pick-up so your clothes can be shipped back to Arizona where they will be graced with care that’s comparable to that of an experienced butler.

“DUFL professionally cares for and maintains your clothing,” said Andrea Graziani, chief marketing officer. “Our experts assess each item to determine whether it requires laundering or dry cleaning. We also offer preferences such as light or heavy starch.”

A report by CWT Solutions Group titled Stress Triggers for Business Travelers, placed lost or delayed baggage at the top of a list of travel stressors. It points out that business travelers worry more about baggage than poor Internet connection, flying economy or even last-minute trips.

While there are apps to help with packing and laundering your clothes and some airports and premium airline lounges offer cleaning and ironing, DUFL is the only service that has tapped into the daunting cycle of packing and unpacking that is common for business travelers.

For $10/month your clothes will have a home in Arizona where they will hibernate when you’re not traveling for work. Activating your DUFL suitcase will incur a flat rate of $100 per trip. If your business meeting gets cancelled you can always contact the 24/7 concierge desk for assistance. And DUFL doesn’t mind if you’re packing heavy, say to squeeze in a parka for a ski trip while you’re on business at Lake Tahoe.

“We carry a variety of suitcase sizes, and every trip will vary depending on the amount of clothes being shipped. Our expert packers will determine the appropriate sized bag for your belongings so that your items are packed neatly,” Graziani said, and the fee is still the same.

The beta version of the eight-month-old company tested with 100 users and received $2.5 million in seed funding. The service is currently available on iOS within the United States only but Graziani said DUFL is expecting 50,000 users, with plans to have an Andorid app and expand internationally.