Last Updated: April 26, 2022
A packing cube is a kind of bag that is smaller than your regular zippered case travel bag. They fit in your larger pack very neatly and divide that space up into a manageable wardrobe. They are available in quite a variety, starting from the small sizes (3×10 ones) to the larger sizes equal to the book-sized coffee table ones. Consider it as a dresser or a drawer available in your carry-on.
Packing cubes makes it really easy for people to pack their stuff and find their things on those busy road trips.
They make you an organized packer. Keeping small items like power cords or socks in a packing organizer can stop them from moving around or rolling in your bag. They also help in keeping your clothes wrinkle-free, especially if you want to pack your clothes into a backpack.
Today, we’ll be sharing some helpful tips on how you should use a packing cube like a pro. During years of traveling with carry-ons, we’ve come to realize exactly how important it is to pack your stuff in the correct manner. Many travelers have agreed on the fact that the best way to save space and to be organized while traveling is to use packing cubes. So you can easily compartmentalize your carry-on bag with mini bags containing items of different categories.
How to Use a Packing Cube
Need to travel with an organized interior of your luggage? Try using suit packing cubes.
The best way to use them is to pack similar types of items in one cube. For instance, if you have a variety of socks and underwear, put them in a smaller cube. And go for a slightly larger one for all your shirts.
The next question that comes to mind is whether to roll your stuff or to fold. Although there would be a different answer if you’re folding a suit jacket and a t-shirt, in general a quick answer to that is, just roll.
Here’s Why Rolling is Better
Rolling is always a better option because when you roll all your clothes neatly, you can clearly see what you have got, and hence, it becomes extremely easy to choose and pick an outfit. So add more adventure and less curse on your trip. Try packing easy and smart, not annoying and hard.
When you roll, you see all of your clothes clearly because nothing gets hidden in the bottom. This means you can find your favorite yellow shirt in three seconds rather than spending minutes unfolding and crumpling all the shirts.
Share a Carry-on
While vacationing, have you ever found a lot of empty space in your carry-on luggage? To avoid that, if you are traveling with your partner, try to pack all of your clothes in one carry-on instead of carrying two.
Divide your clothes using organizer cubes. Keep your partner’s stuff in one and yours in another. You can also add an additional cube for extras. Also, to make it even easier, just write the category of clothes on a piece of paper and stick it on each.
Advantages of Packing Cubes
Pack More Efficiently
These organizers help you pack your clothes pretty efficiently. It becomes very easy when you know exactly what goes in which cube and how to arrange them in the luggage. It’s more like a Tetris game where you rearrange other items and the small bags until they perfectly fit into your carry-on luggage. When everything fits in right, you will feel less stressed.
Find Things Easily
With the help of a packing cube, you’ll be able to find things easily because they work like drawers in your luggage. You’ll know what you have in each one so you can take out the one which is relevant, rather than going through the whole suitcase.
Save Space
In order to pack more, you can squeeze a large number of clothes into a cube. Although in this case, compression bags have been proved to be the best in removing the excess air and saving you the space you want.
Keep Clothes Dry and Clean
While traveling, most of the time, people have liquids in their bags which brings a possibility of spilling them all over your luggage. So, in order to avoid that from happening, get yourself a water-resistant packing cube organizer that offers protection from dirt. They also protect your clothes when in dusty hotel drawers.
Prevent Overpacking
Avoid over-packing at all costs. Keep limited clothes. For each category, choose an organizer. If you buy an item and it fits perfectly in the organizer, you can take it with you. And if it doesn’t fit, get its substitute which fits well.
How to Pick the Best Packing Organizers
Here are the three features that you must keep in mind:
- Make sure it is made up of stiffed fabric
- Mesh top
- Have at-least two handles on it
Stiff Fabric
The packing cubes (ultra-light) are made up of flimsy material that is barely held together with a zipper. So if you come across one like this, avoid it. Trust us, you’re not looking for this.
Here’s why you require stiff fabric. You need a bag that is made up of stiff fabric because it’s easier to pack. Stiff fabric makes the cube strong, which makes it easier to pack. It helps it hold a shape while in a suitcase. Honestly, trying to put clothes in a packing organizer made up of flimsy material is like shoving bubbles into a bottle of beer.
Mesh Top
A large collection of wrapped-up gifts are all similar looking but are in different sizes. It is pretty awesome to come across these gifts under a tree on the Christmas morning. But how hectic it becomes when you have to open every bag only to find a pair of clean socks. Need a solution for this? Mesh top on every packing cube.
With the help of a mesh top, you’ll be easily able to see what is inside of each without really going on a hunting session.
Handles
The next most important thing to look for is handles. They make it really easy to hold and grab your packing organizers out of your carry-on luggage. And if you’re a kind of lazy packer who likes to pull things out of bags from a half-zipped small opening and tugging items from the bag, the firmly handled packing cube will get you covered. So make sure to only consider products that have handles.
Fit
Basically, the whole point of using packing cubes is to organize and maximize the usage of space in the bag. As you have already realized, there are a lot of random-sized and cheaply made ones in the market. And there’s one thing they all have in common: they don’t fit into your luggage properly.
So always go for the products that fit your bags perfectly, even if you have to spend some extra bucks.
The Best Packing Cubes
From all the above-given advantages, you must be wondering from where to get your hands on the best packing cubes out there. Here’s what you’re looking for.
1. Eagle Creek Cube Packing Set
Eagle Creeks packing cubes come with a mesh top, which is all you need. You can easily use the medium-sized one for all your clothes as it comes with a lot of space. The compression zipper helps in squeezing the clothes down to a compact package.
One of the superior features of the original Eagle Creek cube design is its structure. It has a lot of structure and has zips on three sides, making access extremely easy. It has a long-lasting and robust fabric.
2. Amazon Basics 4 Piece Packing Organizer Set
The Amazon Basics four-piece set is considered one of the most popular options in the market. When it is compared to other budget options, it leads the pack. These cubes are pretty stretchy. Hence they help with heavy packing.
3. Peak Design Packing Cube
Peak Design packing cubes are incredibly stylish. So if you want to make a style statement go for these. They are made from a lightweight 70D poly/ nylon blend and are available in a very pleasing grey color. They come in medium and small sizes.
They are a bit similar to those of Eagle creek’s Specter cubes, although the peak design cubes are a bit floppier. But no worries as they open from all three sides, making your access to clothes easy. It also possesses a tear-away zipper.
They also come with a compression zipper, but in all honesty, it doesn’t really compress it that well. The reason could be the size because medium peak design organizers are larger than a medium specter. 8L to 18L is the capacity of the medium one, whereas the specter has a 7.5L to 13.5L capacity.