I tried going to the old thread but it’s been closed. Just had my first extended trip with my packing cubes. Gone for a week but needed clothes for temps ranging from 27 to 80 on the same trip.
I managed to pack three pairs of slacks, two pairs of dress shorts, two sets of workout clothes, a cold weather workout top and bottom, a dress, 4 short sleeved tops, three long sleeved tops, two sweaters, three pairs of shoes, two bathing suits, one cover up, pjs, a week of underclothes, and a toiletry bag…all in my carry on!!!
It feels like a miracle.
I’m 110% sold on packing cubes. I got my set of three at TJ Max for $10.
I’m fond of packing cubes as well. It is helpful for organization, especially when I’m on extended trips. It does allow me to pack considerably more and is like having “drawers” for my suitcase. The ones that compress save more space than the ones that don’t.
Love the cubes. I still struggle with overpacking but I’m getting better.
I find them especially useful on longer trips with a number of stops. It’s easy to pack a cube for each stop and not have to rummage thru the suitcase in search of a specific item.
I bought them about a year ago based upon the old thread. We used them for a week in Italy for two people. They worked out well. I don’t think I would use them for a short trip. I am also a pretty light packer.
Impressed. I bought one of those under-seater suitcases (so, smaller than the usual carryons) and was impressed how much I could pack without cubes when I went for a 4-day trip over the holidays. I’m now considering getting cubes and seeing if I could squeeze a week’s worth of clothes in my under-seater. Hmmm.
One of the roller suitcases I saw at Costco was sold with travel cubes in it. It was well under $100 but I can’t remember the brand.
It was not the compressed style of cubes, that I prefer. My problem with the cubes is I’m still figuring out how best to pack with them and because they compress things these cubes are very forgiving of me overpacking. Trying to repack everything at the end of the trip to fit back into the suitcase To return home is a challenge, especially with gifts/purchases.
Like @conmama I also roll my clothes and then place in cubes. It is amazing how much will fit in a carry on bag and how organized you can keep your things. I am happy it worked out for you.
I will add that when we check luggage, we each take a cube in our carry on with essentials and one full extra outfit in the event of delays or lost luggage. As a family we have also had “mixed use” bags where we place one of our cubes in someone else’s bag in the event of lost luggage. We all have our own color and pattern of cubes to keep us straight. It was very helpful when we were traveling with little kids. When I travel to multiple destinations, I use a different cube for each leg of the trip. I am a big believer and I generally don’t like “stuff”!
When I nicely roll all my long-sleeved wool tshirts and thermals, they fit in the smaller cube. I can put my down vest and down jacket in the larger one. I fold my underwear and put it in a lingerie bag so I can find it easily.
I have three different sizes. They fit like a puzzle into my carryon. The two smaller on the bottom with my toiletry bag and shoes and the big one on top.
I use the Ebags brand that are linked above in post # 14. They come in several sizes and you can buy 3-packs of all one size in addition to the multi size pack linked. I find the medium size to be the most versatile and mostly use that size. Recently I started packing an empty large cube for dirty laundry.
I have the ebags linked in #14 and tried them a few times but, ultimately, find myself packing without them which surprised me. I didn’t realize there were compression options available…I may try a couple of those and see if they work better for me.
Before I got the compression cubes, I had some other packing aids that didn’t really help me. To me, the ability to compress really makes a difference. You have to not overstuff it if you want it to be able to compress.
There are some YouTube packing videos that compared different packing cubes which sold me on the compression ones.
I use packing cubes but don’t remember the brand. I’m a light packer and my typical goal is to put everything in a backpack for up to a 2 week trip. Without cubes, everything in a backpack gets really jumbled.