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We think we’ve discovered the holy grail of accessories: packing cubes for travel.
You know that moment? That moment when you realise you’ve left one tiny yet crucial item somewhere in the depths of your luggage and you don’t know where?
If you’re anything like us you’ve probably had to struggle with this at the airport, hauling all of your personal possessions out of your suitcase and rummaging through them in a humiliating display to find that one elusive item. Trying to stuff everything back inside in a hurry is no fun either.
If only we had known then what we know now…
Packing cubes.
Packing cubes for travel are pretty much guaranteed to transform how you pack, enabling you to find what you need from within the depths of your case quickly and with minimum fuss.
Which also means no more making a spectacle of yourself at the airport.
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What Are Packing Cubes?
Packing cubes are essentially little fabric cases — usually rectangular in shape — with practical zip closures.
They can be used inside your regular luggage to make best use of the space and keep everything well organised and easily accessible, as well as keeping your belongings clean and protected.
Their shape and choice of sizes makes them easy to stack neatly inside any size or shape of luggage.
They are available in a wide range of designs, with many featuring transparent or semi transparent mesh covers which allow you to easily see the contents at a glance.
Other designs may feature interior compartments to further divide the contents, and some are even water resistant.
How Are They Useful for Packing?
They are an effective space saver, and they make packing easier too.
By knowing how many packing cubes fit neatly into your luggage, it means you can plan the contents more efficiently, keeping everything super organised and preventing over packing. Washing products, makeup and beauty products, clothing, shoes, jewellery, electrical items, and medical supplies can all have their own individual packing cubes that are easily found when you need something specific.
When packing clothes, packing cubes are a true blessing. They allow you to store different categories of clothing separately – keeping underwear separate is particularly useful — and they also compress clothing a little, meaning you can squeeze more into the limited space that you have.
It can be a good idea to reserve a packing cube where you can store your dirty laundry separately from your clean clothes.
It’s also a good idea to use one packing cube to store a complete outfit, overnight wash kit, and clean underwear to take with you in your hand luggage in case your hold baggage should experience any holdups.
How Are They Useful for Expats?
When you’re an expat who is relocating, it is vital to keep the experience as stress free as possible, and to be as organised as possible. Having separate packing cubes for each category of item makes everything visibly ordered, and this makes it much less likely that something important will be forgotten and left behind.
In addition, knowing in advance how much room you have in which to fit everything in can be a deal breaker when it comes to those tricky choices between what to take and what to leave behind. This can be very helpful if you are wanting to de-clutter before you make the move overseas.
Not only do packing cubes allow you to get maximum use from the space inside your luggage, they also enable you to find what you need quickly and without hassle. Whenever you need a particular item, just reach in and take out the appropriate cube without messing up everything else that is carefully packed.
Equally, going through security checks becomes a breeze with packing cubes — just take out the necessary bags and then pop them back into place afterwards without disturbing the rest.
When you arrive at your destination you will be glad you organised your belongings so well as everything will be easily to hand, keeping stress levels to a minimum.
The Best Packing Cubes Deals on Amazon
eBags Medium Packing Cubes
This is a colourful set of three quality packing cubes. Each medium sized cube measures 9.75″ x 13.75″ x 3″ and is large enough to hold a few pairs of jeans or about 10 t-shirts. These packing cubes feature a partial mesh cover and quality zip closure.
Pros
- Wide range of 9 bright colours to choose from
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
- Well made, quality product
- Durable
- Lightweight
- Mesh cover allows you to see contents without opening the cube
- Machine washable
Cons
- If overstuffed, cubes won’t retain their shape
- A little pricey
G4Free Packing Cubes Value Set for Travel
Made from exceptionally resistant nylon fabric, this set of 6 packing cubes contains 1 extra large cube, 2 large cubes, 2 medium cubes, and 1 small cube. Mesh tops give good content visibility, and sturdy zips make for practical and speedy opening and closing for easy access.
Pros
- Choice of blue, green, black or purple colours
- Good value for money
- Range of sizes suitable for a wide variety of different items
- Very practical when moving between multiple destinations
- Sturdy and well made
- Great for backpacking
Cons
- Sizes less suitable for carry on luggage
AmazonBasics Packing Cubes
This is Amazon’s own brand of packing cube, and the 4 piece set consists of 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large, and 1 slim cube. The covers on these super light nylon cubes are mostly mesh – very practical when you need to see the contents at a glance. Carry handles which increase portability are a nice touch too.
Pros
- Very useful for organising – versatile range of sizes
- 6 different colours in the range to coordinate your luggage
- Can be machine washed
- Very affordable price compared to other brands
- Good value for money
- Well made and tough
Cons
- Zips can occasionally jam or tear
- Certain colours may run and stain clothes if the cubes get wet
HiDay 7 Set Travel Cube System
Not only does the HiDay travel set come with three different sizes of packing cube, it also features small, medium and large pouches, plus a shoe storage bag. The resilient thick nylon fabric also has a waterproof coating, which gives even greater protection for your possessions. This range comes in a choice of 3 understated colours – black, grey and navy.
Pros
- Tough, wipe clean fabric
- Packing and unpacking is quick and easy
- Stand up well to reasonably hard use
- Useful selection of shapes and sizes
- Very good value for money
- Keeps clothes neat and crease free
Cons
- Not machine washable
- Shoe bag is not big enough for larger size shoes
G4Free Packing Cubes Value Set for Travel
This is the 4 piece version of the G4Free Value Set for Travel featured earlier in this review. Each cube features the same quality, hardwearing fabric and design, but this set simply includes 1 packing cube of each size: extra small, small, medium and large.
Pros
- Mesh covers allow clothing to breathe, keeping them smelling fresh
- Good quality set
- Good range of sizes
- 4 vibrant colours to select from
- Lightweight
- Sturdy construction
Cons
- Some customers find the cube sizes a little on the small side
Now that’s everything you need to know about packing cubes for travel!
Will you be using them on your next trip?
