Packing Cubes?

[ReneeFLL]

I have heard about packing cubes. Anyone here use them and what are your thoughts? I have looked online and I noticed that the sides look sturdy/stiff in some of the pictures. Are they sturdy or do they look that way because they are packed with stuff?

[Pushkin]

The packing cubes I have are all soft sided.

[Pattyhoo]

I love the packing cubes from Dollar Tree. They are lightweight but sturdy enough to use in the cabinets above the bed. 

For our last cruise, I folded t shirts and shorts into the cubes and placed inside my luggage. It made unpacking very easy!

I also bring an inexpensive closet hanging shoe rack and a folding mesh hamper. 

[watchdiva]

Love the packing cubes.  I have them in small, medium and large and also the flat traveling cosmetic bag and won’t pack without them!  The cubes slide onto the shelves in our cabin and it’s easy to find what I’m looking for.  We have ebags...

[bboop51]

I bought packing packing cubes for our last cruise. I bought some from amazon and some from ebags. They were both great. I took them out of the suitcases "as is" and placed them on the shelves etc.  I use a laundry bags for dirty clothes. So anything left over, just went back in the suitcases. It was easy peasy on so many levels.

[excitedofharpenden]

I love them. I'm packing for a trip at the moment and was thinking just today these are the best things I bought. A few reasons. You can pack in stages. No stress about getting the case packed. Just do as and when. Trousers in one cube, shirts in another, shorts in another, underwear and socks in another. If you are staying pre cruise somewhere you can get to what you want so much more easily.

 

When you arrive there is no pressure to get unpacked in the cabin. Just put the cubes in the cupboards and drawers and unpack at leisure. The clothes are compact and take up less space in the case because you can put different size cubes in the case and use the space.  No gaps. And the clothes, if you fold neatly don't get creased. They are brilliant. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/G4Free-Packing-Organizers-Accessories-Black-6pcs/dp/B07GZK888S/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=2AFLAP59YM1CR&keywords=g4free%2Bpacking%2Bcubes&qid=1552742906&s=gateway&sprefix=g4frre&sr=8-4&th=1&psc=1

 

Phil 

Edited March 16, 2019 by excitedofharpenden

[sptrout]

Just a note to mention that there are two types of packing cubes; compression, and just an organizer. We have both and depending on your needs make sure you buy the correct type. The compression cubes have two independent zippers and compress the contents considerably; saving room in your suitcase. The "organizer" type only has one zipper and does not compress its contents and is mainly used just to separate different contents within the suitcase. Both are OK, but the compression type will save room plus help organize your suitcase. Naturally, with compression and the added capability of packing more, you have to watch for total weight limits or you may be in for a costly surprise at the airport. 

[mimbecky]

2 hours ago, Pattyhoo said:

I love the packing cubes from Dollar Tree. They are lightweight but sturdy enough to use in the cabinets above the bed. 

For our last cruise, I folded t shirts and shorts into the cubes and placed inside my luggage. It made unpacking very easy!

I also bring an inexpensive closet hanging shoe rack and a folding mesh hamper. 

Dollar Tree?  You are talking about the zippable ones? If so, I need to check this out.

[Ginnyfyr]

I've been using packing cubes for years - love them and can't imagine not using them! They're especially handy when we fly in a day or two early; I plan for what we'll need for that day or two and jut have one cube to pull out at the hotel rather than rifling through all our things looking for what I want. I also find that our things are much less wrinkly when we arrive (not that I iron on vacation...heck, I don't even do it at home if I can help it!) 

[Pattyhoo]

The cubes from dollar tree are not zippered. They fold flat and the top is open. I believe they are 12x12 and 11 inches high

[Merly]

I am a recent convert. Got mine from Amazon and plan to get another set. I got a set of mixed sizes. 

[perkydebrajean]

We've got ebags brand and love them. Have several different sizes and two different colors. I put husbands in one color and mine in the other. I also roll our clothes before putting them in and I can fit a lot more in them than I thought I'd be able to. Just take them out of the suitcase and put them in the drawers or on the shelf. 

 

[TeaBag]

22 minutes ago, perkydebrajean said:

We've got ebags brand and love them. Have several different sizes and two different colors. I put husbands in one color and mine in the other. I also roll our clothes before putting them in and I can fit a lot more in them than I thought I'd be able to. Just take them out of the suitcase and put them in the drawers or on the shelf. 

 

I could have written this word for word.  Ours are ebags too and we've had them for years.  I've even had people come to my cabin to show them what they look like.  I also have the ones for shoes.  Ours are in three sizes.

[Hal from Ohio]

My wife is the “packing queen” and loves the soft sided cubes!  Wally World has a good selection reasonably priced.  

[JoePDX]

We have had Eagle Creek ones for years-still going strong.    I just added various sizes of eBags to our collection.   Will be using next month for our Transatlantic and post cruise week in Edinburgh.    They provide great organization and allow you to find what you need without rooting through the suitcase for pre and post cruise stays.

 

i also highly recommend the Eagle Creek Pack-it garment folders.   They have great compressing abilities for shirts, pants, etc.  without excessive wrinkling.   I find most wrinkles “go away” just by hanging the items once on the ship.

 

Joe

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by JoePDX

[mimbecky]

8 hours ago, Pattyhoo said:

The cubes from dollar tree are not zippered. They fold flat and the top is open. I believe they are 12x12 and 11 inches high

 

Ahhh, yes I have a few of those for overhead.  Thanks.

[Cruise Raider]

Another vote for packing cubes.  I got a couple of sets on Amazon and we loved them so much, we needed to get more.  I saw some for a great price at one of those discount stores ... can't remember but some place like Marshalls, TJ Max ... some place like that.  The newer ones are even better as they are a little sturdier .. made by Sharper Image.  Well, needless to say, my DH has already snagged those ones for his packing needs.  hahaha!!  We find the two medium sizes to be the most useful.  

Needless to say, they make packing so much more organized and unpacking is also so much easier.  If we do a pre or post cruise stay, those clothes can all be packed in a cube of their own, including undergarments, socks, pants, shirts ... just one day's worth of clothing so there is no digging through everything to get to what you need for that part of the trip.  What is great is they keep the wrinkles to a minimum and are fairly flexible even when filled to the brim and squish into the small spaces in your suitcase.  You can fit so much more into your bag as even the non compression ones seem to help pack everything pretty tightly.  You can color code everything as they come in a multitude of colors, too.  

My  thought is that if you buy one set,  you will go back for a couple more.  They are a packer's dream!!  I won't travel without them now ... even just a short little trip to Vegas. 

[tanzania2015]

6 hours ago, JoePDX said:

We have had Eagle Creek ones for years-still going strong.    I just added various sizes of eBags to our collection.   Will be using next month for our Transatlantic and post cruise week in Edinburgh.    They provide great organization and allow you to find what you need without rooting through the suitcase for pre and post cruise stays.

 

i also highly recommend the Eagle Creek Pack-it garment folders.   They have great compressing abilities for shirts, pants, etc.  without excessive wrinkling.   I find most wrinkles “go away” just by hanging the items once on the ship.

 

Joe

 

I concur, the Eagle Creek Pack-it garment folders are great as well as the Eagle Creek compression cubes. We previously used cubes from e-bags. We were only going to buy one set but after the first use, we bought a second set and additional shoe bags. 

[ExpressoMama]

We have packing cubes that we purchased from travel guru, Rick Steve’s site years ago. We use them every time we travel(especially  cruising) by packing our clothes in the cubes by rolling them... by doing It that way it takes up much less room, clothes come out less wrinkled and store easily in the shelves or drawers onboard inside the cube. 

[SandG]

Another YES YES YES for packing cubes!  My husband makes a little fun of me for how much I love them.  But they are wonderful for cruises.  Everything is organized by clothing type, and I just leave my clothes in the cubes on the ship.  It takes only a few minutes to take the cubes out of my suitcase and toss them into the drawers or storage areas. A few cubes with "just in case" items stay in the suitcase under the bed.  Boom! Done!

They are especially helpful on the S-Class ships where you get that large storage area over the bed.  That area would be become a mess in a few days without the cubes.

 

(PS, I use the cubes from eBags.  One could get different colors and code them, but I'm not THAT organized.)

Edited March 21, 2019 by SandG

[Sascol]

My two cents - we have them and we love them.  They keep things organized and like others have said keep all like items (or differing items if you prefer) together and organized. 

 

One thing I would not agree with though is that they cut down in wrinkles and creasing.  It is just like packing soft, mini suitcases for organization and then putting the mini suitcases in your larger bag.  No impact better or worse for creases/wrinkles.

[TeaBag]

Another benefit of these cubes is that they keep the TSA people from making a dog's dinner out of your suitcase as they go through it!

[pa-annie]

I have never used these things. I do see how they can be a convenience for those who are super organized, but it seems like they are just extra stuff to put into a suitcase that takes up space and adds to the weight.  Based on what I have seen you cannot convince me that they compress clothes enough to allow you more space and/or they reduce wrinkles, it's counter intuitive.

 

- BZ

[mfs2k]

After reading CC for the past 2 months, and watching cruise packing videos in the past few weeks on Youtube, I decided to order packing cubes from Amazon for our Equinox cruise on Saturday.  The first set I got was an assortment of 4 sizes (Amazon Basics (about $20)  and only the largest is any good for me for my clothes.  It held 10 Tshirts.  The 3 smaller ones in varying sizes are useful for electronics, socks/underwear, and the clothes I will transfer to a backpack to change into on board, before my luggage is delivered.

I decided to order an additional 4 pack (about $20) of the large size only.  These are great.  I packed the rest of my clothes in these and they're all organized and neat.  The packing cubes fit perfectly into my suitcase, so when I unpack, I can just remove the cubes. 

 

PS:  I was confused by the name for a while.  They're not "cubes."  They're just individual soft packing "packs" which zip closed.

 

I'm now a fan of these.

[Chicago Girl]

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