- When you open your bag, do you prefer
a neatly organized system that's easy to navigate
or a jumbled mess of creased clothing?
If you're the former, then great, you're in the right place.
Hey, I'm Nathan from Pack Hacker,
where we use our expertise and real world experience
to provide practical resources
and honest opinions guiding you towards smarter travel.
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There are hundreds of different packing cubes
in all different shapes and sizes
with tons of different use cases.
So without further ado, let's get into it.
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Just before we jump right in,
we should mention that this guide is also available
in the written format over on packhacker.com.
So make sure to check that out
and we'll link it down in the description below.
And while you're on Pack Hacker,
why not check out all of our other reviews,
packing lists and guides as well.
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First and foremost, packing cubes are used
to organize the contents of your bag.
However, they can also help with saving space
as well as they can press your clothes together.
There are even specific compression of packing cubes
that take this a step further,
but we'll get into them a little bit later on.
Now, if you haven't caught one by now
a packing cube is simply a fabric pouch
with a zippered opening.
And using one is pretty straightforward.
You simply unzip the opening and put your clothes in.
And that's exactly what we're gonna do now.
And it will also show you
just how much stuff you can fit inside.
Now as an example, this here is an Eagle Creek specter cube.
It's one of our highest rated on packhacker.com
and this is their small size.
And believe it or not, it's actually
gonna fit five t-shirts, two pairs of boxers and two socks.
We recommend rolling your clothes as it's easier
to organize them inside the cube and fill up all the space
plus they're less likely to crease this way too.
As you can see, we already have
five pre rolled t-shirts here,
so we're just gonna put them inside.
Then because there's a little bit of space on top,
we're gonna throw the boxers in here too.
And then the two pairs of socks as well.
And then we're just gonna zip it up.
And there we have it five t-shirts,
two pairs of socks and two pairs of boxers
in one small sized Eagle Creek specter cube.
Moving on a typical example of how packing cubes
can be used in the real world,
as you can use a small or an extra small cube here
for your underwear and your socks.
You can use a medium sized cube
for stuff like your t-shirts and your shorts.
And then you can use a larger cube for sweaters and pants.
It can really be that simple.
But you can also get as creative as you'd like.
For example, you can pack climate specific clothes
in individual cubes.
So you could put all of your cold weather gear into one cube
and then all of your warm weather gear into another.
And in a similar style to that you could
also put individual outfits in separate cubes as well.
Additionally, you can also pick up different colored cubes,
which will only go to help further organize your pack
and you quickly knowing what is where.
And on that note, we actually prefer packing cubes
that are different color to the inside of your pack.
So if you've got a darker backpack inside
picking up lighter colored cubes is good
as you can quickly see what's going on.
But if you've got a backpack
with like a bright orange interior or just a lighter color,
then picking up darker packing cubes
is really helpful on that note as well.
Now this isn't essential, but it's a little hack
that we like to do here at Pack Hacker.
Finally, before moving into the different types
of packing cubes you can buy,
we have to talk about the variety of sizes,
and there is quite a few.
It's important to remember
that packing cube sizes aren't universal.
So one brand's small, maybe another brand's medium,
so make sure to check all of the sizes
of each cube before you buy them.
And it's also important to consider
just how much room you have to fill inside your pack.
The last thing you wanna do is get a huge packing cube
that's either wider or taller
than the main compartment of your bag.
Now a little tip that we have is to go
for smaller packing cubes
so you can stack them on top of one another.
put them side by side and fill up your main compartment
that way, as opposed to getting like two large cubes
we'd recommend going for the medium and smaller size cubes
and kind of doing it that way.
We found that way helps a lot and will minimize
the amount of lost space inside your main compartment.
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Apart from a few outliers, like padded
and weather resistant packing cubes
that we do go into great detail on over at packhacker.com
in our written version of this guide.
The vast majority of packing cubes
can be split up into three categories.
We have an example of each here.
And for the ultra light,
we have the Osprey ultralight packing cubes.
For the compression,
we have the peak design of packing cubes.
And for budget, we have the IKEA FORFINA packing cubes,
and we'll be sure to link all
of their reviews and product pages
in the description below for each of these.
Starting with ultra light, these are the lightest obviously,
and most minimal cubes around.
They're typically made from 30 or 40 D ripstop nylon,
and they're great for when you want to minimize weight
as much as possible and save space within your pack
because of their minimal design.
We have found that the thinner fabrics used
on these cubes can make them a bit slick.
And while this helps with pulling them out,
it also increases the possibility
they will slide around inside your pack when in transit.
Moving on to compression cubes,
these things are for people who want to save
as much room in their pack as possible.
Every packing cube will compress items to a certain extent,
but compression cubes take it to the next level.
This is done by adding an additional zipper
around the outside that can be zipped up
to minimize the space inside,
kind of like how a vacuum sealer works.
And it's remarkable at how much a difference they can make.
It is important to note though,
that there are a few cons
that can come with this compression.
Unfortunately, even if you roll your clothes super neat,
it's more than likely they will crease
a little inside this cube.
And because of how they compress,
the sides can become a bit rounded,
meaning that they can be hard to stack
on top of one another.
Finally, we have budget cubes.
Here at Pack Hacker we tend to focus on high quality,
good looking and extremely functional gear.
But there are instances where going budget just makes sense.
Perhaps you're only traveling for a month
and don't need something that will last a lifetime.
Maybe you're working on a limited budget
and packing cubes are less of a priority
than other more expensive gear you have to buy.
Or maybe you're simply just not interested
in all the bells and whistles of other packing cubes.
Now it will come as no surprise
that budget packing cubes are heralded for their durability.
However, this doesn't mean that they will break
within one week of your round the world trip.
In fact, we've tested a set of Amazon basics packing cubes
for over a year of perpetual travel,
and they're still going strong.
While we can't guarantee that every budget packing cube
will survive a year of everyday use, it is possible.
On the other hand, they will take up more space
inside your pack than compression packing cubes,
and they will be heavier than ultra light packing cubes.
Unfortunately, this is the trade off for cheaper cubes,
and it's a decision you'll have to make
depending on your situation.
If you're looking to save as much money as possible,
then budget packing cubes may be the way to go.
But if you're looking to save
as much space in your pack as possible and weight,
then ultra light packing cubes
or compression packing cubes may be a better option.
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So we've talked about how to use packing cubes
and the different types to choose from.
However, there are still a few important considerations
we have to talk about.
First, the zippers and you're gonna wanna make sure
that you get good zippers on your packing cube.
Because there are a few things worse than a broken zipper.
If you can find YKK zippers then great,
just like this Osprey ultralight packing cube has,
as we've always had positive experiences with them.
However, they won't always be available on cheaper cubes.
So if you're on a budget, that's something
you're gonna have to weigh out.
A cheaper zipper doesn't always mean it's bad,
but there is a greater risk of it breaking in the long run.
Something else to consider when choosing packing cubes
is just where the zipper is located
and how the packing cube opens up.
Generally, there are two options,
a four clamshell style that opens up all the way
just like this Eagle Creek specter tech cube
and a half opening, which kind of comes down three quarters
of the cube like this Osprey ultra light packing cube.
A clamshell style packing cube will give you direct access
to the entire cube and enables you
to place and position everything neatly.
But we have found that it can be tricky to zip up
if you're filling it to the brim.
In contrast, a half opening style cube is a lot easier
to cram a load of stuff into and zip up.
But if you want to pull something out,
you will likely have to take everything else out too.
Both styles have their merits however,
we think that the clamshell opening
as long as it has two zippers just about wins this one
as you can position the zippers
to act like a half opening anyway.
Next up handles.
Now handle is by no means a vital component
on a packing cube, considering they're designed
to be placed inside of a bag,
but most manufacturers do include them.
If they're done well it's a nice feature
that can add some useful benefits.
But if not, they kind of get in the way
and they're just a pain.
pointing out the obvious a handle is helpful
when grabbing hold of a packing cube.
However, we've often found that most of the time,
it's easier just to grab the whole cube with your hands.
That being said, we have found a handle can be useful
when you're lifting a cube out
of a top loading backpack specifically,
so if you're rocking one of those, you may want
to make sure that you're packing cube has a handle.
In testing, we found handles that sit close
to the packing cube to be the best
as they don't get in the way when not in use.
But just remember that handle isn't essential,
and certainly don't discount cubes
that have opted to not include one.
And the final consideration is destination,
the world is a big place
and choosing the right packing cubes
will depend on where you're going and what you're doing.
Most packing cubes will be fine for most destinations.
However, there are some locations
where certain styles of packing cubes will be better.
If you plan on spending most of your time
wandering along sandy beaches,
then you may want to give mesh packing cubes a miss
as sand really can get everywhere.
And the last thing you want is sand
all between your neatly packed clothes
in a packing cube inside of your bag
and if you're traveling to a humid location
like Southeast Asia,
breathable packing cubes are highly recommended.
There are some high tech materials available now.
But simple mesh cubes will do the job as well
as these will help keep your clothes fresher for longer.
So there we have it, our guide on how to use
and choose the best packing cubes for travel.
And as always, we'd love to hear your thoughts
in the comments section below,
and any questions you may have.
Thanks for keeping it here at Pack Hacker,
your guide to smarter travel.
We'll see you on the next one.