Packing Cubes: Travel Companion Or Waste Of Space?

Packing cubes are a travel accessory designed to simplify the process of organising and packing your belongings. They are lightweight containers made from fabric that come in various sizes and shapes and are typically made of nylon or polyester material. The concept behind packing cubes is to compartmentalise different items within a suitcase or backpack, creating smaller, organised sections within the larger storage space. They can be particularly useful for those who travel with a lot of small items, want to maximise the space in their luggage, or need to pack for a specific activity or event. However, they may not be necessary for those who already have a well-organised packing system or are travelling with a small suitcase or backpack. Ultimately, the decision to use packing cubes comes down to personal preference.

Packing cubes can help you organise your luggage

Packing cubes are a great way to organise your luggage and improve your overall travel experience. They are fabric containers that come in various sizes and shapes and are typically made of nylon or polyester material. They help you separate clothing and accessories into obvious compartments, making it easier to find items within your bag and maintain a neat and orderly suitcase.

Organisational Benefits

Packing cubes allow you to categorise your belongings. This helps you to find specific items in transit without creating a mess. You can group items together by outfit, type of clothing, or even pack by day, especially when travelling with a family. For example, everyone's Monday outfits can go in one cube, Tuesday outfits in another, and so on. This is extremely handy for the first night, where one cube can hold everyone's pyjamas and other immediately required essentials.

Space-Saving Advantages

Packing cubes enable you to pack more efficiently and effectively, making sure you can fit more items into your suitcase in a compact and organised manner. They help keep your clothing wrinkle-free and allow you to fit more items into your bag, which can be beneficial if you prefer to travel with carry-on luggage only.

Protection of Clothing

Packing cubes act as a barrier against spills and stains. They help reduce wrinkles and keep your clothes in better condition throughout your journey. Some packing cubes are made from water-resistant materials, providing an extra layer of protection for electronics and other valuables.

Easy to Use and Unpack

With packing cubes, you can effortlessly remove cubes containing the items you need without disrupting the rest of your luggage. This saves time and effort during both packing and unpacking while keeping your suitcase neat and tidy.

Keep Dirty Laundry Separate

Allocate a packing cube specifically for storing dirty clothes. This keeps them separate from clean items, preventing smell contamination and making it easier to manage laundry until you have access to washing facilities.

Overall, packing cubes are a valuable tool for travellers seeking a well-organised and efficient travel experience. They help streamline the packing process, making it easier to locate specific items and keeping your luggage neat and tidy.

They can save space

Packing cubes can be a great way to save space when travelling. They allow you to compartmentalise your luggage, creating smaller, organised sections within your suitcase or backpack. This not only helps you to find items more easily, but it also enables you to pack more efficiently and effectively.

For example, you can group items together by outfit or type of clothing (all shirts in one cube, workout gear in another). This is especially useful if you're travelling with a family, as you can pack by day – so everyone's Monday outfits go in one cube, Tuesday's in another, and so on.

Packing cubes are also handy for keeping your clothing wrinkle-free and can help you fit more items into your bag. They can be particularly beneficial for backpackers, as they allow you to separate items within a small space, making them much easier to find.

If you're looking to save as much space as possible, you may want to invest in compression cubes. These have an extra zipper that compresses the contents of the cube, allowing you to save even more space. However, it's important not to overstuff compression cubes, as this can lead to exceptionally wrinkled clothes or damaged zippers.

Overall, packing cubes are a great way to save space when travelling, helping you to stay organised and pack more efficiently.

They can keep your clothes in better condition

Packing cubes can help keep your clothes in better condition in several ways. Firstly, they can help to reduce wrinkles, which means your clothes are less likely to crease and crumple during transit. Secondly, they act as a barrier against spills and stains, minimising the chances of your clothing getting damaged. Thirdly, they can keep your clothes smelling fresh by containing the stink of dirty laundry. Finally, they can help to protect your clothing from bed bugs, which can be a concern when travelling.

Packing cubes are also useful for keeping your suitcase or backpack organised. They allow you to separate your clothing into obvious compartments, making it easier to find what you need. This is especially helpful if you are travelling with a family, as you can use colour-coded cubes for each person. They are also beneficial if you are travelling with a toddler, making unpacking and organising your hotel room a breeze.

In addition to keeping your clothes in better condition, packing cubes can also protect your electronics. Some cubes are made from water-resistant materials, providing an extra layer of protection for devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops in case of spills or leaks in your luggage.

They can be used for dirty laundry

Packing cubes are a great way to keep your luggage organised and can be used to separate dirty laundry from clean clothes. They are especially useful for backpackers, as they help to separate items within a small space and make them easier to find. They are also useful for those who want to keep their suitcase neat and tidy, and for those who are packing for multiple people and want to organise items by day.

There are several packing cubes on the market that are designed with two compartments, allowing you to keep your dirty laundry separate from your clean clothes. The Eagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Clean/Dirty Cube, for example, uses an internal divider to separate the two. The divider creates two compartments of equal size, so the volume of the cube stays the same as you transfer your clothes from one side to the other. The Peak Design cube has a similar feature, and there is also a cheaper alternative available on Amazon.

If you don't want to invest in a packing cube, you can always use a plastic bag to separate your dirty laundry. However, a plastic bag won't provide the same structure as a packing cube, and it may be more difficult to fit it neatly into your luggage.

They can be colour-coded for family travel

Packing cubes are a great way to keep your luggage organised, especially when travelling with family. One of the key benefits of packing cubes is that they allow you to categorise and separate your belongings. This is especially useful when travelling with family, as you can assign each family member a colour, making it easier to identify and organise everyone's luggage.

For example, you could pack everyone's Monday outfits in one cube, and Tuesday's in another. This way, each family member can easily access their clothes for the day without having to rummage through their entire suitcase. This also makes it easier to keep track of what everyone has worn, ensuring that no clothes go to waste.

Packing cubes also help to keep your clothes wrinkle-free and can be used to separate dirty laundry. This is particularly useful when travelling with children, as it keeps their dirty clothes separate from their clean ones.

Additionally, packing cubes can protect your clothing from spills and stains. They also allow you to make the most of the available space in your luggage, as they allow you to pack your items in a more compact and organised manner. This is especially useful if you are trying to minimise the size of your suitcase or if you need to pack for a longer trip.

Overall, packing cubes can be a great way to streamline your travel experience, making it easier to find what you need and keeping your luggage neat and tidy.

Frequently asked questions