Are packing cubes worth it?

[wandererofthekingdom]

What do people think of packing cubes, are they really worth it? Why will they improve my life?! How do you use them to get the best out of them, how do you sort things?

No complete bullshit in my opinion, just finished packing my suitcase and tried using them for the first time, made my packing so bulky.. I packed much better by just rolling my clothes.

I bought some and they made the items take up more space because the packing cubes don’t tesselate with the shape of my suitcases and additionally I don’t own any clothes or shoes that are cuboid shaped so there’s always bits of the cube that aren’t filled.

Yes and no. I agree with @SeasideDaisy that they are mainly marketing hype. You can definitely pack more without them, however, if you get the ones that compress (extra zip around the edge to reduce the size), they can be handy for organisational purposes and to bring home bottles of drink wedged between them.

They are certainly not a mystical method of taking ten times as much on holiday.

I like them for family holidays because it makes it super easy to know what belongs to whom. Each family member has their own colour. Wouldn’t bother for a solo trip though.

absolutely yes IMO!
I find it makes it easier to plan what to pack too....one for undies, one for beach stuff, one for evening clothes etc. Even better if you're sharing a case with other people or mixing family belongings between different bags.
And when you arrive you just put your cube in the drawer or on a shelf, unzip it and you're good to go!
I even use a couple if I travel on business for a night or two as it means I can unzip my case in the office without the risk of my knickers falling out!

I disagree with everyone! Travelled to 40+ countries for reference. I find I can pack more, they do fit and they help.

Not the stupid vacuum ones, just the double zip compression one, or the normal ones. I love them.

I use them on trips where we’re travelling around with hand luggage and only staying one night each place. Much easier to see what you need and I don’t end up with the chaos of emptying the entire bag several times a day!
Also, in the camper van where again, it’s a tiny space for clothes. Can quickly select pants, shorts, vest top without loosing my mind in the tiny area I have as a clothes cupboard.

They work ok if you are on the move and going from place to place. So different items are in different cubes. Maybe also for separating kids clothes into one or two cubes for each child etc. And of course one bag/cube for the washing ha ha!

Otherwise I wouldn't use them at all. Far too bulky. Large ziploc bags do the same job, and if you squeeze the air out, they flatten a lot. Only do this with uncrushable stuff though otherwise you will be walking around like a wrinkled bag of clothes!

So no, they are not for me ever.

The double zip ones that compress do mean you can pack more in volume. Mind you if you get too good at it you might go over the weight allowed.
I’d say yes they’re worth it.

I love them. I use a combination of cubes and then putting shoes and other items between them. If travelling to another country en route, you can put everything for the first stop into one cube. Dirty laundry goes into a separate cube and goes straight to the utility room when we get home. I can get a lot more in my case using cubes, as long as all items are rolled. Also good for packing bottles of wine that can't go in hand luggage.

They work for me. I think you need a range of sizes though.

I pack each cube with similar types of clothing, so for example, swimwear, underwear, tops, sandals, etc. Then when we get to the hotel just put the full cubes into drawers. The only items I ever unpack are dresses and dh’s shirts and trousers. Everything else stays in their cube until needed.

Also really good if you want to mix family members' things between cases. Helpful when one case doesn't arrive and takes 5 days to catch up with you.

Love them! Have used them on many a trip including a world cruise. I also regularly use them in an underseat bag on budget airlines. They keep random bits together. I just find it a tidier way of packing. Mine were £1 each from Poundland so not a major investment. I wouldn’t pay a fortune but I do like them.

No, they don’t fit the case or the clothes/shoes. Another daft TEMU idea to keep us spending.

I have adopted the principle though, a drawstring bag for underwear as I can also pack my used stuff in it for the return and a canvas supermarket tote/shopper that I put my flip flops/sandals in and roll. Keeps my other clothes clean and gives me a shopping bag whilst I am away.

They are a game changer if you’ve got a multi centre holiday. Particularly if you’re doing a night or two in each place as it makes it easy to grab what you want without unpacking and repacking your case each time. Because I’m me, I labelled each cube with what was inside (T shirts, knickers, whatever) which made it really easy. DH didn’t bother with that but still thought it made a significant difference. I don’t think they save you space though so we don’t bother when we’re going somewhere where we’re going to unpack into a wardrobe for the week.

I agree with a previous poster about them being handy on a multi-destination trip.
You never unpack and put away your stuff but at least you can keep organised and pack quickly every morning.

It depends what I’m packing into, a suitcase I’d not bother. But a hold-all, back pack etc then I find them really good

Yes! Game changer! We're a family of 4, I do one each for underwear, one for all swimwear, and one each for shorts/t-shirts, another for medication and suncream. They can be taken straight out the case and put into drawers so it makes unpacking really quick and easy.

Good for keeping clean stuff separate in the case on the way home too. I don't use them for bulky items like jeans, jumpers, dresses.

I have two kinds, compression ones that can be packed really tightly and safe space and cheap Primark one that don't compress but useful for keeping everything organised.

We do this too, always mix everyone's stuff between the cases on flights in case of lost luggage and the cubes make it easier to sort it out at the other end.

Also useful for keeping anything that doesn't end up getting worn seperate from the dirty washing.

DH loves packing cubes and uses them for all his work trips. I'm not as fanatical but definitely think they are useful!

I like something like travel shoe bags. It's handy to have one for knickers, one for socks, etc and just move them into the drawers on holiday. But these don't have a shape, so squash into my bag where there's space.

I love them. No more rooting around in the suitcase looking for things. All my underwear in one cube etc. We never stay anywhere long enough to unpack but love how my suitcase is organised and I can find things easily.

Thanks all, there's some good packing tips here. I think I'll consider them for smaller items. I always spread everyone's things across the suitcases so it might help with unpacking.

They are certainly useful for people sharing a suitcase. My friend just brought her cubes in and popped them into the half case I'd left her. A lot tidier than my stuff which was randomly stuufed in!

I find them most useful for baby/toddler stuff as it's small so can keep things together like clothes, swim stuff, toys, nappies etc. For an adult I don't think they're that useful.

I travel a lot and I would never bother with packing cubes.