I want to start this article by being abundantly clear about the topic. Until recently, I had no idea what a package cube was even for, much less what’s the best packing cube.
That’s not something that I’m being hyperbolic about either, really. There was not a scenario that I could imagine where I would find these things helpful. I knew people who used them, but I didn’t understand what good they would do. Seeing them in action just made them seem like an extra step that I could safely skip.
Oh. How wrong I was. At least… how wrong I was about some of it. Now you get to learn what I’ve learned and, hopefully, you’ll soon understand which is the best packing cube for you.
At this point, you might notice the length of the article. If you just want to know what cube I like the most, skip to the end. However, if you are interested in learning why these things are useful and how they might help you, read on because you might find these cubes more desirable than you think.
What Are Packing Cubes?
If you’ve never heard of these things, then let me introduce them. This is a packing cube.
As you can see, the word cube is a bit of a lie. Cubes are equal on all sides and these are not, making it a cuboid. What name would describe them better, though, I’m unsure of since cuboid is decidedly challenging to market. Regardless, these are packing cubes and they come in two broad categories: compression and non-compression.
The first category, compression, describes the design and functionality of the cube. They are typically double zippered with one zipper being the top flap to open the cube and the second zipper giving the compression.
The second category, non-compression, has only one zipper. The only thing it does is keep the items inside it. That makes it slightly simpler to use and gives an option for rigidity. If you aren’t trying to compress the items inside, then you can make a stiffer container to hold them all. That means that with some of these models they will stand on their own and hold a shape. I want to be careful to mention that this doesn’t mean that they somehow protect the items inside, they aren’t some sort of shock absorbing material. All it means is that the walls of the cube stay up while you use it.
Outside of those two broad categories, the differences in packing cubes mostly come down to features for specific uses and materials. Some packing cubes, for example, have a window in them to see what’s inside. Others eschew a window in favor of completely covering the items inside. Without a window, it allows for various features to appear, like being waterproof.
Not all packing cubes are for clothes, there are also more specialized packing cubes for things like toiletries and makeup. These types of cubes are usually sealed fully because they are meant to contain liquids and protect against spills or leaks.
When looking for a packing cube, you’ll need to determine what you want it to do since these things aren’t meant to be all-rounders.
Why Would You Use One?
My biggest hurdle to investing in these products was always that I couldn’t see what made it worth having. The proposition of packing cubes is that you can put all your clothes and toiletries or anything else you travel with into a tidy pouch and then unpack it when you arrive. Upon departing again, you repack the cube and the cycle repeats.
I observed others partake in this ritual of delicately folding things into a bag to put it into… a different bag. The ritual struck me as an unnecessary enterprise into organization. It is, essentially, double packing your clothes. Or is it?
I’ve learned that assessment is not entirely accurate and I’ve reassessed the usefulness of packing cubes.
The change in thinking came from a trip that I wrote about, my journey to the Galapagos. I had to pack differently than I usually do. I needed to pack tighter, with fewer things, fewer bags, and multiple stops along the way. My usual way of packing is to keep things separated by bag, but that system depends on having just one or even no stops before I reach my final destination. This works well enough for a lot of trips, but even in those cases, I’ve become frustrated by it when I have that single overnight stop.
The best packing alleviates problems, like packing and unpacking repeatedly in hotels.
What I typically do when I have that single overnight is pack a separate selection of clothes in my carry-on to have one, just one, change of clothes for the following day. Doing that would mean I would have a loose pile of clothes shoved into the bottom of my roller bag or backpack. Every time I open the bag, I’m making sure that clothes don’t fall out.
That problem isn’t really much to surmount, though. The real problem is 2-3 night stays, especially with more stops afterward. Let’s lay out two different, short, multi-night stays in a hotel that illuminates why I’ve changed my tune on these floppy containers.
Spending 1-3 nights in a hotel is a common scenario on a business trip and that means you’ll need a few changes of clothes. You’ll definitely bring 1-3 changes of clothes to wear for the work portion. Many of us in these scenarios (in my old job I did a lot of these trips), wear business or business casual outfits. You really don’t want them to be wrinkled, so you can’t just cram them into a bag. You also are likely to want at least 1 change of casual clothes for the traveling days and, if you’re like me, some exercise clothes.
When traveling for this length of time, many of us try to avoid checking bags. If we can get away with ju st carry-on, it makes it so much easier. Fitting all your travel needs into a backpack or roller-bag means you can skip the headache of baggage claim and the worry of your bag being lost by the airline.
When doing some simple overnights, I always try to travel light.
In this example, keeping those business outfits folded nicely and separate from the workout clothes is essential. The packing cubes make sure that your outfits stay neatly pressed and clean. They also help keep your clothes organized inside the bag so, if you’re using a backpack, you can still get into the bag without your clothes falling out onto the airport or airplane floor.
A more enjoyable situation to ponder is when you are traveling for leisure, sometimes called a vacation. Many people take trips where they stay for a night or two in one city and then move on to somewhere else. Sometimes that’s a cruise, sometimes that’s another town, no matter the reason, there’s multiple packing and unpacking sessions.
Packing cubes can alleviate several irritating problems when in this situation. If you want to only use carryon, similar to the business travel scenario, it keeps things from falling out onto the floor. In the case you do have a larger checked bag, it means that you can keep a change of clothes for an overnight or two in your carryon so you don’t have to go in your checked bag. Should the nightmare scenario of the airline losing your luggage happen, if you pack a change or two in your carryon, you can have some buffer to dress yourself with.
If we’re being honest, it’s nnot just kids that will spill stuff on the shirts… The best packing cubes make finding your clothes easier.
If you do have a multi stop itinerary with overnights between, you can plan ahead to put the clothes you want into specific cubes so you don’t have to go through your whole suitcase each stop. I’ve used this several times now and it save so much time when I arrive. All I need to do is think through what I’ll want to wear and put that into a cube to use. Then, when I get to the next stop, I only unpack that and then I close my luggage up.
Additionally, many of us go on vacations with kids, and packing cubes can help here as well. When you pack for your kids, especially young ones, you’re picking out all the clothes and packing the bags for them. Their clothes are often mixing in with yours and, when they inevitably make a mess on their shirt, you’ve got to get a replacement out. If your kid’s clothes are in their own cube, it’s going to take a lot less time to find than fishing through the whole suitcase.
Even if they insist on having the own suitcase, the cubes can help organize their clothes into individual pieces, like pants or shirts. The less time you spend searching for the replacement piece the better. You don’t even need to pack the clothes neatly, go ahead and just shove them in if you want. The neat folding isn’t the part that saves you time, it’s knowing where the clean shirt is.
These aren’t the only scenarios where packing cubes help though.
More Specific Use Cases
Ask yourself, how many times have you forgotten to bring a charging cable with you? I’m guessing that the answer is more times than you care to admit. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, and your parents have done it so many times you just plan on stopping to get one while traveling. It’s just a law of the universe; it’s going to happen.
There is a way that you can reduce or eliminate forgetting that pesky cable. Especially that micro-USB one that’s still used by a single device, probably a Nook or Kindle, that you still use but you bought it just before USB-C became the standard. You know. That cable.
I never forget to bring any cables these days and I have fleet of cables. When I’m traveling, I’m bringing multiple cameras, usually 3 or 4, laptops, hard drives, power supplies, batteries. The point is, I have a lot of cables but I always get everything I need and the trick to doing that is a packing cube. Also just buying extra cables and USB docks. Believe it or not, I really do need everything on almost all my trips. The trick I use, which isn’t really a trick, is just keeping these cables together and only using them for travel. I simply gathered extra cables I had accumulated, like ones that were bundled with purchases, and used them here. Keeping my two power cubes, USB hub, and various USB cables together ensures I simply grab this cube and go.
The best packing cube is a question of purpose. I use different kinds for different things.
I also use a toiletry packing cube. Each pocket contains specific things that I replace when I run out. Nearly everything you see in these pockets, stays in these pockets. In between trips, very few things are removed from this packing cube, most of them stay in all the time. Whenever I need to pack for a trip, I simply grab the toiletry bag and put it in my luggage. Since I started using this, I’ve never forgotten toothpaste, or deodorant, or any other toiletry that I need.
Do Compression Cubes Work?
I don’t believe that I would be doing a thorough job if I didn’t provide an answer here. To quickly recap what the compression cubes claim to do, they say that the cube can save space by compressing the items. This claim isn’t necessarily false but let’s examine how true that is.
There’s a simple problem I can see with the claims of the compression cubes. Compressing objects relies on reducing the space between them, or in them, usually occupied by air, thus, making them smaller. There’s not much that can be compressed in objects like clothes.
One of the Schake cubes and one of the Aerotrunk cubes are very similar in size, though not identical, but I have packed each with identical sets of clothes. I happened to have two of the same design of dress, pair of shorts, blouses, pajamas, camisole, and socks. This collection of clothing should occupy the same amount of space and, when the two bags are both uncompressed, they each occupy roughly the same volume.
The Aerotrunk compression cube is on the left and the Schake cube is on the right. Even though the angle is a bit different, the height of each cube is similar and they are packed with identical clothes.
Once the compression zipper is closed, the compressed cube does reduce some space. Where that reduction happens is not uniform, however. Most of the compression takes place on the sides of the cube. As the zipper closes, it reduces the available room on the edges of the cube and pushes the clothes toward the inner area, making a tighter fit.
While this does reduce the space being taken up by the cube, where the space is made is often not the most helpful. You might be able to fit a small bottle here or other similar sized object. Yet I will venture that you would be able to fit that same bottle without using the compression cube.
The compressed height of the cube really only changes on the sides.
Although it is true that the compression cubes compress the clothes slightly, the benefits may not be exactly as you hope. If you think this feature is beneficial to your needs, then it could be a good option, but I don’t think having a more rounded cuboid will make much difference.
Differences in Quality
One of the first things that people want to know about any product is how much it costs. It’s completely reasonable to ask that question. Afterall, you don’t want to overpay for something that you won’t get much use out of, even if that thing is high quality. A homeowner with one yard to manage likely won’t benefit from paying for a commercial lawn mower, for example.
On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve all been tricked into buying something that sounded a little too good to be true and it was. A good testimonial or a flashy and fun demonstration has lured many people into buying something that does little more than empty their wallet. The price of something is an indicator as to quality and that often goes both directions. Finding a happy medium for your use is important.
Take this bag and this bag [hold the Eagle Creek bag up and the Shacke one up] This bag by Eagle Creek cost about twice as much as this one from Shacke. Both of them are packing cubes and non-compression style, so why does one cost more than the other?
I felt a difference in the smoothness of the zipper action beteween the Eagle Creek and the Schake.
Neither one of these companies is going to have a detailed breakdown of exactly what every part costs to show you why one is more than the other; they keep those figures strictly internal. The bags are definitely different but the materials listed on the specifications give a clue as to what the difference may be. The Eagle Creek one is made of recycled polyester and the Shacke is made of Nylon.
Using recycled polyester is a more expensive material than virgin (meaning non-recycled) polyester, but that likely does not account for the entire price jump. Most of the figures I found for the cost per ton puts recycled polyester at around 25-35% more expensive than virgin. That percentage difference figure varies as it is influenced by quite a few metrics and it represents an average. The cost per ton can be higher than that difference or lower, sometimes even costing the same as virgin fabric. Regardless, that higher average cost for fabric explains at least some of the price difference.
Given the somewhat limited resources that I have in discovering all the true per unit costs associated with each item, I’m forced to look into other aspects, like feel of material and function of parts.
When I move the zipper on the Shacke, it doesn’t glide as nicely as the as the zipper on the Eagle Creek. I don’t know which one cost more, but I know which one feels nicer. The mesh on top of the cubes also feels higher quality on the Eagle Creek; it’s smoother and softer to the touch. In my mind, which is not knowledgeable about fabrics, the Eagle Creek mesh feels less likely to catch on things or tear.
The Eagle Creek packing cube has a tighter stitching than the Schake option.
Getting closer in, I’m looking at the stitching on these cubes. The Eagle Creek stitching is tighter, with a more frequent stitch. I admit that I don’t have the education in garment manufacturing to judge if this improves the material joining in any meaningful way, but it is still a difference I can see.
Beyond that, and the design of the cubes, I can’t spot any meaningful differences. Again, I am not trained in this field but I want to identify any contributing factors to the price.
I looked at many different cubes from around the internet and the story seems to be mostly the same. Higher cost materials, like recycled fabrics or zippers, are used in more expensive items. But does that additional cost mean anything to you in practical terms. To me, I don’t think that there’s a huge difference for most people’s use case.
It’s preferable to use recycled materials for the environmental impact, but there isn’t a significant separation in durability between using recycled and virgin material, at least that I was able to find. As for the zippers, higher quality zippers will, generally, bind less than lower quality ones, but these zippers may not be ones you are using daily and how much this matters is up to you.
The compression cube did use very nice zippers, which is probably necessary.
I think that compression packing cubes could benefit more from using higher quality materials, especially the zipper. I bought a few different products in research for this article, and when I was searching for compression varieties, I found that lower cost offerings received more comments about the zipper binding up.
Over my life, I’ve learned that buying the good thing once and paying a little more money is almost always a wise decision over buying the cheaper alternatives. Packing cubes are fairly simple items. They hold your things and keep them in place. The parts to assemble are easily sourced and the designs are uncomplicated. They do not need to withstand powerful stresses or hold up to impacts. In my experience, items like this need not be expensive. I don’t see any reason that spending more money on a packing cube is going to provide practical benefit in most cases.
The pricier products do feel nicer in your hand, at least they do to me, but not enough that I can say you should spend money on it, unless you are traveling frequently. However, I believe that the often on the road, business traveler would likely benefit from spending a bit more on a packing cube set for their clothes. The sturdier feel of these items, hopefully, equates to longevity and, the more often they are used, the more that matters.
What’s the Best Packing Cube?
By this point, you may be guessing at my conclusion, but the best packing cube is the one that has the features that matter most to you.
That being said, it’s not very actionable advice so let me tell you my preferences.
My personal favorite is the compression packing cube set from Aerotrunk. Despite what I said about the compression feature not really helping that much, the cubes themselves are fantastic to use. The zippers are great, with smooth action, the material is nice to touch but also has held up to use well over the last few months. They come in lots of colors which are more than just aesthetically pleasing because different colors can be used to indicate different people in the same piece of luggage or different clothing types. Overall, I really liked this product.
My pick for the best packing cube is the Aerotrunk option.
A more budget minded choice won’t be lead astray, though, which is why I like Shacke’s offering. The cubes did not feel as nice to the touch and their zipper action isn’t as smooth. Neither of those things disqualify them from purchase, though, since they still perform the main job of holding your items inside without any problem and cost less than other products I tried.
When you want to make a more environmentally conscious choice, the Eagle Creek cubes provide an excellent option. Though they are more expensive per cube, their quality seems clear to me. They are a very close second in how nice they are to touch and their zipper action is the smoothest of any of the cubes I have. It would be well worth the money to pick up a set of these.
I can no longer travel without this packing cube from Gregory, it is essential.
If you liked my way of keeping all my electronic cable needs in one cube, then here’s a small breakdown of what I have. The cube is from Gregory, their Alpaca 5L Camp Gear Pod. It’s got rigid sides and an easy access, zippered compartment that lets me get at all my electronic cables quickly.
As for the makeup bag, that is a Mary Kay product that can be purchased on their website under the makeup tools section. I have used mine for nearly a decade now and it’s held up to quite a bit of use. It lets me see all the things inside it while keeping any potential spills inside an individual pouch.
I hope that this packing cube review helped you find the best one for you, but that’s not the only thing we can help you with. We are a travel agency and not only do we know a lot about packing cubes, we know even more about the places you’ll want to take them. Whether you are looking to book a trip to a resort, take a cruise, or just get away for a few days we can help with that! Each year we book hundreds of vacations for individuals, families, and large groups. We’ve got years of experience and firsthand knowledge to make sure you get the best trip possible with support all along the way. Our team of travel professionals can help find and book the best rates and discounts for your trip because it’s our job. So don’t book on your own, use our expertise and book with us so we can help get you, far, far away.
