Packing Cubes

[ChuckL88]

I couldn't understand the hype about packing cubes years ago, and then I got a sample pack of 3 cubes from a freebie from eBags. So I tried the 3 out. LOVED THEM! I was thrilled that the next platinum gift we got from Carnival was packing cubes. I pack everything but shoes in them. My suitcase looks so neat--for the outbound trip anyway. I like the ones that have a little handle on the top.

 

Thanks for the glowing endorsement from a packing cube convert miz, you lucky platinum you can't wait to become a cruise regular :)

[ChuckL88]

I ordered the Amazon Basics packing cubes and they are fantastic. I started with Rick Steves' (a couple of free ones when I bought a suitcase from his Travel Store) but they are pricier.

 

 

 

For the large, flat "cube," I pack clothing flat. For other shapes, I roll (since I believe rolling is the most space-saving).

 

 

 

My offspring don't yet understand the value in packing cubes.

 

Thanks for the recommendation Out of Iowa, who is this Rick Steves I keep reading about?

 

A mix of techniques sounds like the trick to packing them, going to have to convert these offspring :)

[ChuckL88]

After reading this thread and a review from a cruiser that used packing cubes I decided to buy some. I purchased these from Amazon.

7 Set Waterproof Packing Cube - 3 Travel Cubes + 3 Pouches + 1 Shoe Bag (Deep Blue) in 2 colours. $16.99 each

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B074R81R3R/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Happy that my thread helped you in someway hockeyluver, I am definitely making a purchase as well.

[ChuckL88]

I have been using them for about 10 years. I roll my clothes in them, less wrinkles.

I got mine in various places....Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and I got a 3 pack on closeout at Lands end. Sierra Trading Post is another good place to try.

 

I will use the larger and medium ones for shirts, shorts, etc. and the small one in the top zip compartment of my carryon bag to hold my flight medication, keys for suitcases, cash, iPod, and passport/boarding pass for airplane.

I don’t put sweatshirts in the cube, too bulky.

 

 

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Hey Jen :)

 

A decade of use now that's an endorsement, unfortunately I don't live in the US so will have to shop around a bit here in Australia.

[ChuckL88]

I didn’t understand the big fuss until I tried them, now I am also a believer. I use a small cube for a sundress, sandals, and undies in my carryon for the first night (just in case luggage is late), bathing suits/coverups/sarongs in a medium, and lingerie/sleepwear in another medium. I put dresses and shorts outfits in a large cube so I can take the cube to the closet and stand there to put everything on hangers to avoid tripping over my SO by walking back and forth. I gather all unused clothing into one cube for the trip home. I use the plastic bags that newspapers are delivered in for my shoes, storing them on the narrow shelf at the top of the closet and always putting the last pair I wore back into the bag when I take out a different pair, so they are extremely easy to pack. The individual bags also fit into a cube.

 

Thanks for the reply Zoey

 

I love hearing from packing cube converts like yourself

[ChuckL88]

Big suitcase, 75% full. the cubes keep everything together, and wrinkle free. We roll our clothes, and organize our clothes. Example, two night hotel pre cruise, everything goes into the pre cruise cube. It is just organized, and keeps the clothes tight and wrinkle free.

 

Thanks for the reply having fun

 

75% full that is an accomplishment congrats :)

[ChuckL88]

Bought Compression Packing Cubes last week from Amazon. It's our first time trying any cubes and I got the compression ones to try to cut down on the number of suitcases we take on our cruises.

 

I don't know that I would pack anything that might be subject to too much wrinkling, but used them for underwear, jammies, bathing suits, etc. and they compress to take up about half the normal space.

 

Hi florings

 

The compression cubes do sound amazing, might splurge on them after trying a regular lot out first.

Let me know how they worked for you.

[ChuckL88]

I bought them and used them once, not a fan. IMO they take up too much room even when they are light weight. I went back to using 2.5 gallon ziplock bags.....

 

Thanks for the reply Librat

 

It is good to get all perspectives.

[ChuckL88]

quite frankly the Hefty Jumbo zip/lock bags work better than anything I've tried over about 25 cruises and I'm a wrinkle ****. About 3-4 T-Shirts and 2-3 polo shirt per bag-don't over stuff. Smaller bags can be used for just about every thing else including socks, underwear, ties, belts, toiletries and its so much easier to unpack because everything is organized and visible. I've tried a bunch of the more expensive options that everybody raves about and I get better results from the Hefty bags

 

Thanks for your frank response stallion

 

25 cruises wish I was at number one already

[ChuckL88]

Compression bags are the best to eliminate wrinkles. Pack suit, shirts, dresses all in one bag. The trick is to not fold anything separately. Lay them all out flat on. Top of each other and fold one at a time over a soft core item like lingerie. Hard to explain but works like a charm. Packed all our cruise clothes that way and left them in a packed bag the whole time we did a 10 day land tour in Alaska before the cruise. Not a wrinkle!

My problem with the cubes is that now I don’t have small items like socks to fill shoes and odd spots with. :D

 

Thanks for the reply 2wheelin

[ChuckL88]

I have several that are semi-permanent for use from cruise to cruise.

One for electronics - chargers, extension cord, flash light, battery chargers for camera

One first aid kit - bandaids, antiseptic, cold pills, Advil, suntan lotion, aloe Vera

One for cosmetics for me; one for hubby's shaving stuff

 

They sit on the shelf between cruises. I usually replenish them at the end of a cruise so that they are ready to go the next time.

 

Thanks for the response panorama

[ChuckL88]

I've been using packing cubes for over 10 years.

 

Ebags has a great assortment of sizes. The brand I started out with I still have, but I have added more sizes.

 

I roll some things, bundle some, and fold some.

 

Everything in me luggage is in packing cubes.

 

Thanks SPacificbound,

 

sounds like mixing packing techniques sounds like the way to go

[ChuckL88]

I just started using cubes and they seem to help. I like the fact that everything is together. Swimsuits and covers together, dresses, underwear, I even used one for my power cords and electronic batteries and camera stuff. Created a lot of organization because of the compartments. I kept my stuff in them once in the cabin because it was easier to keep them in the cube and stack in the closet. I bought a mid range set from amazon and watched a ton of videos on you tube about packing in them. The first time , it didn’t cut down on amount of things I brought but I see where they are helpful and I will keep trying to fit everything in one carry on. We drive to the port so I can keep practicing until I perfect it. Although I got the shoe bags, I didn’t use them, instead I bought dollar store plastic shower caps and put my shoes in those to keep everything clean. I then used the shoe bags for other stuff. I had nothing loose in my suitcase and that seemed to help. When we returned, I mixed up my husbands and my stuff and my sons things and just put them in random cubes, then I could fit all of the stuff randomly in each of our suitcases. We also had laundry done on the cruise and those bags were tightly packed so I could just throw those in the suitcase too.

 

 

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Hi Quil

 

That is my intent to having everything organised and packed well, thanks for the reply.

Hopefully they keep being of use to you.

[mef_57]

Something to remember about any of these compression/packing aids is that it reduces bulk - not weight. So if you are a packer that sees any empty space as an invitation to fill it, remember there is a weight limit to your luggage....and check the weight before leaving home.

In case you don't get a reply, Rich Steves is an American who has made a business providing tours and writing travel books for Americans specifically for European travel. Something like 60% of Americans don't own a passport, and their travel is often not 'across the pond'. Also, Americans traditionally have less vacation weeks (when still in the work force) than the global 1st world average, so he builds itineraries and tips; highlights 'must sees'; provides great diy audio tours of museums, and info on public transport (as many Americans drive). His videos (YouTube and his own website) are interesting to view as part of trip planning.

 

Also, in case you have trouble finding the compression bags (labeled that way), any compartment (including regular packing cubes) have a compression effect.

I can't access it at the moment, but 'travelfashiongirl' is a big packing cube guru and runs YouTube videos on how to pack them. I think she overstuffs them (for the sake of the longevity of the clothing), but it might be worth a giggle watching it - or similar.

(I agree with the poster above that says now there are no socks to fit the void inside a shoe)....one could still fill that spot first and then stuff undies and socks in amongst the T-shirts thus possibly eliminating the need of one cube.

You might want to try the zip lock bag methods before investing big bucks on cubes. At least to see whether the system works for you.

[ChuckL88]

Something to remember about any of these compression/packing aids is that it reduces bulk - not weight. So if you are a packer that sees any empty space as an invitation to fill it, remember there is a weight limit to your luggage....and check the weight before leaving home.

In case you don't get a reply, Rich Steves is an American who has made a business providing tours and writing travel books for Americans specifically for European travel. Something like 60% of Americans don't own a passport, and their travel is often not 'across the pond'. Also, Americans traditionally have less vacation weeks (when still in the work force) than the global 1st world average, so he builds itineraries and tips; highlights 'must sees'; provides great diy audio tours of museums, and info on public transport (as many Americans drive). His videos (YouTube and his own website) are interesting to view as part of trip planning.

 

Also, in case you have trouble finding the compression bags (labeled that way), any compartment (including regular packing cubes) have a compression effect.

I can't access it at the moment, but 'travelfashiongirl' is a big packing cube guru and runs YouTube videos on how to pack them. I think she overstuffs them (for the sake of the longevity of the clothing), but it might be worth a giggle watching it - or similar.

(I agree with the poster above that says now there are no socks to fit the void inside a shoe)....one could still fill that spot first and then stuff undies and socks in amongst the T-shirts thus possibly eliminating the need of one cube.

You might want to try the zip lock bag methods before investing big bucks on cubes. At least to see whether the system works for you.

 

Thanks mef

 

I don't think I need to worry about weight cruising from Australia and will not be flying so no restrictions there either. Might check out some of his videos when I get a chance, just been seeing his name all over these boards.

 

I have seen some of her videos, sometimes she and others as well do seem to overstuff

[Athankfulheart]

Another thumbs up from a long-time packing cubes user. I started using them with just my husband and I long ago and eventually moved to packing for our whole family of 10 with them. I do many of the things that others have shared in previous replies. In our family we use a different color/design for each person and we got them all from Ebags. Ordinarily we travel using one TLS Motherlode Weekender Convertible backpack because they fly well by always fitting under the seat. Packing cubes help us fit a tremendous amount of items inside. They have only made 10 different colors over the years and we still have one of each. Their house brand goods last forever ! On occasion and when we are driving to port, my husband and I will toss all our cubes into one spinner case. Nothing in our bags is loose, minus a hoodie/jacket folded in the back pocket of our bags.

[crystalspin]

I don't think I need to worry about weight cruising from Australia and will not be flying so no restrictions there either.

 

Yes it is the airlines increasingly monitoring weights of even carryon bags. Although there may be 50lb restrictions at the port, for the sake of the longshoremen!

 

The idea of trying the principle out with zippy bags of various sizes is a good one and essentially what I did.

 

Another trick for cruises, caravan tours, and other trips of the unpack-once type is to put your hanging shirts all on wire hangers, line them up carefully, lay the stack on your bed, fold each shirts sleeves across the chest (top/inner to bottom/outer), then roll-fold the hanger hook down 3-4 times. Plop the bundle on top of folded pants or a layer of flat-pack cubes in the suitcase. Makes unpacking SO easy and helps with any shortage of hangers in the cabin!

[hockeyluver]

After reading this thread and a review from a cruiser that used packing cubes I decided to buy some. I purchased these from Amazon.

7 Set Waterproof Packing Cube - 3 Travel Cubes + 3 Pouches + 1 Shoe Bag (Deep Blue) in 2 colours. $16.99 each

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B074R81R3R/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Ordered them yesterday, got them today....... damn that was fast !!!

[ChuckL88]

Another thumbs up from a long-time packing cubes user. I started using them with just my husband and I long ago and eventually moved to packing for our whole family of 10 with them. I do many of the things that others have shared in previous replies. In our family we use a different color/design for each person and we got them all from Ebags. Ordinarily we travel using one TLS Motherlode Weekender Convertible backpack because they fly well by always fitting under the seat. Packing cubes help us fit a tremendous amount of items inside. They have only made 10 different colors over the years and we still have one of each. Their house brand goods last forever ! On occasion and when we are driving to port, my husband and I will toss all our cubes into one spinner case. Nothing in our bags is loose, minus a hoodie/jacket folded in the back pocket of our bags.

 

Thanks Tracy

 

It's good to hear from a packing cubes enthusiast such as yourself

[donaldsc]

Yes it is the airlines increasingly monitoring weights of even carryon bags. Although there may be 50lb restrictions at the port, for the sake of the longshoremen!

 

The idea of trying the principle out with zippy bags of various sizes is a good one and essentially what I did.

 

Another trick for cruises, caravan tours, and other trips of the unpack-once type is to put your hanging shirts all on wire hangers, line them up carefully, lay the stack on your bed, fold each shirts sleeves across the chest (top/inner to bottom/outer), then roll-fold the hanger hook down 3-4 times. Plop the bundle on top of folded pants or a layer of flat-pack cubes in the suitcase. Makes unpacking SO easy and helps with any shortage of hangers in the cabin!

 

There is never a shortage of hangers in a cabin. If you need more, just ask the steward and they will bring you as many as you need.

 

DON

[ChuckL88]

Yes it is the airlines increasingly monitoring weights of even carryon bags. Although there may be 50lb restrictions at the port, for the sake of the longshoremen!

 

The idea of trying the principle out with zippy bags of various sizes is a good one and essentially what I did.

 

Another trick for cruises, caravan tours, and other trips of the unpack-once type is to put your hanging shirts all on wire hangers, line them up carefully, lay the stack on your bed, fold each shirts sleeves across the chest (top/inner to bottom/outer), then roll-fold the hanger hook down 3-4 times. Plop the bundle on top of folded pants or a layer of flat-pack cubes in the suitcase. Makes unpacking SO easy and helps with any shortage of hangers in the cabin!

 

Thanks again for the advice Crystal

 

I love that I don't have to fly to the port, for my first cruise at least. Hopefully my bag isn't to heavy for the poor porters :(.

 

The advice for shirts is marvellous, will definitely try this as I will be taking a few nice shirts with me.

[ChuckL88]

Ordered them yesterday, got them today....... damn that was fast !!!

 

Jesus hockeyluver that really was fast, did they say where they were being posted from?

[crystalspin]

There is never a shortage of hangers in a cabin. If you need more, just ask the steward and they will bring you as many as you need,

 

I'm sure that is true, but there is surely a shortage WHEN you are unpacking. I have used every hanger in closet, even with our shirts all on hangers -- and we travel carry-on only!

 

Also wire hangers take up less space on the rods than the nice wood ones HAL provides.

[ChuckL88]

There is never a shortage of hangers in a cabin. If you need more, just ask the steward and they will bring you as many as you need.

 

DON

 

Thanks Don I was actually going to ask about hangers and also power boards, is it true they can bring you one if you need it?

[ChuckL88]

I'm sure that is true, but there is surely a shortage WHEN you are unpacking. I have used every hanger in closet, even with our shirts all on hangers -- and we travel carry-on only!

 

Also wire hangers take up less space on the rods than the nice wood ones HAL provides.

 

Thanks Crystal

 

I understand what you mean and love your idea, and it means you don't need to bother your helpful room steward more than needs be they are busy