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Explain Packing Cubes


sbcatcher1
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3 minutes ago, Tiger0613 said:

It isn't about adding nonexistent space.  Compression packing cubes free up space that would otherwise be taken by clothes.  Compression cubes get rid of the dead space between clothes.  That freed up space can then be used to pack stuff that otherwise wouldn't fit in the suitcase.  

 

I can fit 10 days of clothes(10 2X t-shirts, 3 size 14 jeans, socks, bras, underwear, swimsuit, elegant night outfit) in one compression packing cube.  I don't put each clothing type in a separate cube.

 

All I did was state my opinion and was immediately jumped on. I guess it's just another CC bashing if someone's opinion is different than the hive.

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Also, no matter how tight I pull the straps across to hold things in place, things would always be smushed together at the bottom of the suitcase. It stays neater in cubes. Also, I haven’t had a jumbled mess if TSA decides to inspect bag at the airport. 

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30 minutes ago, Sean_B said:

 

All I did was state my opinion and was immediately jumped on. I guess it's just another CC bashing if someone's opinion is different than the hive.

This site allows for open discussion.  You are allowed to state your opinion.  Other people are allowed to state their opinion as well, even if it contradicts yours.

Edited by Tiger0613
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I'm a cube-user.  They keep everything very organized for me.  If I'm staying somewhere in one place for awhile, I just pop the cubes into a dresser drawer.  Anything that needs hanging - they are in a folder and easily taken out and hung.  The cubes also help keep things from shifting to the bottom of a bag when you roll them (unless of course you pack so full that there is no room for anything to shift).   The cubes breathe, unlike those blanket bags, so I'm not worried that things will get damp in a very hot, humid location.  They've worked for me since 2000.  I've gone through several permutations of cubes as they get better - my current Eagle Creek Specter cubes are .5 oz, 1oz and 1.5 oz, depending on size.  The Specter cubes are actually flexible to fit - no rigid corners.  I use one to pack a set of clothes for my day bag to change into when I'm flying a long time or flying to  change of temperature location.   I use a carryon -size bag for my travels 90% of the time, so the cubes help me  arrange what goes where pretty easily - it's the same procedure for putting the cubes in the bag.  

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Used the cubes on my last trip after more "traditional" packing for years.  While they don't necessarily save space (unless you use the compression versions), they did make organizing and unpacking easier.  I then used one of the larger ones to keep all of the dirty laundry in...great to just dump the contents in the washer at home.  My son and I used one suitcase between us.  I will be using them in the future.

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We use them for some things and not others. Here's where we've found them useful: 

 

  • Any time my kids are packing clothes and toys in one backpack (usually for short trips) we put the clothes in a packing cube. This is a new family rule after the 7 year old accidentally dropped every pair of pants he owned out of his bag when looking for his iPad and left them on the plane. 
  • Any time we're packing for more than one person in a bag. For example, we're doing a land trip to Eastern Europe next week, and we're flying discount airlines so we'll only pay to check two bags. One will be for Mr. Marvie and the eldest, one for me and the two littlest. Everyone's clothes get their own packing cube, toiletries in a separate hanging bag. It's much easier to scoop up the packing cubes and get everyone's clothes to the right hotel rooms/beds/etc and it's FAR easier to pack everything back up again when we're moving on.
  • If we're moving around a lot, rather than staying in one place for the whole trip. The bottom line is that if I have 15 things out, I have 15 different things to keep track of, but if I put them in a packing cube, I've only got one. I need that simplicity sometimes.
  • Any time that we're packing for multiple purposes. For instance, I went on a work trip and tacked on a couple of days of personal travel to go see elephants on safari. One packing cube had my safari-ing clothes, the other had my work clothes, and a third small one had undies, night clothes, etc. The work clothes didn't wrinkle and the safari dirt didn't migrate -- all was well.
  • If we have gear or clothes that we want to keep aside for a specific reason -- ie. we're going rock climbing/snorkeling/getting photos done, so I'll put everyone's gear in a packing cube so I don't have to chase down three whiny children asking where their stuff is, or worry that the kid spilled chocolate on his only clean coordinating shirt for pictures even though I told him not to.
  • When I don't want to be digging through my entire bag looking for my last pair of clean undies, which is every trip over about three days, I'll put small stuff that hides/coordinates in a packing cube so it's easy to find.

I'm not married to them, but they're a really useful tool to have, especially traveling with kids and/or disorganized spouses. 🙂

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I had been one of those that found them unnecessary.  But for our recent trip that started on land in warm temperatures  and then progressed to a cruise with cooler temperatures , I have found them quite useful.  

 

Our travels also included multiple hotels.  This way we could keep warm weather clothing separate in one cube and cooler weather in another.  I do believe it keeps clothes from wrinkling and getting shifted in the suitcase.  So I am slowly moving to the category where I find them useful .

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They're especially useful on a trip where you are staying in several different places.  I visited Israel last year and was in four hotels over 10 days.  Instead of having to dig through layers of clothes to find underwear or a shirt, I could find what I wanted in the appropriate cube.  Not sure, for me, if they'll be as useful on a cruise where I unpack the first day and chuck it all back in on the last.

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As far as I'm concerned they are best thing since sliced bread. 👍😁

We each have a change of clothes in a cube to go in our carry on. I then use them for different types of clothes, tops, underwear, accessories, shoes. They also take care of dirty laundry on the way home. Win win imo. 👌🙂

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3 hours ago, urbanhawk said:

They are great to use. You can fold, or even roll up your polos, shirts, etc. and your clothes don't get wrinkled. I like to unpack my clothes, once onboard, then use the bags for my dirty laundry, ie: socks, underwear, shirts, etc. Happy travels! 

 

2 hours ago, DramaQueen22 said:

Used the cubes on my last trip after more "traditional" packing for years.  While they don't necessarily save space (unless you use the compression versions), they did make organizing and unpacking easier.  I then used one of the larger ones to keep all of the dirty laundry in...great to just dump the contents in the washer at home.  My son and I used one suitcase between us.  I will be using them in the future.

 

Are the packing cubes washable?   May I ask: Do those of you who put your dirty laundry into the packing cubes then wash the packing cubes, or do you just reuse them on the next trip for clean clothes without washing them first?  I'm just so grossed out by the idea of dirty laundry shoved into a packing cube that then holds clean laundry. 

 

I realize this is a me thing.  I have designated "clean laundry" baskets for clothes out of the dryer, and "dirty laundry" baskets lined up on my laundry room floor for sorting colours of dirty laundry before washing.  And never the twain shall meet.  But I'm just curious (and kinda icked out🤢), do you wash the packing cubes?:classic_blush:

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It's the same with the 50 other necessities and organizers most people say you need you pack on your cruise. I don't need to spend more time packing just to live out of a cube for the rest of the week because it's different.

 

I hang up all of my clothes. They're visible. I don't need to buy anything. It's really easy.

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This is related but not the same.  I've used the large compression bags a couple of times.  Once was for a knee-length down jacket.  With the air squeezed out it took up so little space.  The other time was for dirty clothes.

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50 minutes ago, clo said:

This is related but not the same.  I've used the large compression bags a couple of times.  Once was for a knee-length down jacket.  With the air squeezed out it took up so little space.  The other time was for dirty clothes.

I do have compression bags and I take them for bringing dirty clothes home or if there is a wet swimsuit that needs packing. 

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I use those  disinfectant wipes,  like Lysol. Cleans and deodories! I actually use the compressible packing bags, where you press the air out, and then zip lock it versus the actual cubes. Happy travels!  

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1 hour ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

 

Are the packing cubes washable?   May I ask: Do those of you who put your dirty laundry into the packing cubes then wash the packing cubes, or do you just reuse them on the next trip for clean clothes without washing them first?  I'm just so grossed out by the idea of dirty laundry shoved into a packing cube that then holds clean laundry. 

 

I realize this is a me thing.  I have designated "clean laundry" baskets for clothes out of the dryer, and "dirty laundry" baskets lined up on my laundry room floor for sorting colours of dirty laundry before washing.  And never the twain shall meet.  But I'm just curious (and kinda icked out🤢), do you wash the packing cubes?:classic_blush:

I don't put dirty clothes back into the cubes, but I also don't use the cubes to save space. At the end of the trip, I put whatever clean clothes I have (that were washed on the ship) back in the cubes and put any souvenirs or small items in with them. Any unused cubes on the way home are collapsed and stored at the bottom of the suitcase. The dirty laundry goes in a washable bag that I got from IKEA, or plastic grocery bags if I have them with me. 

 

The cubes, in my opinion, are the most useful for flying or trips where you will be packing a suitcase and have additional stops before unpacking on the ship. 

 

For example, you pack your clothes and personal hygiene items that you don't want to be seen in the cubes. When your bag goes through airport security, sometimes they have to open the luggage. I prefer not to have my undies and feminine supplies falling out in front of a crowd of people, but that's just me! Then you fly to wherever, go to your hotel, and realize you need pajamas. So you go into your suitcase and pull out the appropriate cube while your remaining cubes remain undisturbed. Therefore, you don't have to refold things, wrinkle things, etc. 

 

Then on the ship, you can easily pull out the cubes and either leave stuff in them on the shelf or unpack entirely. 

Edited by Doggielover68
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2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

 

Are the packing cubes washable?   May I ask: Do those of you who put your dirty laundry into the packing cubes then wash the packing cubes, or do you just reuse them on the next trip for clean clothes without washing them first?  I'm just so grossed out by the idea of dirty laundry shoved into a packing cube that then holds clean laundry. 

 

I realize this is a me thing.  I have designated "clean laundry" baskets for clothes out of the dryer, and "dirty laundry" baskets lined up on my laundry room floor for sorting colours of dirty laundry before washing.  And never the twain shall meet.  But I'm just curious (and kinda icked out🤢), do you wash the packing cubes?:classic_blush:

Do you line your luggage with something or have washable luggage?  I’m curious as well. 

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Obviously, packing cubes are not for everyone. For the most part, those who use them, love them. I feel the save space because you can compress them.  I don't care how you roll and stuff, if you can't compress, you are not saving space. I have washed mine with no issues. I have some Ebags and some no name brand.

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2 hours ago, sbcatcher1 said:

I do have compression bags and I take them for bringing dirty clothes home or if there is a wet swimsuit that needs packing. 

I didn't mention that we do compress them, not just for packing wet/dirty things.

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I love my packing cubes. though mine are mostly rectangular : )  I just ordered 3 more from ebags in a medium size. They're easier to move around and adjust in my suitcase.  They are easy to utilize for pre-cruise hotel rooms.  I can pull out whatever I want without emptying them, zip 'em back up and put them back in my suitcase. When I unpack on the ship, I just put them on the shelves in the closet or drawers if available and I am unpacked in 5 minutes.  My dirty clothes go into a large plastic bag brought from home and my packing cubes lay flat at the bottom of the suitcase when packing back up to head home.  Any clean clothes get consolidated into the fewest packing cubes to utilize for an overnight stay before flying home.

 

When we get home I still wash everything that went on the cruise.  The last item I wash are the packing cubes.  They wash extremely well. 

 

P.S.  I DO line my suitcases with plastic garbage bags.  I then put my suitcases inside them under the bed in the stateroom.  Also, an unfortunate encounter with an uncovered airline baggage cart at the Ft. Lauderdale airport a few years back in a major thunderstorm led me to this practice.  Nothing like a suitcase full of wet clothes.  Sad thing is, after that incident I purchased a hard sider suitcase.  It lasted one cruise.  The cruise line crushed one of the wheel casings and I pretty much had to carry it out of the cruise port, then through the airport.  I went back to using my soft sider luggage after that. 

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Whilst packing for a trip, you may not necessarily save space using these cells.  I use the cells to separate my items of clothing for my trip.  However, on the last night or morning of a cruise, when the beers are flowing and vibe of the cruise is at another level, I'm inherently lazy and packing is the last thing on my.  I use the empty cells to simply stuff dirty laundry into them in a few minutes.  Because the cell maintains its shape, it uses less space than if I'd simply stuffed my suitcase with my clothes.

 

I have them for use at home for towels and other linen.  I have dozens of them.

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1 hour ago, Kevin said:

Do you line your luggage with something or have washable luggage?  I’m curious as well. 

 

Since you asked, I do line the inside of my luggage with an 65 gallon plastic garbage bag.  Everything gets packed inside the bag as a protection from the leaked booze of the jerks that smuggle it in their luggage - in case it leaks onto/into mine.  It is not, however, for the purpose of protecting my clean clothes and items from the inside of my suitcase, or vice versa, because that is all clean.  I never put anything dirty or worn loose in my suitcases.  That's what plastic bags are for.  Shoes are always wrapped individually in plastic bags.  The outsides of those plastic bags stay clean because they never leave my clean suitcase interior, and the bags get reused for multiple trips.  All dirty laundry from the cruise gets tied up in another 65 gallon trash bag and carried home in one of our suitcases.  The interior of my suitcases stay clean, and the exteriors get just as dirty as anyone else's.  No surface ever comes in contact with both dirty and clean laundry/items.  It is either one or the other: dirty or clean.  And never the twain shall meet, just like my laundry baskets at home.  It's quite simple.

 

I realize you are being snarky with me, but I have taken the time to answer honestly, as if you weren't.  I further realize that not everyone is as concerned with cleanliness as I am, and that my hang-ups are not everyone's hang-ups, and I'm pretty sure I made that clear in my post which you quoted.  I was not being snarky.  I admitted I'm grossed out by the idea and asked out of legitimate curiosity how others were handling this since it was mentioned. 

 

Does this answer your questions to your satisfaction?

Edited by ShakyBeef
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