Packing Cubes - yes or no?

[RedSox68]

I love my packing cubes from Ebags. I do have to be careful because I can squeeze a lot in there and if I'm using a medium sized suitcase I can go overweight fairly easy. They mainly appeal to me because I like having things organized. I like putting all the Pirate night costumes/accessories in one color, formal night in another color, etc. It's so much better than digging through everything. No, they aren't a necessity but if you're an organizer you will probably like them. I also just put them in the drawers in the stateroom instead of unpacking everything.

Good point about the weight!

 

[jo_de_vil]

When going to Florida From the UK, we go for at least 16 nights and up to 4 weeks at a time and on several trips included Disney Cruise. So packing clever is essential, we have the packing sets Upptacka from Ikea which are different sizes, and I have one of those shirt folders so everything is folded to the right size, they also help with the unpacking we just unzip them and place them in draws, and don't have to iron everything before wearing. For costumes we use the roll able vacuum bags, we also take a couple of spares for taking Plushies homes.
We have all the cubes labelled so Identifying what is in them is easy and for us we have a set of cases each so the will fit in side each other for storage. DH leaves the packing to me but insists on humming the tetris tune whilst I am doing it!!
I also made little sewn squares of net filled with Laundry scent boosters, and palce one in each cube, Clothes smell great and I just throw one in with any washing whilst there
Then when we return home after the laundry is done I repack the holiday clothes and stuff (with scent boosters pouches) I wont need back in them so everything is ready for our next trip away. Yes I know I need Help! LOL

 

[LizGirl]

Another fan of the Ebags packing cubes here! I'd never bothered with it before we went cruising last year. Now, we each have a set with our own color. It makes it so much easier to find what we need. For the kids, I roll their outfits together as I put them in the cube so they are easy to just grab as the week goes on. The kids each have a set with a small, medium and large. The adults have an additional large cube since jeans and things can take up a lot of space.

I find that they make my packing job easier, as well. I carry them up to the kids' rooms, fill them with what is needed, zip them up and go. No more carrying piles of clothes up and down the stairs. It really simplifies things for us.

 

[Pooh2]

We do carry-on only.
Each carry-on holds 4 medium size packing cubes (Pro packing cubes from Amazon).
We roll the clothing to help reduce wrinkles.
The cubes make it easier to locate items quickly while living out of a bag.

 

[texasgingerbread]

DH leaves the packing to me but insists on humming the tetris tune whilst I am doing it!!

Classic! Love it.

I think I'll try them just for organization - not for getting more in the bag. When you roll, what about wrinkles???

 

[mmouse37]

We have never brought one suitcase per person LOL. And Disney has never stopped us. I know they don't allow you to bring water in the checked luggage, but we have never been told we had too many bags.

It is stated in the terms and conditions of 2 suitcases per person. I know I have read that but I have never, ever seen it enforced.

Here it is from their website:

BAGGAGE, VALUABLES AND OTHER POSSESSIONS
Each Guest may bring aboard the ship a reasonable amount of clothing and personal effects without charge, not to exceed 2 bags per person. All Guest baggage must be stored in the Guest's stateroom and must be labeled with the Disney Cruise Line baggage tag. Dangerous or illegal articles such as weapons, explosives, liquid oxygen, combustible substances or nonprescription controlled substances may not be brought to Walt Disney World® Resort or taken aboard the ship. Any such items shall be surrendered to the Master of the ship at embarkation, and may be disposed of at the sole discretion of the Master. You should retain valuables such as cash, negotiable securities or other financial instruments, gold, silverware, jewelry, ornaments, works of art, photographic/video/audio equipment or supplies, laptop computers, cellular phones or other valuables in your personal control as Disney Cruise Line is not responsible for damage to or loss of these items.

MJ

 

[FigmentSpark]

I bought myself a medium packing cube (14"x10"x3.5") to test. I found that I was able to pack 11 shirts (some long sleeved, some short, all cotton) when I folded them in the 'traditional way' (like mom used to do for my drawer). I might have even gotten one more if I worked at it. Then I took them out and rolled them to see how many I could get in. Comfortably, I could only get 7, but was able to squish in 9. If I really did a 'compression' job, I would have gotten more, but they were cotton, so that wouldn't be practical for travelling.

I can see, however, especially with all the great answers here, how these cubes could be very useful. Certainly, keeping your things in one place in your suitcase, so they don't roam around, particularly with help from the TSA staff would keep the wrinkles to a minimum. And if you're travelling and sharing a suitcase, keeping things separate is worth it, as well.

 

[adg06]

I bought myself a medium packing cube (14"x10"x3.5") to test. I found that I was able to pack 11 shirts (some long sleeved, some short, all cotton) when I folded them in the 'traditional way' (like mom used to do for my drawer). I might have even gotten one more if I worked at it. Then I took them out and rolled them to see how many I could get in. Comfortably, I could only get 7, but was able to squish in 9.

This is very helpful, thanks!

 

[TestingH2O]

I ordered a set from eBags and picked up a set from IKEA. I prefer the IKEA ones. They are a fraction of the price and the largest one actually has 2 sides to it which I find very useful. I disliked the large size from eBags and found it to be too big to be practical. I did like their slim cubes though. I may get a set of those to supplement the IKEA ones.

 

[Jillpie]

I first bought them for our 14 day trip to Africa. We were required to use a small duffle bag, thats it. I had to get smart. These cubes were a godsend. Mostly because the lodgings/tents were dark. We were traveling from place to place every 2 days, and all I had to do is take each cube out on arrival, open them up, and use them side by side. When we were packing to the next place, just zip them up, throw them back in the duffle and we were done! So easy. And oh so organized. I've used them ever since. I especially love the slim ones, they fit into the smallest of spaces. Remember, roll clothes tight. You won't believe how much fits into them. Highly recommend!

 

[Partyof4LA]

Overall, I do like using the cubes for organization. If we were not packing two pieces of luggage for 4 people or going on shorter trips, I probably wouldn't bother. I really like keeping things separate. No more unfolding everything to find Daddy's shirt for dinner because we didn't have time to unpack yet. It is faster to unpack too. You just pull a cube, unzip, fold the lid under the cube and stick it in the drawer. I do pack everyone's swim gear in one cube, but otherwise I pack per person for the most part. I try to keep similar clothes together to make it easier dressing after baths and in the mornings. For ex, I use the small and slim cubes for my daughter: princess dresses and accessories all in one cube; her pjs, socks and undies in another; and her regular "day clothes" like t-shirts and shorts and casual dresses in another. I use large cubes for DH's dinner clothes and shoes and another for my dresses and shoes. We use medium sized cubes for most everything else.
For our upcoming cruise we are staying two nights and one park day at wdw prior. I plan to use just a couple cubes dedicated to only that portion of the trip. I'll have one cube with everyone's Jammies, socks and undies and another with clothes to wear to the park and on embarkation day. This way, we can leave our things for the cruise packed and untouched until we are on the ship.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Add me to the packing cube fan list.

I've been using them for about 4-5 years now and couldn't imagine doing it any other way. When I first looked into it, I heard people mention you could get the same effect by packing in ziplock bags. I tried that first and I hated it. You can't really fit all your like items (for adult size clothes) in one bag so I had to do each outfit in a bag. That was annoying then as the suitcase got full the bags didn't stack nicely and all the zip locks just sort of slid around.

I use the ebags cubes plus an eagle creek large packing folder. It honestly may or may not save space but I love the organization and the barrier between my stuff and TSA or my stuff and hotel room drawers. Finding something at the bottom of a suitcase without having to refold the entire lot was never a skill I possessed.

I use:
slim cube for undies and socks (sometimes a small cube depending on the trip)
Small cube for pajamas (usually 2 pair)
Medium cube for pants/shorts
Medium cube for tops
Medium cube swimsuits/covers ups
Large packing folder for dresses
Shoe bags for shoes
My cosmetics bags vary depending on length and type of trip.

If I'm doing a stopover somewhere for a shorter length of time then I pack a cube for that.

I find the large cubes too big and so I tend not to use them.

If I'm checking a bag then I generally just take my big one so I don't have to worry about space.

I can manage for 7-9 days in a carry-on with this system.

 

[FigmentSpark]

@FairestOfThemAll37 - Do you roll or fold your clothes in the cubes? Good point about the ziplocs sliding around. I use them for my toiletries, though.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

@FairestOfThemAll37 - Do you roll or fold your clothes in the cubes? Good point about the ziplocs sliding around. I use them for my toiletries, though.

I roll my clothes when I don't have space issues because you can see each item when the cube is in the drawer.

I fold when I'm trying to save space and get things as compact as possible. I find I can fit a lot more folded items in the cube than rolled.

Just this week I did 5 days (not a long carry-on stint but needed some extra clothes). I folded and had 6 pairs of leggings and 2 pairs of jeans in one medium cube.

I had 2 t-shirts, a wool dress, 4 jersey dresses, a drape cardigan, a thick cardigan, and a running type jacket all in another medium cube.

Rolling I could fit about half that.

I just hung it all up when I arrived since the cubes were too stuffed to use as drawers.

ETA: I should probably note that I'm quite tall and by no means have tiny clothes lol. Sometimes I watch packing videos and think "no wonder they can fit two weeks worth of clothes in a backpack! She's a size 0 and wears strings and tank tops!"

 

[jk and ek]

packing cubes absolutely save space....we packed clothes for a family of 3 for two weeks in europe with multiple climate clothing needs, and extra pairs of shoes for each family member and only used one medium sized suitcase and one small sized (approved for european budget airlines that have insanely small measurement restrictions) carry-on. and this was with making sure we had at least 1/3rd of the larger suitcase empty in order to bring home purchases made abroad.

i use the medium and slim sized ones from amazon basics.

 

[Aanna]

I heard people mention you could get the same effect by packing in ziplock bags. I tried that first and I hated it. You can't really fit all your like items (for adult size clothes) in one bag so I had to do each outfit in a bag. That was annoying then as the suitcase got full the bags didn't stack nicely and all the zip locks just sort of slid around.

Isn't that interesting? The sliding around is part of what I like: I like that I can nab one individual item and all the rest just slip out of the way, unaffected.

But I can see the advantage of having like-items or used-together items together, which makes me curious about the combination with packing cubes.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Isn't that interesting? The sliding around is part of what I like: I like that I can nab one individual item and all the rest just slip out of the way, unaffected.

But I can see the advantage of having like-items or used-together items together, which makes me curious about the combination with packing cubes.

I don't really pre-plan outfits. I have a mix and match "capsule" type travel wardrobe. I bring x number of bottoms and x number of tops, etc. So I prefer to put like items with like items. Then just pick which top and which pants to wear each day.

I can see how it makes more sense to package things by outfit is you have specific things that go together.

 

[RedSox68]

Just a tip that I use for both loose packing and cube packing - if you are packing items that may need to be ironed -- put tissue paper between each shirt/blouse and roll the sleeves in and then fold up. I've never had a wrinkle when I get to the other end.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Just a tip that I use for both loose packing and cube packing - if you are packing items that may need to be ironed -- put tissue paper between each shirt/blouse and roll the sleeves in and then fold up. I've never had a wrinkle when I get to the other end.

Awesome tip. Makes sense. Thanks.

 

[mernin]

Thanks. I wonder where I got that "1 suitcase per person" from? I won't have more than that (flying), but I do read about others that do, so it makes more sense.

I think its on the building at the Port. I remember walking through and thinking that I hadn't ready that anywhere else!