Packing Cubes

[EACarlson]

Can someone please school me in the use of packing cubes? How big of a difference is there when packing with them vs without? Me, Wife and two kids (7 and 4) are going to WDW in Dec. We would like to get by with only two checked suitcases for 7 nights. Is this doable or am I in a pipedream?

 

[MooseBucks]

Totally doable! We can do one rolling carry on and one checked with a family of 4 for a week with packing cubes. (Plus a backpack each).

We pre select clothes for each day and pack them all in one cube (we do matching shirts so that makes it even easier). I assume we will wear bottoms a few times and even a shirt set or two. PJs and swim suits are in another cube. Anything bulky gets packed in a ziplock with the air squeezed out. Fold well or roll clothes as needed.

Packing cubes make all the difference in keeping organized and efficiently packed.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Packing cubes in general are more for organization rather than packing more in less space.
If you want that you'd want compression packing cubes.
Personally I love packing cubes as they keep like things together and easy to find especially if you happen to be using a duffel bag.
I even got my parents hooked on them as they generally use duffel bags for vacation because they drive and find them easy to carry.
I tend to keep undergarments in one, swim stuff in one, pj's in one, shorts/shirts in one....
I just have the Amazon Basics sets and love them.

 

[Newcastle]

As a wee suggestion, there is a fair amount of discussion about packing cubes on this past thread (although you wouldn't necessarily know that from the title ).

https://disboards.com/threads/do-yo...use-the-drawers-closet-etc-with-poll.3725947/

 

[NYCgrrl]

Can someone please school me in the use of packing cubes? How big of a difference is there when packing with them vs without? Me, Wife and two kids (7 and 4) are going to WDW in Dec. We would like to get by with only two checked suitcases for 7 nights. Is this doable or am I in a pipedream?

Since you are checking luggage I'm guessing your suitcases are bigger than the overhead version. If so you should be fine. Agreeing w/ pps that packing cubes are an organizational tool not a pack more item. That being said you might be able to pack 2 carry on bags with the belongings of 2 adults and 2 children if you edit your belongings and pack w/ a minimum of air.

I'm still rolling clothing to take up less space and ensuring the clothes packed are color coordinating. Been doing it for decades whether for business or leisure traveling and for the last 2 decades my biggest suitcase has been a carry on w/ the thinking been if I ever need a bigger one I can buy it. When needed I leave a dry cleaning bag on a garment to ensure that it doesn't wrinkle. This has allowed me to use one carry on for myself for up to 2 weeks traveling.

The way I pack sharing the suitcase with a little one wouldn't max out the space for a shorter trip. I'd watch some videos on youtube on how to pack so I'd little need to spend money on excess organizational tools.

In truth, the best way to know if all your clothes will fit in your luggage is to do a test run.
Weather permitting, I tend to wear my heaviest clothing and foot wear to travel to and from my destinations.

HTH.

 

[glamfish500]

I don’t feel like packing cubes make that much more storage (maybe one extra change of clothes for a week trip) but they are great for being more organized. I used to be a person who unpacks but really it’s like having a dresser in my suitcase. They’re nice for coming home too, keeps the clean clothes neat, folded, and separated from the dirty ones.

 

[unrequited23]

Packing cubes will help keep you organized and maximize your space, but what I think would really help make the 2 suitcases doable for 4 people in December is planning on doing laundry midway through the trip. I say that coming off of a 9 night trip with 2 adults and 2 kids (4 & 7) in late January/early February. At the beginning of our trip we were in jeans, layers, hoodies and gloves. Then we were wearing shorts and t shirts at the end. December can also be just as varied weather wise.

 

[mcd2745]

I also view them as more for organization than for saving space. Mainly because while they do allow us to maximize space in our luggage, utilizing the extra space typically results in each suitcase being over the magical number of 50lbs.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I started using packing cubes when we became a family of 4, and my goal was to only bring 1 huge bag for the four of us (this only works when we are staying somewhere with laundry). When you're also bringing a stroller and two car seats, it's nice to only have one suitcase to lug to the bag check area. I love the cubes for storage and for organization. I like that I can put each kid's "cube" together a few days before we leave. Then I pack my husband's cube, and then I get the remaining space.

I was also never an "unpacker," but now with cubes, when we get somewhere I dump each person's cube into a drawer or drawers, and that makes things easier in our destination as well.

 

[StarSeven7]

We use packing cubes every time we travel! We're a family of 4 with 2 young kids. Each person has their own set/color of packing cubes so it's easy to identify whose is whose while in the suitcase. We always fly to FL with 2 checked bags for the 4 of us but we typically fly with Spirit and they only allow 40 lbs. per bag instead of the usual 50 lbs. and we're always right at the limit! I typically divide the cubes for each person with tops in one, bottoms in another, underwear, pjs and swimsuits in a third.

 

[k_hase]

Packing cubes do allow for some degree of compression. I find they are more valuable when we have a larger bag than when I travel with a smaller roller bag for work (it's just me and I squeeze it all in). I have sets I picked up on eBay and at thrift stores.

My son is 7 and we've been able to have him carry all of his own clothes in a backpack as a carry on by creative use of two cubes and a backpack with one large open area. The smallest cube (3-10 maybe? like a large pencil case) is for underwear and socks, all rolled up. The larger cube, designed mostly for folded dress shirts has all of his shorts and ts, rolled, and a swimsuit. These bags go in the big compartment, with his tablet slid in there as well. Then all of cords/headphones/trinkets go in the front pocket. The pack the cubes tights, really cramming things in and this way when he goes to retrieve items from his bag, his socks aren't falling out!!

For the adults, I pack underwear, socks, and swimsuits in a cube for maximum crushing. I use a cube for my workout stuff too, then it's easy to locate. Everything else I roll.

(this is all dependent on how light of a packer you are and your laundry access as well--we are a family of three who went on Europe for 14 days with two convertible backpacks, and my son's small backpack b/c we could do laundry regularly--YMMV)

 

[siestakeys04]

I haven’t used them going to Disney but every time we cruise we use them. To me they are the best it’s like your unpacked but things are still contained and neat. I just put them in drawers and it’s done.

 

[Nancyg56]

If you are trying to save space no want to use the cubes, you can use a combination of zip top bags and cubes. I do nto bother with the cubes, btu if I did I would still put unders, socks, bathing gear, daily outfits for the kids, etc in zip top bags and then put those in the cube. You can push the air out of each bag to make more space.

 

[NYCgrrl]

A few packing tips. Instead of putting socks in the side pockets of our luggage, I stuff rolled pairs inside shoes and sneakers that are then placed in shoe bags. Takes up less space in the suitcase's interior.

Check with the hotel you are staying at ahead of time and remove from your toiletry bag any items the resort already provides. Especially liquids such as shampoo, hair conditioner, body wash, and sunscreen, which have been known to cause mini disasters in suitcases. Doing this has saved us oodles of space and instead of carrying individual toiletry bags we are now down to 1 bag shared by all. The only toiletry provided at Disney the man won't use is the shaving cream and razor so yeah we bring that w/ us. On the other hand the females in the party use the Disney razor if needed and it keeps the man happy and one less thing for us to carry makes me happy.

I found this excerpt from a NYTimes article that may be of use to you:

LAY OUT WHAT YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED, THEN EDIT RUTHLESSLY. “Think twice about everything you want to put in your bag,” said Ben Nickel-D’Andrea, who writes about flying first-class with his husband, Jon Nickel-D’Andrea, at No Mas Coach, part of the BoardingArea blogger network. Last month the jet-setting couple flew to Morocco for nine days with only their carry-ons and backpacks. “Fully get rid of the ‘just in case I need it’ category,” the couple added in an email sent from the airport. “If and when you need it, you can buy it.”

DO THE CLOTHING COUNTDOWN. If you need a mantra to help streamline your wardrobe, use the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” rule for a weeklong trip, limiting yourself to no more than five sets of socks and underwear, four tops, three bottoms, two pairs of shoes and one hat. The list can be modified to suit your needs, with a swimsuit and exercise gear or a suit jacket and dress thrown in, depending on the trip.

The decluttering guru Marie Kondo rarely exceeds a week’s worth of clothes. If she is away longer than a week, she wrote in an email, “I will make time to do laundry.” Her bag — a Rimowa — typically includes two pairs of shoes (a pair for work and another low-heeled pair for casual occasions), two sets of pajamas, underwear for each day, and an extra jacket and dress, “just in case my work clothes get dirty,” she said.

THINK TETRIS. Many road warriors recommend rolling your clothes in order to maximize space and minimize wrinkles. Some like packing cubes to keep their outfits ordered. Others prefer the more exacting bundle technique, which involves carefully wrapping each article of clothing around a central core, with underwear and T-shirts at the center and large, tailored items like blazers and dresses as the outermost layer. Whatever your method, the goal should be to fill every inch of space.

 

[blueant315]

I love packing cubes. I use a cube for each day and pack everyone's outfit in that day's cube, plus a couple cubes for PJs, swimming, etc. They don't save space, but it makes unpacking so much easier. We also like to do split stays, and the cubes help us separate which luggage goes with each resort and which cubes need to go to both resorts.

We are a family of 4 and had one checked bag and 4 carry-ons (2 normal carryon luggage and 2 child backpacks) for a 10 day trip in December when weather ranged from almost 90 down to 40s, so we had to bring a lot of layers. Definitely doable as long as you really plan out what you need.

 

[EACarlson]

Ebags had what appears to be a good deal so I bought some packing cubes to try this spring and summer before our trip this coming winter. I like some of the ideas, I know I always have a problem remembering how many shirts or shorts I've already packed.

 

[ElenaRN]

Packing cubes have totally changed my life. It keeps my suitcase so much neater. I never really unpacked on vacation. Just lived out of our suitcase. By the end of the trip, it would be one big pile of clothes. I did do the ziplock trick when the girls were smaller and that does help.
Now each kid gets a cube. Sometimes me and hubby get 2 each. I put outfits together- shirt, shorts, socks, undies. When we get to hotel the cube comes out of suitcase and slides right into drawer.
Everything stays organized.
ETA- I bought the Amazon basics set that has a few diff sizes of cubes. Then I bought another set of the larger size.

 

[iivye]

I love packing cubes but I have to be careful when using a larger suitcase because I can go over the weight limit. I can really stuff those cubes and I like being able to just put the whole cube in the drawers.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Packing cubes are simply for ease of use when you arrive at your destination. You take your cubes out and pop them right in the drawer. We used them for the first time on our trip last week. Unfortuatnely we only got enough for myself and my wife. Next time we will get some for the kids.

 

[erinlynn2020]

A few packing tips. Instead of putting socks in the side pockets of our luggage, I stuff rolled pairs inside shoes and sneakers that are then placed in shoe bags. Takes up less space in the suitcase's interior.

Check with the hotel you are staying at ahead of time and remove from your toiletry bag any items the resort already provides. Especially liquids such as shampoo, hair conditioner, body wash, and sunscreen, which have been known to cause mini disasters in suitcases. Doing this has saved us oodles of space and instead of carrying individual toiletry bags we are now down to 1 bag shared by all. The only toiletry provided at Disney the man won't use is the shaving cream and razor so yeah we bring that w/ us. On the other hand the females in the party use the Disney razor if needed and it keeps the man happy and one less thing for us to carry makes me happy.

I found this excerpt from a NYTimes article that may be of use to you:

LAY OUT WHAT YOU THINK YOU’LL NEED, THEN EDIT RUTHLESSLY. “Think twice about everything you want to put in your bag,” said Ben Nickel-D’Andrea, who writes about flying first-class with his husband, Jon Nickel-D’Andrea, at No Mas Coach, part of the BoardingArea blogger network. Last month the jet-setting couple flew to Morocco for nine days with only their carry-ons and backpacks. “Fully get rid of the ‘just in case I need it’ category,” the couple added in an email sent from the airport. “If and when you need it, you can buy it.”

DO THE CLOTHING COUNTDOWN. If you need a mantra to help streamline your wardrobe, use the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” rule for a weeklong trip, limiting yourself to no more than five sets of socks and underwear, four tops, three bottoms, two pairs of shoes and one hat. The list can be modified to suit your needs, with a swimsuit and exercise gear or a suit jacket and dress thrown in, depending on the trip.

The decluttering guru Marie Kondo rarely exceeds a week’s worth of clothes. If she is away longer than a week, she wrote in an email, “I will make time to do laundry.” Her bag — a Rimowa — typically includes two pairs of shoes (a pair for work and another low-heeled pair for casual occasions), two sets of pajamas, underwear for each day, and an extra jacket and dress, “just in case my work clothes get dirty,” she said.

THINK TETRIS. Many road warriors recommend rolling your clothes in order to maximize space and minimize wrinkles. Some like packing cubes to keep their outfits ordered. Others prefer the more exacting bundle technique, which involves carefully wrapping each article of clothing around a central core, with underwear and T-shirts at the center and large, tailored items like blazers and dresses as the outermost layer. Whatever your method, the goal should be to fill every inch of space.

Love this. Thank you.