compression packing cubes

Hi Julie, I just bought new soft, transparent ones from "Travel On" on Amazon. I wouldn't consider hard ones as sometimes I fly with them almost empty, but when returning they're full of dirty laundry! And I want to be able to see what's inside. I have them in 2 sizes, small & medium. One for an old 18" Swiss Gear suitcase, one for a smaller carry-on for scrunching up my pillow & Uniqlo puffer. My previous compression packing bags were Swiss Gear & lasted more than a decade of multiple trips a year before leaking.

I've used compression packing cubes for years. I've not seen any hard ones - do you mean the sides are hard or just that they have a reinforced edge?

The ones I've used are older Eagle Creek Sil-nylon packing cubes which are lightweight. I've also used Compass Rose packing cubes by the blogger Travel Fashion Girl. She calls hers compression cubes but to me they are not as they don't have an extra zipper to squish them down smaller, lol.

I've also seen these by Tripped which are very cute. If I didn't already have so many cubes I'd probably go for these National Park ones. I've seen them touted by a couple of different travel vloggers who I suspect are being sponsored by Tripped. Haven't seen them in person so don't know the quality.

This is an Amazon link to the Tripped cubes.

https://tinyurl.com/yeknydw6

The last few trips I've carried on and have needed my suitcase to be light. I've weighed all my cubes and the contents so I am using the compression to get things as small and lightweight as I can. I do not use them to try and get more stuff in my suitcase, lol!!

editing to add: For my upcoming trip I have my waterproof rain jacket, a puffy vest, rain pants and a midge head net in a large compression cube. It really helps decrease volume for things like the puffy vest. Still, the cube and it's contents weigh 3# which seems like a lot but I'm going to need that gear!

These come in hard & soft

https://www.amazon.com/Bagail-Compression-Packing-Expandable-Organizers/dp/B07XLFXJ7D/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1665D02QWNCD9&keywords=best+selling+compression+packing+cubes&qid=1691440881&sprefix=%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-9

I don’t care about seeing what’s inside I can use a sticky or notes

I just want to make a wise choice – MAYBE the hard ones will last longer? They won’t catch and tear -

julie, I had not heard of hard cubes either. But I looked. The thing that gives me pause is the weight:
"Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10 x 4 x 4 inches; 1.37 Pounds"

That seems a lot to me for something meant to help packing, and not be a thing in itself.

Way, way too heavy.

thanks - had not considered weight

I have these cubes in the red wine color. Some of the items on the page (like mine) aren't "hard" but are made of a heavier weight fabric than the others on the page that are labeled ultra light. I think the heavier fabric helps with the compression. I don't feel like they are substantially heavier than other packing cubes I have that are not compression. Which ones I use depends on what I'm packing and what I'm packing them in.

Soft. Because you can over-stuff the soft one if you need to and you can store them inside each other or stuff away in a corner of your bag when you don't. I can't see any value in the others?

I never cared for packing cubes, but used them on our latest trip which involved a camper van. They were lifesavers! I did not get the compression ones due to weight, but just regular ones so it was easier to sort our clothing and gear. I bought 3 sets, all different colors. So just by looking I knew if it was my stuff, my husbands, or shared. For normal travel, that may not be relevant, but I know some people share suitcases so it can help there. I bought mine from Amazon and we were very pleased.

I second the recommendation for the Bagail compression sacks from Amazon. I just used them for a two week trip where we were hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc and had to move every day. They worked beautifully.

I use the Lewis and Clark brand. They are not the sturdiest(but I haven't discarded any_, but they are very light and squishable.

This is why these forums are so helpful – not having used compression cubes before I hadn’t considered weight or that one can put more in a soft compression cube

I like cubes for organization but hadn’t used the compression cubes because I understood that they wrinkle clothes badly BUT then watched a video using compression cubes & saw how clothes are rolled rather than folded

This upcoming autumn European trip is our longest yet – 2 weeks – I have only taken only carry-on luggage as I have trust issues with my stuff arriving safely when I do – since years ago when we took our children to Disneyworld & had to change planes due to weather & our suitcases arrived a day after we did –

I have just ordered soft compression cubes

Everyone’s helpful input is most appreciated – thanks so much! Happy Travels ya’ll - julie

I’ve been using the very thin nylon things from Eagle Creek for years. They seem pretty indestructible and trust me. I’ve tried to destruct them by shoving too much on there. Heck I can get a full length down coat in the smallest bag I’ve got.😂

I'm using some now, but they really don't compress anything. I use them to sort my stuff (underwear/socks, tops, bottoms). I also have a zip lock for dry toiletries and another for liquids. It makes it easier to get in and out of my bag without taking everything out.