Packing Cubes....

Been using them for years. Practical means of keeping everything in their place and makes packing a breeze.

I now use the packing cubes in a Rick Steves Classic carry-on. I find them to be much more useful than I had expected. They keep things in place in the bag much better than the internal straps ever could. Even though I travel with as little as possible the organization that they provide helps.

Steve, I've been using a variety of Eagle Creek Packing Cubes and Packing Sacs for several years, and they work well to keep items sorted in my Backpack in somewhat of a "modular packing" format. The EC products are much the same as those sold by ETBD, so accomplish the same function. Based on my observations, the "sloppy gene" isn't just limited to males, so anyone can benefit from more organized packing. Happy travels!

I always use packing cubes. I prefer the RS cubes, but I also have a couple from Eagle Creek. The large and two small RS cubes fit perfectly into my bag. Eagle Creek has more sizes to choose from. I like them for organization, both in and out of my bag. When I get to my destination I can take the cubes out of my bag and put them in the drawers or whatever my room has for storage. I leave my belongings in the cubes, so when getting ready to leave all I have to do is put the cubes back in the bag.

Love them... use them all the time and I now have the grandkids using them to start being organized while traveling. One for tops, one for bottoms and one for nightclothes and under garments. They really help keep my clothes in order with a minimum amount of time.

I really like cubes. I grew up with camping vacations and putting everything in a backpack. And we had what my dad called ditty bags! They were all WWiI surplus. Today my "ditty bags" are squares and different colors. I wonder what happened to the cammo ditty bags! ; ) Pam

I find a combination of packing cubes and 2 gallon ziplock bags works well for me. I use the packing cubes for things that can be tossed in (and grouped with like items). I then pack my folded clothes in the 2 gallon bags, sorted as I might wear them. The bags keep them relatively unwrinkled, even on long trips. And both cubes and bags make it easier and less intrusive when TSA decides to paw through the bag.

I use a combo of the RS packing cubes (we own two sets) and the eBags slim cubes. Often, I'll use one of the smaller cubes to toss in the various electronic gadgets that I need (charger, extra batteries, plug adapters, etc.). I've also successfully packed padded fragile items in a RS packing tube for the return home. What I really like is that the RS ones weigh/collapse into nothing when empty and squish if partially full. I often toss an extra empty one in at the start of a strip, if I'm traveling with my rolling duffel.

I always use packing cubes, but not for my clothing so much. I use them to organize smaller items in my bag. One smaller Eagle Creek cube for all my cords for electronics, plug adapter, etc. One medium for my socks, underwear etc. One small for my toothbrush, make up (minimal while traveling), etc. Tried to use cubes exclusively for a trip a few years ago, I found that my clothing expanded each day, and it was more of a pain to repack the cubes than to just put shirts into the suitcase. It's not like I'm taking a ton of clothing, just a few t-shirts and 1-2 bottoms. It's the smaller items that get lost in my suitcase, or in the way... I bring an empty cube for dirty clothing. So when I'm totally done wearing something, it goes in there to keep it from my clean stuff. Any breakable item I might purchase during my travels then gets wrapped into this cube for cushioning on the journey home.

I use the RS packing cubes and think they are the best thing since sliced bread...simple as that!...I like to travel light, with a convertible carry on, and the packing cubes do wonders for organizing my stuff, and adding some structure to my bag...I don't travel without them.

Steve - I use Ebag packing cubes and really like them. There are some that say they are added weight, but it's 12 ounces that I'm willing to live with.

I too am addicted to the Rick Steves packing cubes. I use the larger one for all of my tops & bottoms; I roll them, and make two layers. I can then quickly see where something is located, and can pull out one item without disturbing the others. I use a smaller cube for my socks, underwear, swimsuit, etc. My extra shoes go in one corner of the suitcase, topped by my toiletries bag and a stuff-sack with electronic chargers, etc. I add my two packing cubes, and I'm packed!

I purposely bought the RS packing cubes (as well as a the convertible carry on) to travel more organized. The cubes are great and make packing (and finding your stuff) very easy. I used both in Europe for 3 weeks this summer and it made packing really fast and super easy when going from hotel to hotel. I use the large one for clothes, one small one for socks, underwear and such, and the third for extras like books, power cords, and adapters. I also use them for business travel in the U.S. since I enjoy them so much.

I'm a roller. In other words, I roll all of my clothes and then place them in the packing cube. One cube for underwear, another one for tops, another one for shorts/slacks, etc. Since the packing cubes have mesh on the top, I can easily see what top (usually by the color) that I want to wear that day. Removing that top is easy and I do not disrupt the rest of the cube. Since I don't stay in one place for very long, I just leave everything in the cubes. Do things get wrinkled? Yes, somewhat. However, do I care? No. I'm on vacation. The packing cubes taught me to compartmentalize my stuff on a trip. So, I'll have a small bag for shower items, another waterproof bag for the bathroom (toothpaste, soap, etc.), and another one that holds all electronic stuff. I don't use ziplocs for these things because they do rip easily. However, I do bring ziplocs for other purposes.

Thank you all for the feedback. Looks like the packing cubes are worth the purchase. Steve

We started using the Eagle Creek cubes before our trip to Europe last fall. Since a typical trip to Europe involves multiple moves from hotel to hotel, the cubes makes packing/unpacking and keeping things organized really easy. Packing up our roll-ons takes about 5 mintues with the cubes. I really like the two sided cubes; all clean clothes go into one side, then as they become "dirty" laundry, they move to the other side of the cube. But the same clothing are always in the same cube; t-shirts in one, pants/shorts in another, long sleeve shirts in yet another.
My husband also has "sloppy genes" and his method of folding resembles "piles", and this system seems to work for him. He packs/zips up his cubes, and I pack the cubes in the two suitcases in their designated places. We never wonder how we fit everything when we left home, but can't repeat the performance mid trip.

I'm not against compartmentalized packing; I've used smaller "packages" to organize my luggage for years. However, I don't use packing cubes, as I pack very light, and they would be complete "overkill" for me. The three cubes sold as a set on this site together hold more than I take. Even the smallest sized packing cube would hold a third of everything I take, kind of defeating the concept of compartmentalizing. Except for once-folded slacks, which stay in the bottom of my carryon bag (their compartment), my largest compartment is three folded golf type shirts in a 15" x 18" zipper washing bag, a couple of inches thick, at most, when full. The other 5 packages are much smaller. I put my electronics (batteries, chargers, etc) in a "solid" nylon stuff bag; the weight and square corners make them unsuitable for mesh.