Packing cubes - how?

I use them to group items. I put all my tops in one. Whatever I can fit, no spillover. I have 2 long thin ones for undergarments, socks, and pjs. One for me, one for hubby. I use a folding board for his shirts. Pants are rolled and placed in a larger one - mixed. I have a small one for my husbands workout clothes (might put in his pjs too if they don’t fit with his socks and underwear). If bathing suits are needed, they go in a small cube, mine and hubby’s with coverups.
I can pull items out as needed without unpacking completely and pack them away after each wear. If we are gone long enough to do laundry, I’m not too old yet that I can’t remember what could use a wash. I do have a separate laundry bag for my hubby’s socks. These seem to be the only items that really get smelly.
The thin ones and the folding board are Eagle Creek.
You get the idea.

I fill them by category. Electronics (chargers, cables, iPod, Kindle, etc) go in one. Personal care stuff that isn't liquid because that's in the one-quart bag go into another (toothbrush, antiperspirant, aspirin, etc). Paper stuff, guidebooks, and documents go into their own cube. These are all relatively small sized cubes. Depending on how much clothing I'm bringing shirts might go into a bigger cube and same with pants & shorts.

I sort similarly to Barbara. I put my shirts in one cube and my socks/unders/bras/pjs in another cube. This last trip I went to Orkney and Shetland in August and had quite a bit of outerwear. I used a large packing cube for a puffy vest, my waterproof rain jacket, my rain pants, a pr of glove lines and a ball cap. As time progressed I "acquired" 2 beanie hats and a headband which I stuffed in there too. I also used the outerwear cube in my daypack so I would have everything as I needed it during the day.

I flat pack my pants/capris.

I also use random packing cubes for OTC meds.

I recommend you work with them on some trial packs before you are ready to travel. There is a learning curve and it's easier to learn when you are not pressed for time. I find using the packing cubes also limits how much I take which works for packing lightly.

By category:
tee shirts
dressier tops
underwear including pjs
electronics

My method is similar to Barbara's and Pam's - I group by category (tops, pants, undies/bras/pj), although if I'm checking a bag, I will have one separate cube that is for my personal bag that contains a complete change of clothing just in case.

Similar packing to everyone. Large RS cube fits blouses, shirts and sweater. Small Sharper Image cubes are shallower than RS’s. One fits folded leggings and shorts I use as pj’s. Second small cube holds undies, socks, knee & ankle braces and tank pj top.
I use discontinued RuMe Baggies for personal needs/drugs and RS classic bath bag. I pack a pair of sandals (wear my walking shoes) and wrap them in disposable shower caps to hold any street dirt. A lightweight nylon string backpack works good as a laundry bag so dirty and clean clothes are separate.

I've done it the category way, but I've also packed some to be for several days. This is useful when staying in one hotel for 2-4 days, then moving to another for 2-3 days, and so on. So the initial packing for the flight will be shirts in one cube, pants in another, etc. But when I arrive at the first hotel, I'll look at the itinerary and use a mid-size cube to pack a pair of pants, the number of shirts and underwear that I think I'll need for the next 3-4 days. At that point, I'd repack the mid-size cube with a clean pair of pants, shirts plus underwear for the next 3-4 days. And so on. It keeps me from having to pull out the pants cube and the shirt cube and the underwear cube at every stop.

The pajama cube comes out at every stop. So it also has the toothbrush (mine is electric so a little big and bulky), slipper socks or slippers, eyeshade and my medicine bag (I set out meds for that night and the next morning).

I hope to hear what other ideas folks have. However you do it, the cubes are a great way to pack and stay organized.

Thank you all! It gives me a better understanding of their use. I just read all of the responses to my wife. I then asked her if these responses helped. Her answer was not encouraging :(

My packing cubes are 2 sided:

I usually travel in the Fall.

Toiletries/underwear/socks
Electronics/iPhone charger/chords/camera battery charger
Blouses/turtlenecks/PJ’s/ 1 pair of slacks

She'll figure out what works for her after a few days. On my (long) trips, things get moved around as the weather changes. Stuff I don't expect to need in the immediate future (long underwear, gloves, buff, etc.) can get shuffled into a separate cube along with packages of tissues and toilet paper I always take with me.

I use packing cubes every trip. Underwear go into one cube, tops in one, and bottoms in another. Keeps my suitcase organized. I take a separate cube or bag for dirty laundry.

I have ebags ultralight cubes, 2 large 2 long and skinny, 1 small square. I also have 2 Eagle Creek pouches a small and a medium. I also have a pouch that came with something I bought--maybe socks or pjs, I can't remember. I also use two pouches in my crossbody cafe bag. Son has some pouches for his personal item.

My son can fit all of his pants and shirts into the large ebag cube (2 bottoms and 5 shirts). His underwear and socks go in one of the pouches. He doesn't pack pjs. He uses an old pillow case for dirty clothes--we actually share that. We share a small toiletry kit and that goes in his bag as well as my second pair of shoes. His fold into a pocket rain jacket goes in by itself.

I can my daytime clothing also in the second large ebag cube (2 bottoms and 4 shirts). I use one of the pouches for socks/underwear. I use a skinny cube for pjs and a base layer (this is typically a silk short sleeved t-shirt that I can wear at night or under a top during the day. A small ebag cube has plastic clips for hanging laundry. My fold into a pocket rain jacket goes in by itself. First aid kit/sewing kit/extra tips for my walking stick/ book/ adapters/ curling iron are fitted into bag's pockets.

In my cafe bag I have pouches for charging cables, meds, lip balm, comb. Also in the bag are pen, journal, phone, scarf, sometimes water bottle, passport, wallet, cheaters.

Son carries his comfort items and chargers in his personal item.

When we travel together, our bags weigh about 17 pounds each. When I travel solo, my bag is closer to 20 lb.

“Her answer was not encouraging :(”

John, how does she like to pack? Are you aiming to do carry on only and want to reduce luggage weight?

Even if she doesn’t want to use cubes, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them in your bag!

I was very hesitant in the beginning. Saw so many people talking about packing cubes, but I just wasn't sure it was for me. After using them for a trip or two, I was converted and now I never travel without them. The ones I use fit so easily into my carry-on, and everything is well organized. You've gotten some great advice here, but unfortunately your wife will have to make up her own mind.

It's all about organization.

My favorite packing cubes are old and have held up well over the years. They are Eagle Creek compression cubes similar to these. I have 3 sets of 2 (medium and small) in bright blue, red and chartreuse green. They are very light. Compression cubes take the air out, but they don't remove the weight. The danger with them is that they make it possible to pack more stuff in your bag, hence the temptation to pack more than you really need. If you go to the link you'll see that EC has other styles and shapes.

There are many other brands of packing cubes, both compression and not. I use ones that don't compress for other things. I have these slim eBags ones in green and these Compass Rose ones. The advantage of these slim and long cubes is that they usually can fit on edge rather than flat in luggage.

I also use other little bags of various types that fit in nooks and crannies. There's nothing in whatever 2-wheeled roller bag I pack (22x14x9 and smaller) that isn't packed in a cube or smaller bag, except maybe a jacket of some kind that lays flat on the top of the rest or in an outside pocket, but usually I wear that or have it in my personal item.

Here are some other sources for information and opinions on this topic.

I found this recent article about packing cubes using Google: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/packing-tips/best-packing-cubes-for-travel.

There are also lots of discussions about packing, including packing cubes, in the forum for Packing: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing.

You can put packing cubes in the Search box here at the RS website and get to lots of information and many discussions on the topic. If you do that, it's a good idea to click on the Travel Forum and limit to 6 months and newer. Your question should appear on the first page. 😉

Like previous replies, I use mine by category. On our last trip I used different colored Cadence Capsules for toiletries and they were terrific.

You got your basics. Underwear, socks, shirts, pants. That is four cubes. Add a couple more for bath stuff or electronics. Maybe six cubes.
If you pack each cube by days clothes and you are going for 10 days, you need 10 cubes. Also each day cubes leaves no room for weather changes. 4 cubes, 10+ cubes.
Go figure.
Curious as to her packing method now if not using cubes.

I think you have to use packing cubes for a trip or 2 to fully appreciate them.

A main plus is making it easier find a specific item without disrupting your whole bag, and also repacking. If things are just loose in your bag, you will inevitable unfold/unroll things while removing the one thing you need.

I pack them by category but I have a friend who packs one for each day on a tour. That way she only has to take one cube and her toiletries out at each new hotel.

naalehuretiree’s story could be mine. I wasn’t a believer for a long time but eventually got a set of 3 and tried them. Then bought another set. Like others have said, though, my efficiency gets better all the time. My last trip it was SO nice to have my cold weather clothes separated from my warm weather clothes, yet easily findable.

I do always wind up with stuff (shoes, etc) that don’t fit well (for me) in a cube. I have a hardsided spinner - so a clamshell opening. The things in packing cubes fit well on the side with the strap and the things not in cubes on the side with the mesh zipper closing. As a trip progresses, that may turn into things I won’t use anymore (or souvenirs) into the mesh side and items I am using regularly (mostly in cubes) on the strap side.

I tried cubes years ago and did not care for them. Then I tried them again this summer for our camper van trip. They were so helpful! I don't remember the brand, something off of Amazon, but they are very lightweight. I bought 3 sets, all in different colors. One for me, one for my husband and one for shared gear. That way it was easy to see just by the color whose was whose. In the camper that was key, where in a hotel room it wouldn't matter as much. I did not pack by day as our trip was hiking focused, so the clothes were all mix/match and and it just didn't matter. So one cube was pants, one was tops, one was undies and bras, etc. I used a laundry mesh bag for our dirty laundry just because it was easier to spot in an instant.

I am not sure if I will use them on my next trip, as it is just a short few days to see mom. The following trip though is back to Iceland and then on to Amsterdam and I will probably try the cubes again.

Due to my reading all of the above, I just had a long discussion with my husband about why he uses packing cubes and I don't. It probably makes a difference that we stay in apartments with washing machines and almost always for at least 3 or 4 nights, so it makes sense for me to hang up my shirts and put my rolled up pants on a shelf --- then all that is left in my suitcase is socks and underwear, and I would rather (as he puts it) "root around" in my suitcase for what I need than unzip and zip back up little bags.

Plus, in all sorts of ways other than packing a suitcase, I just like to be able to SEE things right away --- like, I want stuff in the refrigerator to be visible, not in the drawers, and for papers to be in a neat pile on my desk rather than tucked away in a file. So, maybe your SO has (or will develop) her own packing style that works for her and no need to use packing cubes in the same way that anybody else does. My husband and I have been marveling at each other's styles of doing lots of things for 48 years.

I do use a 2-gallon ziploc bag for various things when packing, such as I pack my first-day-in-Europe clothes in one (on the theory that I will be so exhausted from travel and not sleeping on the plane I won't want to make decisions) and then a couple days before our trip ends, I pack the same bag with my clothes for the last day of the trip because it really sucks if I find out at the last minute that an essential item still needs to be washed. I could use a packing cube for these two purposes, I suppose, but just never have.

Nancy--I am a visual person as well so can relate to much of what you wrote. I have one outfit for travel days to/from home. I always feel grimey after a long flight, so I wear the same thing each way, and save that outfit and don't wear it again during the trip. If we have a place to do laundry, great, but otherwise this works for me. I never fully unpack even if we are in a place for several days. I. am like your husband and just root around in my bag;)

I just finished packing for a trip. I shouldn't need to do laundry. I packed two long, narrow bag cubes like the Compass Rose cubes. One for pjs/lounge slacks/bathrobe scarf. One for tops. A small compression cube for socks and unders. One of those black Rick Steves clip to suitcase security envelopes for my dry toiletries and 1/3 of a sandwich baggy for my liquids. One square bag for my indoor shoes (visiting friends). One clear envelope size cube for my medicine closet. Oh, and my sleep mask and its bag and my back up pair of sun glasses. One air tag. An empty small drawstring bag for dirty laundry.

Not in cube: one pair of slacks in the middle divot of the suitcase and one thick fleece rolled up in one corner. I did throw in two fairly heavy locks (5 oz) which I will use if I am requested to check my bag...I never take locks but thinking I will for this domestic trip. I've also never been on a flight before where I have to pay to check my bag...so will carry on my carry on bag this time (Eagle Creek Tamrac, older version, but only used once). It's an inch longer than I wanted and advertised as so never used it on a flight, but it is still slightly less than 22 inches so I'm going to try it.

The total weight is 16 1/2 lbs (7.5 kg) including the 6+ lbs of suitcase. It has everything I need for Europe and more. (If this were an international trip, the fleece would be on me in flight or at home rather than in my suitcase. I'm wearing a blazer in flight for this trip. On a European trip, I would probably not have two outers, but the fleece will fit under my blazer. The indoor shoes would be left home as well, replaced with shower flip flops. I might have paperwork in my suitcase if international.) I would like to point out, that I did not weigh this bag until it was totally packed as I was not really thinking about weight. There is no weight issue other than my own.

I have a purse, about 7" X 8" with important meds, all electronics, financials, entertainment and another black RS envelope containing on plane items...like cough drops, etc. Eye glasses.

The cubes help me not to have to unpack and repack my bag. It helps me keep a neat bag.

PS: My husband never used packing cubes until a TSA agent dumped his entire suitcase out onto the table and he had to pack up in a hurry. What a mess!

I also pack by category. Packing by day wouldn't work for me, as I wear some items, such as pants, more than once.

However, there are no packing cube police. You wife can use them in whatever way that suits her. Or not. :)

I tend to use packing cubes if our itinerary has a lot on one night stays.. like on cycling trips when we are in a different hotel each night. Helps me keep a little organized. I separate by type of clothing mostly but I keep one cube for clothes that should be laundered when we stop. We always check one bag so I keep a packing cube of "incase my luggage gets lost" I have a day or two in my carry on backpack (25L)
(Ok before the never check bag comments begin - We check one 21" bag each because we always have LONG layovers(we start our trip in a small town regional airport) and I don't want to have to deal with my suitcase for hours and hours. But in a pinch we can carry them on if need be.

Generally, bottoms in one, tops in another, and underwear and pjs in a 3rd, however, I also pack a 4th in my personal item/carryon (that is absolutely, without fail, going to be with me on the plane), that has an extra pair of jeans or shorts, two tops, plus extra underwear, just in case.

On the way home, these generally turn into dirty v clean cubes.

I think they have two benefits: organization and compression. I can squeeze a whole weeks worth of socks and underwear into one cube Or shirts, or t-shirts, e.g., etc. Space saving is a goal.

If their utility is not obvious, then nothing is likely to change one's mind. In the days before packing cubes, we would use plastic shopping bags to organize our stuff by type and status, with rubber bands for compression. Plastic bags were useful in other ways too. And I'm old enough to remember when plastic shopping bags were a new thing too. I dont remember what we did then but I'm sure it was chaos.

I love the rectangular cubes.
Not keen on the flatter ones.
I don’t pack them with any rhyme or reason, they are purely for space-saving.
I do take time to roll and fold each clothing item carefully so it all fits.
I can get two and a half weeks of summer clothing into three of them, but I do stay in places with washing machines.
I don’t pack one for my emergency outfit in case luggage is lost; I pack one shirt or t-shirt, one pair of socks and one set of undies very flat in a large ziploc bag and squeeze all the air out.
It goes in whatever bag I bring as my personal cabin bag.

There are lots of great videos on YouTube on how to use cubes efficiently.

@ Stan - I still use plastic grocery bags - for dirty clothes (so much lighter weight than other choices people have mentioned). And the thinnest plastic grocery story produce bags as shoe bags. Weight matters!

No more plastic bags in stores here in BC now!
It’s a good thing.

Smallest holds socks, undies, bras
Medium holds tops, usually rolled
Largest holds jeans, nightie, sweater and light jacket

We use packing cubes of various sizes and shapes to hold things by category. I don't think anyone has mentioned using packing folders. If they did, I just missed it. At any rate, we use those for pants and shirts. Keeps them organized and pretty much wrinkle free. Eagle Creek has a number of them in different sizes. They also have "kits" that have folders and cubes.

Thanks to all the people who have made suggestions here over the years. Here are a couple more that I picked up from other RS travelers.

Tom Binh has high-quality products. I happen to like this one: https://www.tombihn.com/collections/all-organizational-bags/products/packing-cube-aeronaut-30?variant=42433899036861. It is more expensive than most packing cubes, but has one side with an open mesh top and a reverse side with a separate zipper with a nylon top. For me, the clean clothes go in the mesh side, and when they are getting dirty, they go in the other side. It keeps me organized.

Another good tip, from another RS traveler, is a dry bag like this one: https://www.rei.com/product/220552/sea-to-summit-lightweight-dry-bag-13-l?color=BELUGA%20GREY. It's totally waterproof, so it can keep really dirty clothes away from other things in your suitcase or serve as a washing machine (clothes and soap and a lot of shaking). It's also useful if your handwash didn't try before you moved on.

Thank you all once again for all of these great replies and helpful tips. @Pam, we usually use 2 carry ons when going to Europe, even in the winter time. For some reason, when going to Hawaii where it is warm, we use a large suitcase and a carry on. For our trip next week, it will be a large and a carry on. My wife did order a few "cubes". Last night we used those to pack our carry on for a 5 night visit to Rome and then the big suitcase will be used for the clothes we will be taking on a cruise leaving from Rome.
The people on this forum are the best!

John, this sounds like a perfect way to try out cubes for the first time since it sounds like you guys are "co-packing", lol. I'll also add that I (and many of us) have gone thru a bunch of different cube configurations before we found the ones that worked for us AND it's an evolving process.

I started out with very light Eagle Creek compression ones, moved to ones mentioned upthread called from a company called Compass Rose cubes (that are a longer shape that fit on end in a carry on) and then I went back to the old very light ones in 2022 when I needed to shave every bit of excess weight from my bag.

Have a wonderful time on your cruise!

Most of the time I pack:
* one medium cube for big stuff (pants, jackets)
* one medium cube for smaller stuff (shirts, pjs).
* one small cube for doo-dads: laundry supplies, pepto bismol, cables, etc.
* one x-small nylon cube for undies and socks, nested in the shirt/pj cube.

I often pack a spare ultralight cube as a floater to use as occasions arise. If I am staying just one night, I might pack a fresh shirt and underwear in an ultralight just so I don't have to paw through my whole bag.

For my main cubes, I use the standard mesh-top bags. For the smaller and floater cubes, I use the ultralight nylon bags. I have some old Eagle Creek ultralight bags, and I have also had good luck with these from Ikea: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/rensare-clothes-bag-set-of-3-check-pattern-gray-black-10461208/

If, as Pam surmised, you are "co-packing", consider puting some of your clothing and some of her clothing in each of your bags. If one of them should go on it's own trip, you'll each have enough to get by until it arrives. We even do this with carry on bags as they are subject to being gate checked.

”How do you use your packing cubes and what tips do you have to pass along to her?”

Hi John, probably my advice would be more helpful if I knew what your intended purpose that packing cubes are being proposed as the solution. Here’s some ideas:

If the problem is that she’s taking too long in the morning to pack up, then I would recommend putting one day of clothes in a cube. She could set out that cube for the next morning, and the rest would remain in her suitcase.

If the problem is general organization in the “black hole” of her suitcase, then packing by types - shirts/dresses; underwear; etc. would probably work best.

Sometimes people think if they pack with packing cubes, they can suddenly stuff much more into their suitcase. It’s going to weigh the same regardless, and more inventory of items just means more time figuring out what to wear, more hand motions in the suitcase to find the pieces, etc. which means more time overall.

I used to use a few packing cubes for category organization, but I was still just bringing four outfits (washing in the sink). Now I use a Cotopaxi that has its own designed in organization.

One way I still use a packing cube and will be doing so this week. I am flying domestic to visit relatives, and they have much better shopping than my city. So, I’m checking an almost empty suitcase, and I’m bringing a small backpack with one outfit, plus extra underwear in one packing cube & also bringing my meds. If my suitcase gets lost, I still have clothes with me. So, if you’re packing and checking a suitcase, you might also want one “survival outfit” just in case. ; )

I was confused by the idea of packing cubes for the longest time and then I received a set for Christmas last year. I have now used them on three trips, all over a week long, and will continue to do so. I generally pack by category, however, with the two medium cubes I use one for the tops I wear during the day for sightseeing (mostly tee shirts) and the other one for the nicer clothes I wear for dinner/evenings out (tops/slacks). One small cube for underwear and nightgown and a separate small one for socks. I should mention I’m not a light packer, I don’t do sink laundry, I check my bag on long trips and it usually weighs in at 25-30lbs so what I like about the cubes is the organization. Happy travels!

I do use a variety of packing cubes, but like Nancys8 and mikliz, I like to see what's in each bag. (Perhaps once I get a system down with the cubes I'll know what's in each?). I also use a lot of ziplock bags of all sizes. The 2 gal and jumbo are great. I use smaller ones to organize papers by day or location (receipts, notes, stubs, brochures, etc) to make it easier to find info later.

I also feel that packing groups of souvenirs (sometimes textiles, clothes) and other items in bags helps in case my suitcase ends up searched again.

CanAmCherie--That is a great idea, using one tube for souvenirs. I need to remember that for our February trip. On our last trip, security pulled my bag aside and it was a horseshoe that they were looking at. It would have made it much easier if I had that in a cube. Nevermind we used the cubes for everything else, so rather ironic.