How To Use Packing Cubes: One of the Top Packing Hacks for Families

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Last Updated on December 9, 2022 by Ariana Svenson

Have you noticed that travel experts are all talking about the best travel packing cubes?  If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, that’s a fair call!  How can something that adds weight – even if only by a tiny amount – make life easier when you travel as a family?

The thing is – travel packing cubes are awesome.  In our experience, they genuinely do make family travel so much simpler!  Hence this post, in which we’ll outline how to use packing cubes to reduce the stress of your next trip.

In a rush? Click here to see the overall best packing cubes range.

We’re recommending Eagle Creek based on personal experience.  These travel cubes are made to last, are available in many shapes and sizes, and are covered by a lifetime warranty. 

If you’re interested in using these clever travel hacks for packing you’re in luck, because we also cover the best packing cubes for traveling with kids.  We also detail the pros and cons and share our top tips for using them to save space and make life on the road or vacation more organized.

Firstly, though, let’s take a look at some general packing for travel hacks to use when planning and packing for a family trip.  If you’re wondering how to use packing cubes, or are asking questions like ‘how do packing cubes work’ ‘what are the best packing cubes’ and ‘are packing cubes worth it’, carry on reading as we also cover everything you need to know!

This post may contain affiliate links, from which we would earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More info in my disclaimer.

General Packing Hacks for Families

Before we begin to consider which are the best packing cubes, here are some basic travel hacks for packing that can help to reduce the load and the stress.  So read this before thinking about which type makes the best packing cube for travel.

Make a List

Write a packing list for every member of the family, at least several days before you depart.  That way you can add to it as useful items occur to you.  Once your lists have been made, stick to them!  Since we have so much experience traveling as a family, we have developed some useful lists.  Check out our Family Travel Checklist – 1 Month To Departure, Travel Packing List – 1 Week To Departure, and Departure Day Travel Departure Checklist.

Wear it Well

Where possible, wear items for the flight that takes up a lot of space.  For example, running shoes are super comfortable to wear on a traveling day.  Planes and airports are cold, so wearing your hoodie, wrap, or a light jacket will keep you warm while minimizing what you need to squeeze into your luggage at the same time.

Travel Containers

It’s well worth investing in some specially designed, travel-size containers for toiletries.  Otherwise, you could bring pre-packaged travel-sized toiletries, but these can be expensive in the longer term.  Often a small bottle of shampoo, for instance, will cost almost as much as a full-sized one!

Take a Scale

Portable luggage scales actually cost very little and taking one can help make sure you don’t exceed your baggage allowance (which would cost far more).  This is particularly useful when you may bring back more than you took!

Personalize Each Passport

One of our top packing hacks for families is to put different stickers on the front of each passport.  It makes it way easier to find the right one when you need to, such as when going through customs at the airport.  You can use any, or pick a travel theme that the kids will remember – such as a specific flag each.

Pack a Sarong

What travel hack can be used as a blanket, a kids’ play fort, an eye mask, a privacy barrier, a picnic cloth, and a towel?  A sarong, of course!  This multi-purpose item is family travel essential.

Why Packing Cubes are one of the Best Packing Hacks for Families

In the name of easier family trips – we undertook some research into how to use packing cubes for family holidays.  We can now share the benefits of this experience with you to help you choose the ideal family packing cubes for your vacations.

It all began when we needed to buy new packing cubes.  So I asked myself: which are the best packing cubes?  You will, in all likelihood, ask yourself the same question if you want to buy adults’ and kids’ packing cubes.  In my case, I bought a range of different cubes to compare them against one another.

Cheap Travel Packing Cubes

For the purposes of our exercise, we bought some cheap packing cubes for travel.  They cost just a few Australian dollars each and are made by various brands, including AmazonBasics.

You do get many of the same benefits with a cheap travel cube as you do with a more costly option.  While these packing cubes are not very sturdy, they do offer the many benefits of separating your clothes.  They also tend to be very lightweight.

So if you are on a budget, don’t necessarily think you should pass on the cheaper, lightweight packing cubes.  Many of them actually attract impressive customer ratings and good reviews.

Medium Price Travel Packing Cubes

For our medium price range option, we purchased these Travelwise Cubes from Amazon.  With 5 pieces in the set, the cost was very affordable.  This 5 in 1 kit, comes in a variety of different sizes, which is very useful.  We found these to be sturdier and of better quality than the cheaper ones.  However, they are only semi-transparent, so you may not be able to easily see what is inside.

Overall, in terms of purchasing a helpful set of cubes, they offer good value for money as they are well-made.

Higher Price Travel Packing Cubes

We also invested in a set of high-quality Eagle Creek Packing Cubes as they get great reviews online.  These packing cubes for kids and adults are very sturdy, comprising a semi-firm case with a see-through mesh at the front.

Any Eagle Creek packing cube is a highly durable product from a good quality packing case brand, and we recommend them without any reservations whatsoever.

Top Tip:  A mesh panel on the front of each cube means you can instantly identify what’s inside, and many people find this to be very useful!

Eagle Creek offers packing cubes for family travel in a range of different sizes and styles.  You can find out more about some of our favorites further down this post, or check some out on Amazon here.

 

Specific Types of Packing Cubes

Compression Packing Cubes

Lightweight packing cubes that can compress the contents tend to be found at the top end of the market.  Not only are these ergonomically designed, but they are also made of very lightweight material, with high-quality zippers.

Once you have used these as clothes packing cubes you can then use the second zipper on each to compress the travel cube into an even smaller size.  You can check out some of our favorite Gonex compression travel cubes here.

Wet Bag Packing Cubes

Another kind of the best travel packing cubes to use is those with wet bag qualities.  These can be used for wet garments, usually swimsuits, in our case.  These waterproof travel packing cubes would work great for all your damp or wet items.  You can find some good quality, yet inexpensive water-resistant packing cubes here on Amazon.

 

The Best Packing Cubes for Families

So which are the best packing cubes for travel with kids?  These are our top recommendations.

Brand	Best For	Key Features	Price
Eagle Creek	Best overall	Top brand, huge range, lifetime warranty	Click here
AmazonBasics	Best budget	Great value, mesh viewing panels, 6 colors	Click here
Gonex	Best compression	Well mixed packs, high quality, lots of colors	Click here
Osprey	Best for backpacks	Ultra-lightweight, outdoor brand, innovative	Click here
Travelon	Best mid-range	Affordable, huge selection, established brand	Click here

 

Eagle Creek Packing Cubes

Best overall packing cubes

Eagle Creek packing cubes are a family favorite with us!  We love the quality of these travel cubes that are made to last, so they’re perfect for packing kids’ clothes in particular.  There are so many different sets of Eagle Creek travel cubes available that it should be easy to find the ideal ones.  They can be bought individually, or in sets of 2, 3, or more.

Whether you want a set of rectangular cubes, a dirty linen cube, a garment folder cube, or like the look of their tube cubes, there is an Eagle Creek set to suit every kind of family vacation.  All come with the backup of a lifetime warranty.

Pros:

• Top travel brand
• So many shapes and sizes
• Eagle Creek lifetime warranty

Cons:

• Limited color options

Click here to check out a range of Eagle Creek travel cubes

AmazonBasics Packing Cubes

Best budget packing cubes

If the best packing cube for you is a budget one, the AmazonBasics travel cubes are well worth considering.  There’s a good selection, and they come with some useful features too, such as mesh panels at the top, reinforced seams, and double zip pulls.

Another great factor is that they come in a variety of sizes and shapes, including 4 or 8 piece packing cube sets in similar or mixed sizes.  This means you can choose what your luggage will fit into best.

In many cases, 6 color options are offered, so unless there are more of you it’s possible to pick out a different color for each family member.

Pros:

• Great value for money
• Mesh panels
• 6 colors

Cons:

• Budget looks

Click here to explore the range of AmazonBasics packing cubes

Gonex Packing Cubes

Best compression packing cubes

Gonex offers a range of travel cubes that are ideal for packing with kids.  Not all of these are compression cubes, but whichever you choose, their range offers some of the finest family packing cubes around.

The Gonex travel cube sets come in all shapes and size too, and there are up to nine pieces per set for packing everything from toiletries to outerwear as neatly as possible.  Choose a set of Gomex compression cubes and you’ll have even more space.

Some options come in lots of colors.  This 6 piece Gomex travel cubes set, for instance, comes in 17 colors, giving the whole family lots of choices.

Pros:

• Up to 17 colors
• High-quality packing cubes
• Some great mixed pack options

Cons:

• Not all are compression cubes

Click here to see a selection of Gomex packing cube sets

Osprey Packing Cubes

Best backpack travel cubes

If you want to use a backpack rather than a suitcase, then buying travel cubes from Osprey makes complete sense.  As one of the world’s leading backpack brands, they know a thing or two about packing light.

They offer some useful items as well, such as a clear, see-through carry-on wash bag or the ‘ultralight roll organizer’.  This has a mirror as well as lots of pockets, and can be hung from a hook or even a branch!  Great for camping trips.

While the Osprey range is a little more limited, there are some ultra-lightweight options that are ideal for outdoor-loving families or those who use backpacks.

Pros:

• Outdoor-friendly
• Innovative products
• Ultra-lightweight range

Cons:

• Limited range

Click here to find out more about Osprey travel cubes

Travelon Packing Cubes

Best mid-range packing cubes

We’re really impressed by the good value range of Travelon packing cubes.  They come in various multi-purpose or specific designs, pack sizes, and colors.  Some of the items available include sets of useful mesh pouches, accessory organizers, or compression bags.  Some of these are made using clear plastic so you can easily see what’s stashed inside.

With grab handles and mesh top sections, these Travelon packing cubes are a good all-rounder for family vacations.

Pros:

• Affordable price
• Lots of types are available
• Established brand

Cons:

• Limited larger packs

Click here to view Travelon’s range of packing cubes 

The Pros of Travel Packing Cubes

You can keep each Individual’s Items Separate

The main benefit of packing cubes is that, for family travelers, you can pack different kids’ or adults’ clothes together in one suitcase.  This is all without becoming completely confused or disorganized!

When you arrive at your destination, you can remove each of the packing cubes from the luggage.  Instantly you have each family member’s clothes nicely separated from the next person’s clothes. This benefit can still apply when you buy cheaper packing cubes too.

Top Tip:  Get a different color cube (or set of cubes) for each person in the family.  This way it’s easy to identify at a glance which cube belongs to which person.

You can Improve Packing Efficiency

Another benefit of using packing cubes is that you can pack more efficiently.  This is because you have to get each person’s clothes into a very clear, defined space.  Before we bought packing cubes, I’d lay all the clothes on the bed and try to limit them by asking “what can I leave behind”?

When using packing cubes, I can ask, “what can I fit in” instead.  If everything won’t fit into my cubes then it has to stay home.  This makes me much better at mixing and matching garments to create outfits suitable for what we plan to do.

My daughter and I use medium-sized Eagle Creek Specter packing cubes.  My son uses smaller packing cubes, however, because he tends to pack less clothing than we do.

This benefit can be achieved with even the cheaper packing cubes, although some of these are bigger than the Eagle Creek ones and I think this allows you to overpack!

Compressing Clothing

Another benefit that especially applies to the higher-end packing cubes is their compression qualities.  With a compression packing cube, you can tuck your clothes inside very neatly, then use the zippers to press them down.  Compression cubes, therefore, work an absolute treat in reducing the volume of your clothing – by as much as half!

Top Tip:  Just remember to keep an eye on the weight if a restriction applies.  This is often the case outside of the US.

Now, we’re going to bring the budget in here.  A more expensive packing cube is much more likely to possess superior compression qualities than a cheap one.  Most cheap packing cubes offer no compression function and that can be one of their major disadvantages.

The Cons of Travel Packing Cubes

They may be too Angular or Rigid

A factor to bear in mind, when considering packing cubes or not, is that some can be rather too square or rectangular in shape.  This particularly applies to those seeking the best packing cubes for backpacks.

If you are traveling with a backpack versus a suitcase, you may find that packing cubes don’t work quite so well.  Most packing cubes are rectangular or square, so they work very well in suitcases, which are a similar shape.

They might not work so well, however, in backpacks or strangely shaped suitcases.  Here you may need to have items of clothing that can be packed around the travel cubes.

Travel Cubes can be Expensive

Packing cubes can prove to be an expensive way of organizing your backpack – but we do have a hack to share with you!  Before buying packing cubes, we used Ziploc bags of varying sizes when packing for kids.

When traveling solo with small children, and wanting to pack each day’s clothing in separate bags, we have used Ziploc bags for this on several occasions.  We don’t like all the plastic use this involves, but it is an efficient way of packing.  If you are interested, check out our post on How to use Ziploc Packing Bags for Clothes for more information.

Packing cubes, though, are simply more environmentally sustainable.

Compression Cubes can be Tricky to Repack

If you pack your compression cubes as tightly as you can before setting off, remember that each time you re-pack during your trip you will have to get everything back in!  Given that the fit is tight, this can involve a full repack, which no one enjoys (do they?).

Top Tips | How to use Packing Cubes for Family Travel

Have you ever wondered how other people are using their packing cubes?  If you are trying to decide whether packing cubes are for you, check out the pros and cons sections above.

Once you have invested in some packing cubes you will of course want to get the best use out of them.  We firmly believe that rolling clothes work best – both in terms of storage and keeping them wrinkle-free.  Here are our other tips for using packing cubes.

Buy a Different Color for each Family Member

After you’ve set your budget and decided which packing cubes are right for your family, try to buy a different color for each adult or child.  For example, pick red for the boys, yellow for the girls, green for mum, and blue for dad.

That way you will all immediately know when looking into the suitcase, which packing cube belongs to each individual.  This helps prevent you from */988/8*****having to dig through the contents, or even having to empty the suitcase to find a particular item.

This is one of the top tips we can share: the best travel cubes are those in a distinctly colored set for each person!

Packing Swimwear

Pack everyone’s swimwear into a single packing cube so that it is easily accessible.  You can purchase waterproof packing cubes, which are ideal when you’ve finished in the pool and need to leave.

You can put your wet bathers into that one cube without worrying about everything else in your suitcase.  There’s definitely nothing worse than having a wet bag in your suitcase that makes everything else soggy and damp.

Organizing Dirty Laundry

Have a spare packing cube to use solely as a dirty laundry cube.  This pro tip for using packing cubes can be a complete game-changer!

When packing your suitcase before you leave home, it may well be absolutely super-duper organized.  But when you later take clothes out and wear them, you will eventually need to pack these back into your suitcase.  Surely no one wants to mix dirty and clean clothes?  The ‘dirty’ packing cube is very important for keeping the suitcase organized.  At the same time, it maximizes your carrying capacity.

Packing Nightwear

In addition to having a cube or cubes for each person, having a pajama cube is also a good idea, as it contains all the family nightwear in one place.  If you arrive at the hotel late at night, you can simply take out the pajama cube and voilà, everyone’s nightwear is ready.

If you don’t have space for a separate pajama cube, you could also consider whether kids need to sleep in pajamas at all.  They could sleep in shorts and tee shirts, then maybe you wouldn’t need to pack pajamas at all!  Another alternative is to pack the nightwear right at the top of each cube for quick access when you’re all tired.

Choose your Cubes Carefully

Look for packing cubes with clear mesh panels on the front so you can see what’s inside.  In my opinion, these mesh ones are some of the best packing cubes on the market.  If you can’t get everything you’re looking for in one cube, you could just mark each with a little tag.  Then you can easily identify which ones belong to which person.

You could also buy multiple sizes of travel cubes in each family member’s particular color.  That is an effective way of staying even more organized!

Simple Steps to Follow when using Packing Cubes

Here are the steps that we follow when using packing cubes for family travel. This is kind of like a packing cube tutorial in pictorial form.

The first step (not pictured) is to choose the clothes. We usually take 5 sets of clothes each that can be mixed and matched, depending on the length of the holiday and how easy it may be to access laundry facilities.

 

The Verdict – Which are the Best Packing Cubes for your Family?

Top Tip: When it comes to deciding which packing cube is best for your family, it may well depend on how frequently you travel, and of course, whether you have money to burn.

For us, the choice comes down to budget and frequency of travel.  If you travel often, then investing in quality packing cubes is more worthwhile.  They’re going to have greater longevity as they are more durable.  This means zippers don’t break, and you may also choose to buy compression cubes.  If you’re not so frequent travelers, then I might question whether it’s necessary to spend $100 on packing cubes when they won’t be used that much.

In the end, which packing cube is best to buy is going to depend on personal preference.  Our preferred ones are made by Eagle Creek, and we prefer those with the non-compression element and the mesh screen at the front.

We like this Eagle Creek set best overall because it’s high quality, durable, small in shape and it doesn’t have the costly compression feature.

While you’re here, why not check out some of our other posts, as follows:

Once kids get old enough, investing in the best kids’ backpacks can mean getting them to carry their own belongings!  We have written a complete guide called Sharing The Load: The Best Kids’ Travel Backpacks.

When traveling with babies, packing can be an entirely different ball game.  Check out our Baby Travel Essentials: The Best Travel with Baby Gear.

The type of trip you are doing also matters.  For example, if you are heading to the beach with a toddler it’s worth checking out which items are musts to bring or use our Ultimate Beach Packing List for Family Days and Hoilidays.

 

 

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