Packing it All In – Packing with Packing Cubes
Taking everything you need and being organized is one of the most important things of any travel and adventure. Having items organized allows us to move quickly and efficiently between different stays. Packing cubes have made this so simple. We first start with laying out everything that we need for this particular trip and decide how we want to pack. Is it put all similar things in the same cube i.e. all shirts in one, undergarments in another and so forth. Or is this something that we want to have predetermined and easy to grab outfits. Having one day of clothes for both of us in one cube is handy especially on days that we are traveling and just want to pull as little out of the bags as possible to use shower and bathroom facilities. Once we have decided how to pack with the amount of cubes that we have we have the ability to pick the correct size and vary the colors. We currently have four different colors and multiple sizes of each. This allows us to each have our own color as well as if our kids are with us they can have their own. It’s just another way to keep everyones things organized when traveling with as few pieces of luggage as possible. Below I will go into more detail about some of the different cubes that we use, why we choose them, as well as any pros and cons.
We own the most of these cubes they are the best bang for your buck cubes. They come in a few different sizes as well as different packages of sizes and laundry bags. Along with the sizes the color choice is large, thirteen different combinations the last time we checked so it gives everyone the ability to get the color of their choice and still be different. This package of Shacke Pak Cubes has a few different sizes that make it perfect for packing into a carry on luggage. The small size is perfect for one day of clothes or socks and underwear for about a 7 days. The medium sizes are probably our largest used. I can fit about 14 Mens Large T shirts folded into one of them and are great when combining my wife and my daily outfits for one or two days depending on the climate and conditions. Last the cubes is the large one, we use this as our catch all for jackets, sweaters, and anything that is larger. This package finally comes with a larger drawstring bag that is mainly intended for dirty clothes but we have also begun using them as a boot bag. When traveling with hiking boots you never want to just throw them into your luggage so these are perfect for fitting any size hiking boot.
Pros:
- Relatively cheap
- Different colors and sizes
- Mesh tops easy to see what’s inside
Cons:
- Not as durable, we have had a few start to rip around the mesh
Upgrading from the Shacke Pak cubes you get to the Eagle Creek Packing Cubes. These were the first ones I ever owned and turned me onto packing cubes. I received my first set 5 years ago and they still look like new. Similar to the Shacke Pak and others they come in a few different sizes all of which fit perfectly into Eagle Creek Luggage. They come in a few different colors, only 3 colors in the same model that we use but others have 4 or 5 color options. This package comes with up to three different sizes. They are slightly different than the Shacke Pak. The XS is perfect for PJs, change of underwear or a small outfit change when you are traveling and just want to have something in your backpack. This makes it super easy to grab and go to the bathroom change and not be digging through your suitcase to find all your pieces. The small size is perfect for a full outfit or two depending on the season, or socks and underwear for at least a week. Along with those you can also do a medium size. This is by far the most versatile. It again gets about 14 Large T shirts in it and the long side fits perfectly into a carryon piece of luggage. My current carry-on is filled with three medium cubes and one small cube. The last space where I could fit a small cube I put my second pair of shoes in a shoe bag, we will get into those below.
Pros:
- Very Durable
- Mesh tops easy to see what’s inside
- Zippers are amazing
Cons:
- A little pricy
- Not to many color options
Shoe Bags
Many of the packing cubes out there have a mesh top so that your clothes can breathe and you can easily see what’s inside each cube. With that it doesn’t make the cubes great for shoes. Shoes can be wet, smelly, dirty and something that nobody wants to put in their bag along side the rest of their clothing. So this is where the shoe bags come into play.
There are two that we have used. One is from our trusty friends at Eagle Creek and the second is from a company called Pack All. They both are similar it just comes down to cost and durability. We haven’t had as long to test the Pack All shoe bag but it is a little bit cheaper of the two. It has held up very well with normal use, I am currently primarily using it for gym shoes in my work bag.
The Eagle Creek Shoe Bag is holding in strong after 5 years of solid use with shoes. I have had no complaints and it’s great to know that once the shoes are in the bag nothing is getting out and going over my clean clothes. I wear a size 12.5US and have no problem fitting my Salomon shoes inside.
These won’t work for hiking boots or larger shoes with taller ankle support. The bags both have a nice handle on top that is great for carrying but also throw a carabiner on there and you can clip that to anything. Both bags are the perfect thing to make sure your second pair of shoes can travel with you protected and away from all of your other clothes.
