Packing effectively can play a large role in how much you enjoy your trip. Pack too much and you won't have enough room for souvenirs while having to lug around more than you really need to. Pack too little and you'll either have to re-wear clothing or find a way to do laundry while you're travelling. Packing cubes can be a great way to keep yourself organised and fit more into your suitcase while leaving extra space for purchases. It's important to use them the right way, however, or you could end up with more frustration than help.
What Is a Packing Cube?
Packing cubes are small, rectangular fabric containers designed to organize and compartmentalize clothing and other items within luggage or backpacks. They typically have zippered openings and come in various sizes to accommodate different types of clothing and travel essentials.
How To Organise Your Packing Cubes
Most would advise you (including the packing cube manufacturers themselves!) to organise your clothes by type. For example, all socks would go in one packing cube. All shirts in another, larger one. However, I don't particularly care for this method. It meant that every time I wanted fresh clothes, I had to open every single packing cube in order to assemble an outfit. Sure, this way meant I had my pick of different shirts and trousers each morning, but I wasn't really fussed about what I wore - I just wanted it to be quick and easy.
So midway through that trip, I repacked all of the cubes so that each packing cube contained whole outfits. The smaller cubes (the ones meant for socks and smalls) held just one or two outfits each and were put into my carry-on suitcase while the larger ones held the rest. After that, I could just pull out one, take out an outfit for the day, and then put it back into my suitcase without having to muck about with the others. After a few days, one of the cubes became the designated dirty laundry cube.
Roll Your Clothes When Packing
Do make sure that you're rolling your clothes, however - this will help prevent wrinkles and will keep them more compact, meaning that you can fit more into one packing cube.
How To Maximise Space With Packing Cubes
If you're trying to pack light or if you are travelling for a longer period of time (or know you'll buy a lot of souvenirs!), you'll want to minimise the amount of space your clothes take up in your suitcase. Compression cubes can be a great way to do this. Not only do they help you keep your things organised but when you zip them up, they'll also compress everything inside so it takes up less space.
Are Packing Cubes Worth It?
For me, yes - using packing cubes is worth it. They take up less space in my suitcase and I can keep everything better organised, or at least as organised as I want to be. Towards the end of a trip, any semblance of organisation has gone to pot and I'm just shoving my clothes in any packing cube, but at that point, the laundry is all dirty anyway, so it doesn't much matter how well organised it all is. But
Conclusion
With their ability to streamline packing, minimize wrinkles, and keep your belongings neatly organized, packing cubes are truly an essential tool for any traveller looking to pack smarter and travel lighter. By compartmentalizing and compressing your belongings, packing cubes not only maximize space in your luggage but also simplify the process of finding and accessing items during your journey. Consider purchasing a few for your next trip!
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