How To Use Packing Cubes On Your Next Trip
If you're looking for the best way to organize your suitcase, packing cubes is what you need. You can use these small bags of light nylon or polyester almost everywhere: they'll help you stay organized on every trip!
1. What Are Packing Cubes?
Packing cubes are typically fabric bags with mesh tops that zip closed, allowing you to organize the contents of a suitcase within each cube easily. Packing cubes, or travel organizers, come in various shapes and sizes. They're typically square-shaped and made out of thick neoprene fabric, which thwarts water and allows the bag to be compressed no matter how full it is. Packing cubes can be used inside a suitcase/backpack or in a duffel bag.
Packing cubes are a great way to organize your luggage and save space. They can be used for clothes or toiletries, depending on the size of the cube you buy. With packing cubes, it will be easier to find what you need in your suitcase without having to dig through everything.
2. How to Use Packing Cubes on a Trip
Whether you are planning a road trip across the country or simply packing for a week in another city. Packing can mean that you have more time to enjoy yourself once you are there. Using packing cubes when packing your suitcase makes it easy to keep your clothing organized and efficiently packed. Here is how you pack and unpack.
Packing
Packing cubes are a unique type of suitcase accessory that helps you organize and pack better for travel.
They come in different shapes and sizes, but the basic idea is all the same: they're small bags designed to fit into a larger suitcase or duffle bag, making it easier to keep track of what goes where. A step-by-step guide to using them:
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Pack your bag from the bottom up. The last thing you want is for all your carefully organized items to end up at the bottom when you arrive. Once everything is in the suitcase, give it a good shake to make sure nothing will move around while traveling.
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Place one large cube or multiple smaller cubes in either half of your luggage. The choice is up to you, but I usually place one larger cube in half with more room. This way, the largest cube will end up on top when I open my suitcase lid.
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Place socks & underwear in all smaller cubes. These are usually the most delicate pieces of clothing, so it's best they have their own safe home inside your luggage.
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Pack tops into remaining cubes. Remember not to cram too much into each cube! Try for a little bit of cushioning without squishing everything down completely flat.
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If folding just isn't your thing, use packing folders instead of bags to keep clothes neat and together. They're pretty identical in terms of functionality, but busting out a packing folder in front of your friends will always get you style points.
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Use smaller cubes for nicer accessories like jewelry, scarves, ties, etc. You'll want to make sure they don't get lost or tangled up with other items, so it's best if they have their bag.
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Put full cubes at the top and bottom of the suitcase (just like you would with clothing). If any odd-shaped items don't quite fit into a cube, use them on top or underneath larger ones to fill in any remaining gaps!
Unpacking
Unpack the same way you packed. Place all socks in one section of your suitcase, pants in another, and shirts in another. Place the packing cubes back into the suitcase. If you're going for a week-long vacation, rotate the packing cubes throughout your suitcase so that half is used and half remains unopened at any given time. This will minimize wrinkles and make things easier to find later on.
When you arrive at your destination, take out the cubes and spread them around the floor or bed of your hotel room. This will help you see what items are in each cube, and you'll be able to get dressed much more quickly because everything is already neatly laid out for you. Pack up your clothes to leave. As you remove clothing items from the packing cubes, place them in your suitcase one at a time.
3. Benefits of Using Packing Cubes for Your Next Flight or Road Trip
Here are the advantages of using a packing cube.
Save Space
The most significant benefit of using packing cubes is that they can significantly reduce the size of your luggage. All you need to do is pack things in a cube and then put it inside your suitcase. That way, you have more free space without having to empty the entire bag! The idea is simple: if there's less stuff outside each cube, there's more room inside the suitcase/backpack.
Protect Your Clothes
Packing cubes can help you organize and protect your belongings in your suitcase. For example, use a smaller bag for fragile items such as slips, shirts, or dress pants. You can place this cube inside a larger one, where bulky items like sweaters or jackets will be safe as well.
You won't have to worry about wrinkles either. Instead of rummaging through your entire bag, you can just take out the clothes from the cube where they are stored! To keep things fresh, you can use plastic bags or air pillows.
Save Time and Help Keep Track Of Your Stuff
Packing cubes make it much easier to locate your items at all times. Whether you're putting them in your backpack, suitcase, or the storage under your plane seat, you'll always know where they are! Since you'll spend less time packing and unpacking, packing cubes can save you a lot of time! You don't have to worry about small, loose items anymore. Everything is packed in separate bags inside your luggage. You can also use the bags as a laundry bag, so you don't have to rummage through your suitcase every time you need clean clothes
Organization
The best way to stay organized is by using packing cubes. You can use them for shoes, toiletries, clothes and travel documents. Plus, you don't need to rummage through your entire suitcase when looking for a specific thing. All you have to do is open the cube where that item is stored!
Lightweight
Packing cubes are very lightweight. If you want to pack lots of things but don't have much space in your luggage, these bags are perfect for helping reduce the weight of your bag! Plus, you won't have to pay extra fees for having a heavy suitcase.
Waterproof
The bags in your travel kit are not the only things that need protection! Packing cubes will keep all items dry when traveling by train or plane. You won't have to worry about it raining outside - even if your luggage is not waterproof!