Is there anything worse than digging through clean and dirty laundry just to find that one pair of socks at the bottom of your suitcase? If a haphazard traveling bag makes you want to stay home altogether, we have a better solution than canceling those plane tickets — invest a few bucks in travel organizing packing cubes.
Packing cubes allow you to store your clothes in organizing compartments while still allowing easy access and visual with zip-tops and mesh panels. You can stack them in your suitcase or use them as your carry-on. We spent a day researching the best organizing packing cubes with lightweight, budget-friendly, and durable options to make your future travels infinitely better.
The Best Packing Cubes
JJ POWER Travel Packing Cubes
Our best choice packing cube set includes two large cubes (for jackets and pants), one medium cube (for t-shirts), two small cubes (for underwear and socks), and one shoe bag with a hidden slipper pocket. Each organizing cube is made from reinforced, double-stitched, custom Oxford fabric for durability without weighing you down. In fact, the entire set weighs less than one pound empty — that will make the baggage counter happy!
Each cube also sports a two-way sliding SBS zipper for easy accessibility. The top of these cubes is made from a sturdy mesh that allows your clothes to breathe (handy for dirty laundry!) while also allowing you to see what’s in which bag. They are easily collapsible yet will retain their shape, even after being crumpled. All of these pieces fit most 25-inch suitcases for even more convenience. At a great price, you can’t beat this organizational cube kit!
Cons: You and your partner can’t wait to jet set. You’re traveling the world but want to keep it lightweight. We get it. So how do you stay organized when you’re sharing a single suitcase and trying to keep the pounds down? This set of six travel packing cubes have you covered. Two large, two medium, and two small cubes mean that you and your partner will each have your own space and plenty of it. Reinforced interior seams and durable, high-quality nylon fabric ensure that your clothes will be super secure, and your cubes will last for years to come. Each cube uses two-way zippers for easy access but allows you to see the mesh panel content. They’re also all four inches deep for efficient packing that will fit even those extra clothes. These organizational cubes can hold enough clothes for two people for about a week-long trip or an extended trip for a single traveler. For more bags that will help you travel without stress, check out our selection of the best weekender duffel bags. Cons: Amazon realized the importance of organizing packing cubes and jumped into the game with this four-piece set. Each kit includes two large travel cubes for jackets and pants and two medium cubes for shirts, shorts, socks, and slacks. They all feature durable zippers with super-handy toggles for easier grip, as well as webbing handles to tote and rearrange your packed items easily. The soft mesh allows you to see at a glance which shirt is in which bag and protects your clothes from wear and tear. The bags themselves help your clothes to stay wrinkle-free until you arrive at your final destination. For a great price and a little peace of mind, you can’t go wrong with this four-pack. Cons: For the extended traveler, on-the-go business traveler, or family vacationers in need of some organization, we bring you the Veken 6-piece set. This kit includes four ascending sizes of packing cubes for all clothing manners, including an underwear bag. A shoe bag makes it easy to transport an extra pair of kicks without the heels touching your clothes. When you’ve worn an outfit, toss it into the dirty laundry bag for easy distinction between fresh and faded and easier clean up when you arrive back home. Each bag is made from a thick, 290 denier nylon that will withstand whatever travel you throw at it. They all use a two-way zipper with longer toggles for easy zipping and feature a reinforced handle on top of each bag. This might be one of the best bang-for-you-buck sets on our list and is available in 12 colors to match your style. You may also be interested in these reliable rugged duffel bags for travel. Check them out. Cons: Tired of digging through your suitcase for the one shirt you know you brought but can’t find? Tired of finding lint on your toothbrush? Want to bring your running shoes on your business trip, but don’t want them to get your dress shirts dirty? This set of four travel organizing cubes might be your saving grace. This specific kit includes three medium packing cubes and one small travel cube, perfect for a business trip or your next vacation. The lightweight, ripstop nylon material is perfect for weight-conscious travelers who still want durability and protection for the wardrobe. A mesh panel runs down the middle of the packing cube, so you know which pair of shorts is in each packing cube. Use the smaller cube to hold socks and underwear or your bathroom toiletries kit. For the price of a moderate dinner, you can save yourself the stress of digging through a suitcase for the one item you want. Organization awaits! Cons: We may have these on our Christmas wish list already. These compression packing cubes will revolutionize your travel packing and save you an untold number of headaches. This six-piece set includes two large cubes (about the size of a laptop), two small cubes (about the size of an iPad), a shoe bag that can also be used for dirty laundry, and a slim tube. Once you’ve placed your clothes inside of the compression cube, zip it almost completely closed, then push the remaining air out of the cube with your hand. Zip it closed entirely when all of the air has been pushed out, and you’ve just saved yourself even more space for trinkets and travel gifts. The ripstop polyurethane material is incredibly lightweight — we’re talking one or two ounces per cube — and super durable, making it the ideal materials for your travel organization. When you’re back at home, they fold up to almost nothing for simple storage. These cubes are even water-resistant, which might come in handy if your bags get stuck in a very rainy airport! Our guide to the top travel backpacks features more cool products for organized travels. Take a second to check them out. Cons: This seven-piece set will save you time and stress when you’re ready to live that travel life again. Four sizes of packing cubes, a shoe bag that can be used for dirty laundry, and two clear waterproof toiletry cases give you all the organizational storage space you may need inside of your suitcase. What we especially love is that one of the clear toiletry cases is also TSA approved for carry-ons, giving you even more flexibility in your packing. Each nylon case includes a mesh top for easy viewing and two-way, high-quality zippers for easy access to your clothes and useful gadgets. Reinforced handles make it easy to carry your storage cubes to the hotel dresser or back into your house. Several fun colorways will make it easy to distinguish between you and your partner’s packing cubes, too! Cons: A budget set made with high-quality materials can’t be beaten, and this packing cube set speaks for itself. Three sizes of packing cubes give you the flexibility you need to pack everything you need. Each packing cube uses built-in buckles to make sure your clothes stay secure and neat. Toss your electronics cords into the smaller carrying case, a pair of shoes in the zip-top bag, and your toiletries or medications in the cinch-top bucket bag. A dirty laundry bag is great for your wet swimsuit when you’re about to fly home or that running shirt that you don’t want to stink up the rest of your clothes. When you’re not traveling, these travel cubes easily roll down and store away, so you don’t have to worry about taking up excess space. For a budget price, we don’t think you can go wrong with this handy eight-piece set! Cons: These may be meant for mommies and daddies on the go, but these three packing cubes can work wonders for the on-the-go traveler, too. The smallest packing cube is great for holding gadgets, hand sanitizer, cords, and more, while the medium cube can hold a few days’ worths of rolled clothes. The largest organizing cube is meant for diapers but can hold undergarments, travel pants, or nicer shirts, too! Each cube is made from soft material that will keep your contents protected and feel nice on your skin. Double metal zippers with large tabs help you easily access the inside of each cube, while a mesh top allows you to see what’s hidden in your travel storage. Whether you need a change of outfit for you or baby, this set has you covered. Cons: If you’re looking to upgrade your style game with handy travel organizers, the Shacke Pak of five packing cubes stands to deliver. Each of the four cubes — in extra-large, large, medium, and small — is four inches deep for easy and thorough packing. They also sport reinforced handles, a criss-cross design to check out the contents through mesh panels, and heavy-duty zippers so you can easily zip up your cube and store it in your bag. An extra dirty laundry bag will come in handy for those smelly socks or stained shirts when you’re traveling back home. Each packing cube is water-resistant, just in case your luggage meets an unfortunate puddle. Pick from a fun array of colors and get packing for your next adventure. Cons: Size – Many of the options we have listed come in sets so that you have several sizes of travel organizing cubes to choose from as you pack. What you want to pack will determine the size of the organizing cubes that you want to purchase, but in general, it’s good to have at least a large, a medium, and a small cube. That way, you have room for larger items like jeans or shoes, a medium cube for undergarments, and a small one for toiletries like hairbrushes and deodorant. Weight – You want your packing cubes to be as lightweight as possible for several reasons. First, if you’re cutting it close to the airline weight limit, you don’t need your travel packing cubes to push you over that limit. Second, you don’t need to drag around an excessive extra amount of weight as you’re traveling, whether that’s by plane, train, car, or donkey. We would argue that the best packing cubes are the lightest packing cubes. Material – Lightweight ripstop nylon is the best material we can think of for travel packing cubes. It weighs next to nothing, is designed not to tear (but will keep the tear small if it really does catch on a pair of scissors), and washes clean easily. However, other lightweight materials like polyester, cotton, and mesh can also work well! Design – As silly as it may sound, you want to make sure that your luggage organizer cubes will be easy to use, easy to store, and will fit in your suitcase or carry on! A stuff-sack type of organizer might be good for some items, like your toiletries or socks. However, you’ll want a design that easily unzips the entire top to pack essentials like shirts and pants. That way, you won’t be digging past three other shirts looking for your favorite tee — defeating the purpose of organizing travel cubes to begin with. Zippers – Reinforced, double-stitched zippers with easy-to-grasp pull tabs should be at the top of your list for features to take into consideration before you buy a set of packing cubes. Zippers are much more reliable than snap-buttons, or classic buttons, too. They will allow you to easily access your packed items without worrying about your travel organizing cube bursting open or losing a button. Handles – While not absolutely necessary, handles on your packing cubes can prove extremely helpful. Rather than tugging on the bag itself — which is a great way to test out the strength of your fabric or find out how easily it tears — grabbing the handle gives you a good gripping point. Reinforced stitches will also make it easier to rearrange and carry your packing cubes without fear of damage. Handles really come in handy when you use these storage packing cubes as toiletry bags, accessory bags, or a backup bag for overnight. Using a handle will make tossing the extra kit inside a backpack or carry on bag much easier than fishing around for a corner in the middle of the security line. Compartments – The creme de la creme of pro packing cubes will utilize compartments. These are extremely helpful features when you’re packing different materials that may not fare well rubbing against each other. You need to keep your electronics safe and separate, or you need to keep your suede shoes away from your muddy running shoes. You can easily keep jewelry chains separate, watches away from other pieces that may scratch the face, or even keep color-coordinated socks in easily-reached compartments. Honestly, we can’t say enough about compartments, but the best packing cubes may also use removable compartments so you can organize as needed. Technically, no, they don’t. Unless you purchase a compression packing travel cube that vacuum-seals or squeezes the air out of your packed items, which will save you space. With a packing cube, you’ll still be packing just as much volume, but in a much more organized and effective manner. They can be, especially since they help keep your clothes wrinkle-free. Packing cubes are designed to restrict your items from rolling around and jostling in your luggage, which is how clothes can get pressed down and wrinkled. It also allows you to compartmentalize your packing, so your toiletries and charging cords won’t get lost in a sea of rolled-up shirts. The best way is to start with your largest items — hair dryers, jackets, pants, shoes — and pack those away first. You can then start to layout other important items — like dress shirts and slacks — in separate packing cubes. For everyday wear, or if you need to save space, rolling similar-sized items and laying them into the packing cube will save you space and wrinkles. Imagine packing cubes as the Tupperware of your suitcase. You’ll want to place the bigger, heavier items in the sturdiest and largest packing cubes, then place those cubes on the bottom layer of your suitcase. Organization, organization, and — did we mention it — organization? Seriously though, the organizing benefits of packing cubes cannot be overstated. Whether you travel for business often or share a suitcase with your partner on overseas adventures, having a luggage travel cube for your clothes, your toiletries, accessories, and even your dirty laundry can make or break your trip. Luggage packing cubes are extremely helpful in keeping your clothes from getting wrinkled, as well, since they minimize the movement of your clothes inside of your suitcase, which will stop wrinkles from forming. Mostly, that’s up to you! Rolling casual clothes like t-shirts swim trunks, pajamas, jeans, flannel shirts, and even casual dresses can be easy and save space by compacting down your clothing. However, bulky items like thick pants or sweaters, or easily-wrinkled items like dress shirts or slacks, can wrinkle from the fabric bunching as you roll them. For these latter items, we’d recommend folding your clothes to minimize the wrinkle possibilities.
Bagail 6 Set Packing Cubes
AmazonBasics 4 Piece Packing Cubes
Veken 6 Set Packing Cubes
Gonex Packing Cubes
TRIPPED Travel Gear Compression Packing Cubes
YAMIU 7-Pcs Travel Organizer Packing Cubes
DIMJ 8Pcs Packing Cubes
Itzy Ritzy Set of 3 Packing Cubes
Shacke Pak 5 Set Packing Cubes
Packing Cubes Buying Guide & FAQ
Features to Look for in Packing Cubes
Packing Cubes FAQ
Do packing cubes actually save space?
Are packing cubes better than rolling?
How do you pack with packing cubes?
What are the main benefits of packing cubes?
Should I roll or fold my clothes in packing cubes?