A few summers ago, I attended four weddings and one bachelorette across three countries in six weeks. I never adjusted to living out of my carry-on and lost several small items, including various bobby pins, lipstick tubes, socks and, most importantly, time looking for them. With my social roster just as full this summer, I’ll be utilizing packing cubes to keep all my essentials organized.
Packing cubes are exactly what they sound like: small, structured packs that fit inside your suitcase and help keep your essentials organized for a stress-free trip. To learn more about the best ones to shop, I spoke to travel experts and bloggers, packing aficionados and home organizing experts about their favorite packing cubes and before compiling a list of recommendations.
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The best packing cubes
Below, I’ve rounded up expert-recommended packing cubes and NBC Select staff favorites to help you stay organized while traveling.
Packing cubes by luggage retailer Eagle Creek come recommended by multiple experts, including Paul Healy and Mark Barnes, who run the travel blog Anywhere We Roam, Tara Cappel, founder and CEO of travel group For The Love of Travel, and Anne McAlpin, a packing expert and author of “Pack It Up! The Essential Guide To Smart Travel.” Their Pack-It Isolate Sets are “known for being some of the lightest cubes on the market,” says Healy. Like all of Eagle Creek’s products, the set is covered by the company’s repair warranty. The cubes’ durable compression zipper (a feature McAlpin suggests looking out for) compacts clothing to fit more items in a small space, according to the brand. They’re constructed with a lightweight ripstop poly fabric and are machine-washable and water-resistant. The Pack-It Isolate set cubes can be purchased individually or as part of various-sized sets.
This long, skinny cube is one of McAlpin’s favorite options. But don’t let its odd shape throw you off, she says: “Most people look at that long skinny cube and go ‘what is this for? I’d never use that,’ and it’s [actually] really useful.” McAlpin places the cube between the handles of her luggage and says it’s great for rolling up a whole week’s worth of underwear, small bras and socks, and best for utilizing the space on the bottom of your rolling bag. McAlpin also recommends Baggalini’s Medium Compression cube. Both options are water-resistant and lightweight, according to the brand, and have a clear panel to keep your items in view.
If you’re ready to invest in a quality set, McAlpin also recommends packing cube options from higher-end luggage company, Briggs & Riley. This set of three cubes is designed to place inside your carry-on. They’re made of lightweight nylon and mesh fabric, allowing you to identify the clothing stored inside. Each set has a double-sided cube, which allows you to separate out any dirty clothes.
“If [packing cubes] are all the same size it has an adverse effect — think about the space you need for underwear and socks vs the space you need for sweaters,” says Marina Radlinski, home organizing expert and owner of Palm Beach Organized. She recommends this Basgmart set, which consists of different-sized cubes. The set includes seven cubes made of nylon and mesh, allowing you to see your clothing options inside.
These packing cubes from Quince earned a spot in our Travel Awards. “I have used a lot of different packing cubes and these were great. Love the expandability, love the material and love that cushioning,” says NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin, who tested them. We could also stuff multiple shirts inside the largest packing cube and compress them down to a more suitable size.
“I love these packing cubes from Away so much that they have become my go-to holiday present for friends and family,” says NBC Select commerce editor Bethany Heitman. “They fit a ton of stuff, come in fun colors and the base is water-resistant to protect your clothes in case a toiletry item explodes mid-flight.” The set comes with four different-sized bags, each with a mesh top for breathability. One set fits perfectly in one side of Away’s popular carry-on bag.
This three-piece set of packing cubes is available in 11 different colors. The bags are made of ripstop nylon, so they are lightweight and durable. According to the brand, you get two large bags that can hold up to a week’s worth of shirts and pants, plus a medium bag that can hold a week’s worth of underwear and socks. The bags also have a handle to make pulling them out of our suitcase easier.
How I picked the best packing cubes
A small investment can go a long way when it comes to packing cubes and packing in general. Our sources emphasized looking for options that compress, which creates more space in your bag and makes navigating through all your essentials easier. Here’s everything I kept in mind to curate our list:
Compression: Opt for compression packing cubes over fabric options because “because you can save up to three times as much space,” according to McAlpin.
Quality: Pay attention to price when shopping around, experts told me— if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You’ll see packs of six packing cubes online for $25, McAlpin says, but “a good packing cube should be $10 or $15.”
Warranty: The experts I spoke to recommend paying attention to warranties when shopping around. Brands like Eagle Creek (which we recommend below) offer guaranteed repairs, for example.
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How to shop for packing cubes
For years, McAlpin used Ziploc bags (as everyone did, she notes), before cubes came along. If you’re disorganized or tend to stress about organizing, she says packing cubes are a useful investment — and a sustainable one, too.
As you shop for packing cubes, our experts recommend keeping the following in mind:
- Compression packing cubes: If you buy your first set, spring for a compression option. They will help create extra space in your bag that a non-compression option most likely can’t.
- Material, weight and structure: Packing cubes should be lightweight, but not enough to forfeit structure. Most options are made of polyester or nylon (or sometimes a combination of the two), and McAlpin says she prefers these to solely mesh options, which often “snag, rip and just don’t have much structure.” For McAlpin, more structured options add just a few extra ounces but are worth their organizational benefits (though they might not be the best fit for hiking or adventure travel). She also recommends looking for options with a translucent top that lets you easily see and keep track of what’s inside the cube.
- Multiple colors: While a translucent top is preferred, buying cubes in different colors can help make unpacking easier, too. “I divide everything in my luggage into my packing cubes. I know the red cube has my swimsuit and [cover-up], the blue cube has this, the long cube has that,” McAlpin says.
Meet our travel experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Anne McAlpin is a packing expert and author “Pack It Up! The Essential Guide To Smart Travel.”
- Tara Cappel is the CEO and founder of the For The Love of Travel tour group, which specializes in group trips for young professionals.
- Paul Healy and Mark Barnes are travel bloggers who run the blog Anywhere We Roam.
- Marina Radlinski is a home organizing expert and owner of Palm Beach Organized.
Why trust NBC Select?
Christina Colizza is a former editor at NBC Select and has been a product reviewer since 2018. She covers a range of self care and skin care topics like shampoos, eyebrow serums and more.
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