They are a must for me. I use at least one every time I travel. I usually have one for my socks and underwear, a large one for all of DS's stuff, and one for my workout clothes & bathing suits. And then sometimes an empty one for laundry. You can also use one of those delicates laundry bags for that as well.

Okay, I learned this system in Girl Scouts where we were taught to pack each change of clothes in a ziplock-style bag so we could pull them out in the morning for the new day. Our pajamas and toiletries were packed in the same bag for use each night. This was 50 years ago.

I then taught this system to my kids when they had to go on weekend/three-day trips for school. DS kinda does it, but DD is a tornado packer.

Anonymous wrote:I feel dumb: how do I use them? I travel solo. One outfit per day in a cube? I'm open to the idea but feel like I don't get how to use them!

Totally depends. I have sometimes packed them based on days. So day 1- all clothes go in there. Day 2- all clothes in there. But that's more useful when I'm traveling with my 3 kids and we have somewhat coordinated outfits for the week.

Sometimes I pack them based on hotel stays, so that when we're at hotel A, I can just bring inside the ones I need for the night.

Most of the time I just use them to separate clothing and keep items like socks together.

packing cubes are the best. Everyone in my family has a set. It is so much easier to pack and you don't forget stuff.

I used them for Disney and it was amazing!!!

We have 3 kids and they each have a color. They normally have one cube for shirts/dresses/pants and the other cube for pjs/socks/underwear/accessories. Otherwise by day 2, there is just a huge jumble in the bag of kid clothes and no one can find anything.

I like cubes for socks/underwear and then I have one for swim stuff

Anonymous wrote:We use plastic bags to separate stuff. Are cubes so much better?

+1
We have use ziploc bags

Since my kids are often in a different room now from me I find it’s a lot easier to pack them each with one cube for tops, one for bottoms, one for underwear, etc and then I don’t have to deal with them making a huge mess of their bags and not being able to find things. And yes, I do have them pack their own bags and have since they were tiny but I do check them to make sure they didn’t forget something. They’re 8-12 now.

Yes I use them. I get the kind that are compression so they gave the added function of generating more space by compressing air out. I think they’re helpful when a typically light packer has a lot of different elements of the trip (like business with leisure following where you’ll hike part of trip and sightsee / museums / dinners other part). Or for kids!

Purchase freezer bags.

I pack too light for them generally, but they seem perfect for your scenario. Though honestly I would just pack one backpack with what you need at the hotel and first day and a larger bag you don’t touch for your cruise.

Anonymous wrote:I am a minimalist person and they seem like just one more thing to buy.. I bring something for dirty clothes. Otherwise its really not hard to find something in a suitcase.

I love my packing cubes, especially the ones with compression. I’ve used them beyond just packing and the Amazon basics set has lasted years.

That said, anything can be used as a packing cube if you are looking to avoid purchasing items!

Anonymous wrote:We use plastic bags to separate stuff. Are cubes so much better?

Well for one they’re reusable and not a piece of plastic you throw away after every trip but other than that they’re probably not terribly different. I think they compress better though.

I pack tightly and minimally but can definitely see the benefits. I got some for my kids to use for packing for sleep away camp.

We use plastic bags to separate stuff. Are cubes so much better?