Anonymous wrote:Clothes are never the problem for me. It’s the toiletries that kill me— all my efforts to look “natural”!

Haha, i hear you, sister!! I take one large clear IKEA packing cube, one “regulation” ziploc bag AND my regular makeup bag for all the toiletries.

NP here, started using 2-3 packing cubes per trip this year. They are good for keeping things organized but they DO take up a bit of space. Ziploc bags of various sizes would do the same job, although opening the cubes like a suitcase is helpful for folded clothes.

The cubes i bought can double as laptop sleeves, which has been their biggest advantage since now i don’t have to take a separate laptop bag to meetings if i have a big enough purse.

Clothes are never the problem for me. It’s the toiletries that kill me— all my efforts to look “natural”!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Team bath towels.

I hate packing cubes, but I'm more of an "organized suitcase liver-outer". The people who seem to like cubes are the ones who unpack entirely and use the cubes to keep *that* organized.

Personally I find it way more work to a) pack into cubes b) find what I want from cubes c) repack into cubes. YMMV, but I'm not a fan.

False. I don't unpack entirely. I use them because we are often traveling with multiple family members and only stay in a place one night at a time. I can easily unzip my suitcase and locate any clothing item I need by the cube size or color. Next morning as when we leave it I'm not spending precious time re-packing my suitcase, trying to make everything fit.

+1

I'm enough of a convert that I now use cubes when I travel solo too but what really sold me was doing multi-leg travel with kids. The cubes made it easier to pack for different settings, kept suitcases tidier, kept hotel rooms tidier, and sped up packing and unpacking at every stop.

Also I think cubes keep suitcases cleaner because basically nothing ever touches the inside of the suitcase except the cubes, which are washable. It's a small thing but I do appreciate it.

You are worried about the effects of your clothes touching the inside of your suitcase? And you are willing to sleep on a hotel bed???

Eh it's not that deep -- I like putting shoes into a cube that can be easily thrown in the wash instead of into the suitcase where they'll come into contact with other clothing and the suitcase itself (which can't be thrown in the wash). I also use cubes for dirty laundry and I like that it keeps them separated from the rest of the suitcase and again can be washed. I used to use a little laundry bag but the cubes are tidier and easier to pack. I'm not a germaphobe but I found that once I started using cubes I liked that I could wash them more easily than the interior of a suitcase.

I like them and find they help organize my suitcase. I roll everything and put bottoms in one cube, tops in another and underwear/ socks in the 3rd. But the key is to make sure the sizes of the cubes nest correctly into your suitcase without any wasted space. I got a new carry on suitcase that is smaller than my previous suitcase and the cubes I have don’t nest as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have trouble keeping our suitcases organized and generally just try not to buy excess stuff, so have never felt the need for packing cubes.

Yeah most of us have no issues organizing ourselves. It's when you have a family and are all sharing a suitcase that it becomes hard.

I guess that is it. We each have our own suitcase (family of four) and we all pack the same way. Socks and underwear in the suitcase zipper areas, outfits are packed together on one half of the suitcase, then one corner for pjs and another corner for bathing suits or other trip specific items. Bathroom bag on top, shoes in plastic bags.

We might share if it’s a very short trip, but it’s still not an issue.

I used one packing cube on my most recent single climate, two-week trip. I found it helpful for containing my socks and underwear, then I used a mesh bag to separate out the laundry, then repack cleans ones in the cube.

As I was contemplating using multiple cubes, I was thinking- Should I put all my tops in one cube?
Or do roll tops and bottoms and then put in a cube? 
I was torn about using multiple cubes and decided instead to just roll all my clothes so I could see them better without having to unzip every cube. I wanted to see all my options at one time. I wanted to visually pair up tops and bottoms so I can see that all the tops go with all the bottoms. I have a hard case, clam shell suitcase so I was able to keep it organized even without the cubes. I didn't unpack my clothes out of the suitcase. I am a fan of ziplocs and see-thru containers so I felt the cubes just reduced visibility. The only time I really unpack my entire suitcase is when we go on a cruise.

I love the look of cubes inside a suitcase but it wasn't the best set-up for this trip. 

I think for me it would be helpful If I were:
- traveling in different climates
- going on multiple activities (swimsuits, hiking etc.),
- sharing suitcases
- traveling with kids
- traveling with a duffle bag or something with less form. 

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have trouble keeping our suitcases organized and generally just try not to buy excess stuff, so have never felt the need for packing cubes.

Yeah most of us have no issues organizing ourselves. It's when you have a family and are all sharing a suitcase that it becomes hard.

I don’t have trouble keeping our suitcases organized and generally just try not to buy excess stuff, so have never felt the need for packing cubes.

I was sceptical, but my adult DD and I recently took a 10 trip to Europe and only took carryons. She ordered the compression ones for both of us. I didn't compress (took less than she did) on the way, but did coming home because we purchased a few items and everything still fit in our carryons (and wouldn't have without compression). We stayed in multiple places, so it was very helpful to remain organized and quickly pack. I roll my clothes into the cubes so they don't get wrinkled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughters and I like using hanging travel organizers (but make sure there will be enough hanging space at the hotel).

https://www.amazon.com/TABITORA-Portable-Organizer-Suitcase-Capacity/dp/B07T2BRXY9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=LGGJ2UJ8FSEP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.j0LjISfYxhTMMS5l8ENrZy-lbX1Dv5ruf6o35JQnDzcYwPP1jBS4BYDo3P-xc88kcnY_iYS6mulJBz0W-aj3i1hDEfEwLPHSMbfRVG6hhiP83qe5-5JP10ftVMvc4hj9mZxwkMB176Sg-JWLtdzTZ0qAiTcE85lm7JMuyQvvDlrydW5lGOyk39uA_q9tPR-fy4Kl0s7cHRTjxbkSBN1RWM8D6WDD6kbhinTuhlsZ3TQDTVAml3Pmaj1hfqH7SIXxP_w2U-g1N6xxlHhtEU8WHaGuUArLur5tSWf-2qZpMro.IqrHDcPZlFCD3Jca1jj8SLO0vmGoiTlpGbMtd4X96FQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=hanging+travel+organizer&qid=1719865899&sprefix=hanging+travel+organize%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Tell me more about using these. A few influencers that I follow swear by them, and they seem convenient, but do they also take up a lot of space in the carry-on? Are you able to fit the same amount of stuff as you can with packing cubes?

They are definitely heavier and take up more space than just packing cubes. But you also just hang them up, and you're all unpacked. You won't spend a lot of time unzipping cubes, trying to remember which one has your underwear.

For family trips 100% love them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Team bath towels.

I hate packing cubes, but I'm more of an "organized suitcase liver-outer". The people who seem to like cubes are the ones who unpack entirely and use the cubes to keep *that* organized.

Personally I find it way more work to a) pack into cubes b) find what I want from cubes c) repack into cubes. YMMV, but I'm not a fan.

False. I don't unpack entirely. I use them because we are often traveling with multiple family members and only stay in a place one night at a time. I can easily unzip my suitcase and locate any clothing item I need by the cube size or color. Next morning as when we leave it I'm not spending precious time re-packing my suitcase, trying to make everything fit.

+1

I'm enough of a convert that I now use cubes when I travel solo too but what really sold me was doing multi-leg travel with kids. The cubes made it easier to pack for different settings, kept suitcases tidier, kept hotel rooms tidier, and sped up packing and unpacking at every stop.

Also I think cubes keep suitcases cleaner because basically nothing ever touches the inside of the suitcase except the cubes, which are washable. It's a small thing but I do appreciate it.

You are worried about the effects of your clothes touching the inside of your suitcase? And you are willing to sleep on a hotel bed???

Anonymous wrote:My daughters and I like using hanging travel organizers (but make sure there will be enough hanging space at the hotel).

https://www.amazon.com/TABITORA-Portable-Organizer-Suitcase-Capacity/dp/B07T2BRXY9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=LGGJ2UJ8FSEP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.j0LjISfYxhTMMS5l8ENrZy-lbX1Dv5ruf6o35JQnDzcYwPP1jBS4BYDo3P-xc88kcnY_iYS6mulJBz0W-aj3i1hDEfEwLPHSMbfRVG6hhiP83qe5-5JP10ftVMvc4hj9mZxwkMB176Sg-JWLtdzTZ0qAiTcE85lm7JMuyQvvDlrydW5lGOyk39uA_q9tPR-fy4Kl0s7cHRTjxbkSBN1RWM8D6WDD6kbhinTuhlsZ3TQDTVAml3Pmaj1hfqH7SIXxP_w2U-g1N6xxlHhtEU8WHaGuUArLur5tSWf-2qZpMro.IqrHDcPZlFCD3Jca1jj8SLO0vmGoiTlpGbMtd4X96FQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=hanging+travel+organizer&qid=1719865899&sprefix=hanging+travel+organize%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Tell me more about using these. A few influencers that I follow swear by them, and they seem convenient, but do they also take up a lot of space in the carry-on? Are you able to fit the same amount of stuff as you can with packing cubes?

I love them for keeping our suitcases organized, especially for trips with multiple hotel rooms.

I also love them for my kids' duffle bags for sleepaway camp. I label the cubes, and it makes it easier so their bags don't become a black hole of stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Team bath towels.

I hate packing cubes, but I'm more of an "organized suitcase liver-outer". The people who seem to like cubes are the ones who unpack entirely and use the cubes to keep *that* organized.

Personally I find it way more work to a) pack into cubes b) find what I want from cubes c) repack into cubes. YMMV, but I'm not a fan.

Yes, all of this. We are minimalists and do not unpack at destinations, except when it's Embassy Dinner type clothing we need to unwrinkle and air out. We live out of our carry-on hiking bags, know where everything is in the bag, and it's so stuffed that nothing moves. There is no room or need for packing cubes. Even for multi leg trips involving different climates and clothing choices.

If you're the sort to bring your house with you and have extra room so that everything gets jumbled up, then yes, packing cubes or other types of bags to separate things are more useful.

The "Embassy Dinner" mention was a nice touch.