6 best packing cubes and cells to maximise your suitcase space
Pack more into your holiday with these organisational game-changers that range for tried-and-tested budget sets for under $26 to an lightweight Eagle Creek range.
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Travel packing cubes and cells are fabulous for compressing those guilty holiday purchases, keeping your clothes fresh as a daisy, separating dirty laundry, and preventing your favourite top from going missing in a messy suitcase.
But there are a lot on the market and some can cost almost as much as your suitcase itself.
As someone who religiously rolls her clothes and organises her outfits into packing cubes, the truth is that you don't really need anything too fancy. You just need what works for you.
Light packer? A handful of lightweight cubes like the Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set will do. Enthusiastic shopper? Compression cubes such as these from Gonex can maximise your luggage space with a pull of a zip. Not fussed? The Nineway Nine Set of Packing Cubes costs under $30 and is an "absolute lifesaver" for overpackers.
However you travel, I've whittled your options down to six packing cube and cell packs that pack a bunch and won't break the bank.
Our top picks
- Best packing cubes: Zoomlite Starter Set
- Best packing cubes (budget): Nineway Nine Set of Packing Cubes with Shoe Bag and Electronics Bag
- Best compression packing cubes: Gonex Compression Packing Cubes
- Best lightweight packing cubes: Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set
Best packing cubes overall
Zoomlite 4pc Starter Set, Zoomlite, $54
X-Small: 22 x 15 x 8 cms | Small: 27 x 19 x 8 cms | Medium: 36 x 25 x 12 cms | Large: 43 x 33 x 12 cms
What we love: Lightweight, variety of sizes and affordable. Build your own bundles are also available if you prefer specific sizes.
What to consider: No compression zipper.
Tried and tested by Travel Writer Catherine Best
Available in a classic colours and prints, this bundle is enough to turn you into the Marie Kondo of travellers. Each has a mesh panel, so you can easily squeeze any extra air out, double zips, and a built-it tag to label its contents.
"These guys scream durability," says travel writer Catherine Best. "In fact, you could safely sequester your smalls in them, bung them straight on the luggage conveyor, and be reasonably confident your clothes would arrive intact at the other end, albeit a little dusty."
"We road tested the classic set, but you can also get toiletry and shoe bags, garment folders and travel pouches," says Catherine. "The husband mostly used these and, despite defying prevailing wisdom to 'roll not fold', his shorts and T-shirts travelled mostly wrinkle free. The compartments are a little deeper than some, as the cells are not double-sided, so rolling really is the way to go if you don't want to go rummaging through layers of clothes, which kind of defeats the purpose of using cells. I love that these retain their shape when packed in a suitcase or unpacked in a hotel cupboard.
July Packing Cells (4 pack), July, $55
Small: 26 x 8 x 17cm | Medium: 37 x 13 x 17cm | Large: 37 x 10 x 26cm | X-Large: 43 x 11 x 33cm
What we love: There's a five year warranty making it well worth the price. Plus, these are designed to fit perfectly into July luggage.
What to consider: These cubes don't feature any compression zippers and are not water proof or water resistant.
Coined by Escape as the best brand for lightweight travel, July is an Aussie name that's been making waves with its high-quality luggage.
Of its accessories it sells highly durable luxury packing cubes that are washable, stain proof and won't go all wonky in shape over time. In fact, there's a five year warranty on them to guarantee their quality.
This set features four packing cubes, (one small, one medium, two large). If you need more, July also sells an eight pack of cubes, which includes (two small, two medium, two large, two extra large).
Coined by Escape as the best brand for luxury travel, July is an Aussie name that’s been making waves with its high-quality luggage. Of its accessories it sells highly durable packing cell sets. They’re washable, stain proof and won’t go all wonky in shape over time. In fact, there’s a five year warranty on them to guarantee their quality.
It's available in a four pack (one small, one medium, two large) or an eight pack (two small, two medium, two large, two extra large).
"The hype is real and being a packing cube convert already, the quality of these are far superior to the Amazon ones I also have," glows one five star review on the July site.
Nineway 9 Set of Packing Cubes with Shoe Bag and Electronics Bag, Amazon Australia, $25.99
Medium: 32 x 24 x 12cm | Large: 34 x 29 x 12cm | Extra Large: 42 x 32 x 12cm
What we love: They're a bang on bargain, costing less than $3 per cube.
What to consider: None of these cubes have a compression zipper.
Tried and tested by checkout Consumer Technology Reporter Lauren Chaplin
As a chronic overpacker, packing cubes were high up on my list of things I sorely needed. But when I started looking around, I discovered some packing cube brands were charging over $50 for a set of four, which was an expense I just didn't need. Then I found this Nineway set on Amazon.
This set comes with four travel cubes of various sizes, along with a shoe bag, toiletries bag, electronics bag, a zippered bag for medications and small bits and bobs, and a drawstring bag for your dirty laundry - all for less than $26.
Each packing cube has a mesh top for freshness and visibility, and buckles to secure over your gear, helping you to save even more space. The cubes have also been designed to neatly nest inside each other, minimising storage space when not in use, which is super convenient.
I've taken my cubes on three separate trips now (two overseas and one domestic) and they've been absolute lifesavers every time, helping me to cram more into my suitcase and keep my things clean and organised.
Best compression packing cubes
Gonex Compression Packing Cubes (Six Piece), Amazon Australia, $77.98
Smallest: 20 x 15 x 9cm | Small: 25 x 19 x 9cm | Medium: 30 x 23 x 9cm | Large: 39 x 38 x 9cm | Slim: 33 x 10 x 9cm | Laundry bag: 46 x 33cm
What we love: A wide variety of sizes and a compression zip, so you don't have to roll or vacuum the air out.
What to consider: Expensive compared to other packing cubes on this list.
The perfect mix of variety and quality, each cube in this set comes with compression zip to pack more into your holiday and features anti-rip mesh for durability. The breathable mesh is partially see-through to easily identify its contents and there's even a laundry bag to separate your dirty clothes.
Over 6800 positive reviews give it an average 4.6 star rating with customers loving its quality, versatility and value.
"Good quality and lightweight. The packing cubes organised my belongings in my luggage, making it easy to find things and easy to compress into my bag. I bought more for my family. Two thumbs up!" says one Australian customer.
For a weatherproof option, Peak Design packing cubes are difficult to beat. Armed with a weatherproof 70D nylon they're weatherproof,and rip-resistant but come at a cost with one medium-sized cube costing $117.49 on Amazon.
Best lightweight packing cubes
Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set (Three-Piece), Amazon Australia, $48.97
Small: 17 x 11 x 10cm | Medium: 22 x 15 x 12.5cm | Large: 32 x 20 x 17cm
What we love: The smallest of these ultralight cubes weighs just 16g while the largest ultralight packing cube is only 30g, which is fantastic news for backpackers and light travellers.
What to consider: The smallest and cheapest ultralight packing cube here costs $24 on its own, which may be out of some people's budgets.
Don't be fooled by the thin fabrics on these packing cubes. "I was dubious about these at first," admits travel writer Catherine Best. "They can be scrunched into the ball of your fist and have little more structure than a plastic bag. However, this makes them supremely lightweight, versatile and excellent for compression," she explains.
Being Osprey, they're built for adventure and are "made of tough nylon, with a single, halfway-opening zip, and would outlive a city slicker lost in the wilderness," says Catherine.
"My eldest daughter and son used the small, medium and large sizes (including the double-sided range) — colour-coded by kid — and we fitted a surprising amount of clothes into a relatively small space," she explains. "I wasn't a fan of double-sided cells to begin with but I'm a convert because they enable you to multi-task compartments without bulking up on multiple cells. This is especially handy for little people's fiddly bits of clothing (you can also use them to separate clean clothes from dirty laundry)."
Something to note is that these cubes are very much geared toward the backpacker rather than the luxury traveller and Catherine warns "that silk blouse may pay the price because they're not the best for keeping clothes wrinkle free."
Small: 17.8 x 25.4 x 76.2cm | Medium: 25.4 x 35.6 x 76.2cm | Envelope: 43.2 x 30.5 x 0.5cm
What we love: They're water resistant without being thick and heavy.
What to consider: At over $100, this Eagle Creek pack is the most expensive set of packing cubes on our list.
These ultralight cubes by Eagle Creek are built for the outdoors and come with a lifetime warranty that won't disappoint.
Of all the Eagle Creek packing cubes available to Aussies, we've picked the Starter Set as its best packing option as it boasts a a small and medium sized bag as well as a snazzy clothing folder that can compress up to 12 dress shirts and minimises wrinkles.
The bags are water resistant and machine washable and have been described as "super lightweight", "very sturdy" and "easy to clean".
How we chose the best packing cubes
Our team of experienced writers, travellers and packers spent hours researching packing cubes and cells. We find out what factors make a good packing cube by putting our packing skills to the test, reviewing test results and analysing thousands of customer reviews.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of compression packing bags, particularly on long backpacking trips where you need to make the space work for you. I also love a good set, one that includes bags that I can throw all my dirty laundry in to dump straight into the washing machine when I get home.
How to choose the best packing cubes for you
The concept behind packing cubes is simple - they're cubes or cells to better organise your luggage. But features can vary greatly. Ideally when shopping for the right packing cube for you, you'll want to consider size, material, compression and style.
Size
I've included sizes on this list because when it comes to packing cubes, size really does matter. Firstly, you'll want packing cubes that work nicely with your suitcase. Too many large cubes and your Tetris falls apart. A good variety is best and packing cubes with a more flexible material will be more forgiving to those of us who aren't Tetris masters.
Secondly, size matters for what you're packing. You don't want to squeeze a pair of jeans into a small packing cube. Compile your outfits in front of you for a visual aid of how many small, medium and large cubes you require. Generally small packing cubes hold a handful of intimates, medium cubes work well for an outfit or two and large cubes are ideal for jeans and jackets.
Material
Most packing cubes are made from a lightweight nylon that is durable and flexible. Some packing cubes are made from a thicker plastic which is waterproof but is much more rigid, making it more suitable for a hardside suitcase over a backpack or duffle bag.
Compression
Compression packing cubes work a bit like that expander on your suitcase. You open it up to a maximum size to pack as much as you can in. Then, you sit on it (or in this case, push it down) and use the compression zippers to squeeze it all back to its original size.
By utilising compressible packing cubes you'll be saving space however having a double zipper is more expensive as it requires more workmanship.
Packing cube style
On top of small, medium and large packing cubes, you'll discover inventive sizes as shapes for different functions. Some sets include a clothing folder for dress shirts, shoe bag for your footwear, laundry bag for your dirty clothes, fabric pouch for personal items, and waterproof toiletry bag.
Are packing cubes worth it?
Packing cubes are an excellent way to organise your clothing while travelling. They can also be used to separate your dirty laundry and shoes. The best thing is that you don't have to overspend if you don't want to with nine packs costing under $30 on sites like Amazon.
How do I pack efficiently using packing cubes?
As a packing cube fiend, I recommend either packing your items in groups or in outfits.
- In groups: Put all your intimates into a small cube or medium slim cube, all your t-shirts and shorts in a roomy medium cube, and all your dresses and shirts into a large packing cube. Use a separate shoe bag for your footwear.
- In outfits: If you're planning to wear specific outfits, I roll the pieces up together (burrito-style to reduce wrinkles) and pop them into individual packing cubes from there.
What is the difference between packing cubes and compression cubes?
The main difference between a packing cube and a compression packing cube is that compression cubes have a second zip to squish everything down.
While compression packing cubes are more space-saving, many reviews say they increase wrinkling. Compression cubes are generally more expensive.
If you want a cheaper option, plastic compression bags (like these Samsonite travel bags), remove air either by sucking it out with a vacuum cleaner or rolling it out. This style of compression cubes seal with a plastic ziplock to keep the air from seeping out.
When will the Away Insider Packing Cubes be available in Australia?
There's no news yet when Away's Packing Cubes (or Away's luggage in general) will be available to ship to Australia.
Scored the best packing cubes for you and now ready to book your trip? Check out these coupons for deals from major brands including Expedia, Booking.com and Luxury Escapes.
See also:
-The best cheap travel suitcases
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