Best Packing Cubes

Each packing cube set was judged on the following criteria.

Capacity: I looked at whether the cubes were able to accommodate all of the items on my packing list, and if they did, whether they were a comfortable fit or a tight squeeze. I also measured the capacity of each cube using packing peanuts. 

Organization: Did the cubes organize the luggage in a way that made it easier to identify and find the contents inside? Were there features that allowed items to be packed in a neater, more orderly fashion, such as extra compartments and buckle straps?

Ease of use: How easy were the cubes to pack and zip up? Did the zippers slide smoothly even when the cubes were stuffed with luggage? I also evaluated how easy the cubes were to store when not in use.

Quality: I compared the texture of each packing cube to see which was softer or more comfortable to touch. I also stretched the fabric of the cubes to see how durable the material was and whether or not there would be wear and tear.

For each packing cube set, I packed the same list of items for a three-day trip. To test the capacity of the packing cubes, I planned for a winter trip—bulkier tops and pants and thicker socks, as well as items such as a winter hat, a scarf, and mittens.

Here’s the full list:

• 3 tops
• 2 pairs of pants
• 1 indoor jacket
• 1 set of pajamas
• 3 pairs of underwear
• 3 pairs of socks
• 1 winter hat
• 1 pair of mittens
• 1 scarf
• 1 pair of shoes
• Skin care items such as moisturizer and sunscreen
• Toiletry items, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, nail clippers, and floss
• Medications, including those for allergies, headaches, and stomachache relief
• Chargers for phone and laptop

Overall, I ranked each product by how much it could contain, how helpful it was at organizing things, how easy it was to use and access, and its quality and durability. Most of all, I did a lot of packing. I used both the folding and rolling techniques for my clothes. Based on all of my evaluations, these are the products I recommend.

The Bagail 8Set Packing Cubes won me over with the sheer number and variety of cubes it offers. In addition to three packing cubes (medium, large, and extra-large) that have mesh on the top panels to help you identify the contents inside quickly, it also comes with two zipper bags, a cosmetics bag, a shoe bag, and a drawstring bag that you can use to separate your dirty laundry.

The extra organizational features were ultimately what gave Bagail the edge over the other packing cubes, and the cosmetics bag was the standout for me. It contains small compartments that allow you to slot in your toiletry items without everything being jumbled together in one bag. And the three mesh packing cubes have buckles inside if you want to strap items in to keep them neat and ordered.

The Bagail set also has one of the largest capacities of the cubes I tried. Its mesh packing cubes are particularly spacious. For a three-day trip, I was able to fit all of my clothes into the large cube alone using the rolling technique. I put my pajamas, underwear, and socks into the medium cube, my toiletries in the toiletry bag, a pair of shoes in the shoe bag, and accessories such as chargers in one of the zipper bags. If you’re going for a shorter trip, you might not even need to use the extra-large packing cube, as I didn’t.

For a longer trip, the Bagail 8Set Packing Cubes might be especially handy. When I tried packing for a two-week trip, the luggage easily fit into all of the packing cubes with room to spare. And when you’re not using the cubes, you can pack all of them into the toiletry bag, which helps save space in your home. 

The Bagail set’s zippers were easy to use, and I enjoyed the texture of its fabric, which didn’t feel cheap. There was no visible wear and tear when I used the cubes or tried stretching the fabric.

The one small downside is that it’s not particularly lightweight. When I measured it, it was the second heaviest among the packing cubes I tried, at 1 pound 5.8 ounces. (But it’s worth pointing out that it also has more cubes than most.) The cosmetics bag can also be slightly bulky, but if you want to slim it down, you can remove the detachable panel in the middle.

If you want a good beginner’s set, the Amazon Basics 4 Piece Packing Travel Organizer Cubes Set may be the one for you. The cubes come in small, medium, large, and slim. The slim cube can be handy for filling up the odd spaces and gaps in your suitcase when you’re packing. The top panel of each cube is mesh, helping you see what you’ve packed inside it.

Capacity-wise, the set falls in the middle of the packing cubes I tried. I was able to pack all the items from my three-day trip packing list, though it was a bit of a squeeze. My clothes went into the large cube, my shoes went into the medium cube, and I stuffed my pajamas, underwear, and socks into the slim cube. And I put all my toiletries and accessories together into the small cube.

The Amazon Basics zippers were easy to use. Even stuffed with luggage, the cubes weren’t difficult to zip up. Their texture was nice to the touch, too. The fabric was pliable and soft, and didn’t feel too much like plastic. When I stretched the fabric and the mesh to test its durability, there was no visible damage.

Unlike the Bagail, which comes in more than 10 colors, the Amazon Basics set comes in only six colors. Overall, the quality is reflected in its name: It’s good but basic. Though it might not have extra features like pockets or buckles, the Amazon Basics 4 Piece Packing Travel Organizer Cubes Set is perfect for people who don’t want to deal with too many cubes and just want something simple and functional.

The least expensive of the bunch, the Veken 8 Set Packing Cubes provides great bang for your buck. It has the largest capacity among the cubes I tried, and it comes in a set of eight cubes: four sized small, medium, large, and extra-large, a laundry bag, a shoe bag, a toiletries bag, and an accessories bag.

The Veken 8 Set Packing Cubes come in 13 different colors. The mesh panels are smaller than those on the other packing cube sets. Instead, the tops of the packing cubes are partly covered by a transparent plastic panel that lets you see what’s inside.

The feature I liked best about this set was the pouch on the outside of the toiletries bag, which allows you to pack in a few extra things. The laundry bag is particularly big, which can be useful if you’re going on a longer trip and cannot wash your dirty clothes.

Zipping up the cubes, however, wasn’t always effortless. It wasn’t super-easy to zip around the corners of the cubes when they were bulging from the clothes stuffed inside. But the cubes’ texture is smooth to the touch, and there were no rips or tears when I packed and unpacked them several times.

When you need to store them, they don’t take up much space. All of the packing cubes can be compressed to fit into the toiletries bag.

Hear me out: It’s the most expensive of the cubes I tried, yes, but the Calpak Packing Cubes Set just looks and feels especially high-quality. The fabric is stiff and thick, and almost looks like a briefcase in its appearance.

It also comes in 17 different colors, with some fun patterns like a cheetah print, polka dots, and a green checkerboard. The set has five pieces: a large, a medium, and two smalls, all of which have mesh on the side, and an envelope pouch.

The Calpak set was more than enough for a three-day trip. I could fit all of the items on my packing list without having to use the midsized cube. Instead, I put my clothes in the large cube, my pajamas, underwear, and socks in the small cube, my shoes in the other small cube, and toiletries in the envelope pouch. For my chargers, I slid them into the pouches on the outside of the cubes.

The pouches on the large, medium, and small packing cubes gained extra points for me because you can include small items that you don’t want stuck deep inside your luggage. I also enjoyed the fact that you can slide your own labels into the label holders on the cubes, which can help you easily locate the cube you want.

The Calpak’s biggest disadvantage is probably its weight. At 1 pound 6 ounces, it’s the heaviest of the cubes I measured. When stored with the cubes nestled inside the large cube, it also takes up the most space.

The zippers fall in the middle of the pack when it comes to how easy it is to close the cubes. When one is packed with clothes, the zipper movement can be a little jerky. I had to press down on the cubes to make sure the zipping was smoother, even when the cubes weren’t overstuffed with my clothing and other items. No damage occurred, however, when I tried stretching the cubes, and the material of this set feels particularly durable.

Overall, the Calpak Packing Cubes Set is still one of my favorites because it feels expensive. It’s also the only packing cube that elicited a “that looks nice” from my husband when he saw me try out all of the different ones.

Like the Eagle Creek Pack-It Reveal Packing Cubes Set, the REI Co-op Expandable Packing Cube Set is a smaller set of three. The cubes come in small, medium, and large, and have mesh top panels. 

Because there are only three cubes, its capacity is smaller than that of every set on the list except the Eagle Creek Pack-It Reveal Packing Cubes Set, even when it’s expanded. That being said, I was surprised that I was still able to fit everything for my three-day trip in the REI Co-op set, except for my shoes. I stored my clothes in the large cube, my pajamas, underwear, and socks in the medium cube, and my toiletries and accessories in the small cube.

I was able to fit nearly all of my items because of the expansion zippers on each cube. When you use those zippers, each cube goes from 3 inches deep to 6 inches deep, which is perfect if you need to squeeze in more stuff.

If the best part about the REI Co-op packing cubes is their ability to expand, the worst part is using the cubes’ zippers. This applied to not just the expansion zippers but the regular zippers as well. The motion of zipping this set felt stiffer and jerkier compared with the fluidity of all the other packing cubes. And a few times, the zipper would catch in the fabric, which made me worry about its longevity. It should be said that none of the zippers broke when I was using them, nor did the fabric show signs of wear when I stretched and overstuffed the cubes.

The texture of the cubes felt comfortable to the touch, reminding me of a waterproof jacket. If you like being able to choose from a greater variety of patterns, however, this cube set comes in only three colors.

“Bare bones” is the descriptor that came to mind when I was using the Eagle Creek Pack-It Reveal Cube Set. It includes three cubes, in medium, small, and extra small.

“Small” is another important word here. The set has the smallest capacity of the cubes I tried. I barely squeezed my clothes into the medium cube, and the same for my pajamas, underwear, and socks, which were crammed into the small cube. For the extra-small cube, I could only put in a few toiletry items. The rest of my toiletry items, my accessories (such as my chargers), and my shoes were left out because I couldn’t fit them in.

On the flip side, it’s lightweight—the lightest of the bunch at 6.6 ounces. Other things that it has going for it include easy-to-use zippers and a mesh that’s thicker than the rest, which makes it feel sturdy. 

When I overstretched the cubes, there was no breakage or tearing. However, I didn’t particularly enjoy the material of the cube. It had a rougher, slightly more abrasive texture than the other sets.

While the set I tried from Eagle Creek was the Reveal set, which has mesh on the panels, if you want cubes from the same brand but without mesh, you can select the Eagle Creek Isolate Cube Set.

Would I recommend this? If you’re not relying on your packing cubes to pack all your luggage or you’re packing for a very, very short trip, this is probably fine. But I personally wouldn’t bother with it. The cubes were too small for my liking, especially considering the fact that they’re not that inexpensive. I think I’d be better off with other options that are cheaper, more capacious, and have more organizational features, such as the Bagail, the Veken, or the Amazon Basics.