Packing tips? Compression cubes?

There was one vacation (Grand Canyon & Arizona) where we stayed a max of 2 nights at one place. The cubes came in handy then. We had everyone’s clothes together in the same cube by hotel. All toiletries went into one backpack and all electronics in another. Made it super-easy to check-in and out.

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Wow that pillowcase tip is a great one! Noted!!

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I use the eBags packing cubes on the way down (for DS, I roll up a pair of shorts, shirt, underwear and socks together and then he just has to grab a bundle each day) and then use the roll up compression bags for dirty clothes on the way home - leaves more space for souvenirs and smelly clothes aren’t stinking up the whole suitcase.

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Fact! :laughing:

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We had nearly the same idea, @Sophia818. We bought compression bags for our western trip last May when we thought the 3 of us would be traveling two weeks in a Rav4.

For 6 nights we were doing one night each then 3 stays of 2 nights. We have a mix of brands of just cubes and compression cubes.

Color coding of compression cubes seemed like the way to maximize our limited space in the Rav, especially needing winter clothes for some of our trip.

We got lucky the week we were leaving and got a mini van instead - bonus, hybrid. That battery is awesome.

Since we had more room in the van some of us switched to regular suitcases. So the cube system didn’t get a good workout.

I do use a compression cube for the kid’s tournament gi which is supposed to be stiff and wrinkle free. We tried a regular garment bag for awhile.

Now, after air drying the heavy cotton uniform, I carefully fold and insert the top and pants into a compression cube and zip it closed. It stays much more stiff than a garment bag. The gi doesn’t wrinkle because it can’t move.

I like the pillow case idea, @stlouie . We tried large mesh laundry bags and leaving clothes in during the laundry cycle. That’d work maybe for smalls but for pants, tops, etc, it didn’t work so well.

When the kid was doing a lot of tournaments, we’d have one side of the suitcase empty. Once an item needed washing, it went flat into the empty side. At the end of a busy couple of days, we were packed.

Just remember to look in the bathroom before you leave! :smirk:

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My kids used pillow cases for dirty laundry in college. Their dorm rooms for 3 were essentially dorm rooms for 2. Pillow cases are mashable and could go under the bed or even in the middle of the floor! They hauled the pillow cases full of sorted laundry to the laundromat and hauled the clean laundry back to their rooms in the clean pillowcases to fold.

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Highly recommend weighing any bags you plan to check at the counter. The overweight fees are crazy.

We have a travel luggage scale we use before we leave on a trip, and then bring it with us to make sure we don’t over pack on the way home.

We have had only one travel scale but I gave dh and ds20 each one for Christmas this year so we don’t have to worry about overlapping trips. :grin:

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So after much deliberation I decided to buy 2 sets of these 3 piece Alameda compression cubes. 2 of the 3 piece sets were actually less than many 6 piece sets I saw. Bonus is these will be easy to pack and double stack bc each cube has an identical cube unlike some sets I saw where each bag was a different size. I already use regular ebags style small sized cubes for my undergarments and know I can fit a couple of my shirts/pants in that size too so these 2 large cubes should be more than enough to fit my size clothing in. These seem very high quality and I definitely recommend them if anyone is in the market for new travel gear.

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I have been using cubes for a bit, but never were they more helpful than on this trip when my sister - and 5/6 of my stuff - had to leave. We had shared a suitcase so as to minimize the luggage fee (not SW in either direction) and when she left it was easy to just fling what I did need into my carry-on and fling the rest into her big suitcase which she took on the road.

I will be investing in more cubes for the rest of my family now.

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They really do help so much. I’ve mostly just used them for the smaller items and tightly rolled and packed most of my clothes, but after 2 10 night trips last year I got to thinking there had to be something to help squeeze out a little more space so I started looking at these compression ones.

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I really like these ones. Have two sets. I like that it has smaller sizes vs giant one.

Compression Packing Cubes, Gonex Extensible Storage … https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071D5XB1K/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_i_TV0HHD8JXNQM8VFMVV6Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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I know that’s a super popular brand too. I just couldn’t see myself using the largest cube in my bag and still having room for everything else. I do like the long tube shaped one though.

Why I got a second set :joy: I wanted more smaller ones, I don’t use the largest one.

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This may be a dumb question but how do these compression bags work?

Having had TSA open one of our cases on departure from DC, I worry about things not fitting back in a case if they did the same again and I had used these. From the descriptions I can see they’re not the vacuum seal ones, which would be a disaster in that scenario. But how do they differ from simple packing cubes?

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These are essentially regular packing cubes, but they have a second zipper that goes all the way around the cubes to compress it down a little bit more. Here are a couple pics from the listing and a link to it on Amazon. Basically it should allow for a few more inches of space vs the standard cubes.


Thanks!

Seems like they might not rally save a lot of space. Plus you end up with a lumpy pack that’s going to crease clothes more than just fitting them in normally.

I could see them being more use on a quick weekend trip where I just take a carry-on bag.

Quick question though. What’s the actual make? I’d need to see if I can find them on the U.K. site.

Yeah it will make for some oddly shaped cubes up that also leaves room to squish stuff in around the corners. The brand I bought was Alameda, but Gonex, Tripped, Bagail, Eagle Creek, and many other brands make similar in all different sized groupings.

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I have been using regular cubes for a few years now and have always liked how easy it is to keep everything organized.

Tonight I unpacked my clothes in about three minutes. :sunglasses:

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Right now, trying to figure out if I have enough cubes and if they should be colour-coded or if I need different sizes… oy, I feel like I’m trying to Math.
Decisions, decision…
Hmmm do I put all shirts in one cube, or all clothes for one resort in one cube.
I have four cubes.
Each cube holds clothes for 2 days.
If I leave the EPCOT resort area travelling 65 km/hour with an unladen swallow carrying my cubes.
And DW leaves AKL on a pogo stick that weighs 3.6 kg, what will a Mickey pretzel cost the night before?
Answer: buy more cubes.

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