13 best packing cubes to keep your suitcase organised
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If there’s one thing that my friends have always known about me, it's that I'm a chaotic packer –but that all changed when I discovered packing cubes.
Before, I'd always overpack, my organisation made no rhyme or reason, and finding an outfit for dinner each night involved absolutely everything coming out of my carry-on luggage and somehow ending up strewn across the hotel room floor. It wasn’t until we reached an impressively small Airbnb in Tokyo last year that my best friend had simply had enough. Within an hour we were in an Uber heading to the main shopping area with one item on our list; packing cubes.
I’m not one to easily be swept away by the latest viral TikTok hacks, but I’m being completely genuine when I tell you that packing cubes have utterly changed my life. Whether you’re like me and need organisation forced upon you, or you just want a bag with good structure and a system to it, they’re simply a must-have for anyone who travels.
But what makes a good packing cube? Personally I think durability is key – no one wants their packing cube to pack up (yes, pun intended) mid-trip, and it’s also a bit of a nightmare when they start to lose their shape just as you’re trying to compress a pair of jeans. You’ll want a set with different-sized cubes as well, giving you space for knitwear and shoes, but with smaller cubes for underwear and t-shirts or perhaps a toiletry bag and some bikinis. Keep an eye out for mesh fabrics that can prevent your clothes from getting creases, designs with handles (if you like) and make sure to check the reviews in case there’s a zipper that’s bound to break or a material that seems to rip for most users. If you’ve invested in a nice suitcase and want to keep up whatever aesthetic it might have, you can also sometimes find packing cubes that match the colour of your bag – it makes packing bizarrely satisfying.
How to choose the best packing cube for you:
The first thing you want to think about when choosing a set of packing cubes (and most other travel accessories) is your goal. In most cases, you’ll be after either compression (aka being able to fit as much in your suitcase as is humanly possible), or you’ll just be trying to organise everything so you can lump it in one bag without losing things. Or, you might be after both. Keep this in mind when looking through our selection as some packing cubes include compression zips to help you get as much air as possible out of your clothes to really maximise space, while some are just designed to be more of a divider.
You’ll also want to think about how much wear and tear you’ll be putting these cubes through. If you’re heading off on more adventurous trips where your bags will be thrown around, you’ll be exposed to the elements or even heading to a festival, consider investing in a set of packing cubes that are perhaps water resistant or have a warranty. Also consider how much you’ll be packing - are you packing skiwear or heavy sweaters for a winter trip? Or do you just need smaller cubes for a Caribbean holiday on the beach? Some packing cube sets also include specific sections designed for shoes, a potential game-changer if you’re packing extra sandals or boots that might get muddy on a trail.
How we test packing cubes: Why you can trust GLAMOUR
Testing packing cubes takes time – as with anything travel-related – because you can only test as many as trips you go on. While we’re still working our way through some of the more niche entries to this guide, we’ve been testing the top brands for a good while, whether that’s on hiking trips to Peru, festival weekends or just for trips to visit family abroad (for me personally, that involves trips to Canada, a country notoriously difficult to pack for thanks to the utterly freezing weather). For those that we have tested, they’ve come with us on at least one trip, making sure we had hands-on testing experience packing and taking them away with us.
But what are we looking for when we test? Before we even use them, we’re looking at who each set might be best for. This comes down to how big each cube is, what kind of pockets there are and whether the materials feel water-resistant and robust. When we’re actually putting then in our suitcases, we’re also thinking about what kind of bags they could (and couldn’t work in), how good the compression was compared to when we pack the same items without them, and ultimately how easily they organised and compartmentalised our suitcases. For each, we then evaluated how this held up throughout our holiday, making sure to avoid those that ripped or somehow made our packing more stressful, and only recommending those that we’d actually want to use again. For more information on how we test products at GLAMOUR you can read how we test here.
Genuine essentials, not “nice-to-haves."
