I used to be the kind of packer that packed too many things ‘just in case’. As a result, I always ended up with a suitcase I could easily fit into myself for just a 2-week trip. Lately, I’ve been trying to cut down on what I take with me each trip and searching for ways to pack efficiently.
So I started browsing the web and I kept stumbling upon two things. The first was the tip to roll your clothes instead of folding them; the second was the use of Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes for travel packing. These Pack-It cubes are packing cubes, a kind of boxes or bags that you can use to organize your items with.
Eagle Creek packing cubes
Eagle Creek is a company specializing in all kinds of travel gear and they have a wide range of products designed to make travel packing easier. Eagle Creek was kind enough to provide me with two complimentary Specter Pack-it Cubes, each with a volume of 10,5l.
What I immediately loved about these Eagle Creek packing cubes is that they are so light. They only weigh 27g so they add no weight to your luggage. They simply do their job: organize.
With a lip balm, to give you a better idea of its size
On my Portugal trip I used one of these Pack-It Cubes for Boyfriend’s underwear. About 14 boxers (rolled, not folded) and even more pairs of socks went into one of these. This way they formed a compact package that I could easily stuff into one of the small backpacks we were taking as carry-on.
I first wanted to use the second Eagle Creek packing cube for my own underwear, but noticed that I wasn’t even taking enough with me to fill it up completely (*pat on the back*), so instead I decided to pack it as a bag for dirty laundry.
That turned out to be a great idea. The Eagle Creek Pack-It Cubes are made out of a much lighter fabric than regular linen bags and thus don’t take up that much space. On top of that, the packing cubes are stain and water resistant, which isn't a bad thing when they’re supposed to hold the clothes you've spilled on and sweated in.
When we came back from Portugal after 12 days we had filled up both Pack-It cubes with dirty laundry. We fitted one nicely in a small backpack and the other in our suitcase.
Overall I was very pleased with the Pack-It Cubes. Time will have to reveal the quality of the material when they’re extensively used, but I don’t think these things will rip. Ever.
If there is one tiny remark I can make, it’s that one of the little strings attached to the zipper to handle it more easily fell off during our trip, but that’s not a problem as you can always just pull the zipper itself.
UPDATE
After having used these Pack-It Cubes for three years, they're still going strong and look as new. Needless to say, I can still highly recommend them.
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Heather says
Agree! The packing cubes are AWESOME! They make it so much easier to pack and unpack a backpack. Also, smart idea using them for laundry. :)
Sofie Couwenbergh says
I actually loved them for laundry. Before I had them I used those linen bags that you often get with shoes (don’t ask me why you get them with shoes…) but they’re a lot thicker and in coton, so they’re dirty pretty quickly and yes, they take over the smell of your dirty clothes:D
No problem with that with the packing cubes!
John Unger says
I’ll definitely have to look into these Pack-It Cubes. I’m also a big fan of rolling clothes instead of folding, especially as I tend to travel extremely light when I fly, with a carry-on bag that’s always small enough to stow under the seat.
Sofie Couwenbergh says
That’s a small bag!
I’m traveling lighter and lighter each time, but I admit I still haven’t done laundry on a trip.
What I do know is that from now on I’ll be using those Pack-It Cubes a lot. Especially when I don’t plan on doing any laundry;-)
Tim says
I could see these cubes being handy even for hikers and backpackers. Sometimes organization suffers a bit on multi-day excursions.
Sofie Couwenbergh says
I put one of them in a small packpack and although it took up some space in there, there was still room left for other things as well. I’m sure they would come in really handy to organize a bigger backpack. What’s great is that you fill them up with one or two specific things (underwear, t-shirts…) and you need one of those things, you just have to pull out the Pack-It Cube to get to them. No need for searching and getting everything out!
Jamie says
I just use large freezer bags, which are clear and allows you to see through them. Squeeze the air out of them and they pack really tight. Plus when you get home you can re-use them to store food… LOL
Sofie says
Even if you’ve put your dirty laundry in them?:D