Packing Cubes--convince me

[Yellow Shoes]

It seems that travel hack sites are crazy for these. I'm not seeing the advantage. I already roll outfits together, stuff socks in the shoes, wear the biggest shoes on the airplane, and pack necessities in a carry on.
The TSA insists that I not bring large bottles of anything, so that's not an issue.

I am not traveling with children (and when I did, the aforementioned rolling was just fine)

They seem to advertise "compression" as a desirable feature.
I am not an over-packer. Outfits are coordinated with one color scheme so any top goes with any pair of pants.
Should I spend the $20, or save it for a WDW hotdog?

 

[MisterPenguin]

It seems that travel hack sites are crazy for these. I'm not seeing the advantage. I already roll outfits together, stuff socks in the shoes, wear the biggest shoes on the airplane, and pack necessities in a carry on.
The TSA insists that I not bring large bottles of anything, so that's not an issue.

I am not traveling with children (and when I did, the aforementioned rolling was just fine)

They seem to advertise "compression" as a desirable feature.
I am not an over-packer. Outfits are coordinated with one color scheme so any top goes with any pair of pants.
Should I spend the $20, or save it for a WDW hotdog?

You're already over-organized by my standards.

I live mostly out of my suitcase where everything is a jumbled mess. All I do is hang up the dress shirt. And surprisingly, I can still find my socks within the confines of one suitcase!

 

[drizgirl]

It seems that travel hack sites are crazy for these. I'm not seeing the advantage. I already roll outfits together, stuff socks in the shoes, wear the biggest shoes on the airplane, and pack necessities in a carry on.
The TSA insists that I not bring large bottles of anything, so that's not an issue.

I am not traveling with children (and when I did, the aforementioned rolling was just fine)

They seem to advertise "compression" as a desirable feature.
I am not an over-packer. Outfits are coordinated with one color scheme so any top goes with any pair of pants.
Should I spend the $20, or save it for a WDW hotdog?

Can you still get a hot dot for $20 at Disney? Maybe I wrote them off too fast.

 

[Clamman73]

Sometimes I use them just so i know where certain similar clothes items are and what has/ hasnt been used yet.

 

[Maeryk]

It seems that travel hack sites are crazy for these. I'm not seeing the advantage. I already roll outfits together, stuff socks in the shoes, wear the biggest shoes on the airplane, and pack necessities in a carry on.
The TSA insists that I not bring large bottles of anything, so that's not an issue.

I am not traveling with children (and when I did, the aforementioned rolling was just fine)

They seem to advertise "compression" as a desirable feature.
I am not an over-packer. Outfits are coordinated with one color scheme so any top goes with any pair of pants.
Should I spend the $20, or save it for a WDW hotdog?

Save it. You are already doing all the packing things that road toads like myself learned to do when we had to live out of a very small bag while hauling tools and parts around the country to fix stuff. Roll your outfits together, stuff sundries in your shoes, and make use of the iron and board at the hotel if necessary.

Those "travel hack" things are for people who don't know how to pack.. or want to haul three times the amount of stuff they will need with them.

Oh, and I also always pack 2 tshirts and a sweatshirt on top, then remove it right before I leave the house, so I know I have space to get new purchases home from the parks.

 

[polynesiangirl]

I use them, but I am a GIANT DISASTER at packing and am generally just bad at organization. The cubes help to somewhat contain the insanity. If you've already got a system that's working for you, you're good. Save your money for snacks.

 

[Disneyfreak Jen]

I have used them for years. Helps to keep things together and helps prevent wrinkling since the clothes aren’t all over the place.

 

[mmnw]

I love mine. I like feeling organized in a hotel room. They literally make me smile. My kids now steal mine. I try not to be mad as they are practicing organization.

 

[ryguy]

I was skeptical when my wife bought loads of these things, but I will say they are great. Certainly if you have kids it makes it easy for them to grab there cube and get dressed for the day. Definitely more organized.

 

[mmnw]

I like having pajamas in one. We all get back from the parks late and if you have kids it’s nice to have pajamas all ready to go.

I may throw the next day’s clothes in another cube. I can get up the next day, grab a cube with whatever I need to get myself ready, without really waking the family while I scrounge for something.

 

[note2001]

I don't own any, but they are tempting ... love organization and the little cubes look awesome. I'm also a recovering luggage addict, so there you have it.

If you buy any, may I suggest buying a brand with a lifetime warranty? LLBean comes to mind. Use it for travel, makeup, even a few tools for the car should the need arise. The top gets a snag or zipper breaks? Contact LLBean and they'll send you a new one.

I like having pajamas in one. We all get back from the parks late and if you have kids it’s nice to have pajamas all ready to go.

I may throw the next day’s clothes in another cube. I can get up the next day, grab a cube with whatever I need to get myself ready, without really waking the family while I scrounge for something.

Huh, just realized that we always had our PJs folded in our pillow cases, but then you're not camping are you? LOL.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

I love mine! I like everything super organized and I don't like the stuff in my luggage being all a mess from being thrown around. I have one big packing cube that I roll all of my shirts into, a medium one for extra shirts/pjs and a small cube for socks and underwear. I keep my shorts/pants folded out of the cubes. Everything stays nice, unwrinkled and organized and makes room for other items that I need to pack.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I recently began using a backpack for when I travel solo to WDW for business (since my handicap makes it difficult for me to pull a carry-on around) - 3 medium packing cubes fit the backpack perfectly, and keep the contents from shifting around, I had tried without it before. It also helps when TSA wants to check something, they love being able to pull out a cube and just check the one that they had a question about instead of rummaging through the entire contents - a few commented on my last trip.

 

[Mickey5150]

Flying Southwest and using MDE I always check a bag so I use a packing cube in my backpack to store clothes for a few days in case something happens. Keeps everything together so I'm not digging thru headphones, a laptop, shirts, socks and underwear, lol. The other time I'll use packing cubes is if I use my larger suitcase. The cubes keep everything together if I've left too much space for souvenirs.

 

[keacc]

Don't spend the money on packing cubes. Go to the Dollar Store and get a few different size clothes storage bags. They work great and you can see what's in them.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Don't spend the money on packing cubes. Go to the Dollar Store and get a few different size clothes storage bags. They work great and you can see what's in them.

My packing cubes are mesh and I can easily see what's in them.

 

[MrHappy]

You're already over-organized by my standards.

I live mostly out of my suitcase where everything is a jumbled mess. All I do is hang up the dress shirt. And surprisingly, I can still find my socks within the confines of one suitcase!

@MisterPenguin , I find this hard to believe given your impeccable nature of keeping these threads organized and logged. You're a real "Mistery".

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

I love mine but I also have two younger kids that I pack stuff for both of them in one suitcase. They each have a certain color of packing cubes so I know whose stuff is in what cube. I plan on buying more for our next trip.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I love my cubes. I no longer have to iron in the room. No matter how careful you are, rolling clothes wrinkles them. Additionally, there have been several videos showing that rolling does not take less space. I proved this for myself.

I use several kinds of cubes. When I use the compression cubes, I don't overfill them so my clothes don't wrinkle. I like the ones I have because they hold so many items. I've tried several kinds. They are not all the same.

I went to Ireland in August and was able to pack eight days of clothes in my carry on. I didn't have to iron anything. (Shoes and jackets were in a checked bag.)

My favorite ones are water resistant (no netting on the top). The extra deep ones. The advantage to the netted ones is being able to see what's in each cube. That's not a concern for me as I put bottoms in one size/color cube and tops and undies have their own color/size. I just grab the cube I need.

Sometimes I put complete outfits, including undies and socks together, and pack them last day first up to first day on top. This is really convenient and let's me be quiet in the morning, when others are sleeping.

 

[MisterPenguin]

@MisterPenguin , I find this hard to believe given your impeccable nature of keeping these threads organized and logged. You're a real "Mistery".

I'm the piles-of-paper-on-a-messy desk who can immediately find what I'm looking for type of guy. I impose a hierarchical order to things in order to understand them, and then once I do, I let it go and let it live as a mess, unless it's constantly changing and needs to be maintained (as do the shifting sands of Disney plans).

So, I have a checklist on my cell phone (Google Keep) that makes sure I don't forget anything for a Disney trip. And once it's all in the luggage, I care not how it's arranged. I know it's there and I can retrieve it within five seconds of rooting around.

Your not the first person in my life to comment on that dichotomy.