Does anyone use packing cubes? I need to pack for a 6 month trip and I will have a large suite case. I know compression bags are a good idea, but what about packing cubes? Also what are the best brands/sizes to buy?

I like Eagle Creek packing cubes. Have a couple in different sizes for different items, including their shoe bag.

I don't feel like it actually saves me much space in the suitcase, but it certainly makes it more organized.

I use both Eagle Creek and E-bags. Both are fine.

As previous poster pointed out, these are not really space savers, but they do help you organize. For a six month trip in one (or only a few spots), I don't think they will add a lot of value to your packing. I find them especially useful when I am on a multi-leg trip with relatively short stays so I can put the stuff I need all in one cube and I only have to pull that out of the bag.

Best if you base the sizes on your luggage. For example, if one large and two medium cubes fits in your large suitcase in one layer then you can buy two sets of each so you have two layers of cubes to fill in your suitcase. As indicated above, it helps with organization, e.g. put pants and shirts in one cube, socks and underwear in another, etc. Fill up two layers of cubes then add a compression bag that has your jackets/sweaters in that on top and you've got all your clothes neatly packed away. This is just one of the many ways you can use them but first start with the combination of sizes that will fit your luggage the best.

As with any tool, packing cubes can be overused, but I find them as well as packing folders valuable for organization. I now keep a medium cube packed with 2 pairs of odor-resistant socks, 2 pairs of cotton undershorts, 2 pairs of tech fabric undershorts, one tech fabric t-shirt, and 1 pair of tech fabric long underwear.

When I'm packing for a trip, I just pull that cube, and I know I have enough socks and underwear for virtually any trip. I can wash the tech underwear in the sink, and it'll generally be dry by morning. I can use the t-shirt and long underwear for sleepwear in cold climates, when I'm staying in a B&B with a bath on the hall, and as layering under my daytime clothes to reduce the amount of packing of heavier clothes that I might need when the weather turns chilly. Although the socks do not dry as easily as the tech undershorts, I can generally wear them more than one day, wash them in the sink, and then assist the drying process with the hair dryer found in most hotel rooms. And I'm just generally partial to my cotton undershorts so long as I'm not in tropical climates.

I find that the cube for this purpose simplifies both my packing and my thinking about packing. I know from experience that I have the correct combination for almost all circumstances since I've used that combination for trips to Florida, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, San Francisco, and for a golf trip to Ireland. I haven't yet reached this level of comfort with other clothes, like shirts and pants, but I could see a time when I do something similar with those items too. I agree that cubes don't do much for compression; folders seem better for that purpose.

+1

The one small space saving exception for me is a sping/fall light shell jacket that takes up less space folded and put into a square Eagle Creek packing cube than left on it's own in my B&R carry-on.

I've done lots of packing research here and on the blogs but like using the cubes and will be sticking with them for now.

I use e-bags packing cubes and they work well. As everyone has mentioned their purpose is organization. If you are trying to pack as lightly and tightly as possible they aren't helpful, adding bulk and weight. You should definitely make sure to buy cubes that fit well with your bag. Measure the insides of your bag, and compare them with the measurements of packing cubes. I've noticed that with some bag and cube combinations the cubes leave odd amounts of space that I've had trouble fully utilizing.

Organization is one purpose of cubes. But you can also use them in less than clean hotels/hostels. You can pull them from your suitcase and put them in drawers in your room, not having to worry about your fresh clothes coming in contact with who-knows-what.

Weight, as mentioned, can be an issue. In these cases, I find simple grocery plastic bags or Zip-lock bags more appropriate. Clear Zip-lock bags also let TSA screeners see better what's in the bag. Don't know if that has any tangible value, though.

Compression bags can be useful too, but stay away from those that are evacuated with a vacuum (often hard to come by at your destination when preparing for the return trip).

Bottom line: I usually travel with a combination of cubes, plastic bags and Zip-lock bags. I think it's good to have a basic set of cubes. I like both the ones from EagleCreek and the ones from eBags (along with their shoe bags).

Cheers! MM

I'm a recent convert from compression bags to cubes and am currently using the Rick Steves cubes. The Steves cubes are not very substantial but do the job of keeping things organized and have made the task of packing and unpacking significantly easier. I still carry a compression bag for just in case, but haven't needed it the last couple of trips to Asia.

Another +1. I use the eBags line (as the generic/house brand, they're inexpensive). A three-size set exactly fits in my carryon, so I can do a weekend trip anywhere on just one bag. Everything is organized, and easy to unpack as needed.

Plus the cubes have on occasion doubled as standalone bags. When I need to take one change of clothes somewhere, I may just take a single cube.

I like them. It helps keeps things organized, and gives me an easy to keep the dirty stuff and the clean stuff separate so I know which is which.

I use eagle creek, but when I got them they were about the only ones available, of course now there are many others.

I'm also a fan of the pack it folders, they do save you some space.

I have an Eagle Creek thing for keeping folded shirts. I also have an Eagle Creek cube I've been using for a while for socks and underwear. Recently I purchased a couple of Muji packing cubes. One I use for a bunch of shirts and whatnot that I only use on casual weekends and want to be able to move around easily when repacking at hotels, and another I use for all the cables and electronic stuff that gathered in my carry-on so that it is easy to put them through security separately when I pass through DEL. DEL is the only place they seem to have a problem with all my cables.

I will never pack clothes directly into a suitcase again.

Cubes make packing much easier and much more organized.

They also do offer a certain level of compression while maintaining an nice geometric shape that can easily fit into your suitcase.

not really a packing cube question, but does anyone have thoughts on use of the eagle creek garment sleeve? Should fit in my carry-on; is it worth it or will my suit/shirts be wrinkled anyway?

General answer applicable to all packing tools: when clothes are sliding around in a suitcase they tend to get wrinkled. Immobilizing them helps.