My favorite packing tool ever!

My suitcase is excited! We've been on the go a lot this summer---an overnight  here, a few days away there and some longer trips too! Much of my summer has been spent packing and unpacking! (Not complaining though!) Thankfully, I use some cool tools to make packing less painful and my suitcase more organized for travel. Let me introduce you to the wonderful word of packing cubes!

My parents like to travel too and introduced me to packing cubes several years ago. Packing cubes are fabric containers with zippers. They are used to pack clothes and other items. They come in different sizes and colors and fit nicely into suitcases and backpacks.

I will not travel without them...even for an overnight trip because they keep everything organized. Every member of my family has their own set which comes with a small, medium and large cube. You can also buy just one size.

My packing cube set.

(3 of our sets are Ebags brand which I ordered online) Packing cubes also come in long, rectangular shapes for socks and similar items.

Depending on what you pack in your cubes, you may not even have to unpack them when you arrive at your destination! That's one of the many things I love about these. Just place the packed cube into the drawer at the hotel/cruise ship/resort. This works especially well with small cubes. We like to use the small cubes for underwear, socks, bras, etc.

Small cubes, one for each of us. 

Plus, with packing cubes, everything stays nice and contained in its own little space---no rummaging through our suitcases to find a pair of socks when we arrive. You can also use small cubes for toiletries, etc.

Medium cubes fit great in our backpacks. When we are flying, we use backpacks as carry ons and the medium cube fits perfectly inside with several outfits! Love it!

We like the large cubes for the rest of our clothing. You'd be surprised how much you can fit in these. You'll quickly figure out which cube sizes work best with your stuff and how clean everything stays in your worn, dirty suitcase.

A little more than a week's worth of outfits in my large packing cube.

I've tried large plastic zip lock bags....but I find it hard to fit in more than one outfit and I end up using way too many bags.  Also, large plastic bags don't have the depth that packing cubes have.

I can fit WAY more clothing into a packing cube than a plastic bag. When they're all filled, we can fit four large cubes into our large suitcase. In the picture below, I placed three large cubes and three small cubes into our large suitcase. So there are lots of ways to pack these cubes into your luggage.

Packing cubes fit nicely in our suitcase.

Next up this summer--- a 7-day Alaskan cruise, so these cubes will soon be packed again.  As I mentioned before, we each have our own set. So once we get into our cabins, each family member will gather their cubes from our luggage. There's no guessing where things are.

This cruise will certainly be a packing challenge with rain coats, fleece, gloves and hats (all big, bulky stuff). But I know the cubes will help so much with organizing everything for the four of us. I don't think I will ever travel without these!

Have you ever used packing cubes? If so, what did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!