How to use packing cubes (+ more packing tips)

My most crazy year of travel was 2019, which included over 30 flights. And there was only ONE trip where I actually checked a bag. When I went to Palm Beach a few years ago, I took only a carry on bag and that involved business attire, casual outfits, cocktail parties and a black tie event. Another time, I took a nine-day trip, heading first to Phoenix and then to Utah and again, I took only a carry-on with packing cubes, despite dramatically different weather in each location.

Now that I’m a mom to a toddler and no longer work in Corporate America, my super busy travel days have slowed quite a bit. Still, I like to consider myself a pretty great packer and since I’ve got a few trips coming up, I thought I’d re-share this blog post with some updates in hopes that it helps ease your packing stress as you hit the road or head for the skies.

It’s also worth noting that you may want some extra tips if you’re traveling with a baby, or taking a trip with a toddler in tow. My travel agent and baby sleep consultant collaborated on those posts, so I hope you find them super helpful!

Okay, let’s get to it.

How to use packing cubes

I’ll explain how I do it below, but this YouTube video will also help if you’re more of a visual learner.

I never, ever, ever pack without packing cubes. Packing with packing cubes not only saves space, but it also keep things organized when packing and when I’m at my destination. It’s not complicated but I do have a system so I’ll show you how to pack with packing cubes in 6 steps.

1. Make sure you have a variety of sizes of packing cubes.

This will help you play tetris a bit when putting the cubes in your suitcase and you want a smaller one for your underwear vs. tops, for example. Having different sizes helps me pack more strategically, too.

2. Lay out all the clothes you plan to pack

Before you actually start packing, lay everything out first so you can make sure you have complete outfits (e.g. shoes, jeans, top, jacket that match). This also helps me see if I can mix and match outfits or if I’m packing something that doesn’t have a lot of versatility but takes a lot of room (e.g. a pair of booties that only goes with one outfit).

3. Organize your clothes by type, e.g. tops, bottoms, pajamas, workout gear, etc.

Once you know you have complete outfits, put the clothes in piles organized by category, not by day or outfit since that would require more cubes. So, stack your workout together, tops together, bottoms together, dresses together, pajamas together, udonies together, etc. However, leave bulky sweaters and jackets and any dressy items that you don’t want wrinkled laid out separately.

4. Start putting your clothes in the cubes by type (don’t put them in the suitcase yet!)

Having the clothes stacked by type helps you see what you have the most of and you can use the right sized cubes, e.g. larger cubes for bottoms and smaller cubes for undies. I typically combine my pajamas and workout gear into one cube.

5. Put the cubes in your suitcase + top with bulkier items

Once on your cubes are full and zipped, then you put them in the suitcase. Then, take your dressier items and/or bulkier items (like sweaters) and fold those flat (perhaps folding once) to lay across the cubes. That takes up less space than folding and holding helps minimize wrinkles.

6. Zip up and enjoy the organization!

Once I get to my destination, I keep all things in their cubes until I want to hang anything up to shake out the wrinkles. Keeping them in the cubes just keeps things a bit more organized! If you don’t have a dirty clothes bag, then whichever packing cube gets emptied first (or your biggest one) can be your dirty clothes bag.

What’s the point of packing cubes?

Some people use them to save space, which they certainly do, but I like them to keep things organized so when I land I know where everything is. I hate digging through things in a hotel or wherever I’m staying, especially if I have an early morning run.

Sometimes I pop the cubes into the dresser drawers and sometimes I just keep them in my suitcase. Either way, it keeps things together neatly. I love that I can use the zippers to stuff more things inside while still keeping things compact. A set of packing cubes makes a huge difference when packing in a carryon, both for space and convenience.

What are the best packing cubes?

Eh, I don’t think it really matters but I know people have strong feeling about which packing cubes (aka packing bags) they use. I like ones that have a variety of sizes, some that lay flat (for socks and underwear) and some that have a little depth (for clothes). I have both these AWAY packing cubes and these packing cubes from Amazon and they’re both great and hold up well.

You want to look for ones that have a mesh panel since that helps with visibility and so air can escape when you close the suitcase (helping them take less space). The amazon ones linked above also have straps to tighten the items (and hold them in place) which is nice.

A note about packing folders: I find they aren’t big enough and wrinkle my clothes more. So I go for packing cube sets that include a couple of flat envelopes. I’ve never used compression bags so I can’t speak to those!

Should you fold or roll your clothes when packing?

People have super strong feelings about this. My strong feelings: I roll my workout clothes and pajamas, but I fold my normal clothes. I find this helps my clothes get less wrinkled and laying bulkier things flat (e.g. jeans, sweaters) saves space. Rolling your clothes saves slightly more space but only if they’re thin and wrinkles don’t matter (or they’re wrinkle-free).

More Packing Tips

Use Packing Lists in OneNote

A comprehensive travel packing list is key for staying organized, and so I don’t forget anything and don’t overpack. I have five lists in OneNote that I reference for EVERY SINGLE TRIP, whether it’s a week-long trip or a long weekend. (OneNote is a Microsoft program but you could use any digital to-do list that you’ll be able to find over and over.) My lists include:

1. Outfit planning – more on that below

2. Every time items, e.g. LAKE pajamas, socks, sleep eye mask, earplugs

3. Running Gear

4. Toiletries + my skincare & my makeup (3.4 ounces remember!) I put my items in a quart size plastic bag to prevent any leaking. If you can find solid toiletries of any of your products (a bar of soap rather than body wash), this helps with the leakage problem we’re all trying avoid.

5. Morning-of items

A note on toiletries/morning of items: I keep a smaller bag of travel sized items that I’m slowly working to build out . Whenever Beautycounter or Colleen Rothschild releases travel size items, I buy them so my travel-only toiletries are nearly complete. And I absolutely love this Amazon Toiletry Bag for my makeup, skincare, brushes and razors. It fits everything except my hair products (see just how much can fit in this reel). The other “morning of items” are things like my makeup, airpods, glasses, water bottle, etc.

I don’t necessarily take everything on every list below for every trip, but I just check off what I know I’m not taking from the get-go. That way I don’t forget anything on future trips where I do take more. For example, I don’t always take my travel blowdryer, but if I have room, I prefer too so I keep it on the list. If it’s not going, I just check it off.

When I’m planning for the morning of, I always lay out my travel outfit so I don’t pack something I need to wear. I like to cute but comfortable when I travel. (I shared my go-to travel outfits here and you can get links to everything in that post in this LTK post.)

Invest in a solid backpack or tote

For most trips, I ditch the idea of a cute bag and use something practical that won’t hurt my shoulder and keeps my hands free. And for me, that’s a backpack that fits and protects my laptop. Since I typically want a regular purse once I’m at my destination, I take my Madewell tote bag and pack it in my suitcase since it folds down flat.

This ShortyLove backpack is one of the best purchases I made this past year. It’s huge and fits everything, but it doesn’t feel too big or heavy to tote around. It also has a strap on the back that you can use to attach to your suitcase so that you can be hands-free once you’re at the airport.

Whether I take a backpack or tote, I also pack a small cross-body purse or my Amazon belt bag that I can use when I get to my destination.

Have a dedicated travel bag for cords

I bought duplicates of cords for this very purpose. So, I have every type of cord I use in life in a bag that I keep with my packing cubes, e.g. charging cords for my iPhone, Garmin, car phone charger, etc.

This bag never leaves my backpack, ever. And I never borrow cords from it when I’m not traveling. I don’t want to be scrambling when I’m traveling to find the cords I need or arrive somewhere and realize I’m missing a key charger.

 I use a soft simple zipper pouch from Cuyana to carry everything but they also have tech cases if you want more structure.

Invest in nice luggage

I purchased my first piece of AWAY luggage about a few years ago, after having the same luggage since I graduated college over 12 years ago. And it’s been worth EVERY penny. It holds more than my soft-shell luggage, keeps things organized, and is so much lighter. And light luggage is key when you’re 5’1″ and trying to lift luggage into the overhead bins. (Maybe I shouldn’t have quit CrossFit!)

The other major reason I invested in AWAY luggage (rather than another brand) is that they have a lifetime warranty. If the wheels break, a zipper gets stuck, or fabric gets torn, they will cover it. The large interior flat pocket that is used to compress your clothes (pictured below, where you see the straps across a mesh panel) actually broke a year ago and they sent me a replacement for free.

I own the Bigger AWAY carry-on luggage and the AWAY medium suitcase for when I check bags but I typically only check a bag if my son is coming with me and I’m packing for two and/or need my hands free.

My luggage also has a dirty clothes bag, so I just put the dirty stuff in there and put it in the place where my running clothes were. That typically makes up the bulk of what’s super gross and has to be contained anyway.

Plan your outfits

I list each day, what I have planned and the weather while I’m there. Then, I list out exactly what I wear, including jackets and shoes. It helps me identify if I was planning on bringing something I’ll only wear once so I can change that approach. It also helps me more easily see where I can mix and match outfits.

My go-to jackets are a jean jacket and a lightweight quilted jacket. The jean jacket goes with EVERYTHING and the Amazon quilted jacket compresses into a tiny ball so it’s a major space saver. It can also be layered over sweaters and can be dressed up or down.

Note: This is my packing list from a trip to Utah and Phoenix that I mentioned above.

Wear clothes strategically

This is especially true with running clothes. If the weather aligns, I’ll wear a tank under a long sleeved shirt so the long sleeved shirt doesn’t get as a sweaty and I can wear it the next day. (This really only works in non-humid places!)

I take just one pair of jeans, maybe two and I make sure they’re very different. For my upcoming trip to Utah that’s 10 days long, I’m taking my favorite white jeans. Also, a pair of classic blue denim Abercrombie jeans.

I have no shame wearing a dress multiple times on a trip. I just swap out the shoes, wear a different jacket and call it good. The right dress can be worn with sneakers and then transition into evening happy hour or dinner at night with heels.

Also, I always wear a pair of sneakers and jeans on the plane since those would take more space in my carry-on than leggings and/or sandals or flip flops. My trip impacts which sneakers I wear. It may be my Vejas, New Balance 327s, or my running shoes.

Shoes

Flats take less space than heels. However, if you want to pack heels, pack them so the heel goes in the running shoe opening. It protects the heel and saves a lot of space.

Some of my running shoes just don’t look cute. So, I usually take Nikes since I can use them for a run and then with jeans for exploring. I typically NEVER use my running shoes for anything but running since running shoes last longer that way, But for travel, I take an older pair that can serve multiple purposes. However, on a few trips in 2019, I took three pairs of running shoes. I was deep in training for the 2019 Boston Marathon. Running shoes took priority!

Other shoe tips: go for neutrals (nude heels, nude flat sandals, nude heeled sandals) and pack shoes that can be dressed up or down.

Think through your Laundry

If I have access to a washer/dryer, this helps a LOT with packing light. Of course, I can always do laundry when I visit family in Utah. Other times, I intentionally book an AirBnB for that purpose.

But if I’m staying at a hotel for more than 7 days, I have to get even more strategic or just check a bag. It’s usually my running clothes that take up so much space and necessitate checking a bag. I’ll rewear regular clothes, no problem… but sweaty leggings or a drenched tank? Only in desperation. Sometimes I’ll wash running clothes in the sink with travel detergent if I’m really close to being able to take a carry-on!

If I can’t do laundry, I put my sweatiest and dirtiest clothes in my laundry bag that came built into my Away luggage. (Again, that’s usually my running clothes!) That allows me to rewear items if I need to so I don’t immediately stuff them in there. Then, when I’m packing to head home, I empty the must-be-washed items into the laundry bag and move any clean clothes into a smaller packing cube. I essentially replace the largest cube with the laundry bag, space wise, so I have room for it. Replacing the large packing cube usually allows for the laundry bag to fit perfectly into my suitcase.

Here is a packing list for you to use on your next trip in case it’s helpful.

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