eBags Packing Cube Set
Packing cubes turned out to be one of those rare bits of travel kit that everyone who tries ends up using, and eBags was among the makers that made them cheap enough to be obvious.
What they are genuinely for, and it is not compression: they are for finding things. A cube per category means the bag stays packed while you live out of it, and you stop excavating to the bottom every morning. That is the whole value and it is worth the small weight.
How to divide them: by type rather than by day. Tops, bottoms, underwear and socks, then one cube kept empty for dirty laundry. Packing by day sounds organised and collapses on the second day of any real trip.
What has changed since this review:
- Compression cubes, with a second zip that squeezes the contents flat, are now common. They genuinely save space on bulky clothing and do nothing useful for thin clothing.
- Ultralight versions in thin nylon weigh a fraction of the originals. Four traditional cubes can add 400g; the light ones add closer to 100g.
- Prices collapsed, so the branded premium is now hard to justify for what is, honestly, a zipped fabric box.
The honest limitation: cubes are packaging, and packaging takes space. In a small cabin bag they can cost you more volume than they organise. They shine in a 40-litre-plus bag and get in the way in a 20-litre one.
Part of the guide to packing and organisation.