Life Is Easy on the Go With These Lightweight Packing Cubes

What I love about the Eagle Creek Pack-it Isolate Compression Packing Cubes

Photo: Jessica Hughes

Instantly, one of my favorite features of these packing cubes is how lightweight they are. Weighing in at 1.9 ounces for both the “small” and “medium” set, I don’t have to worry about adding any substantial extra weight to my luggage. But don’t let the lightweight fabric fool you, the water-resistant material is made of silnylon ripstop — a material known for its durability and improved tear strength. Even if you get a small rip, the diamond ripstop pattern should stop it from getting too big.

I also loved the simplicity of the design. The easy-to-use cubes open clamshell-style with the top flap easily “flapping” to one side for quick access to your things. There are two paracord zippers, allowing for a good grip to close the cubes, especially when full. Even the way the zippers are angled saves you space as the top flap of fabric doesn’t have any dimensions. Plus, the easy-to-grab top handle allows for easy handling and hanging options when drawer or countertop space isn’t available.

The Eagle Creek Pack-it Isolate Compression Packing Cubes make it easy to maximize your space

Photo: Jessica Hughes

Packing efficiently is all about maximizing your space, and the cubes’ ability to compress is what sold me. The strong compression zipper is used to compress the cubes, helping to free up more room in your luggage by removing the extra air inside. I did find it helpful to have a little pull tab located next to the compression zipper to use for extra leverage when closing and compressing. And if you don’t need that extra space, you can zip the cubes back down, allowing for more versatility in sizes.

What I packed in my packing cubes

I typically use my packing cubes to hold smaller items such as my underwear, socks, bras, t-shirts, shorts, swimsuits, etc. Plus, anything I want easy access to like my charging cords, Advil, or headphones. This packing cube set ($39.99) comes with a small (6L) and medium (13L) size cube, which are conveniently indicated on the handles with size tabs. In the small packing cube, I was able to pack my bathing suit, three pairs of ankle socks, eight pairs of underwear, and two sports bras. In the medium packing cube, I packed two pairs of leggings, one sweatshirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of lounge pants, two t-shirts, and a tank top. I like to roll my clothes when packing to save space and I found it super easy to roll up my items into the flexible packing cubes.

Start packing with the cubes uncompressed and you’ll soon realize how much you can fit in there. Then when you close with the compression zipper, watch as the cubes shrink down to an incredibly small size. I tested the cubes to the max and even when fully packed, all it took was a little push to close with the compression zipper.

Another reason why I love packing cubes is that they are a great place to put your dirty clothes when returning from your trip. I use the medium-sized cube for my dirty clothes and love the fact that they are designed to block moisture and odors.

How Eagle Creek packing cubes compare to others

Photo: Jessica Hughes

The only other brand of packing cubes I have used were the eBags packing cubes. The biggest difference I saw is the lightweight material Eagle Creek used. While most packing cubes compress now, I have found it hard to find something as durable and lightweight as Eagle Creek’s packing cubes.

For me, there were only two minor downsides: the slickness of the fabric and the lack of a paracord zipper for the compressor zipper. While the material is great, it is a bit slick, which I found sometimes annoying when I set the cubes down or when I tried to stack them on top of each other. In terms of the zipper, it would have been nice to see a paracord zipper used for the compressor zipper. Not to say this made it difficult to close the cubes but a little extra help would have been nice.

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