Let’s face it, nobody likes packing a suitcase. We’re all for anything that can make the process a little less daunting, particularly when faced with increasingly stringent airline restrictions when it comes to baggage. This is where the best packing cubes come in.
It’s official – we’re stuffing more into our suitcases than ever before, and the right packing cube can make this process significantly easier, which is why we’ve tracked down the ones worthy of a spot in your luggage.
These zippered cubes are used to segregate different items, putting you on the fast track to packing perfection. Their growing popularity has pushed manufacturers to produce versions designed with a range of requirements in mind.
Looking for a cube in which to store your favourite shirt? Consider one with an internal pocket in which you can place the jewellery you’ll wear with it. Travelling through several countries (and climates) that require everything from hiking gear to smarter outfits? Opt for cubes that have generous areas of transparent mesh, which makes accessing different items quick and easy.
If you’re a packing cube obsessive like us, you can’t go wrong with colour-coordinated sets of multiple cubes. Another factor is sustainability, as a growing number of brands are using recycled materials or ones that have Bluesign certification – a global seal of approval for environment, health and production safety.
How we tested
As keen travellers, we put a variety of travel cubes through their paces. We considered all aspects, whether it was the construction (we’re particularly keen on double and compression-style zips), rigidity (useful when it comes to more delicate items), and internal features, such as inner pockets. Only the best of the best made the cut, thanks to a review process that focused firmly on travellers’ wants and needs.
Why you can trust us
Tamara Hinson is a freelance travel writer who is a keen explorer, making her the perfect candidate for testing the best packing cubes. She most recently visited the Maldives, India’s Bandhavgarh National Park, and has even explored the most exciting new train journeys in Europe, putting each packing cube to the test. While she’s not busy traversing the globe, she also tests everything from the best travel pillows to cabin bags, so her research and recommendations are well worth trusting.
The best packing cubes for 2025 are:
Thule compression cube set
We’re not going to lie – we’re huge fans of Thule, a brand famous for roof boxes but which also does so much more. This packing cube double act didn’t disappoint – the material feels incredibly tough, and we loved the monochrome look, featuring a cream-coloured nylon with a black zip. The smaller cube was perfect for items such as socks, while the larger one is designed for items such as T-shirts, but both have a Tardis-like quantity, thanks to compression zips.
The best bit? The two zips are clearly distinguishable – the main zips are black, while the compression ones are white, which means no more fiddling around with the wrong ones. We were amazed by how much we could cram into both cubes, while added extras worth flagging include the abundance of hanging hooks and the Bluesign accreditation, which is awarded to items that embrace sustainable production techniques.
Buy now £39.99, Thule.com
Go Travel packing cubes twin set
This cheap and cheerful packing cube does exactly what it says on the tin. The use of a semi-transparent mesh on one side meant it was easy to check the contents, and the large handle at the top made it easy to wrangle the cube out of our (overpacked) suitcase. It also meant we could sling it over hooks in our hotel room. The zip is one of the longest we’ve come across – it covers three sides (and a little bit more) of the cube, making it ridiculously easy to extract the contents. The sky-blue nylon added a welcome burst of colour to our largely monochrome luggage accessories, too.
Buy now £7.49, Ryman.co.uk
Lowe Alpine packing cube
Lowe Alpine offers its brilliant packing cubes in three sizes: small, medium and large. We went for the latter and were instantly smitten. To start with, we loved the minimalist colour scheme – a dark grey paired with a flash of neon yellow, courtesy of the brand’s logo. One side of the cube consists of a meshed material, allowing for just the right amount of transparency.
The bright yellow hanging hook was another hit. Why don’t more packing cubes have hanging hooks? We’ll never know, but we find them incredibly useful, especially when space is in short supply. This particular one is generously sized and ultra rugged, and we also appreciated the generous proportions of the zip, which covers three sides of the cube, allowing it to be opened clamshell-style.
Buy now £12.00, Rab.equipment
Patagonia black hole cube, medium
While mesh packing cubes make it easy for you to see their contents, they could pose leak-related problems when housing toiletries.
That’s where Patagonia’s black hole cube comes in. Available in three sizes (we opted for the 6l version), it’s extremely tough, made with 100 per cent recycled ripstop polyester fabric, while a recycled TPU-film laminate means it’s a great option for leak-prone items.
The exterior zip wraps around three sides of the cube, which has one of the largest carry handles we’ve seen. The interior is also one of our favourites of any travel cube – it’s clamshell-style, with two large compartments, each covered with a zippered mesh panel.
Buy now £50.00, Patagonia.com
Lakeland packing cubes trio
There aren’t any mesh panels on these packing cubes, but their boxy design, rugged construction and stylish appearance (the material has the look of denim) more than make up for the lack of transparency. After all, as huge fans of these cubes, we’re firm believers in having a range of styles in our arsenal.
The set contains three packing cubes – small, medium and large. The material, a waterproofed polyester, is incredibly thick, and the zips cover three sides of each cube, making access a breeze. Another aspect we loved is how the two smaller cubes are designed to fit inside the larger one – although they also perform just as well when used independently.
Buy now £14.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Gomatic compression packing cube, medium
Multiple (generously sized) hanging hooks and zips with extra-long grips meant it was love at first sight when it came to this packing cube, which has a zip covering three sides – perfect for easy access. It’s a compression-style cube, so there was plenty of space, although, it would have been great to see the zips in different colours, to make it easier to distinguish between the two sets.
Everything about this cube felt reassuringly tough, though – from the extra-thick material to the rubber seals over the zip pulls, which minimise the risk of fraying. A large area of mesh panelling on one side of the cube made it easy to see the contents, too.
Buy now £19.00, Amazon.co.uk
Peak Design shoe pouch
The world’s your oyster when it comes to Peak Design’s packing cubes – choose from a small or medium cube, a shoe pouch or a set of three, six or eight cubes. We opted for the shoe pouch, and found the size to be spot-on – it was large enough to take a pair of size nine running shoes, and had enough give to allow us to squeeze in a couple of pairs of socks, too.
The material felt ultra-tough, although, we’d love to see areas of transparent material – jet-setters who travel with multiple pairs of shoes would no doubt agree. We’re adding extra points for the multiple hanging hooks (four in total) and the leather tag bearing the brand’s name, which offered an upgrade in the style stakes.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon.co.uk
Snugpak pakbox packing cube
Why don’t more packing cubes look (and feel) like this one? The Tardis-like pakbox (we tried the 4l version) has the features we value most – generous areas of transparent mesh make it easy to get to specific garments, while reinforced areas not only ramp up the rigidity (we used it to store a stack of delicate dresses) but offer a certain toughness we haven’t seen in similar products.
It’s also got the holy grail – a zip that wraps around three sides of the cube. We love the addition of a carry handle, too.
Buy now £12.77, Amazon.co.uk
Vango mesh bag set
Now for something completely different – albeit a concept we’re pretty impressed by. These aren’t so much cubes as mesh bags, but they offer a brilliant option for anyone keen to make the most of suitcase space. The bags’ squishiness means they can be squeezed into corners and fitted around other items, and a full mesh exterior meant we were still able to quickly see (and access) the contents.
They’re also incredibly versatile – we’ve lost count of the times we’ve misplaced items of clothing after using communal washing machines in homestays and hostels. Sound familiar? Avoid the trauma of laundry loss by simply placing items in one of these quick-drying bags before putting the entire shebang in the washing machine.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon.co.uk
Osprey ultra light packing cube, large
As we’ve mentioned, colours don’t add anything to quality, but there’s something wonderful about the brightness of this packing cube, which made the whole packing process somehow more enjoyable.
Colour aside, we also loved this one for its toughness, its sustainability (courtesy of Bluesign-approved fabrics) and the extra-large fabric handle.
Full disclosure – initially, we didn’t really see the point of adding handles to packing cubes, until we realised they’re a godsend when it comes to extricating said packing cubes from our (usually overpacked) suitcase. All too often, these handles are ridiculously small, but that’s not the case here.
Buy now £20.00, Ospreyeurope.com
La Pochette small shoe carry
First things first – don’t get too bogged down by the “shoe carry” moniker – although we ended up using it to store our trainers and prevent dirt rubbing onto clothing in our suitcase, we also used it for other items.
This cube has less rigidity than others in this round-up, but we found this to be a huge bonus – its squishiness came in incredibly useful when squashing in extra items of clothing (we’re notorious over-packers).
We were also smitten with the interior pocket, which we found useful for storing everything from items of jewellery to paperwork.
Buy now £50.00, Lapochette.co
Peak Design packing cube medium
Yes, we’d have loved to see more areas of opaque mesh on this packing cube, but other features more than made up for it (call us fickle, but there’s something wonderfully stylish about its sleek, textured grey exterior).
Internal dividers proved invaluable during a longer-than-average holiday, which left us needing to separate our dirty laundry. Plus, the compression-style zip was a lifesaver when it came to cramming unexpected extras (read: holiday shopping) into our suitcase.
Buy now £39.99, Wexphotovideo.com
Briggs & Riley large travel packing cubes
You’ll be hard-pushed to find more stylish luggage than the items produced by Briggs & Riley, and this packing cube set didn’t disappoint. But don’t assume it’s a case of style over substance – these cubes are great examples of ones packed with features that are often skipped.
The exterior’s combo of mesh sides and (surprisingly rigid) opaque areas strike the perfect balance between practicality and accessibility. We also appreciated the presence of the double zips and the fact the cubes could be unzipped on three sides, which cranked up the accessibility even more.
Buy now £99.00, Selfridges.com
How do packing cubes work?
Many packing cubes are simply fabric holdalls with a zip to help compartmentalise your things, while compression packing cubes work by compressing the air around your clothes to help save even more space. Exactly how they do this will depend on the cube.
For some packing cubes, you may need to remove the air manually with a vacuum cleaner. Then there are cubes that don’t require a vacuum cleaner and can instead be compressed with a very strong zip, or by rolling them out, which in turn expells the air inside.
Packing tips
It may seem like overkill, but knowing exactly what you’re taking before you start can help you stay organised. Make a list of everything you really need, too, so you’re less likely to forget something important.
To save on space, only bring full outfits for each day or activity, so you won’t bring anything you won’t actually wear. You may also find that rolling your clothes up instead of folding them saves even more space. That said, try to avoid rolling up any stiff or delicate pieces of clothing – anything made of cotton or linen would be a prime example of clothes that should be folded instead.
You may want to avoid bringing anything that will get wrinkled easily unless you’re bringing a portable iron or garment steamer. Speaking of which, your suitcase should be full enough that the contents can’t fall around and crease inside. Make sure to fill every empty space if you can.
How to organise your suitcase
Start by deciding how you would like to categorise each packing cube – will you have a different cube for tops and trousers, say, or for each day or member of the family? You may find smaller cubes more useful for weekend trips, while fewer, larger packing cubes may be better suited to longer excursions.
The heaviest and widest packing cubes ought to be at the bottom of the suitcase, leaving room for smaller cubes to be arranged around and on top. This will make the suitcase more stable and you won’t need to remove the biggest cube to reach items at the bottom.
Finally, make sure you set aside valuable and fragile items, which will be best kept in their own packing cube –something like Tropicfeel’s tech pouch would be a great option for packing things such as phone cables and electric toothbrushes. Pop this at the top of your suitcase too, to prevent it from being damaged.
What to look for when buying packing cubes?
When shopping for packing cubes, consider the size of your suitcase and how long you’re travelling for. Compression bags, for example, are better for longer-term storage as opposed to short trips, as you can vacuum pack in a lot more clothes – they effectively compress the air out of your clothes, helping to create additional space within your luggage.
Pay attention to quality, too, making sure the packing cubes have clean lines of stitching that hold the materials tightly together, as well as no loose stitching or fraying ends.
The verdict: Packing cubes
Thule’s compression cube set is stylish, practical and (almost) fits everything but the kitchen sink – we loved the cubes’ stylish look, too. Lowe Alpine’s packing cube is a masterclass in sleek simplicity – it’s a product with the rugged practicality the brand’s backpacks are famous for. Finally, there’s Patagonia’s black hole cube, which is both rugged and stylish. Put it this way, if there was ever a packing cube which could double as a tote bag, it’s this one.
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