All About Packing Cubes from the Manufacturer.
- Why do we need packing cubes.
Having deeply analyzed this product for usefulness before launching it on the market, and having improved our packaging cubes over the years, we want to share our vision.
1.1. Organizing your belongings in your luggage.
Indeed, it is very convenient when shirts are folded in one cube, trousers and a jacket in another, and underwear in a third. Also, in the same cubes, you can store the same things in the hotel, having easy access to them. When sorting your luggage for a trip, the presence of packing organizers of different sizes allows you to not forget one or another piece of clothing, since each of them has its own cube.
1.2. Protection for clothes during the trip.
If your packing bags are waterproof, they can protect your clothing from accidental spills. Although, in our experience, even waterproof nylon will not be able to fully protect your belongings if a significant amount of liquid, such as spilled shampoo, is in contact with the surface of your luggage organizer for a long time - the liquid will eventually seep through the waterproof nylon. Also, packaging cubes have seams through which the liquid will penetrate to the inside. However, if you accidentally spill liquid on your packing cubes, or accidentally drop them on a wet surface, do not worry: the liquid will not have time to absorb and get inside if you immediately wipe the liquid from the surface of the organizers. If you put bottles with liquid in your luggage, then, in order not to worry about a possible leak, the bottle with liquid should be placed inside a waterproof container, which, preferably, does not have seams made with thread, but are closed using ultrasound. In such containers, the zippers are also waterproof.
1.3. Reducing wrinkles and wear on clothing.
During transportation without packing cubes, different items of clothing can rub against each other, causing wear and tear, and also constantly move, creating wrinkles and creases. In packing cubes, things are fixed, which removes the problem of friction and wear. The creases are also reduced due to the garment fixing inside the packing organizers. Unfortunately, packing cubes do not completely remove the chances of wrinkles, especially when they are heavily stuffed with clothes. As a way to remove wrinkles, for example on a wool business suit, upon unpacking we recommend hanging it on a hanger in a damp/steamy room, such as a bathroom, so that the creases drop out.
1.4. Packing cubes are also bags, use them in different situations.
If your baggage is overweight, in some cases it is possible to remove one of the packing cubes from the baggage and carry it into the aircraft cabin as a personal item. In such cases, it is good that the cubes look stylish and do not expose their contents too much to people around.
What packing cubes are there and which ones to choose?
2.1 Types of packing cubes.
Regular or compression packing cubes for travel, with or without mesh panel, breathable, waterproof, one-sided and two-sided packing bags, and different cubes. Each type has its own uses, advantages or disadvantages.
2.2. Waterproof packing cubes without mesh panel.
If you decide to go camping, then waterproof packing cubes will come in handy to keep your belongings dry, and also prevent dust, dirt, sand or insects from getting into them. These organizers are most often made from waterproof nylon. The size of these packing cubes is adapted for backpacks. It's good if the nylon is transparent but strong so you can see the contents inside.
2.3. Packing cubes with mesh panel.
For travel by plane or train, packing cubes, or as they are called, luggage organizers adapted for luggage or travel bags, are suitable. The dimensions of these packing cubes allow for optimal placement inside the luggage. Often these cubes have a mesh panel that lets you see what's inside and also lets your clothes breathe.
Does the garment have to breathe inside the packing cubes?
Clothes made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton retain their properties better if there is airflow. If your clothes are damp, ventilation will remove unpleasant odors, so for such cases it is better to purchase breathable packing cubes with a mesh panel.
2.4. Ordinary packing cubes or compression cubes?
Compression packing cubes are packing cubes with an additional zipper on the side. When the zipper is closed, the sides are compressed, which reduces the thickness of the packing cubes, saving space in your luggage. If the compression packing cubes are too full of things, then when squeezed with a compression zipper, the edges of the cubes are compressed, and in the middle there is something that looks like a bubble, which is not the best solution to save space in the luggage. In addition, it is quite difficult to fasten such cubes with a compression zipper due to the large forces required, as well as possible tissue gripping.
We recommend opting for compression packing organizers for luggage if the cubes are not heavily or incompletely packed with clothing. In this case, when compressed, travel compression cubes become flat, convenient for packing luggage, save space and fix clothes well inside the cubes, preventing wrinkles and wear. If ordinary packing cubes are not completely filled with things, then the clothes inside can move during transportation, which creates wrinkles and damage.
It should be noted that travel compression packing organizers can always function as normal packing organizers, unless a compression zipper is used. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to spend up to $ 5-10 more to buy a luggage organizer, we definitely recommend the compression packing cubes.
- How to choose the type of packing cubes for yourself?
3.1. Packing cubes for business travel.
If you have frequent business trips involving business suits, shirts, trousers and jackets, then it is worth purchasing a set of three or four packing cubes of different sizes for travel. In such sets, the largest packing cube, measuring about 40 * 30 cm, is usually suitable for packing suits, trousers or jackets, which can be folded or rolled. Before rolling the jacket, it is better to fold it in a special way, as, for example, shown in our video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnFrkG85O1w . An average cube of about 35 * 25 cm is usually designed for shirts, which are also better folded in a certain way, as we show in our video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnFrkG85O1w . Small cube measuring 28 * 18 cm is ideal for T-shirts, and underwear, which can be folded or rolled . Also, a set of packing cubes usually includes a special bag for dirty clothes, which is thus separated from clean clothes. Some travelers prefer to use laundry bag as a shoe bag and sort dirty clothes between cubes, which is also convenient.
For business travel it is possible to purchase packing cubes with a mesh panel, the advantages being the ability to see what's inside, as well as additional ventilation. On business trips you are less likely to find yourself in a situation where insects or sand can get into the cubes through the net, or that the clothes inside get wet from the packing bags falling onto wet grass.
3.2. Packing cubes for outdoor travel.
Do you like hiking in the open air? In this case, your packing cubes should fit well in your backpack, protect your clothes from moisture, dust, sand and insects. In this case, waterproof nylon packing cubes work well. Some packaging bags are made of translucent nylon, which allows you to see the contents inside. For those travelers who prefer that others cannot see the contents of their packing cubes, it is better to purchase cubes made of opaque material.
Mesh panel cubes are not the best choice for outdoor travel, unless you need to allow your clothes to dry inside their packing bags thanks to the air flowing through the mesh.
3.3. Packing cubes for different occasions: sports, swimming and short-term trips.
Going to the gym or yoga class? Mesh panel packing cubes work well for this purpose, as they will allow your wet fitness uniform to dry out over time.
For going to the pool or the beach, waterproof nylon packing bags are a good choice to place your wet swimwear so that moisture won't get onto your other gear or the surface of the bag.
For short-term trips of one or two days, where you only need a couple of shirts and underwear sets - that is, a minimum of things - we recommend compression packing cubes. They will keep your packed items compact enough to fit in a laptop bag or small backpack.
- What should you look for when buying packing cubes?
4.1. Dimensions.
So, you have decided on the type of packing cubes that will suit you best. The first thing to look at is the size. Packaging organizers can be sold in sets where the cubes come in different sizes: large, medium, and small. This configuration is great for business trips, since the large cube fits folded jackets and trousers, the middle cube fits shirts, and the small cube fits underwear. You need to be sure that such a set will fit well in your luggage, and the corresponding photos from the seller's online store should demonstrate this.
Luggage packing organizers are also sold where the cubes are the same size or pairs of cubes of the same size. As a rule, these are cubes of medium and small sizes, intended more for travel with a backpack. Make sure that this is how you intend to use the packing cubes, so that later it won't turn out that they are too small for packing a jacket. As a rule, the photos of the seller's online store should show how he sees the use of packing cubes that he sells.
4.2. Material and weight of packing cubes.
Basically, packing cubes are made from nylon and polyester. Nylon is more commonly used for travel cubes because nylon is stronger than polyester, allowing cubes to be made lighter but with the required strength. Polyester is preferred by many manufacturers for business travel packing bags, as this material has a more pleasant texture to the touch, reminiscent of natural fabric. Also, the polyester used for packing cubes is thicker than nylon and therefore holds its shape better, which is popular with many customers.
In an effort to reduce the weight of packaging bags and the cost, manufacturers often choose thin material, forgetting about the requirements for strength. Packaging cubes, and especially compression cubes, experience stress on the seams, so if you see several customer reviews that cubes break under load, then the material is poorly selected.
Packing cubes shouldn't add extra weight to your luggage or backpack, so manufacturers tend to use 70D (ultralight) nylon to 250D nylon and 300D polyester. It happens that some cube sellers do not take into account the importance of lightness of the packaging bags and use the thicker nylon or polyester used in the production of backpacks and regular bags. Therefore, if you see a set of 4-5 packing cubes approaching 1.5 pounds in weight, then the material used is clearly too thick for packing cubes and adds extra weight to your luggage.
4.3. Zippers for packing cubes.
A quality zipper is a very important part of packaging cubes and is especially important for compression cubes. A broken zipper immediately makes your packing bag useless, so we recommend choosing zippers from well-known world brands that pay due attention to the quality of their products.
At the moment, the Japanese brand YKK is the world leader in the production of zippers. We have been using zippers of this brand for our compression packaging cubes for more than three years and have never received any feedback from our customers that the zipper tore or out of order. There are cases that the zipper grabs the fabric during compression, but if you move it back, the fabric is released : this is not a problem with the quality of the zipper, but with the fastening technique. Cubes with YKK zippers tend to be a few dollars more expensive than similar packing bags with other zippers.
SBS, a major Chinese manufacturer, also produces quality zippers, which you can often see in packing cubes on the market.
We recommend caution when using packaging cubes that use zippers that do not show the brand name. The cube sellers are looking to keep costs down by using cheaper, low quality zippers. If, in addition to this, you see customer reviews about failed zippers, then it is better not to make such a purchase, since the zipper on such cubes can fail at the most inopportune moment.
We also recommend paying attention to the length of the zipper used in packing cubes. Often, in an effort to reduce costs, packaging organizer manufacturers use short zippers, which causes the cubes to open only 50% of the perimeter, making it difficult to access them. Therefore, we recommend that you pay attention that your packing cubes open completely, like the ones below in the photo.
When fastening the compression zipper on compression packing cubes, we recommend that you place your finger under the back of the zipper head to prevent tissue entrapment. If this happens, then try to move the head in the opposite direction to release the fabric, if this does not help, then you can try to release the fabric by pulling it down in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the zipper head.
4.4. Customer reviews and brand of packaging cubes.
You will certainly find the largest selection of packing cubes on Amazon. At the same time, packing cubes can have from zero to several thousand reviews. Obviously, a larger number of reviews with an average rating of more than four inspires more consumer confidence, which makes sense. As a rule, packing cubes with more than a thousand reviews occupy the first pages of Amazon search results and collect the largest number of sales. Such packaging bags, of course, are of high quality and in practice have earned the trust of buyers, but they often do not change the design of their cubes for many years.
Some smaller and emerging players in the packaging organizer market are trying to reclaim their place in the sun with more innovative and functional designs they think they have developed in an effort to improve on Amazon's leading cube models. As a rule, such packing cubes are located several pages after the first page of the search on Amazon and such organizers are worth looking at if you are seeking fresh design solutions in the field of packing organizers.
If you liked a certain model of packaging cubes, but you are confused by the relatively small number of reviews, for example, 15-30, then go to the online store of this seller and make sure that this brand is a professional player in the market and specializes in packaging organizers or similar products. Perhaps the reason for the low number of reviews is that it is a new cube model brought onto the market following previous high-reviewed products, and getting more positive reviews is just a process of time.
4.5. Packing Cubes Warranty
The warranty is the last, but not the least, point that we recommend you pay attention to when buying packing cubes for travel. Manufacturers of packing cubes, who are not sure of their quality and have not tested them for a long enough period, do not provide any guarantee, except for the obligatory replacement within 30 days from the date of purchase, for example, according to the rules of Amazon. The buyer of packing cubes feels much more confident when they receive a guarantee for a period of at least a year or a lifetime warranty on their packing bags. For example, our brand provides a lifetime warranty on packaging cubes, having tested them for several years.
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