The best packing cubes for backpacks come in all shapes and sizes. Not to mention, prices. Today’s post will focus on reviewing the packing cubes with the highest functionality AND the best price.
Not to brag, but I became somewhat of a packing cube Ph.D. after I finally chose the perfect backpack. Because after pressing the ‘buy now’ button on a backpack, naturally, the next question is what’s the best way to cram all my stuff in it and keep things organized?
Enter the packing cube.
These nifty little fabric sacks with rotating zippers do a whole lot to keep a backpack clean and organized. It doesn’t stop there. Packing cubes work wonders for suitcase-style backpacks, top-down backpacks, and of course traditional suitcases.
And rest assured overpackers, this post will review regular and compression packing cubes.
Let’s get into it.
1. Best Entry-Level Packing Cubes for Backpacks: YAMIU
YAMIU is the best value packing cube set for a newbie. They cost between $22 and $30 on Amazon, depending on the sales cycle. It comes with a large, medium, and two small packing cubes, two waterproof toiletry bags, and one nifty little shoe bag.
In terms of quality, the packing cubes are on the economic side. The walls of the cubes are thin and not very sturdy. Once filled with rolled clothing and zipped snuggly, they stack and pack quite nicely, however.
The mesh tops are an excellent feature that helps you remember what was packed in a particular cube. These get my vote for the best entry-level packing cube set. I love the smaller-sized toiletry bags, especially for backpack travel. And the shoe bag is a genius replacement for my regular Target bag.
2. Gonex Compression Packing Cube Set
Compression packing cubes will certainly cost you a bit more compared to regular packing cubes. The sides of a compression packing cube are designed with an inch or two of fabric that can be compressed by an additional zipper. Sort of like an expandable suitcase.
These Gonex Compression packing cubes dramatically shrink the footprint of your clothing and make one-bag travel and outfit planning more feasible. With a little elbow grease, the compression zipper cuts the size of a fully packed cube nearly in half.
The downside of a good compression cube is the fact that your clothing will get extra wrinkled. You will also exchange angular-shaped cubes for oblong clothing pockets.
3. Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes
Recently, I reviewed the Osprey Fairview backpack. So of course I have to mention the Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes in my best packing cubes for backpacks round up. Made with 100% recycled main body fabric, these little cubes are lightweight but mighty. The Osprey Ultralight packing cube set comes in small, medium, and large sizes.
The ultralight, ultra-strong Osprey material is a 40D high-tenacity nylon. The Osprey packing cubes come with a j-line zipper design with two zipper pulls. This style of opening means you won’t readily be able to see the rolled up clothing item in the very back of the cube. This is the trade off for using these top-down style packing cubes vs. a regular square cube like the YAMIU set.
4. Eagle Creek Packing Cube
You can’t search for the best packing cubes on the internet without having Eagle Creek pop up. This is one of the most loved brands of backpack organizers out there.
Made with 30D silnylon ripstop fabric, the Eagle Creek packing cubes are lightweight and extremely durable. Similar to the Osprey packing cubes, Eagle Creek doesn’t offer the cheapest set on the market, but it can be an upgrade from a less expensive counterpart.
The Eagle Creek packing cubes have a top-down style opening with a J-line zipper. They come in a pack of three, including a 10L, 5L, and 1.5L cube.
5. Bagail Compression Packing Cubes
Bagail packing cubes work wonders for backpack travel. This Amazon brand also offers a more affordable price compared to other compression packing cubes on the market.
Bagail is unique because the brand has a regular, ultralightweight, and compression-style packing cube. The regular cubes have a full flat-lay opening and the ultralight and compression styles have a j-line style zipper. Made with lightweight nylon, these are a great budget-friendly option that also offers a bit of durability.
6. Best Packing Cube for Backpacks – But Make it Cute
This floral packing cube set from Talking Out Of Turn is the epitome of an aesthetic packing cube. The floral pattern is unique for each size, which will help remind you what you packed where. And who can resist a good retro nod with the orangey floral color palette?
Made with ripstop Nylon, this set is also made to be durable and long-lasting. Talking Out Of Turn offers small, medium, and large size packing cubes in their set of three. The entire site has a range of colors and patterns to choose from. They also include some other packing pouch sets that are in the most stunning patterns.
Talking Out Of Turn most certainly wins in the aesthetic department.
What You Really Need in a Packing Cube
Listen, the best packing cubes for backpacks are the ones that serve you best. I’d suggest starting with a cheaper set like the YAMIU to see how you like it. If you’re going on a long trip, definitely pick up a compression set, like the Gonex. Pro-tip, the Gonex Apricot color is the color I have because it makes it a lot easier to see my clothing against the cube in the dark.
For regular packing cubes, I do love a good mesh top, because it saves you time. And lastly, I’ll say, if you’re a one-bag travel girl, like me, you may want to steer clear of the sets with large and large-medium packing cubes. I never end up using those because my bag is always a carry-on size. I much rather have 3-4 smaller packing cubes vs. a couple of larger ones. Sometimes the larger packing cubes feel like just one large sack that doesn’t help organize anything.
