It’s no secret that I love the packing cubes but so many people wonder are they worth it? Well I decided that I would write an update from my previous post about packing cubes. In this post you will see how many clothes I managed to get into one suitcase. (It’s pretty impressive) Plus I’ll enlighten you as to why you need packing cubes.
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So, Are packing cubes worth it?
If you are contemplating purchasing packing cubes then you probably have lots of questions. I know I did! Here are a few of the questions I had.
- Do packing cubes really maximize space?
- Can you really get that much in them?
- Does it really help to color code per person?
- Will packing my clothes in packing cubes help prevent wrinkles?
Let me just go ahead and answer those questions for you. Yes, yes, double yes, and mostly. I found that by using packing cubes I have more usable space in my suitcase for my shoes, toiletries, and anything else I need. Who doesn’t need more usable space when they travel?!
For instance, this past weekend we headed to Austin to pick Jonathan up from Patriot Academy. He’s wearing the red tie in the picture. Jonathan had already been there for 6 days so he had his own suitcase. Joe had to pack for a week since he had to stay several more days for work, he also got his own suitcase. I packed Victoria, Jamieson, Caroline and myself in one suitcase and a bag. I will show you everything I packed and how I divided it among the suitcases.
All the clothes
To give you an idea of just how much you can fit into the packing cubes I laid out all of the clothes I needed to pack. For reference, my dinning room table seats six tightly.
Here is what I packed for each person. Joe : 15 shirts, 5 pair of pants, 2 shorts, 1 pajama pant, 9 pairs of underware, and 9 pairs of socks, plus his complete suit. Jamieson : 5 shirts, 2 pants, 2 shorts, 1 pajama pant, 1 pajama short, 3 underware, 3 pairs of socks. Caroline : 5 shirts, 6 pair of shorts, 2 dresses, 1 jumper, 1 pair of pajamas, 1 pajama short, 3 panties, 5 pair of socks. Victoria : 5 shirts, 4 shorts, 1 dress, 1 pair pajamas, 3 bras, 3 panties, 4 pair of socks. Candise : 6 shirts, 2 shorts, 4 dresses, 2 pair of pajama’s, 3 bras, 6 panties, 4 socks.
Total of everything is – 36 shirts, 7 pairs of pants, 16 shorts, 6 pair of pajamas, 2 pajama shorts, 24 pairs of underware, 25 pairs of socks, 7 dresses, 1 jumper, and 6 bras. That’s 130 items packed for five people! Whew! (I decided not to take the beach towels in the upper left corner)
How many packing cubes will it take?
I put all of these clothes into the 10 remaining packing cubes, then I put our swimsuits in a snorkel bag. All of the clothes that are laid out on the table fit into those packing cubes. We also took a hanging bag with Joe’s suit, my dress, and an outfit for Caroline. (Caroline’s outfit was laying on the table but my dress and Joe’s suit were not)
As you can tell the three packing cubes on the right were not full. I got all of our clothes packed into the ten packing cubes with room for more! So, are packing cubes worth it? Yes, without a doubt! We packed seven of these cubes into one suitcase! Joe had to have his own suitcase since he had to stay for several more days for work.
What made it into the suitcase?
I used our check luggage suitcase for myself and the kids, which is a little bigger than a carry-on. As I packed up the suitcase I managed to get seven packing cubes, sound machine, jewelry bag, make-up bag, toiletry bag, and the swimsuit bag all in. I was rather impressed! All of the shoes went into a carry-on sized bag. When all was said and done we had two suitcases, one carry-on bag, and two backpacks for six people! Once we got to the hotel the kids were able to pull their cubes out of the suitcase and put them into a drawer which kept the kids clothes really organized.
Joe asked me to bring his dirty clothes home, I packed his clothes into the packing cubes that weren’t full. It’s mindboggling to know that I packed four and a half people into one suitcase! If you were to ask me if packing cubes is worth it it would be a resounding YES! However, you are truly the only one who can answer that. Packing cubes are definitely worth it for me and my family. I plan buy each of the kids their own set in different colors to organize travel even more. I can’t wait and you shouldn’t either! Check out my Amazon links to find your favorite packing cubes!
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