minimalism
The Minimalist's Guide to Packing Cubes
Updated: July 06, 2020
Packing cubes are the simplest and smartest way to pack your bag neatly and efficiently. There are many options available that vary in size, shape, material and overall quality.
The best approach is to focus on the items that you have the most of (Merino wool underwear and Merino wool socks for example) so there are less loose items in your bag. Packing socks and underwear alone will make things a great deal tidier and more organized.
A few other things to consider:
- Having a small packing cube for your socks, another small cube for underwear, and a medium sized for workout gear and pajamas.
- Have a variety of Tubes (long and thin) and cubes (more squared and larger) to adapt to each trip.
- You have to choose between heavier (these are sturdy and are easy to pack and lighter (these weigh less, but don’t hold shape).
Before buying packing cubes, quickly figure out what would be appropriate for you by sorting out your packing list. Here is an example of a packing list sorted for packing cubes (does not include what is being worn on the airplane):
3 Day Business Conference + 7 Day Europe Trip
- 2 Merino Wool T-Shirts (Black Crew, Black V-neck)
- 3 pairs of Merino Wool Socks
- 2 pairs of dress socks
- 4 pairs of underwear
- Dress shoes
- 2 x Dress Shirts
- Sportcoat / Blazer
- Jeans (Nice pair that can be worn with dress shirt or casually worn with T-Shirt)
- Shorts
- Notebook + Pens
- Sunglasses
- Laptop
- Laptop Charger
- Cellphone charger
- External USB power pack
- Power adapter
- Passport
- Earplugs / Eye Mask
- Smaller daybag
- Toiletries kit (in it’s own toiletry bag)
This is how the above packing list can be sorted, for example:
Medium Sized Packing Cube
- Jeans
- Shorts
- Basketball shorts
- Swimsuit
- 3 pairs of Merino Wool Socks
- 2 pairs of dress socks
- 4 pairs of underwear
Small Sized Packing Cube
- 2 Merino Wool T-Shirts
- 1 Down FIlled Light Jacket
Something to consider when packing into cubes, is that you’re adding stuff to your bag by adding the cubes. So depending on how much you decide to pack, it’s often better to use fewer packing cubes with more stuff in each cube.
With the packing cubes neatly organized and packed, it’s time to organize your bag for travel.
Think of it like playing 3D Tetris inside your carry-on...and the prize is not having to wait by the luggage carousel with the rest of the horde.
