Best Packing Cubes for Travel

Working overseas requires a lot of organization, particularly with the luggage you’re carrying. If you want to stay mobile, getting out to see as many places as possible, you need to pack efficiently. To this end, Jenna decided to use a set of packing cubes to keep her clothes neatly categorized and divided in her bag - great decision! And, after a year on the road, she confirmed that the best packing cubes for travel are the Lewis N. Clark ElectroLight Expandable Compression ones.

Why Trust Our Packing Cube Recommendation?

During our first year traveling and working overseas, we tried to set up routines everywhere we went. Ideally, when we rented an apartment in a new city, we’d stay there for at least two weeks, giving us a chance to fully unpack and get settled.

But, we also had a couple stretches being on the move daily, never fully unpacking when we arrived at that night’s destination. Our Tanzanian safari and Namibian camping weekends, in particular, kept us constantly on the go. On these adventures, staying organized was absolutely key to both A) being able to find the stuff we needed, and B) not getting overwhelmed with the chaos of gear all over the place.

Jenna’s system of packing cubes crushed it. Regardless of whether we were camping in the Kalahari Desert or at a bush camp in the Serengeti, she always knew exactly where her clothes and other gear were - no stressing and digging through a full bag to find a single item!

Why We Love the Lewis N. Clark Expandable Compression Packing Cubes

Best Features

Light, thin, and durable material: When packing gear, there’s a saying that “ounces add pounds.” Little amounts of weight here and there eventually add up to a ton of extra stress on your shoulders. These packing cubes are extremely light, thin, and durable, so they add very little weight to your kit while still being rugged enough to limit travel-related wear and tear. Plus, when you’re not using them, they fold up to next to nothing.

Multiple sizes: Lewis N. Clark also offers multiple cube sizes, which helps you categorize your clothing and other gear. Jenna used smaller ones for socks and underwear, and the bigger ones held larger clothing items and outerwear. Whatever packing system you end up using, having these different sizes gives you a lot of flexibility.

Double-zipper compression to maximize space: These packing cubes also have a convenient double-zipper system that lets you compress them. Once you fill one up, you can tighten it down, making sure you don’t have any wasted space in your bag. For Jenna - who always seemed to fight her big bag closed - this compression was a huge added benefit.

Transparent exterior for quickly finding items: Even with the most standardized packing system, you’ll inevitably forget where you stashed some random article of clothing. These cubes' transparent mesh design solves that problem for you. If you’re looking for something, you don’t have to dump everything out of your bag. Instead, grab a couple cubes and take a quick look through the mesh - very helpful!

Manufacturer’s Specs

Here’s a full list of the packing cube features published by Lewis N. Clark:

Ultra-lightweight packing organization
Durable silnylon fabric is water- and stain-resistant
Extra 3-inch compartment provides expansion and compression
Mesh panels for visibility and breathability
Grab handle to carry belongings easily
Helps to minimize wrinkles
Great for undergarments, t-shirts, gym clothes, pants, socks, sweaters, and more
2-Pack includes medium and large sizes
Medium: 8.5in x 11in x 2in - 5in (expanded)
Large: 12in x 14.5in x 2in - 5in (expanded)

Story from the Road

Set in his backpacking ways, Chipp had never seen nor heard of packing cubes. So, he was more than a little skeptical when Jenna’s arrived in the mail before our travels. Talk about a pointless purchase! What do you need these for?

But, confident in her pre-trip research and committed to the packing cubes, Jenna ignored Chipp’s skepticism and continued ahead with her gear plan. It worked! For the next year, Jenna stayed far more organized than Chipp moving from place to place. When she needed something, she knew exactly where it was and could quickly reach into her bag to grab the relevant cube. Chipp, on the other hand, tended towards the let-me-just-rifle-through-everything-to-find-a-single-item approach…

As with most of our experiences, Jenna was right and Chipp was wrong, a point solidified when, after returning home, he asked to borrow the packing cubes for a solo trip!

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