13 best packing cubes to keep your suitcase organised for travel in 2024

We’re not going to lie – we’re huge fans of Thule, a brand famous for roof boxes but which also does so much more. This packing cube double act didn’t disappoint – the material feels incredibly tough, and we loved the monochrome look, featuring a cream-coloured nylon with a black zip. The smaller cube was perfect for items such as socks, while the larger one is designed for items such as T-shirts, but both have a Tardis-like quantity, thanks to compression zips.

The best bit? The two zips are clearly distinguishable – the main zips are black, while the compression ones are white, which means no more fiddling around with the wrong ones. We were amazed by how much we could cram into both cubes, while added extras worth flagging include the abundance of hanging hooks and the Bluesign accreditation, which is awarded to items that embrace sustainable production techniques.

This cheap and cheerful packing cube does exactly what it says on the tin. The use of a semi-transparent mesh on one side meant it was easy to check the contents, and the large handle at the top made it easy to wrangle the cube out of our (overpacked) suitcase. It also meant we could sling it over hooks in our hotel room. The zip is one of the longest we’ve come across – it covers three sides (and a little bit more) of the cube, making it ridiculously easy to extract the contents. The sky-blue nylon added a welcome burst of colour to our largely monochrome luggage accessories, too.

While mesh packing cubes make it easy for you to see their contents, they could pose leak-related problems when housing toiletries.

That’s where Patagonia’s black hole cube comes in. Available in three sizes (we opted for the 6l version), it’s extremely tough, made with 100 per cent recycled ripstop polyester fabric, while a recycled TPU-film laminate means it’s a great option for leak-prone items.

The exterior zip wraps around three sides of the cube, which has one of the largest carry handles we’ve seen. The interior is also one of our favourites of any travel cube – it’s clamshell-style, with two large compartments, each covered with a zippered mesh panel.

There aren’t any mesh panels on these packing cubes, but their boxy design, rugged construction and stylish appearance (the material has the look of denim) more than make up for the lack of transparency. After all, as huge fans of these cubes, we’re firm believers in having a range of styles in our arsenal.

The set contains three packing cubes – small, medium and large. The material, a waterproofed polyester, is incredibly thick, and the zips cover three sides of each cube, making access a breeze. Another aspect we loved is how the two smaller cubes are designed to fit inside the larger one – although they also perform just as well when used independently.

Multiple (generously sized) hanging hooks and zips with extra-long grips meant it was love at first sight when it came to this packing cube, which has a zip covering three sides – perfect for easy access. It’s a compression-style cube, so there was plenty of space, although, it would have been great to see the zips in different colours, to make it easier to distinguish between the two sets.

Everything about this cube felt reassuringly tough, though – from the extra-thick material to the rubber seals over the zip pulls, which minimise the risk of fraying. A large area of mesh panelling on one side of the cube made it easy to see the contents, too.

The world’s your oyster when it comes to Peak Design’s packing cubes – choose from a small or medium cube, a shoe pouch or a set of three, six or eight cubes. We opted for the shoe pouch, and found the size to be spot-on – it was large enough to take a pair of size nine running shoes, and had enough give to allow us to squeeze in a couple of pairs of socks, too.

The material felt ultra-tough, although, we’d love to see areas of transparent material – jet-setters who travel with multiple pairs of shoes would no doubt agree. We’re adding extra points for the multiple hanging hooks (four in total) and the leather tag bearing the brand’s name, which offered an upgrade in the style stakes.

Why don’t more packing cubes look (and feel) like this one? The Tardis-like pakbox (we tried the 4l version) has the features we value most – generous areas of transparent mesh make it easy to get to specific garments, while reinforced areas not only ramp up the rigidity (we used it to store a stack of delicate dresses) but offer a certain toughness we haven’t seen in similar products.

It’s also got the holy grail – a zip that wraps around three sides of the cube. We love the addition of a carry handle, too.

Now for something completely different – albeit a concept we’re pretty impressed by. These aren’t so much cubes as mesh bags, but they offer a brilliant option for anyone keen to make the most of suitcase space. The bags’ squishiness means they can be squeezed into corners and fitted around other items, and a full mesh exterior meant we were still able to quickly see (and access) the contents.

They’re also incredibly versatile – we’ve lost count of the times we’ve misplaced items of clothing after using communal washing machines in homestays and hostels. Sound familiar? Avoid the trauma of laundry loss by simply placing items in one of these quick-drying bags before putting the entire shebang in the washing machine.

As we’ve mentioned, colours don’t add anything to quality, but there’s something wonderful about the brightness of this packing cube, which made the whole packing process somehow more enjoyable.

Colour aside, we also loved this one for its toughness, its sustainability (courtesy of Bluesign-approved fabrics) and the extra-large fabric handle.

Full disclosure – initially, we didn’t really see the point of adding handles to packing cubes, until we realised they’re a godsend when it comes to extricating said packing cubes from our (usually overpacked) suitcase. All too often, these handles are ridiculously small, but that’s not the case here.

First things first – don’t get too bogged down by the “shoe carry” moniker – although we ended up using it to store our trainers and prevent dirt rubbing onto clothing in our suitcase, we also used it for other items.

This cube has less rigidity than others in this round-up, but we found this to be a huge bonus – its squishiness came in incredibly useful when squashing in extra items of clothing (we’re notorious over-packers).

We were also smitten with the interior pocket, which we found useful for storing everything from items of jewellery to paperwork.

Yes, we’d have loved to see more areas of opaque mesh on this packing cube, but other features more than made up for it (call us fickle, but there’s something wonderfully stylish about its sleek, textured grey exterior).

Internal dividers proved invaluable during a longer-than-average holiday, which left us needing to separate our dirty laundry. Plus, the compression-style zip was a lifesaver when it came to cramming unexpected extras (read: holiday shopping) into our suitcase.

You’ll be hard-pushed to find more stylish luggage than the items produced by Briggs & Riley, and this packing cube set didn’t disappoint. But don’t assume it’s a case of style over substance – these cubes are great examples of ones packed with features that are often skipped.

The exterior’s combo of mesh sides and (surprisingly rigid) opaque areas strike the perfect balance between practicality and accessibility. We also appreciated the presence of the double zips and the fact the cubes could be unzipped on three sides, which cranked up the accessibility even more.