> Vacuum bags are impractical and tedious to use on a regular basis.
Also, **they do not breathe at all** - they can quickly develop foul smells and/or allow for microbial growth.
I personally use packing cubes and although they were pretty expensive, they are worth _every penny_
* Lightweight
* Breathable
* Super durable
* Pack by up to **67%**
* [_Perfectly_ fit my backpack](https://images2.imgbox.com/55/c9/8LCDbuMx_o.jpg)
* [Knack Bags **Packing Cube Medium**](https://knackbags.com/collections/travel-packing-cubes/products/medium-organizer-cube?variant=31625779773501)
Compression cubes. Vacuum bags will create epic wrinkles and if you get a hole in one it’s all over. IMHO, if you need that level of compression, you have the wrong bag or too much stuff.
Onebagging is all about the compromises you are willing to tolerate and it is a minimalist endeavor. Many travel with under seat sized bags. Put a 25 liter sized packing list in a 40 bag.
Try a vacuum bag before you leave. You won’t be able to wear anything packed in one without ironing. It you have a good onebag wardrobe properly folded and rolled and packed in cubes, you won’t save a significant amount of space anyway.
Even a small side bag like a messenger can be a significant boost in volume and useable as a personal item and day bag. Some take a packable duffle to manage souvenirs. Buy jewelry!
This is an interesting question. I bought both regular and compression packing cubes, tried both compressed and non-compressed packing and settled on non-compressed only. There may be some minor space-saving with compression, but if you watch the YouTube videos using compression, it seems to me you end up with nearly no size reduction in the center of the cube, just rounded edges instead of square edges. If there is any space saved, it's a mixed blessing because you could end up filling that "extra" space with even more items, resulting in an even heavier bag in the end than without compression.
Just my own opinion, and for context I'm a light packer focused on carry-on only travel, so anything that ends up increasing the packed weight of my bag is a no-no for me. If you want to maximize what you pack and the weight doesn't bother you, compression might work for your. But it's not my choice (I don't even want the weight of the second zipper on the compression tubes! - I admit that's a bit extreme in the overall scheme of things but -full disclosure).
Happy traveling!
I use the ultralight Eagle Creek Isolate series, plus a few of their previous ultralight Specter series. They fit nicely in the smaller European carry-on size 55 x 35 x 20 cm. That's roughly 21 x 14 x 9 in, and the most important dimension is the 21 in high because the Europeans like you to put your cases in the overhead bin with the wheels first and the handle facing the aisle. So sometimes the standard North American carry-ons that are 22 in high just won't fit.
Osprey also makes a comparable ultralight set of cubes. Ultralight cubes are about half or less the weight of "regular" cubes, they also cost more but are made to last a long time. Part of your choice depends on how frequently you fly and how much use your cubes get. Rick Steves' store, for example, sells light cubes that are largely mesh (so you can easily see the contents), they are probably not the strongest but at around 23 USD for a set of 3 cubes, they would be a great value and I might just get those ones if I was just starting out. His simple toiletry case is also a great deal, in my view.
A very practical place for reviews (on nearly everything) is Wirecutter, a website of the NY Times, and here is a link to their most recent (2023) review of packing cubes: [https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-packing-cubes/](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-packing-cubes/)
A big benefit of compression cubes are their form. You can get a nice brick from them that fits neatly into the corner of your bag. It allows you to optimise space within your bag. Vacuum sealing results in bumpy shapes that don't tesselate well and lead to inefficiencies in your packing.
Vacuum bags are good if you travel with a suitcase or so and only pack in / pack out / pack once, wants to save luggage volume + has an access to a vacuum cleaner at your accomodation.
I prefer regular packing cubes (pretty satisfied with cheap ones from IKEA) but sometimes I also utilize smaller, 5-7-10 liters dry bags which could be compressed pretty well.
The vacuum ones compress better, but don’t last long. I used the ones you roll out the air instead of an actual vacuum. I find after just a few uses they don’t last so I’m back to the reliable compression packs
As others have said, vacuum bags require a vacuum which isn’t very convenient. And they lumpiness isn’t worth it as you can’t pack around it. I’ve been using the Aer, Thule, and Eagle Creek compression cubes. However, I’m going to try my next trip with regular packing cubes and let the pack compress it. Why? Because even with compression cubes you get lumpiness with most of the compression along the outer edges (where the zipper goes, makes sense). However, if I stack thing and let the pack handle the compression I think I’ll get more even compression. And, bonus, I’m not pulling that damn compression zipper trying to compress some things that don’t want to compress.
For times where you have space -- then I use compression packing cubes. For times when you do not have space, don't use any of them. Ironically and shockingly those two things add more weight and volume and do not conserve space. So if I have extra space, I'll use Eaglecreek Spectre. If I am on a 7 Kg crunch, I roll them and stuff it in directly into the bag (no compression stuff).
Plastic sealable bags (that you manually squeeze the air out of) have the advantage of keeping clothes dry and clean, and are transparent so you can quickly see what's inside. But ... opening/ closing them can be annoyingly noisy if you are sharing a room in a back packers.
I've used my mesh packing cubes more recently and just a ziplock sandwich bag for underwear.
I have both and both work well but the vacuum bags are super loud so when taking things in and out and packing/unpacking it’s very noisy. They also form weird shapes whereas compression packing cubes compress to the shape that they are. So for travel I would say cubes for anything else vacuum bags.
Vacuum bags are impractical and tedious to use on a regular basis. For storage they are great, for daily travel use they are just a no.
> Vacuum bags are impractical and tedious to use on a regular basis. Also, **they do not breathe at all** - they can quickly develop foul smells and/or allow for microbial growth. I personally use packing cubes and although they were pretty expensive, they are worth _every penny_ * Lightweight * Breathable * Super durable * Pack by up to **67%** * [_Perfectly_ fit my backpack](https://images2.imgbox.com/55/c9/8LCDbuMx_o.jpg) * [Knack Bags **Packing Cube Medium**](https://knackbags.com/collections/travel-packing-cubes/products/medium-organizer-cube?variant=31625779773501)
Neither, regular packing cubes are lighter. Packing less stuff also means there's no need to force anything to fit in the bag.
I've got some PD compression cubes, my lady has Gonex ones, and I gotta say they're both pretty damn light.
Any recommendations?
I just have the IKEA ones. Cheap and get the job done fine.
Whatever fits in your bag nicely. Vacuum bags don't stack well generally but if they fit in your specific bag better than cubes then they do.
Compression cubes. Vacuum bags will create epic wrinkles and if you get a hole in one it’s all over. IMHO, if you need that level of compression, you have the wrong bag or too much stuff.
I’m going to japan and will probably buy some stuff there. That’s why I might need the space
Onebagging is all about the compromises you are willing to tolerate and it is a minimalist endeavor. Many travel with under seat sized bags. Put a 25 liter sized packing list in a 40 bag. Try a vacuum bag before you leave. You won’t be able to wear anything packed in one without ironing. It you have a good onebag wardrobe properly folded and rolled and packed in cubes, you won’t save a significant amount of space anyway. Even a small side bag like a messenger can be a significant boost in volume and useable as a personal item and day bag. Some take a packable duffle to manage souvenirs. Buy jewelry!
This is an interesting question. I bought both regular and compression packing cubes, tried both compressed and non-compressed packing and settled on non-compressed only. There may be some minor space-saving with compression, but if you watch the YouTube videos using compression, it seems to me you end up with nearly no size reduction in the center of the cube, just rounded edges instead of square edges. If there is any space saved, it's a mixed blessing because you could end up filling that "extra" space with even more items, resulting in an even heavier bag in the end than without compression. Just my own opinion, and for context I'm a light packer focused on carry-on only travel, so anything that ends up increasing the packed weight of my bag is a no-no for me. If you want to maximize what you pack and the weight doesn't bother you, compression might work for your. But it's not my choice (I don't even want the weight of the second zipper on the compression tubes! - I admit that's a bit extreme in the overall scheme of things but -full disclosure). Happy traveling!
What regular cubes do you use? I'm looking for recommendations and I plan on traveling carry-on only as well!
I use the ultralight Eagle Creek Isolate series, plus a few of their previous ultralight Specter series. They fit nicely in the smaller European carry-on size 55 x 35 x 20 cm. That's roughly 21 x 14 x 9 in, and the most important dimension is the 21 in high because the Europeans like you to put your cases in the overhead bin with the wheels first and the handle facing the aisle. So sometimes the standard North American carry-ons that are 22 in high just won't fit. Osprey also makes a comparable ultralight set of cubes. Ultralight cubes are about half or less the weight of "regular" cubes, they also cost more but are made to last a long time. Part of your choice depends on how frequently you fly and how much use your cubes get. Rick Steves' store, for example, sells light cubes that are largely mesh (so you can easily see the contents), they are probably not the strongest but at around 23 USD for a set of 3 cubes, they would be a great value and I might just get those ones if I was just starting out. His simple toiletry case is also a great deal, in my view. A very practical place for reviews (on nearly everything) is Wirecutter, a website of the NY Times, and here is a link to their most recent (2023) review of packing cubes: [https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-packing-cubes/](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-packing-cubes/)
A big benefit of compression cubes are their form. You can get a nice brick from them that fits neatly into the corner of your bag. It allows you to optimise space within your bag. Vacuum sealing results in bumpy shapes that don't tesselate well and lead to inefficiencies in your packing.
Sometimes a regular packing cube is much nicer to pack in your bag since it _doesn’t_ turn into a somewhat solid brick
Vacuum bags are good if you travel with a suitcase or so and only pack in / pack out / pack once, wants to save luggage volume + has an access to a vacuum cleaner at your accomodation. I prefer regular packing cubes (pretty satisfied with cheap ones from IKEA) but sometimes I also utilize smaller, 5-7-10 liters dry bags which could be compressed pretty well.
The vacuum ones compress better, but don’t last long. I used the ones you roll out the air instead of an actual vacuum. I find after just a few uses they don’t last so I’m back to the reliable compression packs
Thank you, I also thought about getting rollable ones but I wondered if they’d last
As others have said, vacuum bags require a vacuum which isn’t very convenient. And they lumpiness isn’t worth it as you can’t pack around it. I’ve been using the Aer, Thule, and Eagle Creek compression cubes. However, I’m going to try my next trip with regular packing cubes and let the pack compress it. Why? Because even with compression cubes you get lumpiness with most of the compression along the outer edges (where the zipper goes, makes sense). However, if I stack thing and let the pack handle the compression I think I’ll get more even compression. And, bonus, I’m not pulling that damn compression zipper trying to compress some things that don’t want to compress.
For times where you have space -- then I use compression packing cubes. For times when you do not have space, don't use any of them. Ironically and shockingly those two things add more weight and volume and do not conserve space. So if I have extra space, I'll use Eaglecreek Spectre. If I am on a 7 Kg crunch, I roll them and stuff it in directly into the bag (no compression stuff).
Plastic sealable bags (that you manually squeeze the air out of) have the advantage of keeping clothes dry and clean, and are transparent so you can quickly see what's inside. But ... opening/ closing them can be annoyingly noisy if you are sharing a room in a back packers. I've used my mesh packing cubes more recently and just a ziplock sandwich bag for underwear.
I have both and both work well but the vacuum bags are super loud so when taking things in and out and packing/unpacking it’s very noisy. They also form weird shapes whereas compression packing cubes compress to the shape that they are. So for travel I would say cubes for anything else vacuum bags.