Here’s My Secret to Fitting Twice As Much Stuff in My Luggage

Packing cubes are fantastic for organizing clothing by type, outfit, or person. I used them a lot when my kids were younger, since I could pack both of their clothes into one suitcase while easily distinguishing the older kid’s stuff from the younger kid’s stuff. (This prevented the bigger kid from accidentally wearing two-sizes-too-small underwear all day.) But these zippered rectangular bags are great for sorting anyone’s clothes into neat, tidy parcels that can lie flat in your suitcase.

The REI Co-op cubes are about the same size, shape, and price as some of our other recommended packing cubes, like the Eagle Creek Pack-It Reveal Cube Set, but they have a bonus feature that gives them an edge for an overpacker.

While most packing cubes have just one zipper to open and close them, the REI Co-op cubes have two. The extra zipper in the middle opens up the cube like an accordion to nearly double the storage space, allowing you to stuff more in than you thought possible. According to the manufacturer, the cubes adjust from 3.5 liters up to 6 liters (small); 8.5 liters up to 13 liters (medium); and from 14 liters up to 21 liters (large).

I’ve managed to fit twice the number of T-shirts in a medium cube and a couple extra dresses in a large cube than in a non-expandable packing cube. And all you have to do to compress the cube is push on the bag and zip it closed.

Even though the packing cubes might be stuffed to the brim, my items are still wrinkle-free when I pull them out. One technique helps with that: Stacking the cubes along the bottom of your suitcase allows them to continue lying flat, which helps avoid the wrinkles your clothes would get if they were packed regularly. Though the best way to reduce wrinkles is to make sure you fold the clothes to the size of the packing cube, which was confirmed by @thetravelmentors (video) on Instagram.

The cubes can then be repurposed to hold dirty clothes accumulated over the length of the trip, making it easy to unpack by simply emptying the contents of my packing cubes straight into the washing machine once we arrive home.

It’s also really nice that this particular set comes with REI’s satisfaction guarantee, which means you can return or exchange a new item for up to a year.

While these cubes have given me the opportunity to pack more things more neatly than before, it’s important to respect the compression.

Senior staff writer Kit Dillon, author of our guide to the best packing cubes, sums it up perfectly: “If you overpack or pack unevenly, after you zip the compression panel shut, you may end up with something shaped more like a football than a traditional cube.” This keeps them from lying flat and increases your chance of looking rumpled on arrival.

Our testers also said that the zippers can be “finicky to close,” which is an issue that exists in all cubes we’ve tested. I’ve never had a major problem with this, though zipping around the corner can sometimes need a little more oomph, especially if you’re overpacking.

The only other thing I’ll complain about is that the largest bag in some of the REI Co-Op sets is a slightly different color than the smaller two bags. I cannot fathom why this would be this way. I might be a disorganized overpacker, but I also like consistency.

The cubes are made of ripstop nylon, which helps prevent tags and snares. The bags themselves can be tossed in a cool wash cycle and air-dried, as you would with any nylon fabric.

Be careful not to get the mesh caught on anything sharp. Some commenters online also noted that the previous version without the mesh top was superior in quality, but I like the mesh because it allows for some airflow and lets me see inside the cube without having to unzip it. I also haven’t had any issues with the mesh ripping or busting open.

I love objects that take the friction out of everyday life, that make things just a little easier, more manageable, or more organized. Things that bring out the best in us, especially when we’re a bit of a mess, are the best. Kit, our philosophical travel gear writer, agrees.

“A packing cube means you’re packing not only your clothes but also the actual feeling of being home. You might not notice it until you get to your destination and you’re easily unpacking back into drawers from your bag,” he says. “But that act of grounding and personal ritual is important in this life—especially while traveling by air, which is brutal and hellish and honestly probably disruptive to our spirits in ways we can’t fully measure or understand, but that makes it no less true.”

This article was edited by Alex Aciman and Maxine Builder.