Have you ever gotten to your hotel room after a long trip and needed to pull out just one item and found that item is invariably at the bottom of everything you packed? Or have you ever packed and repacked everything in your bag as you’ve gone from one hotel room to another and thought there had to be a better way? If so, travel packing cubes may be for you.
For everyone not familiar with these handy items, travel packing cubes are lightweight, rectangular bags with “suitcase” openings that fit in your travel bag. Think of them as drawers you bring with you on your trip. Packing cubes are not only space savers but also keep you organized and, with the right packing methods, can also help reduce the possibility of wrinkled clothing.
As frequent business travelers ourselves, we think the top benefits of using packing cubes include:
- Organizing your clothes
- Optimizing packing space in your bag
- Easy packing and unpacking
Packing Cube Tips and Travel Hacks
Choose an organization strategy
The key to organizing your bag is choosing the right packing strategy for you. At Knack, we found three basic helpful strategies that help us organize the things we bring on our business trips:
Pack by Day - Packing the business outfits for each day of your trip in separate packing cubes makes sure you don’t forget anything as well as makes it much easier to pack and unpack in your hotel room. Additionally, at the end of the day, you can easily keep the day’s dirty clothes from your yet-to-be-worn clean clothes.
- Pack by Occasion - Will you be in business meetings all day and working out at the gym in the late afternoon? Pack your business attire in several large cubes and your workout clothes in another.
- Pack By Category - Similar to how you would organize your closet at home, pack similar items in the same cube. For example, pack your pants in one cube, shirts in another, socks and underwear in another, and so on.
Knack Hack: Packing Cubes aren’t only for clothing. You can also fill them with accessories, cords, cosmetics, batteries, games, snacks, etc.
Optimize Packing Space
The consensus among the Knack team is to roll everything you put in travel packing cubes to maximize space. Check out our tips for those items that simply don't fit into most cubes, like suits or jackets. Look for packing cube options that can easily expand and compress to save space and pick the best-fitting cube combinations for your business travel needs.
Knack Hack: It’s nearly impossible to avoid all wrinkles. Our tried and true travel hack is to hang your clothes in the bathroom after unpacking, turn on the shower, and let the steam take care of the wrinkles for you.
Easy Packing and Unpacking
Packing cubes are like mobile drawers. You pack them at home and once you reach your destination, simply remove them from your bag and place them in your drawer. Like a drawer at home, you want to see what’s in each cube. So make sure you choose packing cubes with lids made of see-through mesh material so you can easily view the items you’ve packed. Mesh lids also help you to only open the cubes that contain the things you need avoiding having to unpack everything at your destination.
Knack Hack: If you have the space and are planning to do a little shopping while away, throw in an empty cube while you’re packing and pop your purchases in before you head home.
Know which size is best for your items
There are various styles, shapes and sizes of packing cubes on the market today. However, we’re kind of proud of the cubes we designed at Knack. Not only are they constructed of lightweight, yet strong, ripstop nylon with a convenient see-through mesh lid, they also can compress their contents by over 60% with a simple zip to maximize packing space in your bag. We’ve also created several specially-priced bundles of these great cubes to specifically fit how you want to pack.
- Medium Packing Cubes - best for belts, tees, socks, and undergarments, or small non-clothing items like batteries, chargers, and toiletries.
- Large Expanding Packing Cube - best for dress shirts, skirts and pants.
- Expandable Packing Insert - best for full outfits, as well as bulky items like suits, blazers and vests.
- Packing Cube Bundles - provide you with several options for organizational travel.
Knack Hack: Lay out all of the items you plan to pack flat on the floor or on a bed and then group your items by category - clothes, undergarments, accessories, etc. to decide how many and what size packing cubes you need.
Read more about how to use packing cubes to keep an organized backpack on your business trip here.
Best travel hacks from our Knackpackers
Below are real life examples of how Knackpackers use their Knack compression cubes for business travel.
“They fit perfect in my knack bag and have just enough space to pack all of the clothes I need for indefinite minimalist travel.”
- Nick S, Tampa Bay, Florida
“Knack packing cubes reduces the number of decisions I need to make on a trip. They make it easy to have a tidy system for clothes and toiletries and also make the return trip easier--I just put my dirty clothes in an empty cube and toss those clothes in the wash when I arrive at home.”
- Lorina A, Montgomery, AL
“They are so convenient and pack away flat and I just leave them in my suitcase in between adventures. I’ve taken them on business trips and camping trips. So helpful”
- Jackie M, Gainesville Florida
“It changed the way I travel. I always fold them neatly or rolled them up. Ever since Knack gave me a packing cube, I was able to free up some space when placing them in the cube. I usually take everything out of my bag and throw them on the ground to find what I want to wear, however the packing cubes really allow you to be in control of the items that you've packed. It revolutionized what it really means to travel. I will always be thankful to this company for pushing me in the right direction of comfort and efficiency.”
- Harrison N, Las Vegas, Nevada
We want to hear from you.
We’d love to hear your best travel hacks for using Knack Packing Cubes and Knack Packs. Drop us a line at support@knackbags.com and we’ll share your comments with fellow Knackpackers in a future blog. Don’t forget to tag pics of you and your packed Knack Pack with #knackbags and post to social media!
