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So the hard part’s out of the way; after much turmoil, you’ve finally perfected your travel wardrobe and created a chic capsule collection – now it’s time to get packing! Which luggage accessories and packing organizers will work best for you?
How to Choose the Best Packing Organizers
Written By: Chantelle Mallin
Table Of Contents
Packing organizers have risen in popularity over the past years, with many traveling folks unable to imagine packing for a trip without them, (TFG included!). They allow optimum use of the space in your luggage, keeping everything organized and in place during your travels, and making the task of unpacking and re-packing your travel capsule wardrobe simple and stress-free.
The following guide looks through the top packing organizer types, allowing you to choose the ideal style for your personal travel itinerary.
There are a few types of packing organizers
Here, we’ll explore all of them in more detail.
Compass Rose Compression Packing Cubes
Packing Cubes
The packing cubes come in two different sizes: slim and regular. Slim packing cubes like the Compass Rose featured above can be packed next to each other, perfect for carry-on luggage, backpacks, and travel duffels. The regular cubes are large square shapes, ideal for a regular size or large suitcase.
Every traveler’s favorite luggage accessory is the packing cube! Coming in a wide variety of sizes and colors, travel packing cubes are mesh and fabric containers that organize your luggage allowing you to pack efficiently.
Watch this video and learn how to use packing cubes for carry-on travel
Follow this video tutorial to learn how to pack your belongings using packing cubes and save valuable space (think souvenir shopping).
Packing cubes are deemed the ultimate packing organizers. They allow you to maximize the space in your bag, even squeezing in none practical items such as bulky coats and leather items. They can also be used to store electronics and other fiddly bits such as power chords and cables. Similar products, such as underwear/ t’s/dirty laundry, can be packed together, meaning they can be easily found without much rummaging.
Planning a trek? The cubes are great for taking on day trips during your travels. Ideally, for storing items such as scarves, socks, and sleeping liners, they are also perfect for long flights or travel journeys, giving your easy access to comfort items such as clothing layers, travel pillows, and blankets.
The packing cubes can even be used when you’re back home. It allows you to neatly store clothes, maximizing small storage space – beneficial (if you’re like me) and your room is slightly size challenged.
TFG’s favorite are these packing cubes from Compass Rose. They’re our own brand!
Packing Folders
It holds up to 6 items of clothing, allowing you to fold and store bulkier items in a larger bag, freeing up valuable luggage space for other essentials.
These organizers feature instructions depicting the best folding methods for your items and a Velcro closure that keeps the clothing neatly folded and wrinkle free.
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Eagle Creek Travel Gear Luggage Pack-it Garment Folder
Travel packing folders are designed to maximize space and minimize wrinkles. It means they are a very popular option among business travelers. They are available in an array of sizes storing around 7 – 15 items (perfect for shirts and trousers that tend to crease easily) and fit perfectly into most carry on size luggage.
A packing folder is perfect if you dislike rolling your clothing. Simply use the board to assist with folding garments then store them flat within the packing folder, creating organization and structure within any bag, simple!
Take a spare packing folder to space to store your dirty laundry. It’s definitely more efficient than stuffing it into a laundry bag as it maximizes room in the luggage ensuring that the unlaundered clothing remains separate from your clean items.
The Dot&Dot Packing Folder, is a popular packing organizer with travelers and designed to fit in a carry-on size bag.
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Sea to Summit Compression Sacks
Compression Sacks
Compression sacks are the perfect packing organizers for travelers who need to pack bulky, trekking, and activity-based clothing items.
You simply stuff your clothes into the sack and compress, creating an easy, space efficient and flat packing aid. Compression sacks can be useful when packing with a top loading backpack. Check out the Sea to Summit Compression Sacks for light and durable packing aids.
Eagle Creek Pack It Specter Compression Cube Set
Planning a hike? The Eagle Creek compression sack set is great for compressing bulky items. Such as sleeping bags and camping gear, there are also waterproof versions available for water sport enthusiasts.
The bags are great for use at home, too, for storing out of season clothing efficiently and effectively until next year’s use.
Check out TFG’s guide on how to choose a travel backpack.
Additional Organizers and Luggage Accessories
We all know packing can be frustrating, so we want to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible. Below are some additional space-saving products to ensure your luggage is packed as efficiently as possible.
eBags Pack-it-Flat Toiletry Kit
Pack-it-Flat Toiletry Kit
The Pack-it-Flat toiletry kit from eBags is the ideal savior product for all those times you’ve packed your luggage, only to discover that you didn’t leave enough room for your toiletry products.
At only 2-1/4” thick, the Pack-it-Flat kit has the same ease of packing another pair of jeans, simple! It features four compartments to keep your essentials organized, an expansion zipper for packing flexibility and a removable hanging hook for versatile storage.
For more styles, check out TFG’s Top Toiletry Bags for Travel.
Travelon Set of 7 Packing Envelopes
Set of 7 Packing Envelopes
The sturdy PVC mesh set of packing organizers come in a variety of sizes providing storage for your toiletries, charger cables, cosmetics and other travel necessities, and features transparency providing easy viewing of its contents, a water resistant, easy clean design and zip closure to ensure contents remain secure.
Shoe Sleeves
The unisex shoe sleeves are designed to fit both women’s and men’s shoes, comfortably fitting up to a size 13. The pouches protect both shoes and clothing from dirt and debris and their stretchy, soft design allows you to fit your shoes easily and snugly into small packing spaces, bonus!
VASCO Travel Organizer/Toiletry Kit
Pack-It Complete Organizer
These packing organizers from VASCO make a great choice when packing for business trips, summer vacations, or out-of-town family holidays–or for dorm rooms or simply heading to the gym. They’re sleek looking and come in some lovely colors!
The slim toiletry kit offers ample space like with a large-size dopp kit, yet it folds flat, taking up about the same amount of space as a pair of jeans, perfect for space-saving placement in any suitcase or travel bag.
The solution for backpackers and travelers that are constantly on the go are toiletry bags with a hook! Check out our best hanging toiletry bags!
Ziploc Bags
These are the basic bags you use at home to store food or other items, but they still count as packing organizers! Many travelers prefer to use Ziploc bags because they’re cheap, clear, and you probably already have some at home.
Traveling without Ziploc bags is like traveling without your passport, it just can’t be done. Storing items in the clear bags ensures your suitcase remains organized; the transparency means products can be easily found without the need to up turn your entire luggage.
Ziploc bags can be used in a number of ways, such as:
- Protect your camera: A great way of protecting your precious travel camera in the rain.
- Document holder: Keep your passport/ travel money/travel insurance safe and sound all together in one place, no more rummaging in the depth of your bag.
- Jewelry pouch: Lost an earring? Store all your jewelry together in a sealable bag; it’ll save your favorite pieces from becoming lost.
- Cables store: The best way to store all your cables and chargers – stopping them from becoming tangled.
- Swimsuit bag: A great way of transporting your wet swimwear/towel from the beach back to the hotel. Alternatively, we also love these dry bags.
- Airport inspection bag: The easiest way of displaying your liquids for inspection at the airport, store in the front pocket of your luggage for easy access.
- Liquids storage: Who doesn’t hate a burst shampoo leaking all over their freshly packed luggage? Double bag your products in Ziploc bags to ensure you avoid the nightmare.
Travel Tip: Avoid using these bags if you’re planning to stay in a hostel. Don’t be that person crunching plastic when others are trying to sleep. Find out other hostel essentials and tips!
The Carry-On Caddy
This hooked caddy pouch from Misslo allows you to take your most important grooming products through airport security with ease. Fill with the interior with travel-sized products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, face or body cream, and more.
Grid-It Organizer
The perfect packing organizer to keep all your small necessities such as cosmetics/electronics/phone/iPod etc. together and perfectly organized, freeing up valuable space in your luggage. This unique packing aid features loops, pockets, and pouches to store all your essential accessories making it the perfect organizer for the gadget aficionado.
Travelon Set of 2 Compression Packing Bags
Compression Packing Bags Set
This Travelon space-saver includes a reusable medium and large sack featuring an easy seal closure, the ability to be compressed without the need of a vacuum cleaner, an airtight and leak-proof design. The bags are great for making the most room out of the least space!
Here’s a quick review on each luggage accessories and packing organizers for travel:
[wpsm_comparison_table id=”68″ class=”center-table-align”]
Which of these packing organizers will you choose to organize your clothing?
For more tips and ideas on packing organizers, please read:
- Packing Cubes Video Tutorial: Learn How to Pack Light
- Packing Clothes for Travel: How to Organize like a Pro
- How to Use Packing Cubes: 8 Step Strategy to Travel Carry-on Only
- Alternate Uses for Packing Cubes – Organize your Closet Space!
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Love these travel organizers. Travel light and helps me find items quickly.
When will compass rose packing cubes be back in stock?
Hi JA, we have some on the way now. They should hopefully be available in time for Christmas 🤞
I love packing cubes! I’ve been using them for many years when packing my medium-sized suitcase. On my last trip I took carry-on only and I loved the freedom of it. Most of my current packing cubes are too big for a carry-on suitcase, so I’m definitely going to look into the Compass Rose cubes. They look to be the perfect size.
What is the best packing cube/system for bras/underwear?
Hi there, you could designate one packing cube just for your bras and underwear. I like to place my underwire bra along the right or left corner of a slim packing cube. This way the underwire follows the cubes edge and then I place underwear or socks in the space between the cups and the bottom of the cube, making sure I use all the space. I hope this helps! 🙂
My favorite is the Eagle Creek compression packing cubes. Expensive yet so handy! I’ve used the ebags brand and while they’re great, I don’t like the frame. The eagle creek ones I can at least compress down and squish to maximize even more space in my bag. I used to just use the packing cubes when I fly, but now I use them on weekend and overnight trips. It helps organize so I have “drawers” in a sense, in my suitcase and not rifling through my whole clothes in my suitcase.
Who travels without packing cubes anymore? I mean besides my husband who stubbornly refuses to use them. We never take anything bigger than a carryon, no matter how long were going for. I have several sets in different colors so it’s easier to find the cube I want.
Awesome!! Yes, I love packing cubes so much! They are so helpful! Thanks for reading Sharon!
Thank You for the info! Ive just ordered my first set of packing cubes! Woo!
Love this! I hope you like them Emma 🙂 I swear by them!
Great article, thank you! For a recent trip to Germany and Switzerland in the summertime (though we had to pack warm clothes for a trip to Zermatt), I SWEAR by the rolling method and then compression bags. I bought mine at REI. I had one for tops, one for bottoms, one for undergarments and one for scarves. When I arrived, I lifted out the four bags and could easily drop them into hotel drawers (if staying for a few days) or put them around my bag if staying for longer.
I agree that ziplocs are great for seeing things and keeping items together.
Any tips on charger cords. They are my NEMESIS.
Thanks again….
Hi Stacey, sounds like a great strategy. They are useful for so many things. As for cords, CableKeeps look like a good idea although I haven’t tried them: http://amzn.to/1xWURKQ You’ve just inspired me to order some though! I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
I use hair claws to keep cables and cords in order.
great idea!
I use Dot&Dot packing cubes and folders everytime I travel and they work really great! It’s refreshing to see my luggage so organized! 🙂
will check them out. thanks!
Any packing organizer will ultimately help you save space. I personally recommend these for anywhere and everywhere: https://travelfashiongirl.com/video-tutorial-how-to-pack-light-using-ebags-packing-cubes/
Also, this post might help with clothing: https://travelfashiongirl.com/what-to-pack-backpacking-south-east-asia-holidays/
So how do you deal with all the wrinkled cloths when you get settled.
I don’t really deal with them. If you watch this video choosing clothing with great travel fabrics is key to packing: https://travelfashiongirl.com/learn-the-secret-to-packing-light-in-60-minutes/
Wrinkled clothes and not over paking
I am in packing folders category 🙂
I know now the difference on how using packing cube and packing folder to pack light…for my family of 4. Thank’s a lot Alex 🙂
That’s great to hear! Congrats!
This is great—thank you! I’m definitely interested in the packing folders. I’ve never heard of them before, but they are exactly what I am looking for. Love this blog!
I have the ebags packing cubes (both slim and regular S,M,L size) and I LOVE them! I use them every time I travel now. If I am checking a bag, the M and L size go in that bag (along with anything else bulky, like big shoes etc) and the slim cubes and S size cube go in the carry on. Would never travel without them now! I also use compression bags sometimes if I need to pack thick things like winter coat, etc.
Yes, once you’ve used packing cubes you never go back! I sing their praises all day long 🙂
Are Ziplocs not the most versatile packing accessory ever? I use them for so many different things & always bring a few extra just in case!
I love packing cubes, I use them every trip. They are great!
I do agree!