WHEN you’re backpacking, it's important to keep everything organised, and the best packing cubes for backpacking will enable you to lay your hands on whatever it is you need at the very moment you need it.
You don’t want to be scrambling around in the bottom of your rucksack for your toothpaste or socks, having to empty everything out to find them in front of total strangers. Embarrassing or what.
Available in different sizes, packing cubes are truly wonderful inventions for any kind of travel, but when you’re backpacking and you don’t have the luxury of a suitcase or masses of space in your bag, we’d say they’re a necessity rather than just nice-to-have.
The best packing cubes also have mesh fronts so you can find what you’re looking for straight away without any faff.
Not only do they allow you to keep different types of clothes separate from each other, but some allow you to compress the contents, saving space as well.
Read on for our roundup of the best packing cubes for backpacking in 2023.
Best packing cubes for backpacking at a glance:
- Best sustainable packing cubes: Travel Dude Compression Packing Cubes
- Best value packing cubes: GZBtech travel packing cubes
- Best performance packing cubes: Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set
- Best for vegans: Nordace Sienna II Compression Packing Cube
- Best compression packing cubes: Easypackpro Compression Packing Cubes
Geediar travel luggage packing organisers
- Geediar travel luggage packing organisers, from £16.99 at Amazon – buy here
These packing cubes are bestsellers on Amazon and score highly in customer reviews. There are nine pieces included in the set, with three packing cubes with mesh fronts so you can see at a glance what’s in there, as well as a fourth cube that doesn’t have a mesh front.
You also get a toiletry bag that’s big enough to fit quite a few essentials in, a laundry bag, a small zipped bag for personal items such as keys, wallet and charger, and a shoe bag. You even get a cute toothbrush cup.
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Material: polyester Number of pieces: 12 Colours: pink, black, grey, blue or beige
GZBtech travel packing cubes
- GZBtech travel packing cubes, from £16.99 at Amazon – buy here
You get 12 pieces in this set, including small, medium and large cubes, a shoe bag, laundry bag, toiletry bag, a cube for your underwear, one for phone chargers and cables, and three extra bags – useful for wet clothes or towels.
The largest clothes cubes have a mesh front so you can see exactly what’s in each. When empty they each fold up really small so you could take a couple of extra cubes with you just in case you need them without adding extra weight.
They’re also water-resistant and three of the bags feature cute animal designs, which are great if you’re travelling with kids.
Material: polyester Number of pieces: 12 Colours: ice blue, black, grey or beige
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Travel Dude Compression Packing Cubes
- Travel Dude Compression Packing Cubes, £39.99 from Amazon – buy here
These packing cubes are made from recycled plastic bottles, so they score well in the sustainability stakes, which is important for many of us.
There are six cubes or ‘panniers’ in the set, the largest of which has a waterproof compartment for wet clothes, a great addition to any packing system. These are also compression cubes, so your clothes are squashed flatter thanks to the extra zips, saving space in your backpack.
You also get a laundry bag, which doubles as a sports bag.
Material: recycled PET Number of pieces: 7 Colours: olive green, marine blue, wine red or mixed colour pack
Nordace Sienna II Compression Packing Cube
- Nordace Sienna II Compression Packing Cube, £26.99 at Nordace – buy here
Nordace makes backpacks for adventurous travellers so you know its packing cubes are going to be ideal no matter where you’re going or what type of trip you’re on.
The Siena II is made from water-resistant polyester and microfibre vegan leather, which is eco-friendly and long-lasting. It features a double-zip, which compresses your clothes, effectively removing the air and reducing the space needed to store the cube in your bag.
Sold individually, the Sienna II measures 25 x 21 x 8.5cm and is available in 10 colours, including red, blue, black and acqua
Material: polyester and microfibre vegan leather Number of pieces: 1, Colours: various colours
Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set
- Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set, £42 from John Lewis – buy here
This Osprey set will go down well with any serious hiker or traveller. It comprises one each of small, medium and large packing cubes, constructed from lightweight, 100% recycled 40D high-tenacity nylon.
Osprey has been an expert in backpacks since Mike Pfotenhauer founded the company in California back in 1974. Its products incorporate quality and innovation, with performance fabrics and moisture-wicking mesh panels.
The company offers a guarantee against defects in its products and as part of its commitment to the environment, repairs rather than replaces products where possible.
Material: 100% recycled nylon Number of pieces: 3 Colours: black and waterfront blue
Easypackpro Compression Packing Cubes
- Compression Packing Cubes, £29.99 for four from Easypackpro – buy here
The double zip on these cubes compresses the contents, creating 20% more space, says Easypackpro. Simply place your clothes inside, close the first zip then close the second zip, which effectively squashes the cube – similar to the way the expanding section of a suitcase works. Compressing your clothes also helps keep them crease-free.
These cubes are durable and made from water-resistant polyester with YKK ripstop zips. Of course, they’re also lightweight and fold up really small when you’re not using them. They’re ideal for organising your packing.
Choose from four (small, medium, large and extra large), eight or 12-cube packs, available in four colours.
Material: water-resistant premium polyester Number of pieces: 4, 8 or 12 Colours: blue, black, red and green
Away The Insider Packing Cubes
- The Insider Packing Cubes, £45 for four from Away – buy here
Away makes amazing suitcases and its packing cubes complement these, being available in the same great colours. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t use them in a backpack when you’re not travelling with your suitcase as they keep everything organised and to hand, just as you’d expect.
Each pack of four contains a small wide, medium slim, medium wide and large slim cube. They’re made from water-resistant nylon and have a mesh top so you can easily see what’s packed in there.
It's also available as a set of six cubes.
Material: water-resistant nylon Number of pieces: 4 or 6 Colours: coast, petal, sand, green, asphalt, black and navy
Mountain Warehouse Packing Cubes
- Mountain Warehouse Packing Cubes, £14.99 from Mountain Warehouse – buy here
This set of four packing cubes is currently a bargain with almost 40% off.
The cubes are lightweight and come in three sizes, with a zipped pouch for personal items or toiletries, medium and large cubes for clothes and a bag that you could use for laundry but would work equally well for a spare set of walking or trail shoes – ideal for hiking trips.
They’re ideal for organising your packing without having to empty the contents of your kit on the floor to find your favourite t-shirt.
Material: not specified Number of pieces: 4 Colours: navy with orange zips
Eagle Creek Pack-It Starter Set
- Eagle Creek Pack-It Starter Set, £65 from Rohan – buy here
This packing set from Eagle Creek contains two compression cubes – one small cube, which is ideal for socks, underwear and t-shirts, as well as one medium cube, which is big enough for jeans, base layers or sweatshirts. It also contains a large reveal folder with a mesh front and a board for folding shirts, complete with instructions.
The polyester fabric is ripstop, lightweight and treated with an anti-microbial agent to combat odour. Also, because the fabric is translucent you can see easily what you’ve packed where.
Material: packing cubes are antimicrobial 50D HT diamond ripstop poly, the folder is 100% recycled 300D embossed poly micro-weave and double-diamond poly mesh Number of pieces: 2 Colours: black and Az blue grey
What is a packing cube?
A packing cube is a container that allows you to pack items in groups so you can easily find what you’re looking for in your backpack or suitcase.
They come is several shapes, including box-shaped, drawstring bags or pouches, zipped pockets and zipped bags. They also come in a range of sizes so are suitable for grouping items together – so for example, underwear and socks, t-shirts and shirts, trousers and fleeces.
The zipped bags are ideal for toiletries or small items, such as phone chargers and keys, while the drawstring bags are great for dirty laundry, as well as for keeping shoes separate from clothes.
When not in use they fold up really small, so are no problem to store. Some have a double zip so you can compress them after packing your clothes, saving space in your backpack and reducing creases.
Why do you need packing cubes for backpacking?
Packing cubes are great for backpacking because they make everything easy to find. Unlike a suitcase, which you can open flat and find what you’re looking for without too much trouble, backpacks tend to be taller and less wide, so contents are piled on top of each other. Using packing cubes means you won’t ever need to empty the contents of your rucksack to find what you need.
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Where to buy packing cubes
Packing cubes are widely available online. For our roundup we selected products from:
- Amazon
- Away
- Easypackpro
- John Lewis
- Mountain Warehouse
- Nordace
- Rohan
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