Packing Cubes for Carry-On and Checked Bags: 2026's Best

How they compare

Feature	Best overallGonex Extensible Packing Cubes (4-piece set)	Best lightweightEagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Compression Cube Set	Best budgetSamsonite Travel Essentials Packing Cubes (Set of 5)
Cubes in the set	4 (XL, L, M, S)	2 (S, M)	5 (1 large, 2 medium, 1 small, 1 essentials)
Compression zip	Yes, on all four	Yes, on both	No
Biggest cube	44 × 33 × 9 cm	36 × 25 × 8 cm	46 × 30 × 14 cm
Fabric	Nylon	Recycled nylon	Polyester
Price	Check price	Check price	Check price

Which one is for you

You want one set that works in a carry-on or a big suitcaseGonex Extensible Packing Cubes (4-piece set)
You never check a bag and want the lightest cubesEagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Compression Cube Set
You're filling a big checked suitcase and want to spend the leastSamsonite Travel Essentials Packing Cubes (Set of 5)

What decides it

Three things to sort out before you pick a set.

Compression or plain

A compression cube has a second zip round its middle that presses your clothes flatter once it’s packed. Plain cubes are quicker to fill, and a big checked case often won’t need the squeeze.

Weight still counts

Compressing your clothes saves space, not weight. Flying with a cabin bag only? Check your airline’s limit before you fill the room you’ve saved. Qantas allows 7 kg in international Economy.

The sizes in the set

Measure the inside of your suitcase and compare it with the cube sizes. A set with a few sizes fills a case without gaps. Still choosing the case? See our light carry-on suitcases.

The picks

Why we chose each one, and who it suits best.

Best overallGonex Extensible Packing Cubes (4-piece set)

This is the set we’d reach for on most trips, whether you’re taking a cabin bag or a big case. You get four cubes in four sizes, from 25 × 19 cm up to 44 × 33 cm, and every one of them has a compression zip. Jeans and jumpers go in the biggest, T-shirts in the next one down, and underwear and swimwear in the medium and small ones. Each cube then closes up flatter once you’ve done up the second zip.

The fabric is a light rip-stop nylon, and each cube has a grab handle on top, so you can lift one out of the case without digging through the rest.

The biggest cube is the one to watch. At 44 × 33 cm it needs a fair bit of floor space, so measure the inside of a small carry-on before you count on fitting all four. If you only ever travel light, the Eagle Creek pair is smaller and lighter, at 136 g for the two. If you don’t need compression at all, the Samsonite set costs much less and gives you an extra cube.

What we like

Four sizes, and every cube compresses
A grab handle on top of each cube

Worth knowing

The biggest cube may not fit a small carry-on

Best lightweightEagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Compression Cube Set

If all you’re taking is a cabin bag, everything in it counts towards the weight limit, cubes included. These two weigh 136 g between them, and they’re made from Eagle Creek’s lightest packing cube fabric. It’s a recycled nylon you can partly see through, so you can tell the socks from the swimwear without opening anything.

The small cube is 25 × 18 cm and the medium is 36 × 25 cm. Both are 8 cm deep when you’ve packed them, and the compression zip takes them down to 2.5 cm, which is why they suit soft things you can squash: T-shirts, swimwear and a light puffer jacket.

You only get two cubes, though, holding 3 litres and 7 litres before you compress them, so in a big checked case they’ll only sort out one corner. It’s also the most expensive set here. For a full suitcase, the Gonex set gives you four cubes that compress, or the Samsonite set gives you five plain ones for less.

What we like

The two cubes weigh 136 g in total
They squeeze down to 2.5 cm deep

Worth knowing

Only two cubes, and the priciest set here

Best budgetSamsonite Travel Essentials Packing Cubes (Set of 5)

It’s the cheapest set here and gives you five cubes, so it’s the one we’d use to fill a big checked suitcase on a tighter budget. There’s a large cube at 46 × 30 × 14 cm, two mediums at 35 × 23 × 14 cm, a small one at 29 × 17 × 8 cm, and a little essentials cube at 20 × 12 × 8 cm that suits chargers and cables.

Every cube except the essentials one has a mesh front, so you can see what’s inside, and the zip runs round three sides, so the top opens wide while you pack. The polyester fabric resists water and dries quickly.

These don’t compress, so your clothes take up the same room they would without a cube. That’s fine in a checked case, where you’ve usually got more room to play with, but in a tight carry-on the Gonex or Eagle Creek cubes will squeeze in more.

What we like

Five cubes, including two medium ones
Mesh fronts show what's inside

Worth knowing

No compression zip

Final thoughts

Before you buy a set, measure the inside of the case you'll use and check that the biggest cube will lie flat in it. Then decide whether you need the squeeze: compression makes your clothes take up less room but doesn't make them any lighter, so it helps most in a carry-on where space runs out first.

The Gonex set suits most people, because its four compressing cubes work in a cabin bag or a checked case. The Eagle Creek pair suits light packers who never check a bag, and the Samsonite set suits anyone sorting a big suitcase who'd rather spend less.

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