August 6, 2007 Tom's capacious cube
I used to think packing cubes were gimmicky, so I was a little stunned at what would fit in one packing cube and how useful they can be. The Tom Bihn Large Cube is made expressly for the Aeronaut carryon (see review) but, at 13.5 x 13.5 x 4.25, it will fit in almost any bag. And it holds a lot. Here’s what I got in one cube: two pairs of medium-weight pants, one long-sleeved dress shirt, one heavy wool shirt/jacket, and one t-shirt. If you pack purposefully you can fill up every square centimeter of the cube. The mesh and ripstop nylon zippered cube provides compression when fully packed, putting more clothing in less space. Plus a tightly-packed cube lends more shape and structure to a soft-sided bag than a mere pile of folded clothes can. My next project: develop a wrinkle-reducing bundle packing method for the cube.
Nice points: smooth zippers wrap around three sides for easy packing, mesh panels allow ventilation, well-made - just like the Aeronaut, reasonably priced at $18. There are a couple of other sizes and varieties available direct from tombihn.com.
BTW - here’s an account of Aeronaut packing by a convinced cube user.
Reader Comments (4)
Don't know if you saw this or not, but I posted an account with photos of packing my Aeronaut using packing cubes.
Thanks - I believe I did see it - but forgot! There's more on the TB forums than I can take in.
I'm dying to ask, have you developed that bundle method for a cube? I would love to know! My only problem with bundling is when the TSA inspector digs through it, and all my clothes are in a wrinkled pile when he hands my bag back! ;(
Not really - just roll the edges under a bit more to fit the cube. This keeps the wrinkles from the center of the shirt. As for the TSA problem, I can sympathize. They suggest layers. My cubes were only glanced at on my last trip. You might search the forums on Tom Bihn's site for suggestions.