Guides
How to Pack a Carry-On With Packing Cubes
Updated 17 September 2026
Packing cubes do not make your bag bigger. What they do is stop clothes from shifting and expanding, so the space you gained by folding tightly stays gained — and you can find one shirt without unpacking the whole case.
Sort by category, not by day
Group items by type: tops in one cube, bottoms in another, underwear and socks in a small one, and anything worn only in the evening in its own. Packing by day looks tidy on the first morning and falls apart by the second.
Give each cube a fixed job for the whole trip. When everything has a home, repacking each morning takes a minute.
Fold and load
Rolling suits soft fabrics such as t-shirts and knitwear. Flat folding suits shirts, trousers and anything you want crease-free.
- Roll t-shirts, loungewear and knitwear tightly and stand them upright in the cube so you see every item at once.
- Fold shirts and trousers flat and lay them in a separate cube, heaviest at the bottom.
- Fill the cube completely but do not force the zip — an overstuffed cube becomes round and wastes space in the case.
- If your cubes compress, close the main zip first, then the compression zip, pressing down evenly.
- Load the case with the heaviest cubes along the wheel end so the bag stays upright.
Use the gaps
Shoes go in last, soles facing the case wall, with socks or a charger pouch inside them. Slim items such as a laptop sleeve or documents slide down the flat side of the case.
Keep one cube half empty on the way out. That is your laundry cube on the way home, and it saves you buying a bag at the airport.
Staying inside the limit
Cabin limits are usually about weight as much as size. Wear your heaviest shoes and jacket on the plane, decant toiletries into small bottles, and weigh the bag at home rather than at the desk.
A simple rule that holds up: three tops for every bottom, one pair of shoes beyond the ones you wear, and no ‘just in case’ outfit.