Rolling Outfits vs. Using Packing Cubes: What Actually Works Better?
When it comes to packing for a trip (whether it's a multi-city sprint or a laid-back holiday) everyone has their go-to method. For a long time, I swore by rolling my clothes inside packing cubes. It felt like the best of both worlds: neat, compressed, and somewhat organized. But lately, I've been rethinking the system.
After all, not everything fits perfectly into a cube. And worse, once everything is tucked away, you forget which cube holds what, and before you know it, you're digging through your bag like it’s a lucky dip. You’re basically undoing all that carefully packed order.
This seemed like the perfect chance to do a bit of a head-to-head comparison between rolling clothing, using packing cubes, and what’s recently become my preferred approach: a bit of both.
Rolling Clothes: The Space-Saving Puzzle
Pros:
Rolling your clothes helps you fit far more into your suitcase.
You can roll complete outfits together, which saves time when you're on the move.
Cons:
Once you start removing things, your neatly rolled puzzle can fall apart.
It’s harder to keep categories (like tops, bottoms, or sleepwear) distinct unless you're very intentional.
Rolling works particularly well when I want to live out of my suitcase without fully unpacking. I might do this when I’m city-hopping or only staying one or two nights in each place.
Packing Cubes: A Place for Everything?
Pros:
Packing cubes can keep things wonderfully compartmentalized, labelled, tidy, and stackable.
They’re great for categorizing: one cube for tops, one for undies, one for workout clothes, etc.
Cons:
Ironically, they can be inefficient. Their rigid shape often creates little unusable gaps around them.
The sturdier, better-quality cubes (the kind that actually hold their shape) can get expensive fast.
And unless you're traveling with a near-uniform wardrobe, the variety of clothes often throws the system off. You end up reinventing the cube setup every time.
After years of cube-based packing, I’ve realized that they work best for me as catchalls, especially for oddly-shaped or miscellaneous items like a hairbrush, souvenirs, or small electronics. They keep things from rattling around, but not necessarily from taking up space.
My Hybrid Packing Strategy (And Why I Love It)
These days, I mostly roll my outfits together and save the packing cubes for overflow or loose items. I keep the flatter side of my suitcase (the one without the telescopic handle) for clothes so they can lie neatly in rows. That way, I can just unzip the side I need, grab an outfit, and roll it back into place after laundry or wear. I also pack a few plastic bags for laundry or re-rolling worn clothes, which helps everything go back in the right spot.
What I love about this approach is that it’s flexible. I no longer need to guess how many sweaters will fit into one cube or get annoyed when I bring a bulky coat that throws off the entire configuration. I let the suitcase shape dictate the layout—not the cubes.
It’s particularly helpful when I’m hopping between cities or even neighborhoods. I rarely unpack entirely, and this system keeps things accessible without getting messy.
Final Thoughts
Packing cubes and rolling clothes each have their moment. If you're someone who likes to unpack and settle into a hotel room for a few days, cubes might be your best friend. But if you're constantly on the go and want to live straight from your suitcase, rolling might suit your style better.
Or, if you're like me, a mix of both might just be the sweet spot. Use cubes strategically, roll outfits for accessibility, and keep your system fluid enough to adapt to the season or type of trip.
Travel isn't one-size-fits-all, and neither is packing.