My family recently spent the summer in Central America.
While I LOVE packing, and often spend months preparing and packing for a big family trip like our summer in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, my husband is typically way more organized than I am while we're on the road AND he usually packs the night before we depart.
As we were working through some last-minute packing before our big trip, my husband and I made a deal.
We decided that I would carry clothes and gear for my kids and myself in one pack, and my husband would carry his clothes and general family gear in the second pack. He hates dealing with the inevitable mess that usually results from what I pack for the whole family. Plus, he didn't mind the extra weight of swim gear, electronics and some extra shoes.
Fair enough, right?
My approach consisted of packing a minimal amount of clothes for everyone, really only the basics, and using plastic bags to keep things sorted and organized. My rationale was that I could use the plastic bags to keep dirty clothes separate from clean clothes, slightly wet swim suits on their own, and use the bags to carry shoes or even food that we were carrying along.
My husband invested in packing cubes for his clothes, electrical cords, toiletries and other gear.
Guess who had a better experience?
Without a doubt, my husband's pack was the absolute vision of order and organization throughout our trip. Mine was a total disaster and I was constantly unable to find what I was looking for. I may be the travel planning pro, but am certainly following my husband's lead and investing in packing cubes for family travel here on out.
Check out these packing cubes reviews and see for yourself why these three items are a MUST for any family travelers.
Eagle Creek Specter Starter Set Review
The Eagle Creek Specter Starter Set includes three items, including; the Pack-It Specter Garment Folder, the Medium Pack-It Spectre Cube and the Pack-It Specter Half Cube. I love the lightweight fabric used on the packing cubes. They feel solid yet surprisingly lightweight and clean.
The Pack-It Specter Garment folder works great for more delicate items, like dresses or collared shirts. I was surprised how well it keeps clothes from wrinkling, even when stuffed into a backpack. You can easily fit several shirts, both long sleeve and short, as well as a dress or larger garment in the cube.
The Medium Pack-It Spectre Cube can easily fit 9-10 tops or a combination of tops and bottoms. When packing for the family, we try to keep tops and bottoms separate, and (now!) have one set for each member of the family, all in separate colors.
The Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Half Cube works really well for underwear and socks. I also used this in the swim bag all summer. The slippery fabric and bright color makes it really easy to reach into an overstuffed bag and find right away!
Overall, the Eagle Creek Pack-It Spectre Cubes helped us save space thanks to the compression of the cubes, keep clothes from getting too wrinkled and also keep us organized. These cubes are ideal for long-term travel because they are extremely lightweight, so won't add weight to your pack.
An added bonus is that the cube materials (ultralight silnylon ripstop, which is cilicone-impregnated nylon in case you're wondering!) is also water resistant. This certainly came in handy while traveling in Central America during the rainy season!
Traveling Light Garment Mesh Bag
While the Spector set of packing cubes are fab, the Sea to Summit Traveling Light Garment Mesh Bags with see through mesh also came in really handy for a number of reasons.
First of all, it was really easy to see what's inside, really important when you're getting kids ready for the day. Also, for things that we were wearing more than once, it kept things a bit fresher.
Again, these Traveling Light Garment Mesh Bags are ultra lightweight and durable. This rectangular zip organizer is constructed from strong, durable, and super-lightweight Ultra-Sil nylon, so while it considerably enhances the quality of your packing, it hardly affects the weight of your bag or pack. A two-way zipper wraps around three sides for easy packing, and the mesh top lets you see what's in the bag and lets a little air circulate around your clothes.
Heavy-Duty Hanging Toiletry Bag
Finally, the last item I was super jealous of my husband for was his Heavy-Duty Grand Trunk ATOM Hanging Toiletry Bag. I've purchased a few cheap ones at Target over the years, but they never seem to hold up the way I'd like.
The Grand Trunk ATOM Toiletry Bag is perfect for stashing a week's worth of toiletry items into one compact and convenient bag. It has a multifunctional attachment hook that can secure the bag closed, hang easily from a hanger or hook.
I loved the LED Light and Mirror included in this hanging toiletry bag as well for puttering around in the bathroom while kids slept in the same hotel room, or for quick freshening up in the car at night or early mornings.
This Grand Trunk Toiletry Bag is waterproof, including waterproof zippers to prevent leaks from entering your larger luggage or pack. It also features a custom buckle for myriad hanging options and 5 separate storage compartments.
A tough-wearing 600D oxford-nylon toiletry bag delivers everything you need to stay organized when you're traveling or camping. I know it's marketed as a man's bag, but it's truly unisex. When you're on the road, quality is more important, and this is seriously heavy duty!
(While I love the Camp Saver site for online travel gear shopping, this hanging toiletry bag is also available on Nordstrom.com in case you have notes to spend!)
Headed out for a family travel adventure? Want to purchase the perfect gift for a family that travels? This trio of packing cubes and gear is just the answer! We love our set up!