When we first stumbled upon packing cubes it was in preparation for a trip to Alaska. Alaska’s weather in the summertime can vary drastically during the day from 25 degrees to 70 degrees and it can alternate between rain or snow depending on where you are. Because of this we needed to focus on bringing layers and packing strategically.
Packing cubes seemed like the perfect option. They would let us keep our clothing organized in our backpacks and fit more layers into our bags by using the packing cubes compression feature. However, once we started researching the different packing cubes we were overwhelmed with options. This brought on the question, are name brand packing cubes worth it?
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Eagle Creek Specter Compression Cubes – 2 pc
Eagle Creek packing cubes are one of the most well known brands in this space. They have a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors, and features. We chose to buy the Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Compression Cubes (you can find them on Amazon here) because they could also be used as both normal packing cubes when they are uncompressed.
This particular set comes with two packing cubes in different sizes. The white color with green trim actually allows you to see (barely) what is inside the cubes when they are closed. This can be helpful if you have multiple cubes in the same size.
Gonex Brand Packing Cubes – 3 pc
The other set that we purchased were these Gonex brand packing cubes (found on Amazon here). At first glance they look very similar to the Eagle Creek brand, however, this set is much cheaper and comes with an additional small size packing cube.
Read More: Pros and Cons of Traveling with a Carry On Bag
How do they compare?
As you can see in this picture, the first main difference is the size. The Eagle Creek size Large is clearly larger than the Gonex size Large. However, the two mediums are the same.
Cost
The Eagle Creek set is fairly expensive and only includes two pieces. The Gonex set is much cheaper and includes 3 pieces.
Winner: Gonex
Sizing
The measurements below are all measured when the packing cubes are not full thus they may be off by .5 inches or so depending on how the material was laying.
Eagle Creek Full Cube vs Gonex Size Large
The Eagle Creek Full Cube is 14 inches by 10 inches by 1 inch thick when compressed. The compression feature expands to 4 inches, however, the material can flex and you can get additional stretch out of it depending on how much you pack inside.
The Gonex Size Large Cube is 12 inches by 9 inches by 1 inch thick and can also expand to 4 inches. It has identical compression to the Eagle Creek packing cube.
Eagle Creek Half Cube vs Gonex Size Medium
The Eagle Creek Half Cube is 10 inches long by 7 inches wide by 1 inch thick and expands to 4 inches thick when not compressed.
The Gonex Size Medium is also 10 inches long by 7 inches wide by 1 inch thick and expands to 4 inches thick.
Gonex Size Small
The Gonex comes with an additional small packing cube which measures 8 inches by 6 inches by 1 inch and can also expand when not compressed.
Winner: Tie
It depends if you need the larger packing cube for bigger items or if you could utilize the additional small cube from Gonex.
We would recommend if you’re deciding between sizes to think about what you would want to pack inside each one. For example, if are you looking to put pants and shorts inside one and shirts inside another the one for bottoms would probably need to be a little bigger.
Read More: Female Carry On Packing List
Quality
The Eagle Creek brand packing cubes material is a bit thinner and just feels slightly higher quality.
However, the Gonex packing cubes feel completely fine and I have no concerns about the quality.
Winner: Eagle Creek by a slight margin
Quantity
The Eagle Creek set comes with 2 pieces and the Gonex set comes with 3.
However, think about what you want to pack inside each packing cube. If you have no use for a 3rd cube it might not matter to you.
Winner: Gonex
Longevity
We have owned both sets for 2+ years now and they have been used on dozens of trips. Both sets are still in perfect condition.
Winner: Tie
Which set would we recommend?
Overall Winner: Gonex Packing Cubes
While the Eagle Creek packing cubes are truly a great set, the fact that they cost so much more for no noticeable benefit brings us to recommend the Gonex set.
There are numerous other generic brands on Amazon that sell seemingly identical packing cubes. While we have not tested these other brands they seem to be of similar quality/material to the Gonex set and would most likely perform the same.
