The time has come to figure out how to fit three months of sprawl into the back of Sassy the Disco and drive home to the East Coast.
So, let’s talk about packing cubes…These are hands down the best way to organize for a long trip, seconded only by compression bags. You can sort clothing by type, by day, by person (if you’re packing for more than one). I typically pack by type, let me show you what I mean.
Here’s all the packing items you’ll see in my pics in this post. Yes, the duffel is expensive, but if you’re a road warrior, these things are indestructible! (Yes, the links below are an Amazon ad, but I custom created it to show exactly the products I use in this post…and rely on heavily for most trips)
Ok, let’s get started. Hopefully you’re a little more organized than I am, but if any of you know me, you know my bedroom is always covered in clothes. At least this summer, I managed to keep them all contained in the closet, baby steps…I’m going to show you how to magically fit about 95% of the stuff in these two closets plus all the laundry I picked up from the fluff and fold today into that one Ogio duffel bag. The rest of it will be worn over the next two days and on the trip home and will be packed in a separate small duffel.
Yeah, I know, I should grow up and fold my clothes nicely. 
At least my suits are hung up!?
First decide how you’re going to divide up your items. I like doing it by type of clothing (T-shirts, tanks, pants, etc) because the size of the different items is generally the same and make packing them together pretty efficient. I like to use the rolling method for these cubes.
For my first magic trick, I’ll fit two suits, a separate pair of slacks, and 10 shells/work tops into a single large packing cube.
Roll all the tops and line them up 
Roll the slacks and put them down the side on the long edge 
Fold the jackets and lay on top 
Zip up the cube and smooth out any wrinkles and lumps
Roll it all up and keep going! I have cubes for dresses, workout clothes, T-shirts, tank tops, shorts and jeans, swim suits, underwear, bras, and socks. The large cubes are good for pants, heavier winter items, and anything you might want to fold and lay flat instead of rolling (like my suit jackets). The medium cubes are good for T-shirts, workout clothes, etc. The small and long rectangular ones are good for undergarments, socks, swimsuits (and I even use one for all the adapters and cables in my backpack.)
It’s all in the cubes! 
And they all zipped up!
Next, get out your suitcase or duffel. The large cube or two small cubes fit in a single layer in my hardside carry-on, but in my huge duffel, I can fit two large cubes in a single layer.
Two large cubes form a single layer 
This duffel fits 3-4 layers of cubes
Ok, so all but a couple outfits for work and travel are all in the bag. Now to get all the shoes in there. I have hiking shoes, two pairs of running shoes, seven pairs of flats, and two pairs of sandals that now have to fit in the bag. Yeah, I know it looks full, but there are always spaces around the edges and this bag has another compartment built into the top. So, I put all the flats along the edge, and the bigger shoes go into the compartment in the top.
That’s it, zip it up, put your accessories in the front pocket, and try not to throw out your back picking it up. You’ll be surprised at how much you can fit into your favorite bag (and how much it weighs) if you try the packing cube method.
NOTE: As an Amazon Associate, and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission from any products purchased from the links in this post. Seriously, I’m not in this for the money, but if I can offset the hosting costs, I’ll be a happy traveler!
