Like many people, I wear clothes. I also sell them. Sometimes these clothes need to leave the house in a suitcase, and for that my family and I have joined the cult of packing cubes.
Packing cubes* have rocketed in popularity recently. They are on Tiktok and everything.
But with popularity comes choice. And with choice comes dodgy knockoffs.
I wanted to test them, so I bought 4 of the bestsellers from Amazon:
Please note: this article contains affiliate links.
Amazon Essentials 4-Piece Packing Cubes
Samfolk Compression Packing Cubes for Suitcases
BAGAIL Packing Cubes for Suitcase
Toifucos Travel Packing Cubes
These all have thousands of reviews. You're probably going to buy one of them. But which one?
Spoiler: it's this one.
*Packing cubes are not actually cubes. They are cuboids.
How did we test?
By packing the packing cubes very full.
Unlike many other products, packing cubes will live and die by one key part: the zip.
If you overfill it, the zip will break. And then the packing cube turns into more of a packing oyster. I.e. useless.
We took similar sized cubes and filled them full of t-shirts to get an idea of their robustness.
We also judged them based on their value and their design and other features.
This gave us the following criteria:
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Build Quality: how solidly made are the packing cubes, especially at the zip.
- Design & features: some came with mesh, some didn't. Then there were various types of bag, including compression (more on that later).
- Price: they ranged from £8 to £22. Please note: all prices were correct at time of writing on 28th January 2026.
Best packing cubes in the UK
Amazon Essentials 4-Piece Packing Cubes
| Build Quality | 4/5 |
| Design & Features | 4/5 |
| Price | £7.95 - £20.99 |
The Amazon Essentials are the best packing cubes. They’re robust, good value, and have all the features you need (without the ones you don't).
The material and zip felt solid and well-made. The mesh stretches, so there's a bit of give when you’re packing. In fact, they're probably the second most premium on this list, which is surprising in a good way.
They're also great value.
It's hard to give a solid price for them, as the Amazon packing cubes are available in lots of different combinations of sizes. I bought 4 medium in brat green, because they were on offer and I don't care about the colour.
This flexibility is a big bonus compared to the other packing cubes. The others come in packs of eight, but five of them are small, or washbags, and you can't help feel like the overall package has been padded out a bit with less valuable bags. With Amazon you can pick exactly what you need.
Overall, Amazon Essentials won for me. But they won't for everyone…
Samfolk Compression Packing Cubes for Suitcases
| Build Quality | 5/5 |
| Design & Features | 4/5 |
| Price | £21.99 |
Samfolk are the most premium packing cubes on the list, and have the most thought in their design.
If Amazon Essentials are basic, then the Samfolk are all-singing all-dancing.
The zips are really solid. They have a compression feature. They have little icons on each bag. They are waterproof.
These are all Good Things, all of which make for great pub chat.
But… do they matter?
Apart from the build quality, I wasn't sure I needed the other features.
I’m sure people will argue with me about compression, but I didn't see the point. Yes it compresses them, but it just pushes them into the middle.
They are waterproof-ish.
But then so is my suitcase so I'm not sure what the point is? Especially seeing as they give up the mesh. My wife immediately discounted them, because you can't see what's in them.
I’m being a bit nitpicky. They're very well made packing cubes, and a good price, and the best looking, but I think Amazon's pip them on value.
BAGAIL Packing Cubes for Suitcase
| Build Quality | 3/5 |
| Design & Features | 4/5 |
| Price | £19.99 |
Another pack of eight, very similarly priced to the Samfolk.
The zip was solid, and the material was very thin, which could be a good thing if you're really struggling for space in the bag.
They also have millions of colours, if you like that sort of thing.
If you're looking for a full set of every bag, for a good price, in exactly the colour you want, AND you want the mesh, you can't go too far wrong.
Toifucos Travel Packing Cubes
| Build Quality | 2/5 |
| Design & Features | 3/5 |
| Price | £8.99 |
Very very cheap. A bit nasty.
Honestly I was wincing using the zip for the first time. They don't have the same double stitch as the other bags, and the zipper pull sort of reminds me of the ring pull from a coke can, just made of plastic.
One nice thing, it comes with this motivational message.
So if you're really price-conscious, willing to be careful with the zips, and like gibberish, these are still a decent buy.
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Summary? Buy the Amazon Essentials, and get exactly the cubes you need for a good price. If you care about compression, or you need a bit of waterproofing, go for the Samfolk.
Jack, Founder of Ruler of London