There are lots of different travel packing styles. Some travelers roll their clothes. Some use packing cubes. Some fold their clothes in an intricate overlapping fashion which could rival origami. Some just throw everything into a suitcase and sit on it until it zips shut. We recently tried out a new style of organized packing with PACK Gear to see what kind of difference it could make in our travel packing style.
We can’t tell you one style is right and one style is wrong. We all have to do what is best for ourselves. For instance, I’ve used packing cubes for years and I swear by them. Yet, while we can’t tell you a packing style is right or wrong, I can tell you that Romeo’s packing style is way wrong!!! Mostly because it involves his clothing exploding out of his suitcase to cover the bed, the chair, the desk, and any other previously empty surface. I like our hotel room to be neat and tidy and relaxing, so his exploding suitcase results in my exploding head.
Save 15% off your PACK Gear by using the discount code Travel15!
When PACK Gear approached us to test and review their packing product, I turned them down at first. It looked like a great product, but the website said it was for backpackers, which we are not. When they explained they weren’t only marketing their product to backpackers and that PACK Gear is very popular with flight attendants, I said we were happy to try it out. I already had plans for PACK Gear.
PACK Gear is a one piece packing solution. When it comes out of the package, it is small and as light as a t-shirt. But when you open it up, you find that it can hold as much, or even more, than six medium packing cubes. It is designed to fit into a 30L backpack, which means it also fits well in a carry-on size bag or fills part of a larger suitcase.
The point of PACK Gear is that you can pack your clothes in PACK Gear’s compartments, put it in your suitcase (or backpack) and then unpack in seconds by either putting the whole thing in a drawer or hanging it up in the closet using the built-in hooks.
I wasn’t ready to give up my packing cubes, but I was hoping PACK Gear would be the perfect solution to the exploding suitcase situation. All of my hopes were pinned on the ease of filling one single item. My previous attempts of offering packing cubes to Romeo hadn’t worked out for me.
Rome first tested out his new PACK Gear for a weekend trip to Bishop, California. He actually forgot about the PACK Gear and had already packed his suitcase before I reminded him. He pulled out his clothes, rolled them, and stuffed them into the PACK Gear. It was filled within a minute. It hurt a little as I watched boxers go next to sweaters that went next to socks that were next to t-shirts, but I tried not to let the disorganization bother me. After all, it wasn’t my suitcase. It was actually good that he had forgotten, because after he filled the PACK Gear and put it in his suitcase, he had an area of empty space that hadn’t been there before, enough room for his dopp kit which wouldn’t have fit previously.
The miracle of PACK Gear continued when we got to the hotel. The drawers in the room were far too shallow to hold the PACK Gear. They were too shallow for my packing cubes as well. It was just as well because Romeo was quite content to pull the PACK Gear out of his suitcase and hang it from the rod in the closet, above his suitcase which he left open on the luggage rack.
During the trip, Romeo pulled out what he needed from the PACK Gear. Sometimes items would be returned into it, other times they would wind up thrown in his suitcase. The good news is his items were contained to a much smaller area thanks to PACK Gear, and I was able to have clutter free surfaces. When it was time to pack to go home, repacking was as quick and painless as packing.
We were pretty amazed by how much the PACK Gear holds. If you’re a traveling couple, then perhaps you’ve noticed how much more room men’s clothes take than women’s clothes, so it was pretty astonishing to see how much Romeo was able to fit into the packing organizer.
We’ve decided PACK Gear is a great packing organizer both for the organized traveler and for the person who simply wants to protect their wife’s sanity. It takes up minimal room when not in use, it fits A LOT of stuff, and whether you are hyper-organized or not so much, it keeps everything in one place with very easy access.
Thank you to PACK Gear for providing their packing organizer for our test and review and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Thank you to PACK Gear for providing their packing organizer for our test and review and making this post possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Don't forget, you can save 15% off your PACK Gear by using the discount code Travel15!