Preface: This is not a ministry post. I am not being paid by e-Bags, L.L. Bean, or Amazon.com. These are my opinions. And as neurotic-ly organized as I may come across, I'm really not... just maybe an eensy-teensy bit in need of structure in my life. :-) As some of you plan on summer travels, maybe this will be of help to you, too!
Sarah Weller shared that she packed her entire family of five's belongings for 7 weeks of living in Albania in 2 checked pieces of luggage and a couple rolling carry-on bags. After gasping over her failure to use all of her allotted free pieces of checked luggage, I had to hear how she did it. Her secret? Packing cubes! I did a search on Amazon.com and found these. The colors were too pretty to look at any other brand. I read the reviews and it didn't take much convincing for me to splurge with some saved up Discover points before leaving on our last homeland ministry trip in the RV.
The recurring theme running through all of the reviews was that somehow, someway, packing in these bags allowed people to get more stuff in their suitcases (think, how the Boy Sc*uts pack). At the same time folks seemed to appreciate having their belongings more discreetly organized during one of those famous TSA baggage inspections.
In our situation living in the RV, we weren't packing our clothes in suitcases but in overhead cabinets. Nathan had discovered that some large baskets we had on hand happened to fit in the cabinets, but they were so deep, that it was impossible to see all of our clothes at once, and pulling something out of the bottom meant upending the entire contents of the bin.
Enter the packing cubes. I bought four sets of large cubes (three per set), each set a different color assigned to a different member of our family (Nathan yellow, Cydil green, Reni orange and Ellie pink). I also purchased one set of medium-sized cubes, so I could physically see the size difference and determine if it would be practical to buy smaller sizes in the future for our back-packs and carry-ons. I definitely think I will.
The large size was on sale (score!): 3 cubes for $19.99 (regularly $29.99), but I was able to get them all for free using my credit card bonus points (those diesel fuel purchases add up!). Lest that sounds expensive, you may want to consider buying them for one family member at a time. I will say that we opened and closed these bags several times per day, every day, for 7 weeks, and they still look as good as the day we got them. IMO, the quality exceeds their price. The YKK zippers are incredibly tough, and the fabric and mesh and haven't snagged or frayed.
Nathan and I packed shirts in one bag, pants in another, and everything else in the third. We got the kids' clothes (for two seasons, mind you) in two large bags each (one for pants and shirts, the other for undies, socks and jammies). The secret to making the clothing fit is rolling each item. I could easily get 6-7 pairs of adult-sized jeans or trousers in one large bag. With the mesh windows on top, it was easy to see what was in each bag without unzipping.
On the occasion when we'd not sleep in Winnie, but stay in someone's home, we could grab our cubes and by sight know which bag contained which family member's stuff. The handles on the long side made it easy to hold several in one hand at a time when carrying.
When we are not in Winnie, our luggage of choice has always been rolling duffle bags by L.L Bean. They are lightweight, but sturdy, and take up very little storage space when not in use. The variety of available colors combined with the optional monogramming make them easy to spot on the baggage carousel in a sea of black suitcases. However digging for your contents within can be a royal pain, especially when the bag is extra large, I'm sharing it with Nathan, and the room is dimly lit. I seem to only find his stuff. This is where I think packing cubes are really going to show their utility. Now that I have experienced their space-saving capabilities, I hope to fit even more inside of our duffles (within weight limit, of course) when the time comes for us to fly to Albania. And when we settle in our Tirana apartment where we won't have dressers but large, deep shelves in wardrobes, I anticipate these cubes will continue to function much like they did for us in the RV. Not to mention, I think we'll also enjoy staying organized when we make overnight weekend trips to the village. Yeah, it wasn't hard for me to justify buying these.
I found that the the medium sized cubes and Ellie and Reni's unused cubes were great for storing loose DVD cases, toys (when making unexpected stops for repairs to Winnie), swimwear, or dirty laundry. The uniformity of size makes them easier to store on shelves or within a larger bag than my previous alternative: lumpy, easily torn WalM*rt sacks or old gift bags.
If I had to give one criticism, it's that the colors I ordered were awfully bright (grasshopper green excluded). The orange, yellow, and pink bags could have been runners up in a highlighter colors contest. On the other hand, as one reviewer commented, they're so bright you won't forget your bag on the hotel room floor!
I hope this was helpful! Back to ministry and family-related posts soon!
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