Westbreeze Packing Cubes Review

The secret is out: packing cubes are useful tools for nearly every packer, whether you’re looking to save space, keep organized, or compress bulky gear. There are so many different types and styles out there to choose from, however, that it can be hard to know which to pick. Do you want compression? Lightweight? Durable materials? What about usability at your destination? That’s the niche the Westbreeze Packing Cubes aim for, with a design unique enough to pique our interest. So, is it worth making the switch, and what kind of traveler are these packing cubes for, anyway? We’ve been testing them to find out.

External Components

The Westbreeze Packing Cubes are made with a ripstop material on the outside and a thinner material for the liner. The fabric feels like polyester, but we haven’t been able to reach Westbreeze for clarification as of the time of this review. It feels durable, but it’s not ultralight, so you’ll add anywhere from 12 to 30 ounces to your packout if you pack one or all of the cubes in the system.

Westbreeze uses YKK zippers, which we’re happy to see, and we don’t have any complaints. They all work well, including the compression zippers, and haven’t caught on any of the surrounding material, which is a plus. They’re also color-coded: the zippers to open the cubes are black, while the expansion/compression zipper is gray.

While we’re calling them cubes, it is really an entire system that you get, since you can’t buy any part of it separately. There’s a quick-trip cube, which would work well for shorter trips or if you want to use a smaller travel backpack. It’s the base of the system, with a hanger at the top that you’ll use to hang it and the other cubes at your destination. The hanger is on a webbing strap that also includes a G-hook, allowing you to either hang the cube on a hook or wrap it around a bar. We’ll explain why you’ll want to hang it up when we head inside.

The system also includes a laundry bag and a large and medium packing cube. The two other cubes hook onto the quick-trip with unbranded magnetic buckles so you can hang everything up once you get to the hotel, cruise ship, or Airbnb.

Each cube also includes a webbing handle to help you pull them out of your luggage or travel backpack, and a patch on the front with the Westbreeze name and logo. There’s nothing to label which cube is which, but while the quick-trip and the large are nearly the same size, the quick-trip has two more external webbing loops and the male ends of one set of buckles tucked inside pockets on its back, while the large does not. We haven’t managed to find a good use for the loops, but they might come in handy if you wanted to hook the cube inside a backpack.

Inside The Packing Cubes

As we pointed out, each set comes with four pieces, but they all look a bit different inside. Our brand sample didn’t include a piece that’s now included in each set—the laundry bag—but we wish it did. It’s not a simple sack. It has a main compartment that zips shut, an exterior sleeve for clothing you’ve worn that’s not quite dirty, and it can roll up and compress to save space for your return trip. It connects to the quick-trip cube, too, if you don’t already have the other two cubes attached.

Speaking of the quick-trip, we’ll cover that one next. Even compressed, it’s pretty large, and you can fit a lot inside. Westbreeze says you get about 40% more space for clothing if you leave the cubes uncompressed, or save about 40% of space if you pack and compress your clothing. Frankly, the quick-trip holds a lot even when compressed, so you may want to do that, especially if you’re bringing one or both of the other cubes along.

The lid includes two zippered mesh pockets that open vertically so you can reach inside and grab a piece of clothing without everything tumbling out. We used one for underwear and one for socks, and fit four of each inside. Centered at the top of the lid is the hanging strap and hook, which is at the top when you hang up the cubes.

The bottom of the cube looks a little different from other packing cubes. It has a mesh retention panel that has a more rigid strip at the top. There are zippers running vertically on either side of the panel so that you can unzip them, pull the panel out of the way, and pack it just as you would a traditional cube. At your destination, when you open the cube and hang it up, the retention panel keeps your clothing inside. This lets you see and grab whatever you want without unpacking, which we find unique and convenient.

The medium and large cubes have a similar setup, except that their mesh pockets are not divided like on the quick-trip, and the buckles to connect to the quick-trip are on the main compartment, so their lids face downward instead of up.

As the primary tester, I packed the cubes with a week’s worth of clothing and hung them in my closet, just as you would at a hotel or Airbnb. I have a hook, so I used the hook to hang it, and it worked well, though the system does get quite long. The medium and large cubes attach to the buckles at the bottom and back of the quick-trip, so you have to flip it around to access one or the other when you’re getting dressed. It’s not an issue since the hook swivels, as long as you have enough space.

Pulling clothing out to wear each day didn’t lead to the jumbled mess I feared. The other items mostly stayed in place when I pulled a top or bottom out of the middle, and they were easy to squeeze back in afterward. Obviously, your mileage will vary depending on the size of your clothing and how much you pack inside, but the system seems to work well.

As for what it can hold, I put socks and underwear, a hoodie, two travel dresses, and a skirt in the quick-trip; five T-shirts, two tank tops, a swimsuit, and a cover-up in the medium; and pajamas, travel pants, and four pairs of shorts in the large. That’s enough clothing to get me through a weeklong trip to a warmer destination, but I had enough room left over that I think I could pack for winter without much of an issue, either. All three fit easily into my carry-on luggage, too, so even though they occupy a decent amount of space, they’re usable for most trips.

The one thing to be aware of is that you don’t necessarily want to fill the portion of each packing cube above the retention panel, or the item may fall out when you hang it up. I rolled my clothing and packed it vertically instead of horizontally, so a portion of each article stuck above the panel without a single item lying in that space. That meant I left some space unused, but I would rather that than have my clothing fall out.

So, if you’re traveling to a destination where you won’t necessarily have space to unpack, or you just don’t feel like doing so, the Westbreeze Packing Cubes set could be the answer. You can pack once and live out of your cubes throughout your trip, provided you’re going somewhere with a hook or rod and enough space to hang them. You could even put it on the back of the bathroom door if you had to. If you don’t want to hang them up, they work just like regular packing cubes. Just be aware that, while they are compression cubes, they don’t get very small.