PSA: a hostel manager in Lisbon said my packing cubes were a scam, now I can't stop second guessing
I was in Lisbon for 5 nights in March and a guy running the hostel said my 3 packing cubes were costing me space, not saving it, because hard sides waste gaps. I switched to just rolling clothes and stuffing socks in shoes, and my 40L bag felt half empty on the flight home. But my buddy swears cubes are the only reason he can do 10 days in a 28L bag without digging. So which is it, are cubes a real space saver or just a way to feel organized while losing cubic inches? Anyone actually measure this on a trip?
Been there. I did a rough test last summer on a two week trip, packed the same clothes in cubes one way and rolled loose the other, and loose won by a solid 2 to 3 liters in my 40L. The trick with rolling is you fill every corner and squash soft stuff into gaps, while cube walls leave dead space at the edges of the bag. That said, my wife still uses cubes and refuses to switch because she can find things without unpacking everything, which honestly saves her time even if it costs a little room. So it depends on whether you care more about squeezing out space or staying sane digging through your bag.