Westbreeze Packing Cubes Review

Packing cubes help almost any traveler compress gear, stay organized or save room, but choosing among countless designs means weighing compression, weight, durability and how useful the cubes are once a trip begins. The Westbreeze Packing Cubes focus on that last point with an unusual hanging design meant to let travelers skip unpacking altogether.

What the set includes

The cubes are sold only as a complete system, with no individual pieces available.

The cubes are sold only as a complete system, with no individual pieces available. It consists of a quick-trip cube, a medium cube, a large cube and a laundry bag.

The quick-trip cube measures 12.6 x 9.8 x 3.2 in (32 x 24.9 x 8.1 cm), weighs 12 oz (340.2 g) and holds 11L compressed or 15L expanded. The large cube shares those dimensions and capacities and weighs 9.7 oz. The medium cube is 12.6 x 7.1 x 3.2 in, weighs 7.94 oz and holds 8L compressed or 11L expanded. The laundry bag is 12.6 x 19.7 in and weighs 4.4 oz. Packing one cube or the full set adds roughly 12 to 30 ounces to a load.

Construction

The exterior is ripstop with a thinner lining fabric inside. It feels like polyester, though Westbreeze had not confirmed the material at the time of review. It seems durable but is not ultralight.

All zippers are YKK, including the compression zippers, and none snagged on surrounding fabric. They are color-coded too: black zippers open the cubes and gray ones handle expansion and compression.

The quick-trip cube anchors the system and suits short trips or smaller travel backpacks on its own. A webbing strap at its top carries both a hanger and a G-hook, so it can hang from a hook or loop around a rail. The medium and large cubes attach to it with unbranded magnetic buckles, letting the whole set hang together in a hotel room, cruise cabin or rental. Every cube has a webbing handle for pulling it out of a bag and a Westbreeze logo patch. Nothing labels which cube is which, but the quick-trip, which is almost the same size as the large, can be identified by two extra external webbing loops and buckle ends tucked into pockets on its back. A clear use for those loops is hard to find, though they could clip the cube inside a backpack.

How the hanging design works

The quick-trip lid holds two zippered mesh pockets that open vertically so items can be pulled out without the rest spilling; each comfortably takes four pairs of socks or four pairs of underwear. The hanging strap and hook sit centered at the top of the lid.

The base is what sets these apart. A mesh retention panel with a stiffer top strip is zipped along both sides; unzipping it lets the cube be filled like any ordinary one, and once the cube is opened and hung, the panel holds clothing in place like a shelf. Everything stays visible and reachable without unpacking. The medium and large cubes follow the same idea, but their mesh pockets are undivided and their connecting buckles sit on the main compartment, so their lids face down.

With a week of clothing hung in a closet from a hook, the system worked well but became quite long. The medium and large cubes clip to the bottom and back of the quick-trip, so reaching one or the other means turning the stack around; the swiveling hook makes that easy given enough room. Pulling a garment from the middle did not cause a jumble, neighboring items mostly stayed put, and clothes slid back in easily, though results will depend on clothing size and how full the cubes are.

Capacity in practice

The set held enough for a week in a warm climate: socks, 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. Space remained for what would likely be a winter wardrobe as well. All three cubes fit easily in a carry-on suitcase, so despite their bulk they suit most trips.

Westbreeze claims roughly 40% more clothing space when left uncompressed, or about 40% space saved when compressed. The quick-trip holds a lot even compressed, which is worth doing when bringing the other cubes. Still, these are compression cubes that do not shrink very small.

One caveat: the zone above the retention panel is best left empty, or garments may tumble out when the cube hangs. Rolling clothes and standing them vertically, so each item pokes above the panel without anything lying loose in that space, solves this at the cost of some unused room.

The laundry bag

The laundry bag, which was missing from an early brand sample but now comes in every set, is more than a sack. It has a zip-closed main compartment, an outer sleeve for worn but not-quite-dirty clothing, and it rolls and compresses to save space on the way home. It can also clip to the quick-trip cube when the other two are not attached.

Pros and cons

Strengths include the ability to hang the set and live out of it instead of unpacking, generous capacity in each cube, and a simple system. Drawbacks are that the cubes are bulky and may suit wheeled luggage better than backpacks, not every compartment needs filling, and the hanging stack occupies closet space. The hardware held up very well throughout testing.

Verdict

For trips where unpacking is impractical or unappealing, the Westbreeze Packing Cubes are a strong option: pack once and live out of the cubes for the whole journey, provided there is a hook or rod and room to hang them, even on the back of a bathroom door. Without hanging, they function as regular packing cubes. Just expect them to take up a fair amount of space.