Pros:
- Quality build
- Excellent zipper quality and durability
- Strong seams
- Lightweight
- Open netting design allows for visibility of contents and easy compression
- Attractive but simple colors and design
- Comfortable zipper pulls
- Comes with sack to carry all the packing cubes and can alternatively be used as a travel laundry bag
- 4 packing cubes for the price of many competitors offering 3
- Excellent customer service
Cons:
- Nothing major at the moment, but I am starting to notice after a few months of use that some of the seams appear to be stretching a little too far and am concerned that it may tear after a while
- The plastic spring cord lock used on the sack that carries all the packing cubes (I used the sack as a "dirty laundry bag") broke after a month
Personal Experience:
Ask me a year ago whether I would ever have packing cubes and I would have scoffed at you and declared that it was illogical to try to save packing space by using packing cubes that forced the cube shape. Now...I'm a believer!!
Packing cubes have changed the way I packed forever. Not only does it organize everything I pack (underwear, socks, pajamas go in one; shirts and pants go in another, etc), it allows me to pack 2-3 times more than I used to be able to because you are able to squeeze everything into a packing cube and then zip it up. Packing cubes don't add any appreciable weight to your luggage because they are so lightweight anyway. And for longer trips, I simply take out my packing cubes from my duffel bag/suitcase and they serve as drawers for all my travel items.
In terms of Shacke Pak specifically, I referenced in my "Pros" why I think Shacke Pak is generally superior to other brands. In particular, I received one packing cube that had an issue with the zipper that resulted in the zipper handle breaking pre-maturely. I contacted Shacke Pak and customer service immediately sent me a replacement packing cube without any hassle. I am very pleased with the customer service and it has given me some measure of confidence that they will continue to take care of their customers in the future.
**Update: I also own two sets of eBags packing cubes (you can read my other reviews) and have had the opportunity to compare them directly to Shacke Pak. In all honesty, both brands make exceptional packing cubes and you really wouldn't be disappointed either way. But to be nit picky, I will share a few of my observations:
- Shacke Pak uses a material with a matte finish compared to the more shiny honeycomb design of eBags. The Shacke Pak material stretches ever so slightly, whereas the eBags material has very little give. As a result, it appears that the material eBags uses is slightly more durable, but Shacke Pak looks slightly more premium.
- Shacke Pak uses hidden stitching beneath the zippers, whereas eBags uses a double stitched design in most places. After owning the Shacke Pak packing cubes for about a year, I am noticing that the hidden stitching under the zipper pulls a little more and actually becomes visible when I pack the cubes tightly. This concerns me slightly and makes me question the long term durability whereas eBags' double stitched design seems to hold strong regardless of how tightly I pack the cubes.
- The depth of Shacke Pak packing cubes is .75" to 1" more, so you can pack more.
- The zipper pull handle (not the zipper itself) on one of my packing cubes from Shacke Pak fell off after one month. I contacted Shacke Pak and they immediately sent me an entire new packing cube. Shacke Pak demonstrated excellent customer service, but at the same time I am a little concerned that something like that happened so quickly in the first place. Since then, I have had no issues with my two sets of packing cubes from Shacke Pak. I have had no issues with eBags in terms of the zippers or zipper handles in the 6 months that I have owned them.
- Shacke Pak packing cubes gives you 4 for the price of approximately 3 from eBags. Also, Shacke Pak includes a pouch with the packing cubes that can be conveniently used as a dirty laundry bag when you're travelling. You seem to get a little more for your money with Shacke Pak.
- Zipper quality for both is excellent, as they both use YKK zippers.
- Overall: You can't go wrong with either and each brand has slight advantages over the other in a few areas. I personally think eBags is slightly more durable, but that Shacke Pak is slightly more attractive and gives you a little more for your money.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for a high quality and durable set of packing cubes for travelling, you really can't go wrong with the Shacke Pak set. The price is reasonable and you get 4 packing cubes for the price of what most competitors charge for 3. I have not had any real issues with quality or durability (I travel and use these a lot, but I will update my review in the future), and Shacke Pak has already demonstrated to me that they have excellent customer service. I also think the Shacke Pak packing cube set provides one of the most stylish designs compared to the others out there.
**I have included a picture of one my packing cubes when it is packed tightly showing what I mean about the hidden stitching being stretched and visible. This concerns me a bit.
I bought this set before making my second move abroad, as I learned some hard lessons about packing a wardrobe overseas on my first move! I loosely followed the recommended packing guidelines and found out how outstanding these Shacke Pak Cubes are; in fact, I would call them a must have for the frequent or international traveler!
I am 6' 2" wear a M shirt and 33/34 jeans. In the XL cube I was able to pack 4 pairs of jeans, 2 sweaters, 8 pairs of underwear, 2 sets of running compression pants, and 2 pairs of basketball socks. In the large cube I fit 2 pairs of jeans, 4 athletic shirts, 5 pairs of socks, and 2 pairs of basketball shorts. In the medium cube I tucked away 14 t-shirts and 2 pairs of socks! In the small cube I packed 8 pairs of socks and 5 pairs of underwear.
All of this fit into my Red Oxx carry-on bag, and the dimensions of the bag came out to a nice 20x14x12! The bag is canvas and flexible, so even if it is a bit bulky I've always been able to squeeze it into the carry-on dimensions, including for low-cost carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet.If you are packing a hard shell bag with wheels, then you probably won't be able to fit all four cubes into your carry-on. Shacke Pak advertises the cubes as being good for a 10-day-trip; however, as I have packed mine, I can easily get 14 days+ out of the cubes!
Normally I am pretty quick with reviews. I either like the product or I don't. I have now had the Shacke Pak for a little over two weeks and have really started to put them through their paces. A little about me. I travel somewhere around 100,000 miles per year. That's over 100 flights, a ton of car rentals, in and out of hotels. I wear luggage out! A computer bag typically lasts me 6 to 9 months. Even really expensive carry-on suitcases and packing cubes wear out after two years. I have been using another very well respected and recognized name (Eagle Creek) for the past 4 years, but they are now reaching the end of their life. So, I started looking for a replacement. I naturally went right for the Eagle Creek, but, saw some reviews on the Shacke Pak and felt like I wanted to give them a try. Because I have had so much experience with travel items, I can tell within a week how a bag or travel item is going to do. My new Shacke Pak……. I have a solid feeling that it is going to be with me a long time! This past week, I took the three smallest cubes with me on a four day trip to the Midwest. I went carry-on, so they were stuffed to limits. I have to say..... they stuff well!
Having use packing folders for the past few years, I was not expecting them to hold as much or condense as much as what I could get into my Eagle Creek packing folder. I also was convinced that I would not like the cube as much as the folding pack. I was wrong. They held just as much and they held everything well. The dimensions of each packing cube are just about perfect. There are four cubes in the pack, small, medium, large and extra-large. My carry-on is on the smaller size, so I skipped using the extra-large. In the large, I put in two dress pants, three dress shirts, and a polo. I saved the medium for my laundry as I used clothes (each night in a new hotel means I had to pack laundry into the same bag and I did not want my dirty clothes touching clean clothes). In the small, I put 4 pairs of socks, a t-shirt, four pair of underwear and pair of shorts and a work-out shirt. All fit nice. I tossed the packing cubes in my bag and still had room for my suit coat to lay across the top and my winter jacket shoved in too. All fit! Best part...... wrinkles were minimal. Zippers and stitching are top quality. The mesh 'window' is nice. I like that the 'window' is small and a majority of the bag is the stronger and heavy-duty material. That helps it hold it's shape better in my bag and also makes packing items in the pak easier. I got the black and blue... really like the look.
So what does this all really mean? It means if you want advice from someone who has over a million flight miles, a hundred nights in a hotel a year, and who has seen almost every inch of the globe and knows how to pack..... buy these cubes! I am super picky about the organization of my things when I travel. I go carry on (I can go ten days in a carry-on bag) so getting everything I need into a small bag, in a way that I can get to my clothes easily without having to unpack and repack everyday is important to me. I am the person who will spend two weeks moving items from one pocket in a suitcase to another just to maximize space and convenience. I can tell you, I have gone through dozens of suitcases, half a dozen folders and cubes, more than a few dozen briefcases and computer bags.....the Shacke Pak is one of the best investments I have made in travel products. I will be purchasing a set for each member of my team as I know they will appreciate them as much as I do!
I have a new name for packing cubes. Shacke Pak. Better quality, better price, and more effective than the other big named cubes and folders.
FYI - - I researched the company and the product for many weeks leading up to the purchase..... If you do your homework, you will find the heavy duty travelers (those who really know and use travel products extensively) all have great things to say about the company and the Shacke Pak.
I am officially sold on packing cubes!! These things are amazing! I can believe I've been packing without them my whole life.
Shake Pak cubes are great quality and come in fun colors. I appreciate the mesh lining that allows you to peek inside. They're also a great value; for essentially the same price as competitors, you get 4 bags (vs 3) and a laundry /shoe bag. Not to mention the website. If you haven't been to the Shacke Pak website yet, check it out! They have great resources, such as example packing lists, tutorials on how to pack with the cubes, and some YouTube mentions.
I packed my clothes, shoes, and toiletry bag for a 10 day trip to Europe (full contents listed below). I packed them as I normally would first, and then packed them in the packing cubes. There was so much more room after packing in the cubes!
Items I fit in the cubes and bag:
2 jackets, 1 jean vest, 4 pants/capris, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 romper, 4 dresses, 1 maxi skirt, 7 tank tops, 4 shirts, 3 camisoles, 3 pajama sets, 15 undies, 6 pairs of socks, and 4 pairs of shoes
Why are you still reading?? Go buy these cubes!
Wow - I've purchased travel bags before, but these are reasonably priced, well constructed, and even comes in multiple colors that I enjoy. They include an instructional card (with great tips, btw, on how to pack for various length trips), and information on their You Tube videos to guide you to pack for a short, medium, longer (10+) day trip using these bags.
They're not the compression things that use a vacuum to suck the air out, but you CAN pack them (see the videos - brilliant!) and push them down a bit without making your clothes a wrinkly mess.
Best off all, when you get to the hotel, you can put your cubes in the drawers or keep them in your bag, and find what you need when you need it. This is AMAZING when you have multiple travelers. (Where's my X, mommy?)
We have used cubes before (another brand), but they were so pricey that we could only afford a few. Now, we all have our color(s), and we can pack accordingly.
ONE GREAT THING is something that's happening with us in 15 days on our 10-day vacation. We have to switch hotels (3) days before our flight home. The plan is that we each have a cube with our clothes for those (3) days, and the rest will stay packed in the under-the-plane luggage. No digging through for the right top and pants, clean undies or socks... we'll be ready to go. Grab yours, put it on top, throw it in the on-board luggage, and that's all we'll need. Sweet!
Their customer service department for Shacke Pak is really nice. I encourage you to try this product, especially with Amazon's great return policy.
If you have any questions (about this or Disney, because we're off to Disney again!), please feel free to ask me. Also, if my review helped you in any way, please click the HELPFUL (thumbs up) thingie for me. Thanks!
Feature Product
- 4 Packing Cubes - Extra Large( 17.5" x 12.75" x 4") Large (13.75" x 12.75" x 4") Medium (13.75x9.75x4) Small (11" x 6.75" x 4")
- X Design with Double Stitching - Creates a Strong Reinforced Lid to Hold Your Clothes in Place and Prevents the Bag Material in the Middle to Fold Upwards
- 4 inch Deep Design Allows You to Fit All The Clothes You Need into Our Bags
- Laundry Bag Included to Help Separate your Dirty Clothes At The End of The Trip
Description
Pack More Clothes in a Small Space For Your Next Trip
One of the toughest things to do while packing for a trip is fitting everything you want to bring with you into your luggage. Our packing cube system fixes that issue by neatly packing all your clothes tightly into our space saving bags. It allows you to easily store and organize your clothing that makes it easy to pack and even easier to unpack. Your clothes will stay more wrinkled free and not get crushed during your travels. We've included a laundry bag with your cube set so that you can separate your dirty clothing from your fresh clothes on your journey back home.
Shacke Pak is made with a high quality durable water resistant nylon material built to withstand the wear and tears of travel. It is reinforced with a X-Design web stitching made specifically to prevent the fabric from folding in the middle, allowing for a more secure packing experience. Our bags are 4 inch deep giving you enough space to pack more clothing. Finally, we've used YKK zippers on all our cubes. YKK zippers are the world's largest high quality manufacturer of zipper and are known for their smooth sturdy zippers.
Shacke Pak Overview:
- 4 Packing Cubes -Extra Large( 17.5" x 12.75" x 4") Large (13.75" x 12.75" x 4") Medium (13.75x9.75x4) Small (11" x 6.75" x 4")
- Laundry Bag for storing dirty clothes at the end of your travels
How to care for your packing cubes:
- Hand washing cubes is the best way to ensure the cubes do not get damaged
- Wash only with cold water
- Hang dry only
- DO NOT put the cubes in the washing machine, even if it is on gentle or delicate cycle
- DO NOT put fabric conditioner of any kind
I just finished packing for our 7 day vacation to California and wow let me say these are amazing. I only bought one set and am flying out with my 16 month old and decided I was sick of paying for a checked bag and dragging a carry on. Traveling with babies demands quite a bit of stuff and it usually over fills my bag, however I starting looking into organization for travel and stumbled across this one. I loved the color and the price, warranty and the amount of reviews was a huge draw. My husband who doesn't travel as much as me thought it was a waste of money and thought we should return them. However I packed both with and without and let me tell you I got everything in them with room to spare unlike when I just put in the suitcase.
In my baby's bag:
Extra small size bag:
5 pjs tops and bottoms
4 pairs of socks
2 swimsuits sunguard and shorts
Small size bag:
12 outfits total
2 shirts
7 t shirts
1 sharkoutfit
5 shorts
3 jeans
1 sweater
1 blanket
Now the diapers and the wipes take up more than half the space in the suitcase these adjusted themselves perfectly so it was easy to close.
Medium size bag:
7 bras
7 underwear
1 military jacket size M
Large size bag:
5 shorts
5 tank tops
1 jeans
3 sweaters
1 beach cover-up
2 swimsuits
1 sundress
2 rompers
1 pj with robe
Amazing bag so excited for this trip this packing was a breeze. *Crown royal bag is for the shoes.
These are very light and the blue color is much better and brighter then I was expecting it to be.
You really can pack a lot into these but the interior seams are single through stitch folded over so I would be cautious of over packing so you don't stress those seams.
I really like how the top pattern is even and puts even pressure across all points on them bag to help better contain the clothes I've packed.
The zippers aren't heavy duty YKK zippers but they work decent.
I wish the fabric was rip-stop as you can see from my photo it's a pretty generic thin material.
The top is double stitched but the bottom/sides are not. I can see where this might eventually cause those seams to open if you consistently over pack.
For the price I can't complain, it's decent quality and I expect to get a lot of use out of them provided I don't abuse them too much by stuffing them overfilled.
I ordered the Shacke Pak after first ordering the Ebags brand. Both sets arrived within a day of each other and I like both for different reasons. The Shacke Pak appears to be made of better quality materials but that is not to say the Ebags are cheap quality. They feel great. The Shacke Pak is made of slightly heavier material but I don't know if that makes them any more durable, as I haven't used either one yet. If you're traveling ultralight, the extra weight may not be desired, but it's minimal. I prefer the design of the Shacke Pak and the darker, conservative colors will be perfect for my husband. I, on the other hand, love the bright colors of the Ebags which I purchased in aquamarine and the pink. The Shacke Pak appears 'richer' and a bit more 'high end'. They appear very 'businessman-like' while the colors of the Ebag make them a bit more playful.
Zippers seems to work very well on both brands with the Shacke Pak feeling a bit more fluid. They don't get caught on side materials and such whatsoever. The Ebags brand only slowed a bit on one bag over the seams but didn't get stuck or slow even enough to be considered bothersome.
The makers of Shacke Pak sent an email and you have access to their site with helpful packing tips and a place to register your product, as they have a lifetime warrantee. They offer a free small cube for registering (for a limited time). You do NOT need to leave feedback to qualify for the free cube. The price of the Shacke Pak is certainly better unless you use coupon codes and things with Ebags, which I did.
First impression make me think the Shacke Pak is a better quality set of packing cubes. But my intent is to keep both brands, the Shacke Pak for my husband and the Ebags for myself. 'Thumbs up' to both brands with first impression preferences leaning to the Shacke Pak.
I decided to buy these because I saw a few posts recommending them on travel blogs. I honestly didn't think they would make any difference, but after spending the last 3 weeks living out of a backpack in Europe - I won't be traveling without packing cubes ever again if I can help it.
I used the big bag for things I didn't access much (jeans, slacks) and left that in the backpack most of the time. The medium sized bags got used for shirts/shorts and the small bag for underwear and socks. It takes all of 10 seconds to pull out the bags and shove them into a hotel drawer, or grab what you need and toss them back into the bag. Packing up before moving out of the hotel room... 10 more seconds. No wondering if you've got everything or trying to find that other sock in the bottom of the suitcase. Best buy ever.
The bags themselves - loved em. Excellent zippers, light weight lots of ventilation for the closed in the bags. Seriously wonderful purchase.
Quick delivery. Product appears well made. Have used only once and they worked nicely. The smallest bag holds more than you'd think.I was able to get low and knee-high socks for 15 days into this bag easily. Included laundry bag (Shacke Pak) does not have any mesh (boo) and is on the small side if using for laundry. Cubes do not "squish down" and squeeze out excess air like a " space bag" does. Update: Just returned from 21 days of non-stop travel. Cubes worked great. Able to get 10 days worth of clothing into the cubes and still had space available for more. While I like the space saver bags that compress, you can't beat a packing cube for the ability to hold more contents and keep your luggage easily organized.Only down side is that three of the fabric zipper pulls came off of different cubes. You can still use the zipper pull itself but the rubber tipped pulls came off. boo
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