Peak Design Packing and Camera Cubes: Review
Today, I’m going to be talking about the Peak Design Packing Cubes and Camera Cubes. In this review, I will be going into detail about my experience with the medium and small packing cubes, as well as the medium camera cube. Peak Design is a brand that I have used for a while with the Peak Design wrist straps as well as the backpacks and slings. So when I had heard about their packing and camera cubes during the time I had started to look up efficient ways to pack for travel, I immediately was sold on the idea and ordered them.
PACKING CUBES: Let's start with the packing cubes. I have both the medium and small sizes, and let me just say this, I love the design and functionality. The material used to make them is a high-quality nylon that feels durable and looks sleek. The zippers are smooth, and the handles are sturdy, making them easy to carry around.
The medium size is perfect for organizing clothes such as your pants and shirts in your carry-on or a suitcase, while the small size is ideal for the smaller pieces of clothing such as underwear, socks, etc. The main things that make these types of packing cubes so special is the compression feature of the packing cubes, which allows me to pack more efficiently and saves space in my luggage. I can put more clothes in the packing cubes, and compress them, saving room in my luggage space, albeit it, this means more weight for my luggage which is an important thing to remember. Just because you can compress your clothes doesn’t mean the weight magically stays the same. But nonetheless, the feature is stellar and great.
Another really underrated feature of the packing cubes is this secret pocket in the back for dirty clothes. This way, when you’re on your trip, you can easily seperate the clean clothes from the dirty clothes and you won’t have to have a random pile of dirty clothes in your hotel or airbnb. You can put them inside this pocket and you’re done.
Peak Design claims that the packing cubes are made from “waterproof ripstop nylon/polyshell”. Now I have no idea what the hell that means, but I can only guess that it’s something good. I have washed these in the washer and they were perfectly fine so I can confidently say they don’t rip easily. As for being waterproof, I’ve never had to test that as they are usually in my luggage and never outside in the rain so I can’t really speak for that feature of the packing cubes.
CAMERA CUBES: Moving on to the camera cubes. I have the medium size, and it fits perfectly in my Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L. The camera cube is well-padded and protects my camera and lenses from any damage while traveling. The dividers inside the cube are customizable and can be adjusted to fit different camera setups. The zippers are also smooth and easy to operate.
One unique feature of the Peak Design Camera Cubes is the ability to attach them to the backpack's exterior using the Peak Design Anchor system. This feature is a great for me as it allows me to access my camera quickly without having to open the backpack. This also lets me have a carefree mind when moving around, knowing that my camera cube isn’t flying all over the place in my backpack. It’s locked down by this “Anchor System”.
Another noteworthy feature of the camera cube is the FlexFold dividers. These dividers are made of a soft material that can be folded in various ways to create custom compartments for your camera gear. This feature allows me to pack my camera setup in a way that suits my needs, and it makes the camera cube versatile enough to accommodate different types of cameras and lenses. This is very similar to the dividers in other Peak Design products such as the Everyday Backpacks and the Slings if you’ve ever used them before.
I use it with my Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack, but this can also be used in the 30L Travel Backpack. You obviously won’t have as much space in the backpack once you put the camera cube inside, but it does fit and it is an option.
PRICE: Finally, let's talk about the price. The Peak Design Packing and Camera Cubes are priced higher than some of the other brands in the market. However for me, the price was justified given the build quality, functionality, and the compatibility with my Peak Design Travel Backpack. They are all built to fit in the backpacks so I never had to worry about whether they’d fit or not when I was purchasing the cubes. It was a very easy process and it was just a matter of packing the cubes and putting them in my backpack. I’d rather pay the premium than deal with any possible troubles when using a 3rd party company.
CONCLUSION: In the end, I highly recommend the Peak Design Packing and Camera Cubes. They are well-designed, functional, and made very well. I have personally used them for a number of travels and I have yet to have any types of problems with them. I’ve been able to use them with my carry on suitcase and my Peak Design Travel Backpack with no issues whatsoever. The only negative is the price is can be quite a bit expensive when looking at other options in the market, but for me, I would rather just pay the extra with no hassles when it comes to worrying about the compatibility with my backpack. Everything else the packing and camera cubes brings to the table is basically just a bonus at the point. But if the price is too high yet you want a packing cube for travel, I hear the company “Away” has good priced packing cubes. I personally haven’t used them, but from the people that I’ve seen use them, they all say they get the job done. I know this is a Peak Design Packing Cube and Camera Cube review, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other good options out there.