Each Child Finally Had Their Own Space in the Suitcase Thanks to Compression Packing Cubes

Packing is difficult, but when it comes to a mother, no one understands the stress they bears. Mothers need to carry everything that makes their destination place close to home for their children. Children have emotional attachments to their toys and school things, and parents have no choice rather to carry everything during traveling with them. 

Traveling with two children always meant our suitcase looked like a war zone. We need to manage every item from toys and clothes to jackets and school things. One child’s socks landed under my shirt, another’s T‑shirt sat on top of Dad’s jeans, and finding anything was a chore. 

These things bothered me so much that sometimes I felt like stopping going anywhere with the children. Then I found compression packing cubes and vacuum storage bags that saved my mood. Suddenly, each child had their own space in the suitcase with these game changers. 

Continue to read if you want to know how I organized our family luggage using compression packing cubes and smart use of compression bags for travel. Let me help you with some new ideas that make your new trips easy as a parent. 

Why Standard Packing Didn’t Work for Us

Before we found this system, I would stack everything in the suitcase haphazardly. The kids’ clothes got mixed up with everything else. We wasted time each morning pulling things out. The suitcase often bulged, and the weight was hard to manage.

Research shows there are two common tools travelers use to improve this: packing cubes and compression travel bags. Packing cubes help organize, while compression bags reduce volume. Mira, the mother of my son’s friend, told me: “compression bags… help you fit more stuff in your bag; packing cubes… help you organize your luggage”.

But neither alone solved our particular problem: a family suitcase with multiple children, each needing their own space. So we used a hybrid approach of organization for each child, plus space‑saving for bulky items.

What Are Compression Packing Cubes vs Compression Bags or Vacuum Storage Bags?

All work and help travelers with easy and organized packing. They serve different purposes, and here is the main difference between them.  

Compression Packing Cubes

These are bags shaped like classic packing cubes but with added features (zip systems or expandable panels) that let you flatten or compress the contents a little. The goal is organization and a bit of volume reduction.

Compression Bags for Luggage or Vacuum Storage Bags

These are plastic bags with a manual rolling process to remove the inside air. Some bags come in a package with a vacuum pump that is handy vacuum pump that removes all air from the bag after attaching to the pressure valve on the bag. The pump removes air and flattens bulky items into a compact shape.

These take compression further. Removing air to make items shrink. It is ideal for bulky items like jackets or blankets. People need to bear wrinkly clothes because too much compressing of delicate items causes creases. 

Pros and cons based on what I found and experienced:

• Compression bags are great for volume reduction, but less flexible for organization and more prone to wrinkling.
• Packing cubes are excellent for organization and quick access, but don’t compress much.

Thus, for our family of four, I set up this system in which each child gets a cube for their daily clothes, and we use compression bags/vacuum bags for bulk items.

Each Child Got Their Own Space In Our Family Travel System 

Here’s how we organized our suitcase so that each child finally had their own space. Feel free to adapt to your family size.

1. Assign a cube or bag per child. I used color coded bags and assigned blue for my older child and green for the younger. Each cube had that child's clothes only, which contained all undergarments, tops and bottoms for the trip.
2. Pack items that are necessary only. Sort by days or trip length. I pulled out only what each child needed for the number of days. This helps keep each child’s cube size manageable.
3. For each child’s cube, I folded or rolled the items that are delicate and not suitable for compression.
4. Use vacuum or compression bags for bulk items. Jackets, sweaters, and extra bedding went into vacuum storage bags.
5. Pack like Tetris. This means put compressed bulk jackets in vacuum bags at the bottom of the suitcase. Set each child’s cube in the middle. Put accessories and toiletries in the top and side. 
6. I added a tag or label with the child’s name and maybe a small sticker to their cube. This gave them “their own space,” which felt good for them.

Tips I Discovered Along The Way:

• Pack the first night outfit into an easily accessible cube or bag to reach it quickly at your destination.
• Must keep a small separate cube for dirty laundry to avoid mixing with clean clothes.
• Keep a small separate cube for dirty laundry to avoid mixing with clean clothes.
• Take out each child’s cube at the destination and place clothes straight into the wardrobe or drawer to keep your organisation.
• In humid climates, choose vacuum or compression bags that have moisture‑proof or waterproof material helpful for protecting clothes.
• Always watch airline baggage weight limits. You may save space but not weight. If you overpack because you think you’ve “saved space”, you can still get caught.

Why We Picked Vacbird

When it came to compression bags and vacuum storage bags, I wanted one trusted brand and we chose Vacbird. I’ll walk you through why and how it worked for our family.

Vacbird is a brand that offers travel‑friendly vacuum storage bags and pumps. The brand highlights their travel vacuum bags with one‑touch electric pumps, waterproof transparent materials, and sizes labelled for travel.

My Favorites that Helped Me

• Vacbird Travel Vacuum Storage Bags Pack is a set of compression bags consisting of multiple sizes designed for travel and vacuum pumps with plug in pump set.
• Vacbird Vacuum Bags for Travel with Rechargeable Air Pump. This includes cordless pumps and bags sized for carry‑on or luggage that give up to ~80% space saving.

How We Used Them

• We put the everyday clothes in a medium‑sized compression packing cube for quick access.
• Dad’s jacket, mine, extra bedding — these went into Vacbird vacuum bags. We used the pump to suck out air, flattened the bag and placed it at the bottom of the suitcase.
• We had a large suitcase for all 4 of us. We build the cubes for children in the suitcase and fit our items above them without overflowing due to the vacuum storage bags. 
• At the destination, we removed the vacuum bags, expanded them, and hung the items. The cubes we left in the suitcase until needed.

Why This Choice Worked

• The material from Vacbird is tear proof, moisture‑proof, and reusable in bags.
• The pump made it easier to compress bulky items quickly, which is helpful when packing just before a trip.
• It allowed organisation + compression. We didn’t sacrifice one for the other. Kids still had their cube, clothes stayed separated, and volume was managed.

A Few Things to Watch

• Even though the volume reduces, the weight remains the same. Vacbird itself notes that vacuum storage bags do not reduce weight.
• Compressing too much or for too long may crease clothes. I recommend putting delicate items in cubes (not vacuum bags) if they wrinkle easily.

Packing and Travel Tips

You will find my tips helpful for your next trip.

• Start packing a day early. It gives you time to check if each cube actually fits and you aren’t overfilling.
• Roll or fold each child’s clothes neatly before placing them in the cube. Rolling often helps reduce bulk.
• Designate one cube for dirty laundry to not mix with clean clothes. This helps keep the suitcase tidier.
• Vacuum bags filled with heavy items will stabilize the suitcase more easily. This tip comes from professional organizers using cubes, too.
• Leave one easily accessible bag for “first‑day use” in case you reach the destination late or need fast access.
• Unpack smartly at the destination. Remove each cube and place it in a wardrobe or drawer. This keeps each child’s items together and avoids mess.
• Humidity and the varying climates of the destination places matter, so choose bags that seal well and are moisture resistant.

FAQs

Q1. Do compression bags for luggage really make a big difference?

Absolutely. Compression bags and vacuum bags reduce volume by removing air to often fit more items in your suitcase. They protect your items from dust and bugs. Their waterproof nature also stops moisture and spills from ruining your clothes. 

Q2. Can I use vacuum storage bags on the go in airports if I don’t have access to a pump?

Yes, some manual compression bags work without a pump. They allow you to simply roll the bag with your hand and remove air. These bags offer help but not complete compression of items. You keep clothes separate and moisture free but for compact packing with extra space, vacuum storage bags with a vacuum pump offer only help

Q3. Do these methods reduce airline checked‑bag weight?

No. Packing cubes or vacuum bags reduces the weight of your item, not the weight. They reduce volume, which means how much space the items take up. The mass remains the same with both products. You still need to watch the airline’s weight limit.

Conclusion

This family travel method took us from chaotic packing sessions to calm suitcase organization. The moment when each child finally had their own space in the suitcase marked a new travel rhythm for us. Combining compression packing cubes and compression VacBird vacuum storage bags gave us both structure and space. You don’t have to be a minimalist traveler to benefit from this you just need a good system and the right tools.