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Bluffworks Packing Cube Set Specs
Cost: $38 Sport set Large (1) and Small (1)
Capacity Large: 10.5 liters
Capacity Small: 3.9 liters
Dimensions Large: 16” x 10” x 4” (40.6 x 25.4 x 4 cm)
Dimensions Small: 10” x 8 “x 3” (25.4 x 20.3 x 7.6 cm)
Weight Large: 4.5 oz (Sport)
Weight Small: 2.0 oz (Sport)
Materials: Ripstop nylon, mesh panel, poly webbing
Origin: Manufactured in China
Intro
If you’re into minimalist travel gear you’ve probably heard of Bluffworks. They’re well known in the one bagging community for their lightweight travel clothing. Recently they expanded their lineup to include packing cubes with a rolltop design that’s different than any other packing cube I’ve seen.
Design
Traditional packing cubes are generally rectangular, and they rely on a perimeter zipper to give it compression. These cubes work great but when they’re not fully packed or when you start to remove dirty clothes on the road, you start to lose a lot of compression. And if they’re overstuffed, the side zipper gets caught in the fabric and you have to fight to get them closed.
The Bluffworks cubes on the other hand are a top loading design. They offer compression from a top cinch strap that allows you to have consistent compression. Regardless of how much you have in the cube.
Comparison with Eagle Creek Cubes
Think the best way to demonstrate how these cubes work is to compare them to a traditional zipper compression cube set. The Eagle Creek Specter Tech Set is a very similar cube, with almost identical capacity, dimensions, weight, and price.
Both sold in a set with a Large and Small version. The Eagle creek come with a Medium and Small set at about $40, while the Bluffworks on Kickstarter is $38.
The dimensions, weight and capacity are very similar:
Large
Bluffworks: 16” x 10” x 4” / 10.5 L / 4.5 oz
Eagle Creek: 13.5” x 10” x 3.5” / 6 – 12 L / 5.3 oz
Small
Bluffworks: 10” x 8 “x 3” / 3.9 L / 2.0 oz.
Eagle Creek: 9.8” x 6.8” x 3” / 2.5 – 5 L / 2.2 oz
I previously thought Eagle Creek were some of the lightest compression cubes on market, but Blulffworks are actually lighter. They have a similar fabric, but mesh sides and fewer zippers bring the weight down.
Materials
The Bluffworks packing cube comes in two varieties, Pro and Sport. I have the Pro version here which is the lighter, more colorful option. Both the Eagle Creek and Bluffworks Pro cubes are made from lightweight Ripstop nylon. Bluffworks has mesh sides, and an attachment compression strap instead of the zippered compression of the Eagle Creek cubes.
Packing the Eagle Creek Packing Cube
You can fit an entire minimalist travel wardrobe in either set of these two cubes. Here’s what I will be packing into each cube of both sets:
Large Cube:
Pants (2)
Long sleeve button up shirt (2)
Henley shirt (1)
T-shirts (2)
Small Cube:
Underwear (4)
Socks (4)
Running shirt (1)
These cubes are easy to pack from the top, however the zipper tends to get stuck when compressing the cubes. If you overpack these too much, you will struggle to get them closed.
Packing the Bluffworks Packing Cubes
Instead of packing from a zippered opening, the Bluffcube packs from the top, like a top load bag. I would recommend rolling your clothes for both these cubes. Even though they are compression cubes, your gear will pack easier, wrinkle less, and be more organized if it’s rolled.
The cinch compression is much easier to use on the Bluffcubes. After filling the cube, you adjust the strap, and attach the loop and hook fastener. The amount of compression you are able to get is really dependent on how hard you squish the cube down. You can get these straps pretty tight, and they’re much faster to compress than the side-zipper design cubes.
Here are the two cubes fully packed with the exact same clothes I had in the Eagle Creek cubes. I actually could have fit quite a bit more in the Large cube, but the capacity on the small cubes was similar.
My favorite thing about these cubes has got to the side access zipper. With the Bluffworks cube fully rolled, the zipper can be opened like a flap. Giving you complete access to the contents of your cube without having to remove the strap. And because there isn’t much pressure on the side, you can easily close it back up.
Summary
I found the Bluffworks Packing Cubes to be much easier to use than the traditional side-zipper compression cubes. While they work well, i end up fighting with the side zippers too much for my liking. While the Bluffcubes straps lets you compress them with regardless of how much you have in them.
The Bluffworks Packing Cubes are a great addition to a minimalist one bag setup. They offer great compression and flexibility of packing style. With similar capacity, dimensions, weight and price to other comparable cube sets.
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