Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes Review 2022

We’ve put Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes to the test to see if they will live up to the claims from the manufacturer. They’ve traveled with us across the country and accompanied our weekend getaways when we didn’t entirely fill them up. The experience we had with them pleasantly surprised us.

We had high hopes for Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes because of the brand’s long-standing history of producing high-quality backpacks. Osprey Farpoint 40L and Osprey Atmos Backpack are just some of the products they’ve nailed in the past. They got it right with these packing cubes too.

The very first thing that caught our attention was very minimal branding. Combined with the simple design of the packing cubes, it makes for a piece of equipment that will look good inside every travel backpack and suitcase. Osprey’s logo is embroidered on the top right corner of every packing cube, which gives them a clean and stylish look. There’s also a tiny flap on the periphery of each cube with the word ‘Osprey’ on it for better visuals.

The set features a small (1L, 7.5 x 5 x 2 in.), medium (2L, 10 x 7 x 2 in.), and a large (5L, 14 x 10 x 2 in.) cube, all of which can fit plenty of stuff without becoming bulky in your backpack. We used the largest cube for storing jeans and jumpers, the medium one — for shirts and shorts, and the small one — for underwear, belts, and socks.

You are free to choose between venturi blue, electric lime, lunar grey, and shadow grey colors. We went with the last one because of the versatility and low maintenance of a dark color. Whether you’re going on a work trip or hiking in the woods, your packing cubes will be easy to stuff with all the necessities and clean with a wet wipe if they get dirty afterward.

Construction and Design

Lucky for you, Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes weigh as little as 2.2 ounces for the entire set. Safe to say, they measure up to the label ‘Ultralight’ and are thus a perfect companion for a short overnight stay in a different city. The Ripstop Nylon makes them durable and tear-resistant, which, in our humble opinion, is the number one criterion for a set of packing cubes designed to last.

In addition to the already sturdy fabric, these packing cubes come with a silicon-esque fabric layer intended to make it easy for the users to pull them out of their hiking backpacks. The only downside to this is that the somewhat slippery surface of the cubes prevents them from staying put. They are prone to moving around inside your bag, which can be inconvenient when you’ve arranged them to lay in a certain way.

The quality of the packing cubes is on par with the quality of Osprey’s other gear. You don’t need to take extra care of them so that they don’t rip — fill them up with as many clothes as they can fit, and you’re good to go.

Depending on how you pack, you might be interested in packing cubes that have some compression capabilities. Peak Design and Travel Dude are two models that do this pretty well.

These packing cubes come in different sizes, have an easily recognizable design, and hold their shape well. The only thing we would change about them is getting rid of the slick fabric layer that makes them shift around in your bag. Other than that, Osprey Ultralight Packing Cubes are a top-notch accessory you’d benefit from having in your stash of traveling gear.