Travel Gear · Head-to-head
Peak Design Packing Cube, Medium vs Matador Packing Cube Set 3-Pack
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Packing Cubes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
Peak Design publishes both compressed and expanded dimensions and volumes, weighs 110 grams, splits clean from dirty with an internal divider and covers it for life. Matador gives you three sizes with individual volumes, weights and dimensions for a fraction of the price.
Peak Design Packing Cube, Medium
Buy itVolume published twice, an internal clean and dirty divider, and a lifetime warranty.
- Both states are published: 32 by 17 by 8 centimetres and 4.5 litres compressed, 32 by 17 by 17 centimetres and 9 litres expanded, with an expansion and compression zip to move between them.
- An internal divider separates clean clothes from dirty, and each compartment expands and contracts independently as its contents change, which is the most genuinely useful feature in this comparison.
- 110 grams, built from 100 percent recycled weatherproof Versa Heal 70D ripstop that self-heals small punctures and abrasions, with UltraZips sewn with abrasion-resistant UHMPE thread and a lifetime warranty.
- Sold as single cubes rather than a set, so filling a suitcase means several purchases at premium prices.
- The self-healing property covers small punctures and abrasions rather than tears.
- Peak Design gives an example capacity of 10 t-shirts when expanded, which is helpful but is the only capacity guidance offered.
Matador Packing Cube Set 3-Pack
Buy itThree sizes with a volume, a weight and a dimension published for each.
- Three cubes at 7.5, 5 and 2.5 litres, with individual weights of 68, 56 and 44 grams and dimensions given for each, so you can plan a bag before you pack it.
- See-through mesh windows with high-visibility interiors, so you can identify contents without opening anything.
- YKK two-way zippers, which is the only named zip brand in this comparison, and 100D Bluesign recycled nylon stated PFAS free.
- These organise rather than compress, with no compression zip on any of the three.
- All three cubes in a set are the same colour, so colour-coding by person means buying more than one set.
- Mesh windows are a wear point and are the first thing to fail on a cube used hard.
Side by side
The 10 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Peak Design Packing Cube, Medium Our pick | Matador Packing Cube Set 3-Pack | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Frequent travellers who want one cube specification they can trust and the clean-dirty divider. | Getting a whole bag organised in one purchase, at the lightest weight per litre here. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
| Volume | 4.5 L compressed, 9 L expanded | 7.5 L, 5 L, 2.5 L |
| Dimensions | 32 x 17 x 8 cm to 32 x 17 x 17 cm | Published per cube |
| Weight | 110 g | 68 g, 56 g, 44 g |
| Compression | Expansion and compression zip | None |
| Visibility | Not published | Mesh windows, high-vis interior |
| Fabric | 100 percent recycled 70D Versa Heal ripstop, self-healing | 100D recycled nylon, Bluesign, PFAS free |
| Zips | UltraZips, UHMPE thread | YKK No. 5 two-way |
| Clean and dirty separation | Internal divider | No |
| Pieces | Sold individually | Set of 3 |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 2 years, manufacturing defects |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Peak Design Packing Cube, Medium if
frequent travellers who want one cube specification they can trust and the clean-dirty divider.
Know before buying: sold as single cubes rather than a set, so filling a suitcase means several purchases at premium prices.
Pick the Matador Packing Cube Set 3-Pack if
getting a whole bag organised in one purchase, at the lightest weight per litre here.
Know before buying: these organise rather than compress, with no compression zip on any of the three.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Peak Design Packing Cube, Medium - Volume published twice, an internal clean and dirty divider, and a lifetime warranty. Choose the Matador Packing Cube Set 3-Pack instead if getting a whole bag organised in one purchase, at the lightest weight per litre here.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Packing Cubes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).