Pouches in PU

[MTeric22]

Which pouches fit best in a PU?

[dirkhaun]

I have the same question

Trying to place things in the main compartment: The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag and Western Flyer Packing Cube just about don't fit if fully stuffed - you'd have to squish them.



You could put it in sideways, but then it's wasting space, IMO.

Travel Stuff Sacks (all 4 sizes) fit.



A Small Travel Tray also fits, while a Large one would be too wide, I think. A Grab Bag (upright) also fits.

[nsh]

The stuffed PCSB fits very easily with tons of room when placed in the main part of the PU! Before the PCSB I used old Eaglecreek packing cubes and found those worked well too. Furthermore, I am able to add travel stuff sacks in a variety of sizes on either side of the PCSB so I don’t find it wastes space.

The PU has been my one bag on a majority of my field research trips (since it first debuted) and you can fit so much into the PU. I have owned both the original version (I received it free of charge to review and test it when it first debuted) and the newer version. It is like a Tardis! Ha.

In addition to the PCSB, I find that snake charmers work really well in it too. On the front and back sides, I really love inserting my HLTs, ghost whale pouches, and/or zippered mesh organizer pouches.
Edit:
I uploaded a few pics to show some options: In the front side I clipped in my PIKA and 2 zippered pouches. In the middle section a PCSB, small travel tray, and a stuff sack (and honestly I could still add a cardigan or shawl on top if I wanted), and on the back side my HLT, another zippered pouch, and a stuff sack. I tend to carry my zippered wallet in the front label pocket and in a zippered pocket pouch keep headphones on the other side! I like using the PIKA and PCSB because it gives me different carry options (small cross body or the PCSB with strap) when I arrive at a new place.

[G42]

I just received my PU and I'm mentally comparing it to the Pilot (which I don't have with me) - trying to see if the PU has a place in my life since they're basically the same capacity, just laid out very differently. They obviously look very different too. Do any of you have and use both?

[nsh]

Sorry I don’t have the Pilot so I cannot compare!

[MTeric22]

I do not have a Pilot. Sorry to not be of much help. I like the idea of the different compartments. I cycle through a few bags, depending on the job I need them to perform. So I like having pouches to just through in the bag with what I know I will need.

[Cristina]

I’ll dig out some of my old review posts and link in this thread, but off the top of my head, I personally think that in the divided crescent shaped pockets the Everyday Cubelet or Side Kick (vertically) are great for the center division, and a 3DOC or Cubelet is good for the left and right divisions. For the main pocket, I like a Size 2 stuff sack or similar.

In my opinion, the PU packs best with items that are no wider than 2-3” in width/diameter. It curves around the body best with multiple smaller items rather than a bulky item in the main compartment. If it is actually hanging on a stroller though, then I think there’s more capacity to pack some bulky stuff.

[Cristina]

Here is one of my old reviews, but since then the Everyday/Travel Cubelets have replaced the Side Effect for the center spot because I can use them bag-in-bag and their orientations match.

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...ove-and-photos

[G42]

Here is one of my old reviews, but since then the Everyday/Travel Cubelets have replaced the Side Effect for the center spot because I can use them bag-in-bag and their orientations match.

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...ove-and-photos

Thanks for relinking that - super helpful!
The most bulky and annoying thing I often bring on flights is a cylindrical lumbar pillow because airplane seats do not seem to fit my short shelf... I can jam the pillow into the PU but it's a little awkward... but it's awkward in a Pilot too. (This may improve over time as the pillow wears in/squishes a bit...I finally bought a new one after the 10 year old one finally gave out.)
Lately I've ended up using small or large ZTSB on planes as my personal item instead of the Pilot or CP. They hold a ton and can hang on hooks, but are hand carry vs cross body when I have the Aeronaut/Techonaut on my back.

I do like how if you pack multiple smaller items (as you & nsh mentioned), the bag seems to form fit to me (I'm trying out the 400d halcyon Night Walk).
As we often say, I don't *need* another bag, but it's intriguing...

[nsh]

In the past, on plane trips (I vaguely remember those now…haha) I clipped my neck pillow on the outside of the bag. I have one of those “cabeau” brand ones so it is easy to clip on things. It is hardly sleek looking but it keeps my hands free if I have the PU slung across me and this way it didn’t take up space in the bag. Once I’d get on the plane I’d unclip it and put it on my neck.

[MTeric22]

Here is one of my old reviews, but since then the Everyday/Travel Cubelets have replaced the Side Effect for the center spot because I can use them bag-in-bag and their orientations match.

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...ove-and-photos

Thank you! This helps so much.

[anna2222]

You can fit a large travel tray on each side of the inside partition zipper if you use the drawstring to close it and
turn them sideways.

[moriond]

Thanks for relinking that - super helpful!
The most bulky and annoying thing I often bring on flights is a cylindrical lumbar pillow because airplane seats do not seem to fit my short shelf... I can jam the pillow into the PU but it's a little awkward... but it's awkward in a Pilot too. (This may improve over time as the pillow wears in/squishes a bit...I finally bought a new one after the 10 year old one finally gave out.)
Lately I've ended up using small or large ZTSB on planes as my personal item instead of the Pilot or CP. They hold a ton and can hang on hooks, but are hand carry vs cross body when I have the Aeronaut/Techonaut on my back.

I do like how if you pack multiple smaller items (as you & nsh mentioned), the bag seems to form fit to me (I'm trying out the 400d halcyon Night Walk).
As we often say, I don't *need* another bag, but it's intriguing...

G42 I like to use the Parental Unit (and other bags) the way that Cristina and nsh do, to hold a number of smaller items and accessories. For people who are looking to use the center section of the Parental Unit for larger, single packing cubes of clothing, I agree with nsh that the Eagle Creek Specter II cubes can be used. More specifically, although I haven't traveled with either bag (and the new version of the Parental Unit with the larger interior and zippered section closure in the central compartment is new to me), the Medium size Eagle Creek Cubes can be used for both the Parental Unit and the Pilot. (I got some of the Clean/Dirty ones, and also the compression versions, in this size. When the Specter II line first appeared, the sizes used to be called quarter cubes (now XS I think), half cubes (now S), and cubes (now M) -- and I made most use of the quarter cubes)

One of the differences between the Parental Unit and the Pilot design is that (especially in the Halcyon version), the bag tends to mold and carry closer to your side, because of the differences in shape. A second difference is the pocket access (at the front of the Pilot) and at both front and back of the Parental Unit. So, my fellow mods know that I like to carry messenger type bags close to my side, and I like to be able to easily access the compartments when the bag is on my shoulder (also, all of my old favorites like the Imago, Icon, Daylight Briefcase, Little Swift when worn on the shoulder, do not prioritize carrying ton of stuff). While I like the compartmentalization of the two Pilot front side pockets, it’s slightly harder to open the front compartments while shoulder carrying the bag compared to the DLBC or Co-Pilot because of having to zip/unzip around the corner combined with the zippers used. The front and back front zippered pockets on the Parental Unit are easier to zip/unzip while carrying, and give access to items stored on either side of the center pocket, but don’t don’t let you fill all those pockets to maximum rectangular height because it isn’t designed to be blocky. So, while you could still put a Standard Spiff Kit into the center section pocket of the Parental Unit (and that was about the tallest accessory I could fit into the Pilot Side pockets) I can’t put equally tall, blocky items on either side of that center pocket in the unzipped Parental Unit front or rear pocket.

Here are a few pictures of the Eagle Creek packing cubes (recently purchased for clean/dirty laundry and for compression) compared to the Pilot Packing cubes:

Left is EC clean/dirty laundry cube packed (not completely full) with clothes, middle is the compression Cube (same size, but with a stiffener), right is the large Pilot Packing Cube (retired) 14.8 x 11 x 2.5” 6.7 liters — it feels much skinnier than the EC Cube; below is small Pilot Packing Cube and a Side Effect in Night Walk.

I personally wouldn't pack this cube full (can hold 10.5 liters and swell to 14 x 10 x 3"), but you can use it as a variable depth packing cube for the Pilot and also for the Parental Unit

Dimensions of Pilot Cubes from the screen capture in Pilot Packing Cubes thread from 2019 and my post answering question about ID codes for these cubes.

Here are some pictures of my Parental Units (Navy 1050d/Ballistic/ Tidal and Night Walk/ Tidal)



These show Travel Cubelets Travel Stuff Sacks, Side Effects, and Side Kicks with the two bags. The EC packing cubes fit into both of these, but it’s easier to take pictures of the packing cubes in the open Ballistic Nylon Parental Unit version, since I’m not set up to shoot with any photo aids.to prop these up.

Here’s the Parental Unit and the Pilot (both with center compartments empty) and the Eagle Creek Spectre II quarter packing cubes (now called S)

The empty laptop cache in the Pilot is for a 13” rMacBook Pro. Eagle Creek cubelets can be used in both bags.

Here’s the empty compression cube inside the Parental Unit.

You can easily insert a fully packed or partially packed clean/dirty EC Packing Cube into the main compartment of the Pilot — if you don’t want to use the space for smaller items


Here’s the Cube slid into the Pilot:

Zipped up (with empty cache inside, too)

HTH. As noted, I probably wouldn’t stuff my Parental Unit this way, but this works as packing cubes for both bags.

moriond

[moriond]

Thought I would add that the Medium Size Eagle Creek Packing Cube (not clean/dirty version, or the compression version) seems to be currently available at Sierra Trading Post in Ebony for $8.99 (I could put this in a shopping Cart). They list this as Eagle Creek Pack-It® Specter Medium Cube - Ebony Item #67MWC with list price of $14.00 and so 35% savings.

moriond

ETA (for those who don’t know, Sierra Trading Post is one of the US based retailers who often takes up overstock or product lines that are being discontinued, and sells them at a discount. The stock doesn’t typically stay around for long, but places like this figured in earlier forum discussions about Merino yarn clothing items like the Bliss wrap, and other items like rain jackets that were being recommended for travel. Posting here because this is the size that I showed in the previous post as working as a packing Cube for the Parental Unit and Pilot. The Clean/Dirty and Compression versions work better if you want to underpack the Cube though.