If you struggle with fitting all the things inside your suitcase whenever it comes time to pack for a trip, there’s a game-changing solution for you. We all know of packing cubes for your clothing, but did you know there are actually ‘packing cubes’ for your toiletries as well?
Yup! Cadence Capsules may be the solution to your packing woes! The adorable little capsules by Cadence is a product I recently discovered that’s quickly gaining popularity among travelers. They are small, lightweight, and can surprisingly hold a lot of stuff!
While they’re super innovative and quite aesthetically pleasing, they don’t come cheap. Frankly, you might even have sticker shock when you see the price. So I’m sure you’re wondering… are they worth the money?
I aim to answer that here. This Cadence travel capsule containers review will give you a sense of the product so ultimately you can decide for yourself if it’s worth the money!
This post may contain affiliate links. You won’t be paying a cent more, but in the event of a sale, the small affiliate commission I receive will help keep this blog running/pumping out useful and free content. Thanks a lot!
Table of Contents
What Are Cadence Capsules?
Cadence Capsules are the perfect solution for travelers who want to avoid the hassle of dealing with bulky products when packing. I view them as the packing cubes for your toiletries, and we all know how much packing cubes have changed the game when it comes to packing clothes efficiently.
These travel containers are not just basic travel containers that you can pick up at your local drugstore, Walmart, or Target.
They are a thoughtfully designed system of magnetic, fully customizable, refillable, and leakproof containers that keep your personal care products all in one place.
The Capsules are also made of durable materials, so they’re meant to withstand the rigors of travel and years of use!
Cadence Capsule Travel Containers: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Eco-friendly: they source from Bound Plastic (plastic at risk of ending up in the ocean)
- Compact design: magnetic modular design helps to take up less space in your luggage
- Aesthetically pleasing
- 100% leakproof, no need to double-bag them
- Comes in lots of colors you can pick and choose from
- Customizable labels help you stay organized so you can find everything you need quickly
- Hard to lose caps and labels due to magnetic pieces
- Can swap magnetic labels between capsules
- Comes in multiple sizes now!
Cons
- Can be quite expensive for the occasional traveler (costs approximately $84 for a set of 6)
- Capsules that are too close together will magnetize together even when you don’t want them to
- Need to have your own mini spatulas to scoop product out of the capsules
May not be good for longer trips where large amounts of liquids like shampoo and body wash are neededOnly comes in one size
What Types Of Products Does Cadence Offer?
There are a few different product packages that Cadence offers, all of which feature the innovative Cadence capsule.
- Build Your 6: customized to your routine
- Build Your 12: customized for expanded organization
- Days Of The Week: for Mon-Sun routine maintenance
- The Bestsellers: for packing personal care staples
- The Bestselling Icons: for open-ended organization
- as well as a few other color-themed packs
When you choose to build your capsule set, you’ll get to choose each capsule’s size and color–so mix and match all you want.
Most recently, Cadence Capsules have upgraded its product line to include different sizes of containers! Now there’s a size perfect for smaller things like serums, balms, and medications, as well as a bigger size for things like lotions and shampoo!
Here are the sizes the capsules come in:
- The Original – 0.56 ounces, guaranteed 100% leakproof, watertight and airtight. TSA compliant
- The 56 – The 0.56 fl oz magnetic Capsule Flex holds the same volume as the Original Capsule, but its updated low profile design is great for eye cream, balms and Ibuprofen.
- The 132 – The 1.32 fl oz. magnetic Capsule Flex is nearly 2.5x the size of The Original Capsule, and great for cleansers, face masks, and medications.
- The 275 – The 2.75 fl oz. magnetic Capsule Flex holds nearly 5x the volume as the Original Capsule and is still TSA compliant.
- The Extender – Another newer product, this extender piece instantly adds 1.43 fl oz to any Capsule Flex. Designed for flexibility, longer trips, more volume. It pairs well with The 132, but note that it is NOT compatible with The Original Capsule.
You’ll also have your pick of magnetic tiles so that you can label your capsules however you want. You can go with icons or words that denote things like lotion, lips, hair, body, shaving, rings, meds, and so much more.
How Cadence Capsules Fit With My Travel Lifestyle
As an adventurer and minimalist traveler, I tend to focus on packing lightly and traveling with only a carry-on suitcase 99.9% of the time.
If I’ve got a 3-day trip coming up, I’m for sure going with a carry-on suitcase. If I’m going on a 2-week trip, you better believe I’m going to try to jam everything into a carry-on! Checked luggage fees aren’t going to get me if I can help it!
Having said that, one of the struggles that come with carry-on travel is finding enough space to carry all my gear. With such limited luggage space, every inch and every centimeter becomes important.
People often think the bulkiest things in a suitcase are shoes or clothing. But have you ever stopped to think how much space (and weight) all your toiletries are taking up?
Think about it, you’ve got your toothpaste, lotions, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, cleansers, moisturizers, serums, aloe vera, etc. And if you’ve got a 10-step skincare routine? Add on a bunch of other products to that list!
Chances are, you’re bringing way more of each product than you really need, especially on those shorter trips. This is where Cadence capsules come in to truly streamline things. These TSA-friendly capsules are a minimalist packer’s best friend!
How Much Do Cadence Capsules Fit Inside?
THE ORIGINALS
Each of the Capsules is about 1.8 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide, and even when grouped as a set of six, they are still smaller than the size of my hand!
Imagine that–6 bulky bottles or a container system the size of an average hand?
Despite them looking quite small, they actually fit a ton of stuff inside of them. For example, when I was packing for my most recent 4-day trip to Los Angeles, I was able to fit the following:
- 25 toothpaste bits
- 8 large vitamins
- 10 full pumps of lotion, body wash, face wash, etc
- enough serum and makeup remover to last at least 2 weeks
- enough sunscreen to last 5 days
Now for shampoo and conditioner products, you might actually need more than one capsule each if you’re taking a longer trip of more than 5 days. The capsules are not the best for products where you need globs and globs of it, especially if you have extra long thick hair.
But for lotions, body washes, dental, and skincare products, you’ll have more than enough for 1-2 weeks’ worth of travel!
FLEX SYSTEM
Cadence has finally answered one of its customers’ biggest concerns with the product. Why do they only come in one size? Because when it comes to travel liquids/toiletries, one size definitely does NOT fit all.
Well problem solved, because they now offer a whole new line of products called the Flex System.
Here are the sizes the Flex capsules come in:
The 56 – The 0.56 fl oz magnetic Capsule Flex is 1.05″ H x 1.8″ W x 2″ L. It holds the same volume as the Original Capsule, but its updated low profile design is great for eye cream, balms and Ibuprofen. On average, good for 2-5 uses.
The 132 – The 1.32 fl oz. magnetic Capsule Flex is 2.1″ H x 1.8″ W x 2″ L2.1″ H x 1.8″ W x 2″ L. It’s nearly 2.5x the size of The Original Capsule, and great for cleansers, face masks, and medications. On average, good for 4-10 uses.
The 275 – The 2.75 fl oz. magnetic Capsule Flex is 3.7″ H x 1.8″ W x 2″ L. It holds nearly 5x the volume as the Original Capsule and is still TSA compliant. On average, good for 3-15 uses.
The Extender – This extender piece instantly adds 1.43 fl oz to any Capsule Flex. Designed for flexibility, longer trips, and more volume. It pairs well with The 132, but note that it is NOT compatible with The Original Capsule.
I love this new addition because the larger capsule sizes mean now you can confidently bring enough shampoo, body wash, and lotion for those longer multi-week trips without having to ration your use!
My Overall Thoughts About Cadence Capsules
Honestly, it’s hard for me to pick just one thing I love about the capsules.
Among the many reasons, I love that they’re TSA-compliant and 100% leakproof. This means getting through TSA without ever having to worry about whether I’ve accidentally packed products that are larger than 3.4 ounces.
This also means reaching my destinations without having to ever deal with a wet, goopy surprise in my luggage from exploding travel bottles. These are things of travels past!
They don’t take up very much room at all, but surprisingly fit a whole lot of stuff in them. Plus, since they’re magnetic, you can connect them into whatever shape you want in order to stuff them where you have room in your carry-on bag.
Among all else, I love that they help me travel with less overall bulk. As a budget and adventure traveler who thrives on getting from destination to destination quickly and effortlessly, I need to be able to pack my carry-on suitcase or duffel bags with ease. One of the best ways to do that? Reduce bulk by consolidating the essentials.
Another notable feature to call out is that Cadence lets you customize Capsules however you want. In addition to 40 predefined Tiles you can pick from (some of them being super cute icons and images), you can also create your own Tiles for a truly customized travel system!
They even offer tile labels in different languages now!
They are also eco-friendly in more ways than one–they’ll help you cut down on single-use plastic products and are made from recycled materials. Love that!
My biggest concern when I first received my Original Capsule set was how I would confidently use them to replace ALL my other toiletry bottles. Mainly, my concern was with shampoo.
Being an active person who exercises and hikes a lot, plus given the fact that I have THICK hair, I tend to use more shampoo than the average person when traveling. Whenever I used my capsules, I’d bring separate shampoo bottles (just so I could feel confident that I wouldn’t run out) and put everything else within the capsules (lotions, body wash, facial products, vitamins, etc).
So when I learned that Cadence came out with their Flex System feature a whole bunch of actually useful sizes, I was so happy because with The 275 size, that meant I could FULLY eliminate my use of all plastic bottles when traveling!
Are Cadence Capsules Worth The Money?
Okay, let’s touch on the price a bit. This is probably the one thing that had me hung up on purchasing in the first place.
At first, you might think the price tag of the capsules is steep. I know I did at first!
But when you actually stop to calculate how much money you’d be saving in the long run by not needing to spend on travel-size products (and how much plastic waste you’ll be sparing the world from), they’re actually a great buy.
Let’s say for every trip, you need to re-up on travel-size toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and sunscreen. On average, this set of travel essentials will set you back $10-15 at a minimum. (This estimate is conservative because it doesn’t even factor in the cost of travel-size moisturizers and serums, which can cost so much more!)
With the Capsule Build Your 6 bundle costing $74, you really only need to take 6-7 trips to fully ‘pay off’ the cost of the Capsules. Ultimately, I think the cost is justified when you consider how convenient and compact the Capsules are.
Having extra luggage space and saving money in the long run? Priceless!
Cadence Capsule travel containers have definitely been a game-changer for me since I’m someone who’s flying at least 1 to 2 times per month — 99% of the time, carry-on only. That means I’m almost always low on packing space!
With their super compact shape, it really helps me out when it comes to saving on luggage space. They really are my trusty sidekick when it comes to packing smarter and more efficiently for my trips.
Ultimately, I think this product CAN BE worth the money for frequent travelers who value minimalism and efficient packing. If you have the money for them, I say go for it! They are a high-quality investment and I have no regrets about my purchase.
Having said that, they may NOT be for everyone. Especially if you don’t travel too frequently, in which case Candence capsules will be more of a luxury than a necessity.
All in all, the product is great, and it’s just a matter of whether you can justify the cost.
Flex System or Original Capsules?
The Capsule Flex System is the next generation of Capsules. Aside from the difference in size compared to The Original capsules, they also have a few other changes to them including:
- They are made with new and improved technology and are now 100% leakproof
- Now, the top, bottom, and sides are magnetic (whereas with the Original, only the sides were magnetic)
- For the tile labels, they are interchangeable on any Capsule Flex (but is not compatible with Original capsules)
With all these improved features that allow for the ultimate flexibility and confidence that they’re 100% leakproof, I’d recommend opting for the Flex System capsules over the Original capsules.
The Original capsules still work great (and mine have definitely never leaked on me), but the different sizes that the Flex line offers is such a huge plus!
Cadence Alternatives / Cadence Dupes
While these items are not exactly the same as Cadence capsules (they’re not magnetic, nor are they as pretty and functional), here are some travel container alternatives I like:
Gemice BPA-Free Silicone Travel Bottles
Aesthetically pleasing color combo sets.
The 3-layer leakproof design prevents liquid leakage or spillage.
Opal shape allows no liquids stuck in the bottle corner and helps you to get the last drop out.
Longway Leakproof Cosmetic Pot Jars
A cute 9-piece set of durable cosmetic containers with screw-on lids and inner liners to prevent leaks and spills.
Comes with spatulas for easy dispensing of beauty products, cosmetics, lotions, etc.
KISEER Contact Lens Cases
Contact lens cases are pretty perfect for small amounts of creams, gels, etc.
Sturdy, compact, and durable. No leakages.
Are Cadence capsules TSA approved?
Yes, all of the capsule sizes offered by Cadence are TSA-approved. This means no matter which sizes you choose for your system, they can all be brought onto the plane in your carry-on or personal items.
How many Cadence capsules fit in a quart-sized bag?
You can fit 16 Original-sized Cadence capsules in a quart-sized bag.
If you want just The 132’s, you can fit 7 of those in one bag.
If you want just The 56’s, you can fit 20 in one bag.
Lastly, if you want just The 275’s, you can fit 4 of those in one bag.
But honestly, I don’t think you even need to pack your toiletries in plastic bags these days. I haven’t packed my toiletries in clear plastic bags for at least a decade. Even when traveling abroad and going through airport security lines, plastic bags are provided to you.
Can you personalize the capsules?
Yes, this is what I love most about Cadence capsules!
Not only can you personalize the color of your containers (they allow a bunch of mixing-and-matching!) but you can also customize the magnetic tops of your containers and have them labeled however you want. They even offer labels in different languages!
And with their latest product line — the Flex System — you can now
customize the sizes of capsules too.
If you’re someone who uses a lot of product, you’ll probably want to add in a few larger containers (The 275) to your set. And if you want to take your 10-step skincare routine on the go, you’ll probably want more of the flatter containers (The 056).
What is the price of each Cadence capsule, and how do they compare to other similar products in the market?
The price of each Cadence travel capsule varies depending on the specific product and size. However, generally, they range from $14 to $36 each.
In terms of how they compare to other similar products in the market, I honestly haven’t found another product on the market that comes close to being a worthy competitor.
If you travel a lot, Cadence travel capsules can offer excellent value for money.
Will the magnets impact my technology?
No, the magnetic feature of the capsules will not impact technology. Your credit cards, computers, and phones are safe next to the magnets in the Capsules.
How do you clean the capsules after use?
Remove the Tile(s) and use a drop of your favorite gentle cleanser or mild soap to swirl with warm water while using your finger to remove excess product. Lay them out to air dry.
For harder-to-reach areas (such as in The Original Capsule lid), you can use a q-tip without removing the o-ring.
Hope this Cadence capsule review has shed a bit more light on whether this packing system is worth the money for you or not!
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