Question/Packing Tips for a Long Distance Move?

[SunnyOne]

I've reserved a trailer with U-Pack for my upcoming move from the MidAtlantic to Florida.

I have already done the downsizing phase and most of what I still have sits in a storage unit. I have been going through the unit, inspecting my boxes and looking at the things that I have just tossed in there lately.

Here are my questions, if anyone has experience, I would appreciate if you can chime in.

(1) some of my plastic tote boxes have been in there and the lids are looking warped. I am thinking I should repack this stuff now in cardboard boxes or could I wrap the totes in something like gorilla tape to secure them?

(2) I have a couple piles of linens and clothes that I really want to keep.
Instead of boxes, is there any reason I should not pack them in rugged duffel bags? My preference is duffel bags if there are no problems with doing so? I assume they could be placed on top of boxes in the trailer?

Appreciate your suggestions very much!

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I think 1 and 2 would be fine. Depending how much stuff, having uniform boxes makes loading and securing a lot easier than a bunch of random container sizes.

 

[pb4uski]

Both sound fine. I've always been of the view that some breakage is to be expected while moving, so if there is something that is cherished then bring it with you in the car and be as careful as you can with the rest knowing that it is likely that some brekage will happen.

 

[JRon]

I have much better luck with totes than boxes so make sure you’re looking at them accurately to be sure there is a problem. A good strong moving box works well, but will usually break before a tote.

Duffel bags are great - they fit into spaces nothing else would and can be used to protect other stuff.

 

[cathy63]

Duffels are fine for moving, but not as great for long-term storage in a humid climate. If you won't be unpacking them soon after arriving, then you might want to get some dessicant to put in with them.

 

[Midpack]

I’d tape the plastic totes shut, much easier on both ends of the move?

And I’d get some wardrobe boxes with a bar across the top and hang the clothes, also much easier on both ends. Pack them full or the clothes will all slip off the bar. If you don’t want to buy them, I see people successfully asking for moving boxes on Facebook and NextDoor all the time. People who have recently moved often give them away just to get rid of them IME.

When we moved here, our decorator took all our empty boxes and packing paper off our hands, win-win.

 

[Yoheadden]

Agree with all of the above.
Just remember, things shift and get jostled during moving. If you have any breakables, wrap them well with bubble wrap or paper.

 

[Sunset]

Agree with all of the above.
Just remember, things shift and get jostled during moving. If you have any breakables, wrap them well with bubble wrap or paper.

Or wrap in clothes as it has to move as well. Saves space but makes unpacking more necessary unless moving to a nudist colony

 

[Souschef]

A trick DW taught me for small breakables. She used those brown lunch bags to wrap each one then pack them all together. I used that trick to pack about 100 small items from my curio cabinet when we moved.

 

[Bamaman]

Our problem is that we're too good at selling homes, and have sold the last 3 homes to the 3rd person that looked for list price. We've had to move 3 times without enough time to weed out the stuff we never use. And with a full cabinet shop, our moves are 4x the size of most families of 4.

My suggestion is to go thru the boxes again and make hard decisions on what's left. I always joke that if I don't use it every 3 weeks, I don't need to move it.

My daughter spent today over here unpacking tools and getting it where I could walk in a 3 car garage. That's 18 months since we moved here--our last move.

 

[harley]

We've done a lot of moving stuff between houses in trailers. I was going to suggest buying zipping Ikea bags to pack clothes and other items into. However, when I went to look at them before posting here, I noticed that the price has more than doubled over the past 5 or 6 years. So forget that.

But the duffel bag concept is excellent. They are great for jamming into spots that need filling to stabilize the load. I wouldn't bother with wrapping the totes, as you will probably stack things on top of them anyway. But obviously do whatever makes you feel secure. My biggest trailer suggestion is to make sure anything wooden or scratchable is really well wrapped. Things shift in a trailer no matter how tightly you pack it, so protect the most important items securely. Even renting moving blankets could be a good idea.

 

[HarveyS]

I'll disagree with most of the replies so far. We moved last June in a rented 26' truck. Prior to the move we had been staging items in a storage unit. DW had many items in storage tubs and misc. boxes.
I watched facebook very closely and found someone giving away boxes after their move from Calif to midwest. I took all the boxes I could, which included wardrobe boxes as mentioned above and dish packs. Plus many other small boxes and all the packing paper.
My neighbors were also moving at the same time. They had professional movers packing and loading the trailer. So, I watched how they loaded the trailer. There is an art and a science to it. I suggest you try to do the same. You need to compartmentalize the truck/container to minimize shifting. You also need to pay attention to weight of boxes and stack accordingly.
When it came time to load the truck, the storage tubs and misc. boxes were not stackable like the professional moving boxes. You can actually stand on a moving box to stack other boxes. Not so with totes or small boxes. Two wardrobes fit in a standard truck one on top of the other. Four wardrobes fit across the width of the truck. The other boxes are also designed to fit. This really minimizes shifting and makes compartmentalizing easier.
The other boxes were a pain to work around, load and unload.
The same issues loading our storage unit.
My # 1 lesson from the move.....use only professional moving boxes. Yes, they are costly if you cannot find ones for free. You will save time loading, unloading and storing using the right boxes.
I agree with harley - thing shift so wrap everything well. Stretch wrap worked well for us.

 

[harley]

They had professional movers packing and loading the trailer. So, I watched how they loaded the trailer. There is an art and a science to it. I suggest you try to do the same. You need to compartmentalize the truck/container to minimize shifting. You also need to pay attention to weight of boxes and stack accordingly.

I don't agree with the need for the professional boxes, although if you can get them free or cheap definitely do so. But the science of loading the trailer is absolutely on point. Heavy stuff in the front, weight equal on both sides of the trailer, and wedge or tie (or stretch wrap) things together so they don't have anywhere to shift. Light stuff on top, and layer the trailer spreading it out so you don't have a mountain of boxes or whatever ready to tumble down when you hit the first bump or curve. And try your best to get the smallest trailer you'll actually be able to fit your stuff in. Empty space is a bad thing. I use a lot of bungee cords when I'm loading my trailer.

And the suggestion someone made of carrying the critical items in the car is a good one too. As pb4uski said, it's expect to have some minor breakage/damage, so make sure it's not anything important.

 

[JP.mpls]

sunny1,
I bought two extremely large low cost duffle bags from Walmart for moving clothing.
They worked great.
They have a pair of wheels on one of the bottom edges, and a handle on the other end. I can roll them like a suitcase.
I highly recommend these. They were about $25 each. Well worth it.
JP

 

[travelover]

I had a UPack trailer moved across the country. A few things I learned - buy the heavy duty boxes, like at Home Depot. The cheap ones collapse too easily, especially if exposed to a little humidity. Heavy ones on the bottom, lighter ones on top, as you stack them. Pack the boxes full so not all the weight is borne by the sides of the box. Be sure to buy cross straps to tie across the trailer to force the layers of boxes to remain vertical. Do this a couple of times to prevent the boxes from tumbling over. At the end, you are probably not going to have a clean vertical wall, so you can put oddly shaped things in last like duffel bags and plastic containers.