Tell Me How To Move

luvflyin

luvflyin

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Luvflyin
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It's a 1000 mile move. Google tells me that everybody's way is cheaper and better than everyone elses. Don't call the movers, get a Pod. Don't get a Pod we are cheaper. Our pods are better than theirs. We are better than the other movers and yada yada.....I've never moved other than by my own vehicles. They were gas powered, not horse drawn, but it's been a long long time. I don't think Pods were even a thang then. I don't want to rent a truck and do it myself. We are going to fly down, not taking any vehicles with us. We have plenty of time to wait for our https://www.google.com/search?clien...#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:08bc4a6c,vid:4x_QkGPCL18 on the other end. So, whose done it somewhat recently? How? How'd it go? And any other advice. And oh yeah, I have eliminated airborne delivery as an option.
https://www.military.com/video/oper...tions/air-drops-gone-very-wrong/1204401961001
 
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How many cubic feet of stuff are we considering?
 
Our veterans know how to move… from base to base, from assignment to assignment
 
Moving company. Local to your new destination. Get 3 quotes.

They will send a guy local to your current destination to estimate volume and weight. That guy is from a local franchise and won’t give 2 craps if his estimate is way off. Make sure they look in every nook and cranny and provide the other mover a detailed estimate.

You’re paying for the number of men on the ground and the amount of time to pack and load. Then mileage and men & time to unload.

If the truck is big enough, they’ll be able to load a car in the back. Whether they will is a different story.

Last time we had vehicles shipped almost cross-coast, it was about $1k, so I’d double that amount for budgeting.

Lots to consider, more than I’m patient enough to type on my phone.
 
asicer said:
How many cubic feet of stuff are we considering?
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I don't think I could calculate that very well. We live in an 800 square foot, two bedroom joint. The bed is not going. Lotsa stuff in storage sheds though. Uhaul Pod is 83" tall, 56" wide, 95" deep. I think I could cram it all in one, my wife says no, we'd need two. She is usually right about things like this.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Moving company. Local to your new destination. Get 3 quotes.

They will send a guy local to your current destination to estimate volume and weight. That guy is from a local franchise and won’t give 2 craps if his estimate is way off. Make sure they look in every nook and cranny and provide the other mover a detailed estimate.

You’re paying for the number of men on the ground and the amount of time to pack and load. Then mileage and men & time to unload.

If the truck is big enough, they’ll be able to load a car in the back. Whether they will is a different story.

Last time we had vehicles shipped almost cross-coast, it was about $1k, so I’d double that amount for budgeting.

Lots to consider, more than I’m patient enough to type on my phone.
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Thanks. We aren't taking any vehicles.
 
Packing and loading are way different things than moving. If you're willing to pack and load, pods are awesome and the hands down winner. Your price estimate will be your final cost too.
 
luvflyin said:
I don't think I could calculate that very well. We live in an 800 square foot, two bedroom joint. The bed is not going. Lotsa stuff in storage sheds though. Uhaul Pod is 83" tall, 56" wide, 95" deep. I think I could cram it all in one, my wife says no, we'd need two. She is usually right about things like this.
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300-500 cubic feet? That doesn't sound too bad. I suppose the next question is whether you have the ability to load the pod without hiring a pro.
 
luvflyin said:
It's a 1000 mile move. Google tells me that everybody's way is cheaper and better than everyone elses. Don't call the movers, get a Pod. Don't get a Pod we are cheaper. Our pods are better than theirs. We are better than the other movers and yada yada.....I've never moved other than by my own vehicles. They were gas powered, not horse drawn, but it's been a long long time. I don't think Pods were even a thang then. I don't want to rent a truck and do it myself. We are going to fly down, not taking any vehicles with us. We have plenty of time to wait for our https://www.google.com/search?clien...#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:08bc4a6c,vid:4x_QkGPCL18 on the other end. So, whose done it somewhat recently? How? How'd it go? And any other advice. And oh yeah, I have eliminated airborne delivery as an option.
https://www.military.com/video/oper...tions/air-drops-gone-very-wrong/1204401961001
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Haven't done a move recently, but the last time, we rented a Uhaul, and hired some professionals to pack and load the truck. Then I drove the Uhaul. These trucks are not as bad as they may appear. They are quite comfortable. Then we hired another team at the other end to unload. This way you have some control over the schedule, and you don't have to do much heavy lifting.
 
No matter which method you choose. California to anywhere is expensive. Depending on where and what day, it may take you several weeks to get a rent truck to one way anywhere east.
 
Craig said:
No matter which method you choose. California to anywhere is expensive. Depending on where and what day, it may take you several weeks to get a rent truck to one way anywhere east.
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It's to California. Started the move recently. Have residency established. We're just now getting around to getting the stuff down there.
 
jbarrass said:
Packing and loading are way different things than moving. If you're willing to pack and load, pods are awesome and the hands down winner. Your price estimate will be your final cost too.
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Which is why I call a moving company. They pack, load, transport, unload, and will even unpack.

And if things get broken, they pay.

Cost is NOT the only factor in the best way to move. And yes, I grew up in a military family so a number of moves.
 
luvflyin said:
It's to California. Started the move recently. Have residency established. We're just now getting around to getting the stuff down there.
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Uuuh, that is moving the WRONG way. :D

Depending on where from, I hope you factored in the higher cost of living to make sure it was a good move financially.

Years ago a friend of a friend moved from MD to CA for 3x the pay. After he was there 2 years, he figured out it wasn't really a pay raise as costs were so much higher. He did move to Silicone Valley.
 
Pinecone said:
Uuuh, that is moving the WRONG way. :D

Depending on where from, I hope you factored in the higher cost of living to make sure it was a good move financially.

Years ago a friend of a friend moved from MD to CA for 3x the pay. After he was there 2 years, he figured out it wasn't really a pay raise as costs were so much higher. He did move to Silicone Valley.
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Yup. Piggy bank got smaller and is going to stay that way. Doin' it anyway.
 
Going into Cal. would probably get you a 26 foot rental truck real cheap. Friends have a Uhaul location and said it's cheaper to rent a truck in Vegas, drive to Ca, load and then drop the truck almost anywhere in the US, than to try and rent in CA.
 
luvflyin said:
I don't think I could calculate that very well. We live in an 800 square foot, two bedroom joint. The bed is not going. Lotsa stuff in storage sheds though. Uhaul Pod is 83" tall, 56" wide, 95" deep. I think I could cram it all in one, my wife says no, we'd need two. She is usually right about things like this.
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I’ve done more moves than I care to count over the last couple of decades. The first decade was military moves, the last decade+ has all been as a civilian. The last move was from Japan to Phoenix in 2019.

Military moves are the easiest. They hand you a set of orders and tell you on XXX date, make sure your dishes are clean and your trash is emptied, because the movers WILL pack your garbage and send it to you overseas. It smells great when you unpack it.

I moved from west coast to east coast in 2009, packing, driving, unpacking by myself. I did the return to west coast move the same way in 2015. I don’t plan on doing that again.

800sq ft should easily fit in one 12 ft pod, especially if the bed and appliances aren’t going. But, the storage sheds you mention could be anything from a lawnmower and a rake, to a warehouse full of “stuff.” If you’re like me, it’s the latter, most of which i describe as “no idea what’s in there, but I’m sure I’ll use it someday.”

Packing the truck/pod…the first half always looks like a pro packed it. Everything fits perfectly and is neatly packed and secure. The second half always looks like I shot everything into the truck from a cannon, because I inevitably pack all the neat stuff first and save all the oddball shaped stuff until the end when I am sure to be tired and frustrated.

If it were me, and I were moving 1000 miles and not driving myself, I would seriously consider a moving company to do everything from start to finish. It will be more expensive, for sure. But as mentioned, they break it they buy it. And when it gets to your new destination, they will unpack it and take away all the boxes and wrapping supplies. That alone is almost worth the price.

Find out who contracts the military moves in your area. There will probably be several companies. A full service mover will be the most hassle free and can make moving almost enjoyable.
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
Burn all your stuff.
Travel unencumbered, with insurance check.
Get brand new stuff at destination.
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hindsight2020 said:
Worked for Jesus. :biggrin:
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Didn't work for a guy I knew. The insurance company just wouldn't pay for no reason at all (according to the guy).

But he wasn't Jesus. He is the reason that used car salesmen have a bad rap.
 
aterry1067 said:
I’ve done more moves than I care to count over the last couple of decades. The first decade was military moves, the last decade+ has all been as a civilian. The last move was from Japan to Phoenix in 2019.

Military moves are the easiest. They hand you a set of orders and tell you on XXX date, make sure your dishes are clean and your trash is emptied, because the movers WILL pack your garbage and send it to you overseas. It smells great when you unpack it.

I moved from west coast to east coast in 2009, packing, driving, unpacking by myself. I did the return to west coast move the same way in 2015. I don’t plan on doing that again.

800sq ft should easily fit in one 12 ft pod, especially if the bed and appliances aren’t going. But, the storage sheds you mention could be anything from a lawnmower and a rake, to a warehouse full of “stuff.” If you’re like me, it’s the latter, most of which i describe as “no idea what’s in there, but I’m sure I’ll use it someday.”

Packing the truck/pod…the first half always looks like a pro packed it. Everything fits perfectly and is neatly packed and secure. The second half always looks like I shot everything into the truck from a cannon, because I inevitably pack all the neat stuff first and save all the oddball shaped stuff until the end when I am sure to be tired and frustrated.

If it were me, and I were moving 1000 miles and not driving myself, I would seriously consider a moving company to do everything from start to finish. It will be more expensive, for sure. But as mentioned, they break it they buy it. And when it gets to your new destination, they will unpack it and take away all the boxes and wrapping supplies. That alone is almost worth the price.

Find out who contracts the military moves in your area. There will probably be several companies. A full service mover will be the most hassle free and can make moving almost enjoyable.
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The sheds stuff isn't really all that much. Hand and a few power tools. Garden stuff is staying. I'm beginning to think about the Movers thing a little more than the Pod thing. I did one move like you described. It was a Federal Employee Civilian move. And yeah. You just get outta the way. You don't have to prepare at all if you don't want to. We got the toothbrushes though before they got there.

EDIT: It was Graebel
 
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455 Bravo Uniform said:
You’re paying for the number of men on the ground and the amount of time to pack and load. Then mileage and men & time to unload.
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The guy that gave us our estimate said they figure so many pounds per mover per hour. I can’t remember the numbers, but using that formula they can figure the optimum number of guys to send. The final bill is based on how long it really takes.

His suggestion if you pack yourself: Use standard moving boxes as much as possible. Stage them in the garage, front to back, side to side, floor to ceiling. On moving day they simply dolly it all from the garage to the trailer. All that’s left is furniture. They will literally race each other to keep from being the guy that has to carry the heavy items. Because of that, our load time was very short and our resulting bill was quite a bit below the estimate.
 
If the movers will be charging by the pound moved, be aware that they will pack everything - and I mean EVERY BLESSED THING - to increase the weight. On my last move, they packed full wastebaskets. They packed the woodpile. Each log carefully wrapped in mover's paper and put into a cardboard carton. That increases the number of carton$ used significantly.

I didn't really care, because it was a corporate move paid for by my employer. And I had a fireplace at the destination, too. Just be careful of this!

-Skip
 
I worked at a storage company in highschool and college and customers had this question all the time. There are two answers to this question. The cheapest? UHaul. You will obviously have to load and unload the truck, which you don't want to do, as well as drive to the destination, but it will be the cheapest. I would hire someone to drive it and meet you at the destination. Penske, Budget and the competition are typically going to always be more expensive. The second answer is just going to be a moving company, but I'll caution that you have to be careful, because those guys don't handle your belongings with great care and you need to be present with them during the loading and unloading processes to make sure they don't dork anything up. I've known them to break, steal and misplace items along the way, hence my first (and cheapest) suggestion of doing it yourself. If you're gonna go with the latter, Two Men and a Truck seemed to be one of the best. Allied Van Lines is another long distance company that I'd recommed.
 
aterry1067 said:
But as mentioned, they break it they buy it.
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Unfortunately, that isn't always the case in my experience. Unless it's documented or you can prove it, they won't replace it. That's why I recommended being present when they load and unload and watching the movers closely. If they break something and you didn't see it happen, they'll deny it and won't accept fault. I saw it happen all too frequently.
 
Got a quote from Uhaul. $2928.70. That's us doing the loading and unloading. I'm going to call some crew's tomorrow to get their prices Also going to get some quotes from traditional movers. Hey, thanks to all ya'all for your input, keep it coming. Even you @eman1200. Was showing my wife the thread and she was a dancin' along to I Like To Move It.
 
RyanB said:
Unfortunately, that isn't always the case in my experience. Unless it's documented or you can prove it, they won't replace it. That's why I recommended being present when they load and unload and watching the movers closely. If they break something and you didn't see it happen, they'll deny it and won't accept fault. I saw it happen all too frequently.
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.mil moves are a whole different breed of move. Something that was on the inventory didn’t show or showed up broken, the member files a full replacement value claim for it with .gov, who brokers settlement with the contracted party, which can be the origin company, the transit company, the storage company, or the destination company.

Every box gets a content inventory when packed, each box/crate gets an inventory sticker, and each sticker # is recorded (in triplicate, carbon copy) at the origin, provided to the member and receipt is recorded at the destination, by the member.

Most .mil moves include disassembly, pack, unpack, re-assembly, and one-time placement of every item as well as packaging material removal at the member’s request.

My moves ran from less that 2000lbs to over 14K pounds, both domestically and international and only had problems with loss/damage on less than half.
 
A data point - every time (5-6) I've moved, I've done the move, usually with friends from work. Even so, I always reached a point where I decided it would have been worth a couple of AMUs to have paid movers to move it all. I have a full house worth of stuff that fills most of a 24' truck and with dollies and such, I can move almost all of it myself.

Don't plan on doing it again. I think we have one more move and there will be movers involved.
 
RyanB said:
Unfortunately, that isn't always the case in my experience. Unless it's documented or you can prove it, they won't replace it. That's why I recommended being present when they load and unload and watching the movers closely. If they break something and you didn't see it happen, they'll deny it and won't accept fault. I saw it happen all too frequently.
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Thanks, and you are correct, if they can get out of paying, they will. Advice we got and followed early on was to document everything with video and photos prior to the movers arriving. I recorded all electronics operating and took detailed photos of anything fragile that I cared about.

I remember discovering during a move just how much crap I had that I really didn’t care about. A move can good for cleansing the mind as well as the abode.
 
I moved 600 miles last year. I did it over 6 trips (driving myself), about half of those with moving trucks, the other half with my own truck/trailer. I paid folks to load/unload. Unfortunately because of timing, I had to put a lot of my stuff in storage units for a few weeks. This doubled up the number of times I needed to pay people to load/unload. Figure $700/pop to get a 26 ft truck either loaded or unloaded, at least in the midwest.

Between movers, truck rentals, storage rentals, and fuel, I probably spent around 10 grand. That might sound like a lot, but, you're not going to hire pros to pack/load/unload/drive six trucks worth of things that far for any price near that, at least last year.

To be honest, no matter how you do it, it will be quite expensive if you have a lot of things.
 
Throw out stuff. A lot of stuff. I've moved twice in 3 years, thought I'd culled well. I didn't. Start culling early, too - take a hard look at your furniture'; sell it, give it away, or pass it to the new owner if you even think you'll replace it in the next few years.

Blind luck in my last move, seven weeks ago: Sold my house with most of the furniture conveying, and bought my present house with the furniture mostly included.
 
luvflyin said:
It's to California. Started the move recently. Have residency established. We're just now getting around to getting the stuff down there.
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I think you need to flag down one of the Dr's on here, and get an evaluation. Only half kidding.

Agree with using a local professional mover and getting multiple quotes. The other thing is determine if you have anything sentimental, irreplaceable, or highly fragile. Consider moving those things yourself. If you do move things like that, I'd probably rent a 3/4-1 ton van from one of the car places, rather than uhaul. Maybe just my bad luck, but the rental truck places aren't always great with maintenance. I'd also have the movers pack everything. Packing is just about worse than moving, and they know how to do it.

If you have any compressed wood furniture, ikea/walmart/home depot/whatever, I'd suggest landfilling it rather than moving it. Moving is also a great time to de-clutter. I say that as someone who is always in need of de-cluttering.

I wouldn't do the 'slow pack store in containers' thing, as it's a great way to get your things mildewed/rotted if there is any possibility of moisture. Move like the old MASH TV show did a bug-out.
 
Dont forget, if you drive it yourself, you will probably overnight somewhere. With all your possessions in a truck in a rando parking lot. I vote less stress. Hire movers to load, drive it, and unload. You have enough stresses doing the actual moving part. Hire this part out. Less martial fights also. "You packed that lamp, and now its broken..." "I want that couch over there. no there. No, downstairs now. Ok, put it back where it was.." Let the mover guys take that heat.
 
Double-check your homeowners insurance for the time your things are on the truck to the time they are unloaded. A broken chair is one thing, but if the truck goes off the road and overturns you might find their freight insurance will pay something like pennies on the pound.
 
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