TL;DR
- EVERYTHING should be packed in a box when moving
- Buying boxes will save time and money
- Home Depot / Lowes are great for standard size boxes and you will need a few Heavy Duty boxes
- U-Haul is great for specialty boxes, but not standard size (too weak)
- Make you own boxes for funny shaped items
- Movers Wrap, AmazonBasics Tape, Newsprint, and bubble wrap are value add investments
How I pack and why
When my wife I first moved in together, we were both living in New York City. She was coming from Murray Hill and I was coming from the UWS and we were starting the serious phase of our lives together in the West Village. It was one of those moments where you realized that two people can have really different world views. I packed everything in boxes while she had an assortment of odds and ends including several of those large blue IKEA bags. 2 moves later (to Brooklyn and most recently Texas), she’s now also on team BOX everything!
The cost of boxes will be more than offset by less money spent on movers and less stress. When moving long distances where cubic feet count, this really matters!
| Type of moving supplies | Examples |
| Standard Size Moving Boxes – Standard Strength – Extra Strength | – Extra Small – 15 in. L x 12 in. W x 10 in. ($0.78) – Small – 16 in. L x 12 in. W x 12 in. D ($0.98/$1.78) – Medium – 22 in. L x 16 in. W x 15 in. D ($1.44/$2.58) – Large (28 in. L x 15 in. W x 16 in. D) ($1.78/$3.68) – Extra Large – 22 in. L x 22 in. W x 21 in. D ($2.48/$4.60) |
| Specialty Moving Boxes | Some examples – Large Mirror & Picture Box ($6.95) – Grand Wardrobe Box ($12.95) – Laydown Wardrobe Box ($5.95) |
| Moving Supplies | – 20 in. x 1000 ft. Heavy Duty Stretch Wrap ($36.98) – AmazonBasics Moving and Storage Packing Tape ($15.41) – 20 lbs of Unprinted, Clean Newsprint Paper ($30.99) – Adj. Cardboard Corner Protector ($21.79) |
| Make Your Own | – Combine the boxes above + score edges + tape |
Standard Moving Boxes
There are the staples and used for 90%+ of our packing. U-Haul offeres similar sizes, but we found moving, the U-Haul boxes were too thin. We bought our boxes at Home Depot, but Lowes has pretty much the same boxes
Regular or Extra Strength? In a cross country move, if you have heavy boxes, some of your regular strength boxes will get crushed. If you have a delicate item (e.g lady’s hats) or really heavy items (e.g. books), I’d use extra strength. For the vast majority of items, regular strength is fine
Specialty Moving Boxes
We found U-haul to have picture frame / wardrobe boxes that worked for us. You can be creative in how these boxes are used as well. We used the Grand Wardrobe box to pack a West Elm Marble side table.
We didn’t think it made sense to move our TVs as they were more than 5 years old. All three (U-Haul / Lowes / Home Depot) seem to offer solid TV boxes
Moving Supplies
| AmazonBasics Moving and Storage Packing Tape ($15.41) | Rule #1 – don’t run out of tape Rule #2 – quantity over quality This is 6 rolls, but each roll is 2x a standard size. Removing the mental stress of running out of tape is totally worth it. I’d also rather go over things 2-3x than trust a single piece of “higher” quality tape. |
| 20 in. x 1000 ft. Heavy Duty Stretch Wrap ($36.98) | Stretch wrap is amazing for wrapping furniture and odds and ends. I bought a shorter, thinner version and wish I had bought this. We wrapped our sofa, disassembled crib, dressers (this helped keep drawers closed), etc. It can also be used to seal boxes in protective plastic |
| Pratt Retail Specialties3/16 in. x 12 in. x 250 ft. Clear Perforated Bubble Cushion Wrap | Bubble wrap. Kind of like tape – buy more than you need. This worked for us, but we didn’t have a strong point of view on it. |
| – 20 lbs of Unprinted, Clean Newsprint Paper ($30.99) | I love clean newsprint packing paper to keep valuables safe. This worked well for us. We wrapped plates and filled gaps in boxes to keep things safe. |
| Adj. Cardboard Corner Protector ($21.79) | We were most stressed about packing frames. These combined with the specialty frame box helped make it easy. The cardboard is still fairly thin, so you’ll need to pack around it too. |
Make your own
We had a couple items that just didn’t fit any conventional box. This 22″ x 80″ Design Within Reach mirror was our toughest piece. Ultimately, we made our own with 2 overlapping U-Haul Large picture boxes (48-1/4” x 4-5/16” x 32-11/16” each). If you need to shorten a box:
– draw using a straight edge
– score the cardboard with a ball point pen
– fold the cardboard
– reinforce with lots of tape!
Final thoughts
Time is precious, stress is costly and your stuff is worth a lot. It’s far better to have too much in terms of moving supplies and the right tools than not enough. Through intra-city, international and cross country moves, I’ve never regretted investing a little in having the right supplies. Good luck with your move! For details on our move from NYC to Dallas, check out: The Great Migration: How to move from NYC to Texas for under $3,500
