[nanahachi]

Like you guys, I have spent a ton on audio gear. When I move in a few weeks (about 350 miles), I was thinking of just putting my CDPs, int amp, headphones, all back in their original boxes, with special attention (eg TONS of bubble wrap and popcorn) going to my cans. Must not scratch that mohagoney Grado box....

However, the suggestion has been made that since I have a lot of stuff (imagine 1 bdrm apt's worth), and probably won't be able to muster much/any help in loading the Ryder truck, that I should just get a moving company, let them do the heavy lifting and let them drive my stuff to southern California.

Of course, no one but me would touch my electronics, since those would fit in my trunk. My lovely speakers would have to go on a moving truck...and I'm afraid of them, as well as other delicate things I own, getting damaged if they are out of my sight/handling. A bit anal of me? yeah, its true. I'm paranoid and overprotective too, but oh well.

So in my roundabout way, I'm wondering if any of you have suggestions for moving audio equip, and if moving companies are a no no. In terms of money, renting my Ryder truck vs a moving company isnt a HUGE price difference...although saving a few hundred bucks would be nice.

*a side note, I have a freshwater aquarium, so any advice you might have on moving that, feel free to pass that on to me via PM or email.

thanks!!

 

[gpalmer]

I would go with hiring the movers. The job will get done a lot faster. Just never, ever let them pack for you. Not only are most of them terrifically lame at it, but they also charge very high prices for the work and usually won't tell you that up front. The down side is that most likely anything you pack will not be covered by their insurance, so I would get it in writing before you use them. If you're as worried about your audio gear as you sound this might be a killer...

 

[KR...]

Just do it yourself, it's safer and cheaper that way.

 

[usc goose]

i agree with gpalmer. that's how i got from los angeles to davis. packed up all my stuff with the most important stuff going in my car but with all the stuff packed to strict goosian quality control. it was way easier than when i moved out of usc with a truck i rented myself. worth the money i think, especially for such a long way.

 

[Uncledan]

DIY, it is safer!

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Joey,

Rent a truck, get some boxes, and buy a few friends some pizza to help you pack and move. If you rent dollies to do the lifting for you it will save your back and a lot of time in teh process. Get good, sturdy boxes and some cheap padding for the expensive/breakable stuff and you should be fine. My wife and I loaded almost out entire apartment's worth ourselves, so it can be done. The more you let the dolly work for you the better off you will be.

 

[usc goose]

well i'm not sure if it'll help but the day i moved out, while packing up the truck, myself and about 3 of my friends listened to the london philharmonic playing led zeppelin's kashmir on repeat for about 4 hours straight. worked for us. get's you in some weird automotan like zone.

 

[fractus2]

Mover can be a hit or miss experience. The best move we've had was not with stateside movers. DIY would be the way to go. You also have the option of hiring some of the guys who hang out at the 7/11.

 

[gpalmer]

You can find loading help on the net, how good it is I'm sure varies, but I did see a number of companies from links off of realtor.com when I bought my house. They don't have trucks or go with you, they just show up and load. Might save your back a LOT of pain although a 1 bedroom isn't that much. I on the other hand have enough crap to pack a 2000 square foot house with no problem whatsoever. The movers worked out for me, although I nearly tore ones head off when the dimwit decided to drag my Legacy Classics with the points attached across my carpeting and wouldn't stop when I told him too. That would have been bad but when he started muttering under his breath about me, I really tore him a new portal (polite company version).

 

[jaskin]

Hire the movers, it's not worth the aggrevation of moving yourself.

 

[rickfri]

I just moved across country last November. Had the movers pack everything, and move it across country. I unpacked it myself at the arrival point. I had no broken items and nothing was scarred, and I had no missing items.
A couple of suggestions

1. Hire a reputable moving company.
2. Have bagels and donuts and cokes, water, and coffee for them.
3. Tip as you would for any other service.
4. If you think something needs special packing, tell them. They are usually pretty flexible.
5. If you can be flexible, move in the off moving season, it's cheaper.

 

[john_jcb]

One of our moves was done by the Navy when I was in Washington DC for about 9 months of training. When it was time to return to California they provided me with this very large well constructed wooden box. The side came down and you could walk in. I packed everything and loaded it myself. Everything came through without any breakage. As stated above all of the stuff that I treasured was packed away in the car. Maybe an option like that would work for you.

 

[crazychile]

I am about to go through this myself. I start the 2000 mile journey to the Midwest next week.

If you have money to burn, then hiring a mover saves a lot of hassle. But I agree, pack the boxes yourself.

I reserved a 24ft truck about 1.5 months ago. The place I'm renting it from says that if I had waited to reserve the truck, the price would now be more than double what it was. So reserve your truck early if you do it yourself.

About 3 yrs ago It looked like i was going to relocate to Phoenix. I got a quote to move the stuff (I pack) and the quote was almost 6 grand. The company was going to pay for it, but I decided not to relocate anyway at that time. If I were to pay a mover now for this move, I shudder to think what it would cost. By doing it myself, the whole thing will probably cost me about 3K with the truck, gas, and motels.

So I say do it yourself. But if you haven't started packing yet, you are going to have a lot of work ahead of you to do this in 2 weeks. It has taken me almost a month to pack by working on it 2-4 hours every day.

Good luck!

 

[usc goose]

Quote:

Originally posted by john_jcb One of our moves was done by the Navy when I was in Washington DC for about 9 months of training. When it was time to return to California they provided me with this very large well constructed wooden box. The side came down and you could walk in. I packed everything and loaded it myself. Everything came through without any breakage. As stated above all of the stuff that I treasured was packed away in the car. Maybe an option like that would work for you.

the navy moved out one of my upstairs neighbors. lucky person. they hooked him up.

 

[MikeM]

I would do it myself. Its really comes down to this for me:

Whether its movers or myself, there's always a chance something could get damaged. And even if its insured though a moving company, it still sucks a lot.

So, if something got damaged would you be more angry if it was their fault or your own?

I would be much more angry at the movers. I could forgive myself because I would at least know that proper precautions were taken.