Moving cross country... PODS? or something else?

[JBT]

My family.... myself, wife, and two children (3 and 5) will be moving across the country. We are looking at how to do this. It seems like using PODS is going to work best. Anyone ever use them? Are there any good competitors that I should be looking at too?

I think we will be able to fit everything in the largest size POD as we will be leaving our large sectional couch here and buying a new one for the new place. But I'm not 100% sure on this.
We have a 3 bedroom and 2 bath home approx 1800 square foot.

Am I missing something? The kids are flying and staying with grandparents ahead of us. My wife and I will be able to bring the last couple of odds and ends in our Explorer as we drive.

Thanks in advance!

 

[OlafSicky]

I say sell it all and buy new stuff. Moving stuff costs too much money .

 

[DesiPower]

Dude packing and unpacking will be a bitch.. if its job related and they are providing assistance, then please use packers and movers. I cant imagine doing it myself...

 

[Capt Caveman]

I've moved a house worth of stuff cross country and back. I used http://www.doortodoor.com/ as they were less expensive than PODs. I think I had to use 4 containers. With Door to Door, I could have had more containers sent out and I would have been charged for only the ones I used.

 

[Wreckem]

Depends on how much you budget is.

I've done Texas to Maine in a 24' budget truck. Good god was that an awful experience.

If I ever have to do a long distance move, it would be with a highly reputable packing and moving company.

 

[yukichigai]

My little brother used a knock-off of PODS. They left him a half-length shipping container outside his place for a week, he filled it up, then about two weeks later it was at my parents place here in Nevada. Worked pretty well, nothing got broken or banged around too much. The only issue was that it took a while, but no service like that is going to be quick.

Honestly it was worth the money he paid. No complaints.

 

[FallenHero]

Quick look at Door to door...NY to SF with 1 container is 1700 bucks, so be prepared to pay.

 

[Zeze]

Quick look at Door to door...NY to SF with 1 container is 1700 bucks, so be prepared to pay.

Jesus, for avg age of this forum, you can just sell all the crap and rebuy them for $1700.

 

[Saint Nick]

Sell your stuff and buy new when you arrive. So much easier.

 

[lxskllr]

I know a guy who moved from AZ to MD, and found Uhaul's version of the Pod to be the cheapest option. Dunno the details, but it looked like a nice way to move. After moving, he put the remainders in one of the pods, and is having it stored for the future. Storage is $30 something a month if I remember right.

 

[Mixolydian]

Trash everything, start fresh in your new house.

That's one of the great things about moving, you get rid of so much stuff.

 

[rsutoratosu]

I heard from various people pods are the biggest ripoff in the world. A few local mover had told that to my friend when he was moving from Chicago to CT, and pods did rip him off big time. He said he would had been better with a local mover

 

[DrunkenSano]

PODs are expensive as hell. Just sell and buy.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Yeah....definitely sell what you can.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Trash everything, start fresh in your new house.

That's one of the great things about moving, you get rid of so much stuff.

Our storage unit was broken into and most of our stuff was stolen. The keepsakes that were lost were the hardest stuff to lose...

...that and my lawnmower, weedeater, and DirecTV boxes.

Their insurance did nothing because they claimed they never received our paperwork. (and gladly refunded our money)

 

[luv2liv]

sell everything on CL. ship UPS what you cant/wont sell.
damage, big or small, is inevitable during transport anyway

 

[mizzou]

garage sale

transporting your crap is expensive.

 

[CountZero]

Getting rid of stuff is good advice but there's something to be said for moving and having some stuff. Wife and I moved 4 months ago and got rid of some stuff that we really didn't want and we still don't have a dining room table because she hasn't found one she likes. With the other option being we just pick something cheap and get rid of it later thus negating the entire point of getting rid of it before moving. So it has been more than a little annoying whereas if we had just moved the table at least we'd have one while trying to replace it. Of course I wasn't paying for the move so the cost aspect was not a concern this was just an argument I lost...

That being said I'd seriously look into what it costs to have someone pack/move your stuff for your.

 

[AmdEmAll]

You might have too much stuff but what about renting a truck like a uhaul or penske and driving it?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Get rid of shit you don't want/need and for the rest of the stuff pay a moving company to pack and move it for you.

No way would I rent a truck and drive my shit across the country.

 

[Skeeedunt]

You could definitely fit both in one POD, just make sure you drill air holes and they have plenty of juice to play Angry Birds.

 

[Captante]