[*** minimaxer note: Part 3 of a 4 part series]
“It’s just like playing tetris.”
the minimaxer explaining the packing process to mom
You may be too young to remember the tetris game which took the world by storm a few years back… it’s a simple game where boxes in different configurations gradually pile up on top of each other to fill the screen. If you make a solid row of boxes it disappears, but if you let the pile reach the ceiling it’s game over.
I love metaphors and this one seemed so obvious to me as I loaded up the packrat storage pod I laughed out loud. Placing the boxes in just the right position so they wouldn’t fall over or come loose during the trip across country was turning into a game. But here I wouldn’t lose if I piled the boxes to the ceiling, I would just have to rent another packrat pod…
rules to win the packing game
There is method to the madness of packing up all the stuff. To win this game (carrying on the metaphor) we need to observe some basic rules and build them into our system and process.
Our ‘rules’ in the packing game are pretty simple too. Here they are in a quick checklist:
- Use boxes that are a manageable size you can lift and stack once packed.
- Tape all boxes closed so they have a flat top and won’t come open in the move.
- Mark all boxes once packed so you know what the contents are.
Pretty simple, eh? Follow these three rules and you can have fun packing up anything – plus you’ll get the task done faster too.
As you pack the boxes, you are setting up for the packing game. You will want to stage your boxes in a space near the vehicle, trailer, or pod you will be filling up.
At this point, we carry on our strategy from the previous step of our move process. The third step of our 3-S method for dumping stuff was staging. As we sorted through and minimized the stuff we were setting it aside in staging areas so we could see all the stuff together with similar items organized in general categories.
These piles of stuff should make the packing much easier. Again, building this method into your system will help you as you go along with your move.
If you’ve purchased boxes somewhere (Home Depot, Lowe’s, or the local UPS store) then you have the luxury of them all being the same size – or you’ve got several sizes that are all consistent at least. This is going to make the packing game a lot easier since the blocks will all be consistent and will stack up nicely together.
If you’re collecting discarded boxes from different free sources (grocery stores, liquor stores, and other markets) you can still win the game. Make sure all the boxes you collect can be taped shut so you will have a nice flat surface to work with. You don’t want to fold the flaps to close them without tape because the corners will catch and drive you nuts!
Set up and fill the boxes by you staging zone. Be sure to mark each box with a note describing what’s in it. You’ll be unpacking them soon, but don’t count on your memory to know where you put specific items – the boxes will all look the same once you off load them at your destination.
And keep the stages stuff – now in neatly marked boxes – in roughly the same staging order so you’ll be able to manage the packing more easily. It’s OK to restage here a bit and group boxes by size if you’ve collected you boxes and they don’t all match. (you’ll quickly see why you marked them)
fill empty space
Now that your boxes are all packed up it may be time to take a break and reward yourself for a job well done – or at least well on the way to being done.
While you’re sipping your adult beverage, look at the space you’re going to fill up with all your stuff. Is it a big box (packrat pod), an open UHaul trailer, a van, a truck, or the trunk of your car? Each of these spaces will dictate a different packing method. In my case, it was a packrat pod – so I had a very defined space to fill.
Understanding your space is the first step in a successful move experience.
The first consideration you need to make before you start is with the items you’ll be packing up. Do you have any really big stuff? Is anything fragile? Is anything heavy? Is anything alive?
All good questions you need to think about before you actually dive into the game. If you have a good spacial imagination, this can be a lot of fun. Imagine where these ackward items will fit. Use a tape measure to get accurate dimensions before you start jockeying things around. You’ll kick yourself later if you have to unpack everything because you can’t quite fit a large heavy item without breaking something else already packed up.
So what should you build into your system to maximize the space your stuff is going to be packed into? Well, here is a table with some suggestions for the order and placement to load up your space:
1st – Large items – appliances, furniture, artwork
2nd – Heavy items – heavy equipment, books, tools
Last – Fragile items – glass, dishes, monitors
Very Last – Alive items – plants, pets, people (just kidding on those last two)
wrap it up
Depending on what vehicle you use to transport your stuff, your last step will be a bit different.
If you have a small amount and you’re using your car or truck, it may take a few trips across town and you don’t have to worry as much about making it all fit neatly into one load. But if you’re moving a big distance this is important.
Loading up a flatbed trailer means you’ll have to think about the weather. This will also dictate how you pack things up too. You’ll want to make sure and strap everything down tightly and cover it all up to be waterproof. By a lot of bungies and tarps to make sure you’ve got all your precious cargo secured – windproof and weatherproof.
If you use a storage pod like I did, or a moving van, you’re packing is a bit easier since you don’t have to worry about wind or water. You do still need to secure everything, so you’ll need to have plenty of bungies and straps on hand to make sure everything stays in place.
Use plenty of padding – vibration is your enemy!
One tip I can offer from years of experience and being a professional mover (back in my youth I moved homes, offices, and pianos) is to pad anything of value against vibration. You would be amazed what the continuous jiggling of the road trip will do to something when it is just barely touching something else – even two pieces of metal can wear through each other with enough time and vibration.
So use plenty of padding between unboxed things. In some cases you can jam a piece of cardboard or a slightly crunched box to fill a gap and make sure your large, fragile, and heavy items fit tightly together for the journey.
In my case I had to load up a blueberry bush for my very last item – tucking it into a space where it wouldn’t tip over or fall on anything else (it survived). It wasn’t clear the door would close in the end since I’d packed the boxes right to the edge like a tetris screen.
As I forced the door closed I could see the boxes shifting slightly to fill in the remaining gaps as the dead air inside each box was squeezed out. With one last push of the shoulder I levered the door closed, there was a solid feel as I swung the latch over and heard a satisfying ‘click’ as it fell into place.
I won the tetris packing game!