Relocating and Moving My Gear Cross Country

We moved from Oregon to Arizona in February of 2020. I packed all my audio gear in the factory boxes, including all the McGear in their double boxed factory packaging and trusted to Bekins to do a good job. I did not have the factory crates for my speakers nor the 75" monitor but the movers did a good job with the wrapping, protecting and loading of all our goods.

Upon inspection after arrival in Arizona I noted that we came out almost unscathed. A couple pieces of furniture got some dings that didn't warrant paying the shipment insurance deductible for, one concrete yard art gargoyle landed in our new residence with a broken wing (I patched him up as he's been with us for quite some time...the fix just made him look even meaner :P) and we had a few pictures where the frame corners came loose or the glass had cracked. That was about it.

So as was said, Trust but Verify and pick an experienced moving company. Get the insurance as well.

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And do note that many companies transfer goods from one truck to another during cross country moves. My preference would be to move my precious stuff myself, which is what I have done all my life. But, I've never moved outside of my area. I did help my parents move out west and then back again, and our experience was they moved the boxes from one truck to another in transit. It is more efficient for the moving companies. I would be quite nervous about the McIntosh gear, but you have the double boxes, so you should be good. Perhaps if you are really nervous, put the sensitive stuff in crates?
 
denniswilson said:
:idea:

I desperately looked into renting trucks from U-Haul, Ryder, Budget, Penske so I can do it myself. I searched almost every day beginning in late August all the way through today. Unfortunately there are no trucks available one-way from the northeast to Florida due to the mass exodus here. All those companies need trucks up here....but no one is driving up here to make a inventory. Ryder does have a small cargo van one-way rental for nearly $6000. The agent at U-Haul that I visit often said there is a 3-4 month waiting list, but no guarantees whatsoever. I was thinking of renting a Chrysler minivan from Hertz, but it will only have room for my McIntosh amp and 2 preamps....Then fly back to NY and get my Honda Civic. I'm still thinking about that.:idea: Funny thing is when I moved from Atlanta to NY a few years ago I was able to rent a new Penske truck to haul all my stuff for less than $400 and only 2 days notice
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What about the possibility of renting a truck/ cube van just for your delicates, moving it down, driving back up north to return the rental, then flying back to Florida?
It would probably be a fair bit of mileage charges / gas, but it might give you peace of mind that at least some of your stuff is being well treated along the way.

BTW, the last time (decades ago) I moved, movers took care of most of the household, but I took the things either they wouldn't or that I didn't feel comfortable with them moving.
 
Moved from Oregon to Florida in 1999 (all reimbursed by my employer, thankfully). Used United. Came off near perfect… all our moving problems occurred using locals. Something always got busted up. I always moved my audio stuff myself locally (I learned my lesson).
 
Moving cross-country with your hi-fi gear is a big deal. I've used interstate movers, and they usually stack carefully, but it's wise to express your concerns. Insuring for full value is a wise move. You can use G's Junk Removal, tool. I hope your McIntosh gear sings beautifully in your new place!
 
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nj pheonix said:
You could rent a Ryder or uhaul one way and handle everything yourself
Even if its just a van for your audio gear.
I see early on that was a consideration :dunno:
You could 3rd wheel your car.
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I agree with Andy - if it were my gear, it wouldn’t leave my possession. Murphy’s law and all that….
 
One of my early jobs at a HiFI company while in high school was workig part time. I had to Un pack equipement and put it on display and then repack it if was sold. So I learned a lot about packing. The companies improved over the years. But if I were you I would pack things carefully in their original boxes and then place then on a pallet for shipping or for a moving company. Always keep your factory packing if possible. I have been lucky as I have only had to ,move once in the past 45 years across tow. So A except for the Hifi ca7 copy.jpg9 2.jpgbinet which I emptied and the loud speakers I transferred them in my 3/4 ton van.
 
nj pheonix said:
You could rent a Ryder or uhaul one way and handle everything yourself
Even if its just a van for your audio gear.
I see early on that was a consideration :dunno:
You could 3rd wheel your car.
Click to expand...

Uhaul worked for me from Chgo to S. Fla. Worked out perfect!! Even had a collie in the front with me. And he liked traveling!!

I rented one of those 'walk in' medium diesel U-Haul truckw where there is even a storage area 'over' the cab - worked out perfectly. And you're 'in control' of everything. Pack mindfully, drive the speed limit, no hurry, easy does it, carefully, 'normally', no hurry ... all arrives perfect, safely.
 
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When I moved from Las Vegas to Toledo in '82, we used Mayflower, which my mother had used several times. Somehow, my Dual 1229 turntable was totally destroyed on the way. It took months to get a check out of them, like about 6 months. They also lost a couple of boxes of pictures, and a box of those cassette albums that held six tapes, including the tapes of a 13 to 18 year old me talking "skip" on the CB radio. My voice changing along the way is hilarious.
 
When my wife and I moved to Belize after I retired, we put our stuff in storage for a few months in upstate NY before a shipping company brought it all down here. We didn't bring any furniture down so it all fit in a roughly 10x15x8 unit.

Bringing my gear down myself was not an option.

So I took it upon myself to pack up everything. I guess mine was a bit of a unique situation and I was quite lucky to be able to obtain a big, really nice shipping crate from work. Some sensitive and hideously expensive equipment had been shipped to us in it and was no longer needed. It was even lined with stiff foam inside.

Every piece of gear was put in a plastic bag with desiccant pouches. Then it was wrapped in some bubble wrap - I got a huge roll from U-Line. Prior to the move, I had been saving any and all foam that was included in anything we bought and I used some of that to fill gaps and protect corners and such. The big, heavy amps filled the bottom and I worked my way up.

I also packed my speakers myself using big boxes. I even nested boxes inside boxes. I protected the drivers with foam cut to fit and used it to cushion the bottoms as well. And, just like with the electronics, desiccant pouches were included.

Everything spent several of the upstate NY winter months in an unheated storage unit. Then the shipping company picked it all up and put it on a ship. After it got to the port in Belize, it was all trucked to my new neighbor's house and spent several months in his garage while construction on our new house was completed.

When it came time to move into the new house, the stereo was one of the very first things to get unpacked.

All of my efforts paid off. Everything was just like before I had packed it. Even my speakers were unblemished in any way.
 
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