Tips on storage please. (packing, rental, truck, furniture)

[MDrenter223]

Hey CD folks,

I'm a military spouse and am facing an unique situation.

My spouse is going to spend 3-6 months on temporary assignment starting this summer, part of which is our responsibility to pay for (28 days of hotels, rental car and airfare puts us out of pocket for around 3k).

We had planned on keeping our rental home near our permanent duty station, but the walls leak and we are wary of leaving the place alone for any period of time). Add to that the need to save some money to pay for the 28 day temporary duty, and getting out of this place is a no brainer.

I am thinking of moving our stuff into storage and going to live with my parents while my spouse is on temporary duty, but I'm not sure what to look for in a storage unit.

We have a 1 bedroom apartment with the normal furniture, the only unique item is a tempurpedic mattress.

I'd like to go POD, but I can't due to living in an urban center, so it's truck and lockers. I figure I need a 10x15, and should go climate controlled as its the mid-Atlantic area in the summer. But other than that I'm clueless.

[Okey Dokie]

My only advice is put your electronics and other "attractive" stuff in first so it's furthest from the door and blocked in by all your other things. That way, if someone breaks in, hopefully they won't stick around long enough to dig all the way to the back.

Look for a place with good security and buy the strongest lock you can.

[fallingwater]

I bought shrink wrap from a packing place on line. The heavy duty stuff and shrink wrapped all my furniture. it helped with dings but also kept any pests out. Mice of course can chew through a lot but I wrapped it tightly. When I retrieved my belongings 3 months later, everything was just how it should be. I put the valuable stuff in first so the larger furniture pieces blocked what was in the back. I chose a place that had good security and invested in a good lock. A lot of places will give you a month free if you pay upfront. I rented a 10 x 14 ( I believe) to hold a 2 bedroom house of stuff. No appliances, just furniture and boxes. A few things to look for.

Push on the door to see if it is secure
Look for water damage in the ceiling of the unit or around the doors
Dont get a unit with an overhead light ( a friend of mine lost everything she owned because the unit next to hers caught on fire because the people stacked boxes against the light bulb and left the light on)
Get ins. its super cheap and if the something happens you will have your stuff covered.

[RikkiTikki]

What advice did the the T.O. give you? The military offers PCSing service members some guidelines for personally procured moves at Move.mil.

[rezfreak]

If he is just TDY'ing, you should get reinbursed for all the travel pay with his deployment.

[MDrenter223]

Thanks for the tips. Sadly not all the TDY is covered, my spouses unit is a red headed step child in the military and there are a whole bunch of pay issues that only apply there (one other is that when TDY is covered the perdeim is 15.00ish insead of the typical 70.00ish).

We are also not covered by the TO, although I did read through that site (it says not to pack beanie babies as they are too valuable, when was that written?).

Not complaining about the pay, we don't want for anything and appreciate all that the military has done for us, just stating the reality of the situation.

Now I have to break it to the landlord that we are leaving, they are going to be pissed (we pay about 15% more than the other tenants in the building, again we didn't mind paying what we agreed to, but she's going to hate the dip in earnings).

[MDrenter223]

Oh, any thoughts on how big a locker I should get:
1 tempur bed that has to lay flat w/nothing on top (huge bummer)
1 small bar table + stools
1 3 cushion leather couch
2 2x4 ikea book shelves
1 2x2 ikea book shelve
2 ikea night stands
1 coffee table
1 TV stand
1 40" TV
1 full coat closet
1 small walk in closet
Full set of kitchen wear (no major appliances)
2 tall speakers
1 desk and office chair
1 mountain bike
1 ikea poing chair

I think I could do a 10x10, but the 10x15 is definitely doable and only an extra 500 for the term of the storage.

[DaniellaG]

I'm not sure the size but when I stored some items were put on top of each other.
I agree to make sure you get insurance for your items
Ask about hours you can enter the unit. Some may or may not be 24 hours
When you pack if you feel you may need an item place that near the front
I also agree about wrapping the items and especially your bed
Also to read the fine print that the price of the unit does not change over a certain time frame. Sometimes they offer a good initial rate but then after X time the price goes up and by a lot.

[anneystark]

You can try using some normal packaging materials to keep them safe. Shrink wrap—as someone earlier suggested—works great! Bubble wrap can be used, too. These can also help protect your stuff from any possible water damage...but it’s still best to make sure there won’t be any leaks.
I also agree with not getting one with an overhead light. That’s a big fire hazard right there.

[Fran66]

If you find an inside storage unit, climate controlled, and with your own super-duper lock -- that should do it. I got some wood pallets for the bottom of the storage locker. Just in case of a little flooding, which was a possibility where I was.