Uses for vacuum-sealed bags (packing, moving company, trailer, furniture)
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Can I ship clothes by vacuum sealing them into those special bags, putting them into cardboard boxes (like regular mail) and mailing them to my destination? Is that possible and/or possibly affordable (we're only talking maybe 4 medium sized moving boxes I would think). We're going to have to drive (from ATL to Seattle, WA) and We have to do it with what we can fit into a new Civic + 4 people.
So you could say I'm just grabbing at straws here.. if any of y'all are craftier than me, throw me a line.
NO I do not have enough money to ship things via a moving company
As a result we are not shipping any furniture (although the thought of having to buy another mattress makes me want to cry... that's a lot of money)- We're thinking of buying everything from Craigslist and Ikea.
Skip the expense of the bags and get some 32 gallon or larger bags and put the clothes in them before you put themjn the boxes. I would also check UPS to compare which offers a better rate.
We already have the bags- they were only $30. So i figure we can stuff as many clothes into the boxes as possible that way. It's just, if we do that, I'm a little worried about the clothes/fabric busting the box open if they come unsealed. Would that happen? I would think if it was taped well enough it would hold. What do you think?
Some commercial office movers inflate plastic air bags in desks drawers and supply file cabinets to avoid the expense of removing and packing the contents. Logistics and warehouse distribution managers do the same thing when loading freight into trailers that aren't full.
The idea works great ... unless the bag deflates.
The problem with putting your personal effects in a box under pressure is worrying about if ... when ... and where the vacuum sealed bag might break.
I just moved with a moved but packed myself. I did did exactly what I suggested. If you use good tape a strip along each edge after the one that covers the actual "edge" is all you need but you can also use one piece perpendicular to the three and you will be just fine. Be sure to use strong boxes.
If you have have an autobody or collision place nearby they will have strong boxes they will be glad to give you, it saves them from having to recycle.
Yes you can do this. Pack the boxes yourself, and make sure that the vacuum sealed bags are truly sealed. Reinforce the box with the clear packing tape; wrap it around the circumference of the box tightly. Make sure the box bottom and top is securely sealed. Your box should be fine.
The effect of putting things in the bags you have is that you will put more in the box, because the vacuum sucks excess air out of the bags. You will probably have heavier boxes, because you put more stuff in them.
Heavier boxes cost more to ship.
But you can't escape this. You will either spend money to send heavy boxes, or to send more boxes.
I sent things ahead to a family member before we moved. It worked out fine. I packed some bulky things in the vac sealed bags and had them in storage for months before I finally got them. That worked out fine too.
On the nature of boxes, I've turned used boxes inside out, and resealed them tape or hot glue many times. I've reinforced them with tape. (I used to send things all over the country.) If you are careful your package will come through fine.
I did just what you are suggesting a couple of years ago when our son was moving to Washington DC for an internship for a semester. He was flying and didn't have enough space in his suitcase to take everything. We packed 2 boxes with clothes and shoes. All the clothes were in vacuum bags, so we could get more in the boxes. One box he checked as luggage since he got 2 bags free (one suitcase, one box) and the other box I shipped to him UPS. Both made it just fine. He said the seals on the bags broke in one of the boxes but they didn't expand because the bags were packed tightly in the boxes, so there was no room for the air to get in and expand the bags. He used the same technique to move back at the end of the semester. Worked great again.
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