tsostarich Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 So here's the deal, I'm moving and I need to pack up my collection, but I really have no idea how to move records. I'm moving out of a house I've been in since '99 and I never thought I'd need to figure this out. I'm not moving far and these records might be in my car for maybe 8 hours, if that. I'm trying to figure out the proper way to move these without damaging my collection. - What's the best box to use? - Should I take the records out of their sleeves and place them in the poly sleeve with the album sleeve? - How many records should be in a box without throwing out my back? I know this may seem dumb to ask all these things, but I really need some help with this. I tried searching for threads, but I couldn't really find anything with all the answers I'm looking for. Thank you in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobfrombob Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 I would use boxes just slightly bigger than records. I used these the last time - https://www.movingboxes.ca/products-page/boxes-bundles/small-moving-boxes/ See if you can find something with similar dimensions. If you find a place that sells moving boxes, just buy one, take it home, fill it up, and see how they fit (remember if you have any box sets, they are typically a little bigger). I would always fill the boxes - not crazy tight but snug. The snugger they are, the more they protect each other. You want to avoid points where there can be any bend or give. I don't know if you have specific back issues but a 1.5 cubic foot box is about 50 pounds full I would guess, maybe 70. You can probably get like 50 - 70 singles discs. Pretty heavy but manageable. Others may have different opinions, but I would leave the vinyl in the sleeves. There shouldn't be much moving around if the boxes are full. Feel free to tell me I'm full of shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsostarich Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 I would use boxes just slightly bigger than records. I used these the last time - https://www.movingboxes.ca/products-page/boxes-bundles/small-moving-boxes/ See if you can find something with similar dimensions. If you find a place that sells moving boxes, just buy one, take it home, fill it up, and see how they fit (remember if you have any box sets, they are typically a little bigger). I would always fill the boxes - not crazy tight but snug. The snugger they are, the more they protect each other. You want to avoid points where there can be any bend or give. I don't know if you have specific back issues but a 1.5 cubic foot box is about 50 pounds full I would guess, maybe 70. You can probably get like 50 - 70 singles discs. Pretty heavy but manageable. Others may have different opinions, but I would leave the vinyl in the sleeves. There shouldn't be much moving around if the boxes are full. Feel free to tell me I'm full of shit. I don't have a particular back issue or anything, but I use my back a lot at work and I just don't want to pull anything. Discomfort comes easy to me. I went to U-Haul today and bought four small boxes (they call them book boxes I guess) and I filled those up. I put the cardboard that's usually in LP mailers for protection around the edges of the box and that seemed to make a perfect fit. I have a few box sets, not many (I think four or five) and those fit in beautifully. I made sure I didn't make the boxes too heavy and even when they're full they're not heavy at all. They're not going to be in these boxes long since the first thing I'm setting up at my new house is the turntable and my record collection (gotta listen to tunes while I'm setting up the house). You're suggestion really helped and you're not full of shit. It was the response I was looking for. Thank you very much for the suggestions and insight. Now I just gotta get a PO Box until I'm in the new place. I have a lot of records coming really soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymbalism15 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Good luck with your records and the move in general, are you moving to or from Daytona? I'm from Orlando but I go to school in Gville Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derby625 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'm prepping for a move and was wondering if anyone else had any other advice. Most of the LPs will be packed up and moved in a POD and then about 2-3 crates of my expensive/sentimental ones will be in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 normal packing boxes from uhaul worked well for me. i used record mailers on each end for some extra protection. biggest thing is make sure you keep 'em out of the heat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr. sincere Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Generally, I think when you put things into a box, you should ensure that the contents are neither so loose as to cause excessive movement and risk damage nor so tight that there is excessive pressure on the items inside. It is also important to note that the weight of the box after the contents have been added can be adjusted entirely based on personal levels of comfort. This is a trial and error sort of situation, and you will need to find your limit with the box before you know whether or not you will be able to easily move it later on. In the event that you decide one of the boxes is too heavy, make sure you have another one handy so that you can remove contents from the first and have a place to put them! Good luck with the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isavedlatin54 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 i bought like 8 hardcore LP cases. i was moving across the country in the middle of summer so every night we stopped at a hotel id have to unload them and then back the boxes back up in the car...fucking sucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyBOD Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Assuming you're moving LPs, use 12"X12"X12" boxes (or 13", I forget which) but nothing bigger otherwise they'll be too damn heavy to lift. Leave them in their sleeves, just pack them so they're not too loose... or too tight - but snug so they're not flopping around. Pack 10" and 7" discs separately in appropriate sized boxes. I wouldn't recommend stacking boxes. Be happy you can actually fit your collection in your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangesix Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 What about heat? Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I will be moving back across the country in a year and am mostly worried about the records being too hot in the back of a U Haul for 2-3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isavedlatin54 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 What about heat? Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I will be moving back across the country in a year and am mostly worried about the records being too hot in the back of a U Haul for 2-3 days. heat is the enemy, I sure as shit wouldnt leave my records in the back of a truck for that long. unless its in like, the dead of winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derby625 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Assuming you're moving LPs, use 12"X12"X12" boxes (or 13", I forget which) but nothing bigger otherwise they'll be too damn heavy to lift. Leave them in their sleeves, just pack them so they're not too loose... or too tight - but snug so they're not flopping around. Pack 10" and 7" discs separately in appropriate sized boxes. I wouldn't recommend stacking boxes. Be happy you can actually fit your collection in your car. Oh, I'm only putting 2 crates in my car. The other 1000+ LPs are going by way of truck. And luckily moving from Minneapolis to Buffalo in April keeps me away from heat. I'm sure the heat is okay for a little while. Imagine the heat when you're waiting for things that are shipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicity Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Thanks for this thread. I'm moving this summer, so I'll have to bookmark this. My question was going to be whether cardboard boxes are sufficient for moving the amount of records they could hold. Do they risk breaking open at the bottom? They can't really be stacked, can they? I'd considered trying to get some plastic crates on the cheap, but if cardboard boxes will do the job, I'll just do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synapsistapped Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 As far as boxes, I've used these in the past, since you can find them in most stores: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/624321/Office-Depot-Brand-Moving-Box-16/ Can almost fit one Expedit cube in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I just moved overseas, brought 300 LPs. They were packed in boxes made for 60 LPs. It was a 3 month trip for them, on a ship which temperatures reach 180 degrees F. I removed every record from the jacket and placed them on top of the jacket. I made sure everything was upright. I received the records yesterday. Haven't inspected everything, but the few I grabbed to sample seemed just fine. If you're just going through a drive in the same town, I would put 60 in a box, packed tight. I wouldn't even remove them from the jackets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troymess Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 When I moved a few years ago, I simply asked a liquor store owner if he had extra boxes from any shipments. He gave me whatever I Could fit in my car for free. Empty liquor boxes are the perfect size for moving records. I had a lot of them too. About 900 to move. It all worked out...no harm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Another cheap tip: all McDonalds' should have a green recycling dumpster out back that you should be able to pilfer without getting in trouble. Fries and McNuggets boxes are the perfect size for records and the cardboard is really heavy duty so you can pack them full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin8821 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I've thought about this before now that my collection is around 400 records and decided that when I finally move out of my parents place and hopefully It'll be soon I'm going to do it in trips since it will be just across town most likely or maybe to a nearby city but I would take the records/turntable and musical equipment last so I can sort of take as much time and care as I need to move them so nothing gets fucked up. I'm kind of viewing it as the finishing touches to my new home. I'm worrying about the music room last is what I decided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundboard Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I've thought about this before now that my collection is around 400 records and decided that when I finally move out of my parents place and hopefully It'll be soon I'm going to do it in trips since it will be just across town most likely or maybe to a nearby city but I would take the records/turntable and musical equipment last so I can sort of take as much time and care as I need to move them so nothing gets fucked up. I'm kind of viewing it as the finishing touches to my new home. I'm worrying about the music room last is what I decided. This is exactly what I did when I moved out. It kind of sucked, but at least in small loads you can make sure everything is taken care of. Of course if you are moving too far away to do that it isn't an option. I'd say keep an eye on the things you most love and let them ride in the heat/air controlled cab of the car/truck and pack the other stuff as well as you can. Really that's all you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrangerwithcandy Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Just moved my collection last summer (at the time I had about 750). I got 13x13 boxes, lined them with bubble wrap and packed the LPs in. I moved them around dusk that way the heat wasn't even a factor. I moved about an hour and a half away, the LPs were in the U-Haul for 4 hours at most. I think if you pack them as if you're shipping them you'll be fine. There's no way you'll handle your own collection worse than USPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derby625 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 .... There's no way you'll handle your own collection worse than USPS. haha, this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.