Thinking a trunk would be a good idea to take clothing and to store clothes/shoes while away. Does anyone have recommendations on where to get a good one that will hold up through time? Also, any other helpful packing items would be nice.
Do you know for sure where you child will be attending and what dorm? I ask because there is no way that my daughter’s room would have had room for a trunk. We used large bins and IKEA bags to move things in but then had to bring the bin home. Her bed is lofted but she has a chair and her keyboard underneath so no room for storage.
Not only would my son’s room not have had room for a trunk I can’t imagine how miserable it would have been to hault it up all the unairconditioned stairs. Unless you know you have room for it and have a personal porter, you might be happier packing things in easily carried boxes or totes and then getting inexpensive storage containers for whatever space you end up having.
I would not invest in a trunk until you see if there is a place to store it and how you could get it into the dorm.
For storeage, you really want to think about what will fit under the bed. There really is not enough floor space for a trunk in general.
I would not use a trunk either for reasons stated above. My daughters don’t have much storage room where they are (or were) studying, and a trunk would be hard to carry up the stairs.
We used Ikea Frakta blue storage bags for one daughter and they worked out very well. They were about the right size to carry up the stairs, hold quite a bit, but fold flat when not in use so that they can be tucked away until they are needed. They also just happen to pack well into my car but that may have just been good luck. The other daughter just used cardboard boxes which have pretty much the same advantages.
Some dorms have elevators. Some don’t. Way back when I was in university I was in a dorm where the elevator only stopped every third floor so most students still had to walk up or down one floor with their stuff.
We had to fly, so used the large Amazon duffle for clothes (folds up) and left a small carry on for trips. A trunk would have been to large for the space and hard to carry.
One of our kids went to a school a drive away. The other went 3000 miles away.
No trunks.
For the driving kid, most everything went into those large black trash bags. They could smush around well, and fit in the van well.
For kid 3000 miles away, we weren’t paying to ship a trunk.
And really…no room in either dorm room for a trunk.
As others have mentioned a trunk can be an issue to find space for. I know it would be in my Ds room. Flexibility is key, so modular adjustable storage that can also be used to transport is key. We ended up with a variety of the drawers/containers in the link below. They fit under the bed, can be stacked to form a chest of drawers, make a nightstand, sit on top of the dorm storage furniture, etc. They also work as their own transport containers. Not promoting these items in particular, just providing them as examples of a more flexible solution than a trunk (which I myself use for all four years of college but just does not seem as practical for today’s smaller footprint dorm rooms). Good luck!
Honestly suitcases work well…you can store clothes in them, they are rollable when moving in, and easy to pack, useful in the future, and fit under the bed.
I’m an Army brat, so I used one of my dad’s old Army footlockers. I liked it and it served my purpose well. I packed it full and shipped it via UPS. Actual Army trunks are quite sturdy - especially the mid-century versions of yore - so I just dragged it, but my dorm had an elevator. My roommate and I used it as a coffee table of sorts. The “pretty” camp trunks that my kids had weren’t nearly as sturdy. So, if you really want a trunk, I would suggest a visit to your local military supply store.