<p>WashDad--In the midst of popping Tylenol for daily headaches while our S makes his final decision on colleges this week before mailing in a deposit due May 1st, I just wanted to jump in here and let you know how much I enjoyed reading your post! :) Too funny! Our kids went/will be going to college fairly close to home, so I have no experience at all to share or help you. I just wanted you to know that I laughed out loud reading about your family's planned crazy, cross-country scenario. Love WashMom's attitude, too! Best of luck coming East, getting WashJr1's stuff East, then getting everyone else back out West to Washington. What a memorable trip for you all to look back on years from now!</p>
<p>Suck all the air out of the plastic trashbags that hold the bedding and clothing with your vaccum cleaner before packing the car. Of course how we get it back home without a vacuum cleaner I do not know.</p>
<p>My D would need at least 2 medium-sized boxes just for the shoes.</p>
<p>^ Amen on that one edad. :)</p>
<p>^^ditto.... :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Agree with Marian. I probablly used the same sheets in 1976. They're totally gross. It lasted only a week or two, then I begged my Mom to mail some sheets to me. Did my own wash the next 4 years, and survived.</p>
<p>WashDad, second Tutu--figure out a combo of fun/ship/order/WalMart. What you'll discover about problems with sniffles is that all can be solved if you thrown money at the problem. But you knew that.</p>
<p>Thre is merit is showing your son that he can live with what he NEEDS versus what he WANTS.</p>
<p>WashDad and calmom have it right. This is a boy! They can fit whatever clothes he cares about in the cars (does he care about any clothes? ;) ). There'll still be room for a few beloved electronics/music items if he's that type. </p>
<p>For everything else, there's Target/Wal-Mart/and the ever-so-important-don't-worry-about-them-running-out-of-stuff BB&B. Scan and order in your home town, pick up near the college town.</p>
<p>Bon voyage!</p>
<p><em>establishing a line of credit with your local private detective agency to spot-check the travels of Thelma & Louise could also be a wise investment :p</em></p>
<p>You have sons so you shouldn't have a problem with this (i.e. not having 10 times as many clothes as one really needs along with boxes of 'bathroom things').</p>
<p>I've rented one-way U-Haul trailers before and it's relatively inexpensive. Just make sure you load it properly (weight in the front) or you'll have a physics problem on your hands (I know this from personal experience). They also have rental car top carriers. Those things can hold quite a bit of stuff and are a transparent driving experience.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My D would need at least 2 medium-sized boxes just for the shoes.
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Well, so would mine, but I worked with her boyfriend to narrow it down to about 8 pairs with the promise that I would ship others out to her on request. It turned out that after spending time at college, she developed a refreshing new, more practical attitude about shoes.</p>
<p>My son has sneakers, brown leather shoes (which he wears to church at Easter and Christmas), jungle boots (for canoeing), and backpacking boots. He won't be canoeing where he is going for college, and he would only take his leather shoes if WashMom makes him, so that means two pairs. He's talking about taking up golf in college, but he can play in sneakers to start.</p>
<p>As for the rest -- underwear, socks, 12 aloha shirts, and two pairs of jeans pretty much makes up his entire wardrobe. If WashMom forces him to he might take his khaki Dockers and his only blue button-down shirt. Oh, and a Polartec jacket, his Marmot Precip, a down parka, and his beloved fleece long johns. I think that covers it.</p>
<p>Yep, there are some advantages to having boys in the family.</p>
<p>With the low cost of microwaves, tv's, dorm fridges, it definately makes no sense to schlepp them. Sources for the fridges & micowaves include Home Depot & Lowes, so if they're sold out elsewhere, it's worth a shot.</p>
<p>I honestly would not recommend pulling a Uhaul with a Subaru, particularly if the beast has seen better days.</p>
<p>Amazing the difference in the amount of boxes between sons & daughters... I dread bringing daughter up and back. How many shoes and tank tops can one person wear? Plus, the tops had more square inches of material when she was 7. Some of these are actually smaller than I remember giving to Goodwill. I can barely fit all her stuff in the Suburban. For my son, I can take the Scion and still have room even with 2 violas and a violin.</p>
<p>Another idea - trade the Subaru for a vehicle capable of carrying a bit more since your son will likely be back and forth a few times. You can decide whether you want to find a straight trade or throw a bit of money at it to get a newer or more reliable one.</p>
<p>I'm having a good laugh at this thread! My D flew from CT to NC last August for a Pre-Freshman Orientation program with only the clothes, etc. she needed for 4 days. We had sent 2 boxes of bedding, towels, & other soft stuff ahead via UPS -- maybe $25.00? Her school has an on-campus UPS store. They held the boxes and actually, for only a little extra $$, delivered them to her room on a Sunday. (Gotta love that southern hospitality! :)) My H & I drove down w/ the rest of her stuff in his medium size BMW sedan for Orientation. Her school provides every student w/ a laptop + printer and a mini-fridge/microwave in each room, she doesn't have a tv, and all her music comes off her iPod, with speakers. Having spent grades 8-12 wearing a uniform, she doesn't have a ton of clothes and wears flip-fliops almost every day. On Freshman move-in day, outside vendors set up sales tents on campus, selling all sorts of plastic storage bins & drawers, rugs, etc., etc. We also went to the nearby WalMart for a couple of things. (All that stuff will be left over the summer in a self-storage place she's sharing w/ several friends.) One of her friends at the same school did the "order thru BB & B/pick-up when you get there" method.) As she heads into the final couple of weeks at school, she's thankful she doesn't have nearly as much "stuff" as many of her friends.</p>
<p>My two cents on the stores running out of stuff during move-in:</p>
<p>The huge Super Target down the street from Rice in Houston had BARE SHELVES during freshman move-in weekend last year. I was stunned. The Walmart a few miles away wasn't in much better shape. It looked like garage sale leftovers in there!</p>
<p>I don't vote for the waiting to buy when you get there idea.</p>
<p>12 aloha shirts and beloved fleece long johns? WashDad, you're killing me, and I have a feeling we might know who WashJr1 takes after. :) I apologize if I'm laughing at posts about which you are deadly serious. Oh, my...I think I'm going to need a <em>Thelma & Louise</em> moment myself whenever our family finishes with all this college stuff. It's been quite a year. Retail therapy with a hot new car to drive across the country in sounds pretty good right about now (as well as out of the question for us, unfortunately!). I don't have daughters, so I'm enjoying others' shoe stories, etc. as well. Off to take another Tylenol...have any of you parents been reading the light bulb jokes thread? It helps if your S/D is still deciding on which college to go to this late in the process, and you're suffering from headaches, like me.</p>
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boxes of 'bathroom things'
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Fortunately, the TSA has come up with rules limiting the amount of liquids that can be carried on ... and as everyone knows, it's not a good idea to pack liquids in the regular luggage (high likelihood of leakage when not in pressurized, temperature-controlled cabin). </p>
<p>So flyers just have to accept the the big bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and assorted cosmetics will have to be purchased new on the other end.</p>
<p>Dr_Mom, no, this is not deadly serious stuff. No one's going to die, and he's going to start college in August. What's to worry about?</p>
<p>Sounds like you are set WashDad! Except you still do have a few more more months during which WashMom (if she is like any of us other mom's) will add on lots more to your list - alarm clock, computer/printer, window fan... (better not show her that 1000 page thread of what to bring). WashJr won't be joining the band will he? Or decide to join the cycling club a week AFTER he arrives??!! And just say NO when he wants to bring along the X-box!!!</p>
<p>WashDad--Well, I guess I didn't really mean 'deadly serious'--I'm just enjoying this thread, but I didn't want you to think I was making fun of it. I'm just a little bit kooky from thinking about all this stuff too seriously for too long, I'm afraid, and found your practical question refreshing.</p>
<p>To stay on your topic--they make bags now that you don't need the vacuum cleaner for; you can just roll the air out of them somehow, and they flatten down. I've seen them on TV where the vendor takes something like a 3-foot high pile of pillows, blankets, clothes, etc. and squishes them down to inches thick.</p>