<p>Great info., Al…thanks for posting the update!</p>
<p>MikeWozowski: You are quite correct. In general, your student can handle the packing up/moving out process. The only problem we had a year ago was that we had to sign the storage agreement as our son was not 19 (the age of majority in Alabama). This year, he is, and he handles the paperwork. I just pay online to keep his unit.</p>
<p>If your student does have friends or suite mates with cars, this is my suggestion. Have him/her go to Wal-Mart or Target over the next several weeks to purchase some of their storage tubs. That way, as the weather turns warmer, they can start to pack away their cold-weather clothing and such and store it in their rooms under their beds. This will save lots of time and cut the stress level of moving out. They could do a lot of the packing and even, moving, during dead week. That will leave the cleaning for the final day or so on campus.</p>
<p>makes sense about packing away the winter stuff now momreads -</p>
<p>and don’t get me wrong - my role in helping DS move out this year is to do the storage contract and provide the car… I expect he’ll be all packed and ready to go when i get there, that’s not my job! ok… maybe I’ll take a stab at cleaning the shower for them 
but only because it’s a mom-thing.
Mainly though, since DS will be bringing a car next year, we’re both looking at this as the chance to have him make the 10+ hour drive home with me along - this is a big leap from suburb driving - have to say him making that drive is what worries me most, will feel much MUCH better if we have it under our belts once or twice before he tackles it alone (or with another student.)</p>
<p>Can’t believe this is only a few months out!</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, AL. Will be checking this out after spring break. What unit has the 24 hour access? I think I reserved a space by phone that was off of Rice Mine, not exactly on Rice Mine. I think the one on Rice Mine was full. The two facilities were literally next door to each other, though two different street addresses. I’m not sure if it’s All American, but it is a facility that has three locations. </p>
<p>Thanks for the phone number so I can verify this.</p>
<p>AL34: since you’re down there now, can you bring any of his heavy winter stuff home now? D brought home a big duffle this weekend with sweaters, heavy coat, etc.</p>
<p>^ I’m flying so won’t be bringing any of his stuff now, he can just pack it up and move it to storage at move out. He has a set at home for work etc., in theory everything else will stay here.</p>
<p>Monte -
They two on Rice Mine are a few blocks from each other but the desk is in the one directly on Rice Mine. That one (with the phone # I gave) has the 24 hour access and is definitely NOT booked up. As I said, he wouldn’t even let me reserve one until a month or so out.</p>
<p>AL34, when you’re done cleaning out your son’s shower can you head on over to Ridgecrest East to do my lil bro’s as well? Thanks :-)</p>
<p>Don’t forget about the ZipCar program on campus. I had been planning on flying down and then renting a car to help lil bro move out of his dorm in May. But now that I think about it it might be easier (and cheaper) for him to rent a zip car for a few hours and move the stuff to storage himself.</p>
<p>AL34, My son did not bring a car to campus until Fall Break of his first year. I have always shared the drive with him and fly the other leg of the trip. Now that my youngest will be joining him this fall, I confess I will miss spending 10 hours in the car with my Bama son.<br>
When I flew down to BHM in December, my son picked me up at the Airport and headed north from there. He also had a student from the Cincy area that needed a ride home. We agreed to take her to home and pick her up on the way back in January. We were glad to help a student who’s ride fell through at the last minute. I am not comfortable allowing a stranger drive our vehicle. </p>
<p>When my son moved out of Riverside North in 2009, I flew down the day he had his last exam. I rented a small SUV for 24 hours. Knowing we would pass through Birmingham the following morning, I picked a vehicle that was large enough to transport his belongings to the storage unit. He could not fit his bike or tall book shelf in his G6 even if he tried. I also saved him two hours (drive to and from the BHM airport). He was still working on the final CBH project that had to be submitted before 8PM. All of his suite mates had left for the summer, I was able to sleep in his room (he took the couch). The money I spent on the 24 hour rental was less than the cost of a hotel room. : )</p>
<p>do you know how much the zip car is? That would be a great help to us. It sounds like if we split the storage 4 ways it would be less then 25 dollars each! That would be very affordable. I think getting the non-climate controlled would be fine with me.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend climate control unit. The humidity and heat in the south will allow any fabric (clothes, bedding, pillows, towels) to retain a musty odor or worse, mold. If you or any of your kids came home from camp with items they did not use or wear? My kids have but I still needed to wash everything with detergent and white vinegar. </p>
<p>Heat may also warp plastics used in desk top printers, monitors, alarm clocks, etc… Cleaning products in plastic containers may expand and aerosol cans may explode in extreme heat.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input momof3 - we have a place in Florida so I was beginning to question the storage guy who said most of the kids don’t use climate controlled… once the smell is there it’s hard to get out!</p>
<p>I wanted to bump this thread back up and also see if anyone wants to go in on a unit. lil bro will probably only have 3 - 4 storage bins and a 32" LCD tv so there will probably be plenty of room left over if someone else wants to go in on one. </p>
<p>We’ll probably do the Rice Mine location since it seems to be the most convenient with the 24hr access. I’ll be flying down there on Thursday May 5th to help lil bro move out, so if someone wants in they can load their stuff in the rental car that afternoon and I’ll drive it over.</p>
<p>i might want to … not quite sure of our plans yet.</p>
<p>sounds like the best deal is to get a large unit to split among more people.</p>
<p>anyone called for a reservation yet?</p>
<p>what is the total cost per unit after the discounts are factored in??</p>
<p>Just back from Bama, where we got a 5 by 5 at the North Commons Loop location, just around the corner from the Rice Mine location. With student discount, 59.50/month, total bill around 288, as it was prorated from April 16th through the end of August. Paid in full so don’t have to worry about it. Not 24 hour access, but good enough for our needs. This location similar to what we use for storage at home. Nice neighborhood, enter a building to gain access to units, second floor units available, climate controlled.</p>
<p>Others could probably find something cheaper and more accessible, as there seem to be a lot of facilities available. We got stuck in a lot of traffic this weekend and got lost a lot, so I’d say we saw a good bit of the City of Tuscaloosa this weekend. I can definitely say there’s a lot of storage facilities available. We had dinner Sunday night at O’Charley’s on McFarland, and there was a couple of storage facilities around there, which are much closer to campus, if y’all want to check those out. </p>
<p>We’re still figuring out what son needs to keep and doesn’t, and even though this is a bit pricey, we figure it’s only for a couple of years, and it will save us a lot of headache for move in/move out in the coming years.</p>
<p>I should consider sharing a storage unit, but I don’t know how much, if anything, I’ll have to store.</p>
<p>We decided not to do the sharing because we don’t know how much we’ll have to store until the very last day, really. Just got the smallest unit, which we hope will be enough room for our needs.</p>
<p>montegut - i am sure that the smallest unit will be more than enough room - even to share. all our daughters stuff fit into her car when we took her, and i am sure that is a smaller area than a 5x5 unit.</p>
<p>since then we have added a few things but i am sure it wouldn’t be more than would fit into a 5x5 unit.</p>
<p>plus, he will be bringing some stuff home, won’t he?</p>
<p>I agree, I can’t imagine filling a 5x5 unit with one kid.
Can’t believe in just 2 1/2 weeks we’ll be through year 1! What a difference a year makes. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Just scanning this thread again. I have a small, inexpensive tote from KMart that I have reserved for cleaning products. Will bring with me to room to load up with leftovers from the final cleanup. Since our unit is climate controlled, and this is a tote with a fitted top, do you think they’ll be okay over the summer? </p>
<p>In response to above post about bringing stuff home, actually, we’re trying to bring a minimum of stuff home. We made three trips up, first for Alabama Action, packed to the gills with a rooftop turtle. Then more stuff, including a couple of shelves and electronics after son got his NMF laptop. </p>
<p>In short, son has too much stuff, and after trimming down the clothes, we’re only planning to bring home what clothes he has left, and his linens to wash and space bag until the trip back in the fall. The heavy blanket and comforter were brought home at spring break for washing and space bagging, and are already safe in the storage unit to be brought back to campus in the fall. </p>
<p>Since we were first to arrive last year for Alabama Action, we brought a lot of the household stuff for the suite: ie, vacuum, bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies, plus enough first aid stuff to equip a hospital. We’ve also got enough school supplies to last the remaining three years.</p>
<p>I cannot take the credit. His dad is a bit retentive and worries way too much. But, we shouldn’t have to bring anything back but clothes in the fall.</p>
<p>One tip, though, about printers. It is recommended that they not be stored over the summer. </p>
<p>Final tip: If anybody finds they forgot something in the fall, go up to the fourth floor on Riverside West. Chances are, there’s a young man who probably has it in his room, thanks to his dad.</p>
<p>yep - printers need to be used every few days or the printhead will clog.</p>