<p>What are the best ways to pack up this stuff? Bags? Boxes? Bins? What goes in which? How big should the bins be? I have about half a room piled with stuff, some of it in bags from the stores we got it from, other stuff loose. Clothes will go in a duffle, but it's the rest of it that I have no clue about. Tips?</p>
<p>I've found that a mix of boxes and bags work the best. Boxes make it easy to move stuff around, but they take up a lot of room. I generally put little things like lamps, pens, and stuff in them, whereas clothes go into a trash bag because they can be squeezed into weird nooks and crannies. Bedding goes into those XL ziplock bags.</p>
<p>Some loose stuff to stuff in weird spots is great- we use socks & shoes for this a lot.</p>
<p>If you're taking a fridge...fill it with towels, underwear, or other clothes. No sense in taking it empty. We packed lots of stuff in pillow cases and laundry bags so we could shove them in little spaces.</p>
<p>We are bringing a van, btw, because both of our cars are very small. Anyone else's kid bring everything but the kitchen sink? Ours is bringing a standing lamp from her room, throw pillows from her room, a small bookcase (she has lots of books and the dorm rooms don't have bookcases, only a shelf or two). Plus the books themselves, and every toiletry known to womankind, and truly astonishing numbers of shoes and boots.</p>
<p>Definitely agree with putting stuff in the fridge. Also suggest using Space Bags to condense things like comforters & pillows, especially if space in the vehicle is at a premium.</p>
<p>A minivan...not a big van!</p>
<p>It really is so much easier to just buy the stuff like lamps and pillows when you get there. </p>
<p>Mailing things like winter clothes also can make things easier.</p>
<p>Heron:</p>
<p>Have you seen the size of the room? The rooms my Ds were in wouldn't fit very much. We didn't bring anything like bookcases, floor lamps, etc. On move in days I saw some people bring things like chairs, end tables (for TVs), and other things that they just ended up loading back in the vehicle because there was no way it'd fit in the room. I guess some dorms have more room than theirs did though.</p>
<p>I think boxes are best for most stuff and then some bags and loose weird items that can be stuffed into corners. Keep the boxes a manageable size for both carrying and putting in the niches of the van. Unless the college has bins for moving stuff in, bring a dolly of some kind to move the boxes - it makes it much easier.</p>
<p>I like the rubbermaid bins with tight fitting lids because they can be stacked and keep the clothing, etc protected--hated the idea of having to refold clothing once we got to the dorm room. We had 2 of those bins that fit under the bed filled with socks, underwear, etc. And we always take the footlocker so there's a place to lock up valuables...Plus, it served as a coffee table in the dorm room! Roommate also has a 2-drawer filing cabinet that is used to lock up valuables.</p>
<p>I don't know how big the room is. It's a single. I called, but was told there is no uniform size. They recommended bringing a bookcase "if she has a lot of books," and worst case, we leave it in the car while we check out the size of the room, and if it won't fit, we'll just bring it home. Lamps, we'll see. Some of this is an issue of the cost of buying it there as opposed to the "free" of bringing it from home.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, then there's the CD player, and the record player, and the records.</p>
<p>Whoa that must be a huge dorm room. We dropped our daughter off today and it sounds like she had half of what your daughter has and we still had to bring a few things home with us. We found the most efficient way is to use garbage bags and a few bins for stuff that cant get shoved around. We did buy the reenforced kind. Good luck.</p>
<p>Keep everything that is on hangers on the hangers. Wrap a garbage bag around them, put in the car, and then move directly from car to dorm closet.</p>
<p>Instead of boxes, we used plastic bins that fit under the bed. And garbage bags, and the XL ziplock bags. No boxes or suitcases. </p>
<p>I know I got some of this advice from people on CC last year, so if you search you might find some useful tips.</p>
<p>In addition to packing the fridge....we used two under bed storage boxes (with wheels and hinged lids) that stayed in the dorm room. Also, we had two of those milk crate things that could stack. The books got transported in them and they were stacked to form a bookshelf. Pillows, towels, sheets, etc (everything that wasn't in the fridge or under bed box) went in black garbage bags which got tossed. School supplies went in the small trash can.</p>
<p>For DD...we took only clothes and bed linens (no mattress pad or pillow). We bought everything else at the college town...that was a cross country trip, and agreed with NSM...it was easier doing it that way than carting it all in the car.</p>
<p>Clothes on hangers in plastic garbage bags with holes poked in the tops for hangers. Found that large shopping bags with handles (saved from dept. stores) were perfect for T shirts, underwear, socks, etc. that were destined for dresser drawers.</p>
<p>Bed risers and plastic drawer units that will fit under the raised bed. Pack the plastic units.</p>
<p>Stacking plastic crates that we hoped would fit somewhere did fit on closet shelves. We were lucky: they did. We filled those with S's big shoes and other stuff.</p>
<p>Did not take any books. Libraries and galore at school, and many required/recommended books.</p>
<p>Runs to target and BB&B after move in for the rest.</p>
<p>I'm glad I opened this thread. It reminded me we'd forgotten son's bookcase. He's got the same room he had last year. It's an apartment and is huge. The car isn't too bad.</p>
<p>We put the loose hard stuff in bins, there's a bin with pillow cushioning the desktop monitor, the other soft stuff is in duffles or plastic bags. There's also a box of books. Son didn't store stuff over the summer at college (they had rather awkward size requirements) so it's all going there and back.</p>
<p>Stuff towels, bedding, and clothes in those XXL ziplock bags--sit on the bags, get the air out of them, and them zip them shut. They work as well as space bags. We didn't use those big plastic bins because they just take up too much room in the car (you can buy them at a local kmart or target near the school when you get there and use them for storage under the bed). Pack one carry on size suitcase with clothes. After it's emptied, it can be used as a storage under the bed as well as coming in handy for bringing clothes home during breaks. We packed all of the desk stuff in a plastic garbage can (the school suggested bringing a garbage can). Rather than a laundry basket, we fill a mesh bag with stuff and after it's emptied, it can be used a laundry bag. If your school rents out refridgerators, sometimes it's worth paying the money for the rental rather than shlepping one back and forth.</p>
<p>for those with real space issues, a $30 soft car-top carrier might make a good last-minute investment. the 15 ft3 that many of the cheaper ones hold doesnt sound like a lot until it has been filled and you wonder how you would have survived without it.</p>
<p>Just moved son to his first apt after two dorm moves- in and out- a master packer/suv loader (and no, you can't afford what I would charge to repeat the experience one more time). Putting soft goods- bedding (washed at home) and clothing- in those 13 gal trash bags with ties works well and stuffing them neatly into a soft car top carrier which you then cinch down means that carrier won't slide nor have straps that loosen. If you have the large wheeled laundry bins available to haul stuff from car to dorm room it is best to pack the car with the containers to be used for dorm storage filled with the smaller items and just put the larger items "loose" in among them. Take to be assembled items in their box, the next year bind the poles of shelving units together with masking tape so they stay together and don't roll. Paper and plastic grocery bags are also useful. I used some boxes this year as I was packing kitchen stuff- eg pots and pans- and knew there was no bin to wheel to the apt. The desktop computer case goes in the well behind the driver's seat every time, the moniter wrapped in a towel on the seat. I find it useful to do a last check/run through of the house before leaving. Toiletries, spare glasses, extra contact lenses in the cupboard, hangers, shoes, jackets, the clothes taken off and left next to the bed are often found- the things used during the summer and put away in their at home spot or needed up until leaving and therefore left unpacked. Be sure your S/D knows what is being taken. I have put things on the dining room table as they are acquired (moving things from past dorm life as well) and made sure son looks at them and approves, I then end up packing them, mainly to get the job done as he is a procrastinator for not fun tasks.</p>
<p>The fun part of the move is being the one to stay with the car and chat with others arriving as H and S unload and carry in the stuff, and of course the student will do all of his/her unpacking, bedmaking etc. after you leave. My only trip into his room occurs on move in/move out day, like his apt, I wouldn't want to see it as is any other time.</p>