Deciding to do a DIY move is a decision that opens up more questions and decisions then you could ever think of. Should you use a moving truck or a towable rental trailer? Do I pay someone to do the loading and unloading for me? Even the simple things require a decision — what kind of materials should I use for packing?
We’ve gotten a lot of reader feedback pertaining to that last question, what kind of materials should I use for packing? In my moves, I have used everything from cardboard moving boxes and specialty packaging, to plastic storage tubs and newspaper. Both of those options each have their individual pros and cons.
Over the next few weeks, we will be doing some hands-on testing and reporting the results here on Moving Insider. Primarily focusing on boxes and moving supplies, products will be put to the test in our highly scientific test lab (it’s actually our office, but who doesn’t like to imagine.) In this first post, we’ll focus on the U-Haul Glass Pack Kit to see if it’s worth the extra cost.
The U-Haul Glass Pack Kit is a possible solution for transferring glasses and other fine china.
Procedure
For this test, we wanted to put the specialty glass pack kit up against a standard box with newspaper from a local home improvement store. We used the same size and grade of boxes, small and standard, to keep an even playing field.
We purchased an assortment of glasses from the local thrift store to use in the test. Each box was loaded up using the recommended method and then dropped eight times from a two foot desk.
Glasses can be easy to break if not packed properly. These glasses from the local thrift store will aid us in our testing.
Loading
For the Glass Pack Kit, we used the the included protective foam baggies and inserted the glasses into the box, one per spot. The partitions create room for 18 glasses. The box was then sealed on the top using two strips of standard packing tape.
For the standard box, we wrapped each glass in packing paper in generous amounts, and carefully loaded and packed each glass in the box. The box was then sealed in the same manner with standard parking tape.
Drop
Each box was dropped from a height of two feet, eight different times, two drops per side. We chose this drop to simulate accidents and other normal wear and tear that happens during a move, such as load shifts due to improper truck packing. No one is perfect and most people aren’t professional packers, so we wanted to be as realistic as possible.
A two foot desk was used for this drop test of the U-Haul Glass Pack Kit
Results and Observations
After completing the tests, we opened the boxes back up to check for damage. When doing the drops, we heard glass break on the first drop of the standard box — never a good sign.
When we opened up the U-Haul box with the Glass Pack Kit, we had no damage to any of the glasses. Besides some of the partitions being bent a little bit, all of the glasses were intact and the box was fully functional. 15 glasses survived eight drops from two feet.
The standard box did not fare as well; upon opening we found glass shards right away that had dug into the box. After unpacking and unwrapping all of the glasses, the total count was added up. Five glasses in total were lost out of 15 with just packing paper and a standard box.
Five glasses were broken in the standard box with packing paper.
Conclusion
After pulling the glasses out, it was quite obvious which box stood up to the test. The Glass Pack Kit kept all 15 glasses safe and sound, while the standard box with packing paper saw five causalities. Check out the gallery below to see the rest of the images from our tests.
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- Five glasses were broken in the standard box with packing paper.
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- A U-Haul Glass Pack Kit
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- A two foot desk was used for this drop test of the U-Haul Glass Pack Kit
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- Glasses can be easy to break if not packed property. These glasses from the local thrift store will aid us in our testing.
Have you ever used the U-Haul Glass Pack Kit? Did you move with a standard box and lose glasses along the way? Let us know in the comments below.
