Whether it’s a one bedroom apartment or a large house, moving is always a difficult task to undertake. The good news is there have been some innovative developments in the realm of moving options over the years, including portable storage containers. Let’s talk about preparing for the big move by comparing 6 of the most popular portable storage container options available.
Preparing for the Big Move
There’s no one way to make the big move happen, yet working smarter and not harder should be the goal with every situation. Moving from one home or office to another means a person or family’s life and/or work is being upended and changed quite drastically. For this reason, emphasis on preparation and planning should be at a premium; with the right decisions and planning, moving doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Here are the three main options available when moving:
- Full moving service: hire a company to pack, load, transport, unload, and clean home or office.
- Labor moving service : hire a company for everything (or a mixture of them) except for transporting the items.
- DIY
Your chosen option will depend on:
- availability of time and money
- capabilities of person or family moving
- the distance of the move
- type of items moving
A full-service long-distance move (1,000 to 2,000 miles) can cost upwards of $10,000 or more ; basically, by hiring a portable storage container and hiring a company to load and unload the items , you could save thousands, spending around half as much.
The main point in preparing for the big move is to take out the big surprises and develop a plan that suits your financial and physical capabilities. Even a local move can be a big move, yet with the right preparation and planning, short and long distance moves can be a lot less difficult.
6 Popular Portable Storage Container Options:
PODS
PODS is perhaps the largest and most well-recognized portable storage container company. It’s been in business for over 20 years, serving 14,000 cities with 3.7 million deliveries. There are three main container sizes available: 16′ x 8′ x 8′, 12′ x 8′ x 8′, and 7′ x 8′ x 8′. PODS offers a military discount, has their own storage center facilities across the country, and can accommodate local and long-distance moves. Take advantage of their competitive rates for longer moves!
UHAUL’s U-Box
UHAUL is a well-recognized company with local, long-distance, and international capabilities. Though it’s best known for its moving trucks, it also offers a low-cost portable storage container self-moving option with their specially designed trailer. You can bring your belongings to their locations and pack there or store items at their locations. UHAUL only offers one container size: 95″ x 56″ x 83.5″. The cost of a U-Box is on the lower end for long-distance moves.
SMARTBOX
SMARTBOX can accommodate local or long-distance moves, but only has one size shipping container: 8′ x 7′ x 5′. Long-term storage options are available and these non-steel (wood) portable storage containers allow stored items to breathe. SMARTBOX offers affordable and transparent pricing and has served over 60 million residential and commercial customers nationwide! Locations available in over 45 metro areas.
Go Mini’s
Go Mini’s is great for local moves with over 200+ locations in the US, Canada, and Mexico. They can accommodate some long-distance moves (varies with franchise or dealership locations) and can store containers at their location or the customer’s. Their largest container has 29% more room than the largest PODS container (12′, 16′, and 20′ container sizes). Go Mini’s containers feature porous treated lumber walls and smooth padded wheels. This portable storage container company is the most affordable option for local moves but also offers decent prices for medium to long-distance moves.
U-Pack and ABF Freight
These partner companies work together to store and transport items for the big move. They have two main options: a 28- foot moving trailer and a 6′ x 7′ x 8′ portable storage container cube. U-Pack and ABF Freight have been around since 1997 (21 years) and can accommodate local and long-distance moves. They’re more affordable for long-distance moves and offer the largest shipping containers (storage trailers) available on the market.
1-800-PACK-RAT
1-800-Pack-Rat accommodates both local and long-distance moves. Long-distance moves receive complimentary no-cut lock and $10,000 in content protection. With nationwide warehouse storage facilities available for short or long-term storage, this is a great option. 1-800-Pack-Rat offers three portable storage container options: 8′, 12′, and 16′. These containers provide a durable steel frame and are available at competitive prices for local, medium, and long-distance moves.
Storage Containers For All Possibilities
These are all reputable companies to choose from, yet there are some notable differences between them. Each person or family needs to assess their unique moving needs and determine which service is the right fit.
Finding the company that can accommodate the distance and storage needs of each unique move will narrow down the choices, from there the quality of the customer service and the storage container’s features will ultimately make the choice easier. The great part is that these services are available to make moving either locally, across the country, and even internationally easier than ever before. The temporary and long-term storage options (at their storage facilities or in the driveway) also help solve logistical and other moving issues as well.
Making the Final Preparations for Your Big Move
Choosing the right portable storage container company is an important part of the overall preparations needed for the big move, yet there’s still the question of who’s going to pack and load the items into and out of the portable storage containers? Basically, people and their families must decide on how much effort they’re able or willing to make during the big move. For sure, there’s plenty of other important tasks to take care of other than the rudimentary physical labor and transportation aspects of moving, which is why many people decide to hire labor moving services to help.
Labor moving services, like Big Deahl’s Movers, can help with every aspect of the move: packing , unpacking, loading, unloading, cleaning , and safely moving larger items. They can even help arrange and organize moving trucks or portable storage containers for customers.
The great part is labor moving services save people money, effort, and time during the big move while still saving them thousands compared to full service moving companies. Please contact Big Deahl’s Movers today to learn more about our labor moving services in the Rancho Cucamonga, CA area.
