<p>My child will be attending college on the west coast (San Francisco). We live in New Jersey. Any advice on the best way to transport/store stuff? Thanks!</p>
<p>Most schools have companies who come onto campus and you can execute a pick up-store-deliver agreement. They will sell you cartons and packing materials…the cost is usually not too high. I have done this and had no problems. As for getting the stuff to school…shop on line and deliver to campus or just hit the Bed Bath and Beyond and Ikea at your school location. I have survived doing this for boarding school and undergrad. Not as big a problem as you may think.</p>
<p>We bought inexpensive footlockers at K-mart, and shipped them filled with stuff to college, using UPS. It was less than $60 to ship two of them, as I recall (not cross-country, though).</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure it would be much easier for you to all just relocate to the West Coast.</p>
<p>Welcome Artmom,
We live near Philadelphia and my son goes to Stanford, so we have been through the same experience. When he first went as a freshman, my husband and I accompanied him. We were able to bring his clothes, desktop computer (minus the monitor), quite a few books, and a few other things in the six bags allotted by the airlines (bringing very little personal stuff for my husband and me. We arrived one day early and were able to purchase the other things he needed like a small refrigerator and microwave, bicycle, sheets and quilt, towels, computer monitor, and school supplies very easily near his school. All of the stores were fully stocked and it was no problem to find these things. During the summers, he puts the stuff he isn’t bringing home in storage at his school, and many other students do this too.</p>
<p>We’re in Virginia; he’s in LA.</p>
<p>When he was entering college we shipped his computer. He bought a printer at school (way too expensive.) Make sure you know the earliest date that the school will accept deliveries. Since three of us flew out we were able to fit his clothes in the luggage. Odds and ends were bought at a nearby Target after we arrived. </p>
<p>He came home the summer after his first year. He brought his clothes and stored his computer and other stuff with a friend who lives in California. Since he was moving into an apartment for his second year we ordered a bed from Sears in Virginia during the summer and had it delivered through a Sears in LA. We shipped his car by carrier. It was brand new and he was too young to drive across country.</p>
<p>This summer he is staying in LA, working on a movie set (which he why he is in school in LA). He is moving again. He abandoned the junk furniture he got from the apartmental rental place and bought some used, better quality stuff, from a friend who was leaving.</p>
<p>Advice. Take the clothes. Ship the computer if it is a desktop. Order a printer on-line and have it shipped to the dorm. Buy everything else in California.</p>
<p>BTW Artmom, just curious, where are you from in New Jersey? I grew up in Plainfield and went to Rutgers. A while ago we had a great NJ thread. We shared stories about which exit on the Turnpike or Parkway we lived near, Taylor pork roll sandwichs, Rt. 22, and other good Jersey stuff.</p>
<p>Fedex Ground service is cheaper than UPS by about 35%. In my experience, they do a better job as well.</p>
<p>We are in Massachusetts, daughter will be going to school in San Diego. We are planning on bringing her clothes, laptop, and a few odds and ends in the 6 bags allotted by the airlines. I just found out about a service by Bed Bath and Beyond where we can pick everything out at our local store here, and then pick it up at the San Diego store - plan to use this for all her bedding, pillows, towels, trash can, hangers, etc. She will probably just rent a refrigerator for the year from the school since summer storage would be a problem if she bought it. We don’t have her printer yet, but will probably just ship from Dell once she gets settled.</p>
<p>I’ve had friends who stored through MailBoxes Etc. and really liked the service. You can select a very small window of time (say, from 9 -9:30 am), and they will deliver your stuff to your door. Contrast a campus service which a friend used: they did not deliver her stuff for two days and kept saying things like, “Oh, we’ll have it to you between 9 am and 4 pm, so be in your room then.”</p>
<p>Some friends had computers shipped to the dorm. </p>
<p>If your child will have a car at college across country, here’s what to do: load up the car (trunk, backseat, & passenger seat) with kid’s “stuff,” and have it shipped by carrier. The carriers will allow the cars to have things in them so long as they are not overstuffed.</p>
<p>I do like the idea of buying things locally & picking them up at school; I do recall going to a half-dozen stores to try to find an eggcrate for my roomie. </p>
<p>Obviously, if you ship stuff, ship the light & bulky things, like comforters and pillows. </p>
<p>If there is a climate change (esp. warm to cold), consider sending your kid a check during October to go clothes shopping for coats, boots, and gloves.</p>
<p>A few friends did leave things at my house during the summer.</p>
<p>If for no other reason, you’ll find out that laptops are great because they don’t need to be stored during the summer.</p>
<p>Great advice. I would add that we bought two canvas duffles for our D to transport her stuff. Once you empty it, it folds into a much smaller package for storage, which was very important to her.</p>
<p>Ok, here’s my plan in theory so far–we’re going from CA to PA.</p>
<p>Buy sheets/towels here and pack them, that way they’re washed and ready to use on move-in day. But buy pillow & comforter online and have shipped to her dorm ahead of time.</p>
<p>Choose lamp, fan, laundry hamper, etc here at Bed Bath & Beyond where we live and have them do the pack and hold service, picking them up in Philadelphia (near her school)</p>
<p>Buy school supplies at Staples (hoping they’ll offer a coupon in August) and have them shipped free to school ahead of time.</p>
<p>Fly into Philadelphia, hit Target for whatever misc items are still needed, hit Sam’s Club for a gallon or two of shampoo, conditioner, etc.</p>
<p>Pack her laptop, clothing in as many suitcases as airlines allows. Leave her two and we bring the empties home with us. (I’m hoping some will fit inside others to reduce the number, but will have to drag them out and test this.)</p>
<p>Buy printer online at Amazon and have it shipped free to dorm. But now what does she do to get it home and back to school for the next 3 summers? Printers are like breadboxes and can’t exactly be packed in a suitcase. Does she have to save the box and styrofoam so it can be shipped back and forth twice a year? This sounds complicated…or else I’ve outsmarted myself…Any ideas?</p>
<p>My daughter goes to school in Maryland and we live in CA. We found out Southwest and Jetblue allow 3 checked pieces of bagage per passenger. We kept original boxes from computor and checked them. They arrived fine. Carried the printer in small carry on bag. Put comforter sheets etc. in one of those storage bags that you remove the air from with a vacuum and it fit fine in a checked bag with other things. Bought pillows desk lamp etc from area Target in MD. Before flying out we did internet check on store locations and mapquested directions. The school sent us info on summer storage before our D. came home. She ended up storing some things at a friends home this summer. They will be roomie together next year. D #2 goes away to school this fall. Checked internet and there is no Target, Kmart, or Costco in the town where her school is 
Will have to plan around that.</p>
<p>I second using USPS. I used them to ship most of my stuff from CA to Boston when I moved out here for graduate school; not only will they ship right to your door for less money than UPS or FedEx, they have a special “media rate” - can’t remember exact figures, but I recall shipping 45lb boxes of books/papers for under $30. If you use the ground rate (with 10-11 day shipping time), you can take care of all the things that won’t be immediately essential a week ahead of shipping out.</p>
<p>We live in Germany, S goes to school across the creek in NYC. He took two suitcases, his horn (carry-on) and laptop (personal item.) He bought linens, pillow, towels, lamp, wastebasket when he arrived, at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Cheaper than shipping. Ordered a few things on line (new tux) to be shipped there. </p>
<p>For summer, he was able to store some things in his music locker. We were prepared to pay for some summer storage, but he had a couple other options, like storing a box or two at his place of employment, storing things at a friend’s apartment, etc. Ended up leaving things in the “organ room” as his roommate is an organist.</p>
<p>If you haven’t got a computer yet, I recommend a laptop. It is so nice to not have to worry about packing and shipping, or storage. Laptop just goes with, so he always has his “phone book”, school “papers”, email archive, and other things right with him. (He keeps it locked to his desk at school, though, so it functions there as a desk top.)</p>
<p>Son will be packing on his own this August and flying out to meet me and grandparents. Then I will leave for work and he will stay with GPs for a few weeks and then fly off for his first year of school. He has a laptop and a few clothes. What he forgets to bring, too bad. He’ll be in the states, shopping-mall paradise. I am not sweating it. He can ship some stuff like towels etc. via fed-ex or whatever from GPs and shop when he gets there with the other “internationals.” They set up mall trips for them. I am ready for him to take on much more responsibility and grow up. So is he.</p>
<p>We live overseas and our kid goes to school in rural New England. Prior to taking him to school for the first year, we spent a few days in New York and stocked up on everything you could possibly imagine. This was much easier than schlepping halfway across the world. After he was established in his dormroom, I supplemented with items ordered off the internet. </p>
<p>Theoretically he could have done this himself, but somehow I doubt that he would have had much interest in researching towels and duvets. If your son’s not the shopping type you may want to take over the supply chain. The variety, quality and service available on-line is astonishing.</p>
<p>Duffle bags are great for transport. When they’re empty they fold up and store small.</p>
<p>Most colleges offer storage for kids that live to far to take everything home at the end of the year. Printers, speakers, pillows, books can be easily boxed and stored. Also, look into on campus dry cleaners who will clean and store clothes over the summer. </p>
<p>But back to this year, everybody buys and brings too much. Don’t worry, there are no shortage of opportunities to acquire in San Francisco.</p>
<p>momrath, I like the duffle bag idea. He can take his grandpas old GI W.W.II bag that went with my son to various summer camps…khaki canvas made to wear after all these years! My pa will get a kick out of it as well, at 95! And you are right about the bedding.</p>
<p>We use the nylon duffle bags you can buy at the Sports Authority and similar stores. They come in a variety of sizes - I just bought my nephew two “colossal” ones which are 42" by 18". They hold a lot.</p>
<p>D went to undergrad in Arizona,we’re in NY. Initially we did the 6 bag trick with clothes.Ordered stuff at BB&Beyond here, picked it up in Az. Really,all they need “ready to sleep” is one sheet and one towel. Order all the rest and use the dorm laundry room to wash and soften it up when you get there…trust me you’ll be the only one using the room…easier than packing and carrying it all. We bought a bike locally,rented the microfridge from the University (largest size available) with a real freezer compartment vs those you can purchase…important in Arizona.D stored her stuff in various ways over the years, once at local roomates house, once at apt of friends staying for the summer.Third year, she stayed for the summer!. Why not just store the printer over the summer wit the rest of the stuff,why would the kid need the printer at home?I second the laptop idea, it just becomes a carryon item.
As far as a car, D drove cross country with then boyfriend in Aug in between soph-junior year.We sent him a plane ticket to NY so this could happen…cheaper and more fun for them than shipping the car.Car will now move again to grad school location this time with a UHaul attached to it.</p>
<p>Good idea about laundering stuff once you get there, but I fear this will be a hectic day and don’t know if I’ll have the energy…got to connect her laptop, set up printer, make sure all is connected to network, help her unpack, make trips to buy whatever we forgot. We’ll have to hope the dorm laundry is nearby and I can just envision H yelling to check to make sure nobody steals her sheets every 5 minutes. :)</p>
<p>Which reminds me that I was till now thinking we could buy her a cheap printer stand for under her lofted bed, once we get there. But that would be one more bulky item that can’t be easily shipped home and back. Perhaps a makeshift stand can be created by stacking a couple of those plastic storage tubs on top of each other…?</p>
<p>I am really hoping the school will have some kind of summer storage arrangements, or she’ll have a roommate who lives locally AND can be trusted. I guess printers and misc small furniture items are just one of those things you have to count on to magically “work out somehow” as far as what to do with them over the summer. </p>
<p>By the way, again considering the “how she’ll bring all this home again” issue, once those plastic storage crates are stuffed full of her belongings, how are they shipped? Do they have to fit inside a regular cardboard shipping box? Or can you just put a lot of duct tape around the plastic box and slap a label on top of the lid?</p>