Moving across country

[Andysvette1]

Alright everyone I’m looking for some advice. I have decided to make the move from central WI to sunny southern CA and I’m looking for recommendations for the best and most cost affective way to get all my belongings across the country. The use of PODS are common in my area but pricy. Any other recommendations? Thanks!

 

[ddawg16]

I'm guessing someone else is not paying for it?

How much stuff do you have?

I'd get quotes from a moving company.

Then get quotes to rent a U-Haul.

Something to consider....unless you have some really nice stuff, it might be cheaper to sell your old stuff and buy new when you get out here.

What part of S. California? It's a pretty big area.

What you won't need....most of your winter clothing. If you have a snow blower....sell it. Basically, just about anything related to snow....get rid of it....excluding snow ski's.

Winter clothing here is a sweatshirt and shorts. Summer wear is Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Flip Flops optional.

 

[tab2]

Are you moving yourself? Can you one way rent an enterprise box truck with a lift gate? 1 day to load it, 2? to drive it, 1 to unload it. Uhaul kills you on the mileage.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Keep your ski stuff if you enjoy it. The mountains in Ca. have a lot of ski slopes and some are open extended periods. I have cousins that moved there to ski. Do evaluate what you have and can sell/leave behind. All movers eventually charge by weight so books, tools are expensive to move. If you are active in a church you might get some help from there to load/unload as a lot of churches will help members move.

 

[hh76]

U haul works well.

I also used ABF. They drop off a pod type container, or a 20' trailer, and you pack it. Used them twice to move cross country, and had no complaints. Second time we hired a company to load the trailer for us, which I would do again.

 

[Andysvette1]

I'm guessing someone else is not paying for it?

How much stuff do you have?

I'd get quotes from a moving company.

Then get quotes to rent a U-Haul.

Something to consider....unless you have some really nice stuff, it might be cheaper to sell your old stuff and buy new when you get out here.

What part of S. California? It's a pretty big area.

What you won't need....most of your winter clothing. If you have a snow blower....sell it. Basically, just about anything related to snow....get rid of it....excluding snow ski's.

Winter clothing here is a sweatshirt and shorts. Summer wear is Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Flip Flops optional.

I unfortunately have to front the cost for moving.

I am in the process of selling as much as possible but there is always a ton of stuff that you end up keeping. I like the idea of the majority of stuff shipped out there. I’m thinking that two 16’ containers should do. I have a built Jeep Wrangler that will also need to be shipped out so I will most likely do a U-Haul option for that.

Temecula CA is where my wife has her heart set on.

 

[Andysvette1]

U haul works well.

I also used ABF. They drop off a pod type container, or a 20' trailer, and you pack it. Used them twice to move cross country, and had no complaints. Second time we hired a company to load the trailer for us, which I would do again.

Thanks, I will into ABF.

 

[CNGsaves]

Shipping your stuff takes all the "adventure" out of the move !!

I'd get big U-Haul style truck and pack it full up it's gills !! Tow the Jeep behind it. Wifey drives her vehicle with all clothes in back seat. Planning will be your key to fitting everything in moving truck/vehicles, along with packing the truck with stuff you absolutely need quickly once in California.

If you have any kind of pickup, buy the cheapest large enclosed trailer you can and use trailer also for the move. If another driver needed, pay for their one-way flight back to WI. Only sell trailer later when fully moved into new place as it's nice to not completely jam full the garage on moving day. The enclosed trailer will hold "non critical" stuff that you can get out later.

 

[steel 35]

What part of S. California? It's a pretty big area.

Yes it is; Seems as if Sacramento is where a distinct line is! Northern is up Southern is down. Then they have different City limit signs occasionally.

 

[Andysvette1]

As much as I would like the “adventure” I do also have to contend with a 9 year old 2 dogs and a cat…..

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ All independent and can be "subdued" with bottle of Sominex !!

 

[btdobie]

I would guess that used trailers go for more money in So Cal than in Wi due to differences in purchasing power. So you may be able to buy an enclosed trailer for the move, and when you arrive, sell it for the same or more than you bought it for with minimal effort. Look on Craigslist in both areas and see how the prices compare.

Fair Warning: I did this myself, but then I ended up deciding I wanted to keep the trailer. That's the risk you take.

 

[619DioFan]

Using ABF freights move service will be your cheapest route. they charge by the cubic foot used in the trailer , not by weight. if you know how to load high and tight you can fit a lot in one. they will drop an empty trailer at your home ( comes with a ramp ) you load and put up a dividing wall. if you are sure how to load you can go to any vanline agent near you and hire guys who can load it for you. you might want to get an estimate from a vanline just to know how much weight you have. I work in the moving and storage industry here in SanDiego ( about 45 miles south of Temecula ) feel free to ask me anything move related. btw- Temecula is a very nice area. very family friendly. lots of military families there due to being so close to Marine base Camp Pendelton.

 

[upndown]

When I moved from ill to Az, we sold off a bunch of **** including the wife's car. I rented the largest U haul and stuffed it. Filled my bug as well and a full tank of gas just in case. Put the wife, baby and heavily sedated dog on a plane then the FIL and I headed to AZ. Unloaded my bike and rode to in laws, sat in the pool and drank beer! Got busy the next day. All in all a great move. Good luck on your adventure!

 

[rsanter]

Some friends moved from CA to Washington.
He can be a bit cheap so he priced everything.
Cheapest was that he had a trunking company drop off a trailer and they filled it up.
He put everything in there. Toolboxes, furnature, motorcycles. Even a small utility trailer that they filled up once in the big trailer.
Everything fit in one shot, only issue was the effort to get stuff into the trailer. Some things used a ramp. Some things went from the back of a pickup then backed up to the trailer. And other things were brute force

Bob

 

[CadillacJack]

I have a built Jeep Wrangler....

Year? Newer than 1976, it must be smogged (unless offroad only). Might want to sell that in WI if emissions have been altered.

I'm pretty sure the death penalty applies if attempting to smuggle a "gross polluter" into Nazifornia.

 

[engineer2]

Some friends moved to Temecula and they love it there.

 

[ZRX61]

People still move to California?

 

[engineer2]

A good job opportunity is probably the only reason to move there. Another might be if you are wealthy and want to retire to a nice climate.

 

[upndown]

People still move to California?

That's why I stopped in AZ!

 

[ddawg16]

We need more details on that jeep.

Good news....plenty of jeep resources in the area....and Big Bear is not far.

Be aware....you're going to have some serious electric bills in the summer....that area is basically desert....

 

[matt_i]

I hate dealing with UHaul, Ryder and Penske have been better as far as 24' box trucks.

One suggestion if you are going to do the driving is to get a set of fairly cheap Motorola walkie talkies, and keep those handy. Yes, everyone has cell phones, but trying to call each other every 5 minutes while driving is a distraction. You don't even have to look at the button on the talkie. My Dad and I have probably moved 100,000 lbs of machinery all over the eastern half of the country using a heavy truck/trailer and a chase car and this has worked out very well. Let your heavy truck be the lead vehicle as the car can always catch up whereas it doesn't work the other way.

I sold/donated/tossed a bunch of stuff when I moved across country in my 20s. Mostly yard tool stuff. Then I ended up buying it all back, slowly, which was sort of wasteful.

 

[Andysvette1]

We need more details on that jeep.

I'm not to concerned with emissions. The Jeep is a 2014 Rubicon, 4.5” MetalCloak lift 37” tires. Yeah about 100K invested.

 

[Andysvette1]

Year? Newer than 1976, it must be smogged (unless offroad only). Might want to sell that in WI if emissions have been altered.

I'm pretty sure the death penalty applies if attempting to smuggle a "gross polluter" into Nazifornia.

Yeah not selling the Jeep! That's the wife's baby

 

[Cyberbear]

Kalifornia is a nice place to visit but not a place to stay long term, several I know relocated to another state after retirement. Unless you are well off, working here can be a challenge and usually requires living in or near a large city, like Los Angeles where the jobs and industry are. Temecula is on the out skirts and will undoubtedly require long times on our freeway systems when commuting to and from work. Google "homeless in LA tent cities" to get an idea of what life is becoming in the Golden State.

 

[Johnv656]

Call your local Penske rental and get a quote, can probably put the Jeep up on a car carrier and tow it with a 26 foot box truck.

 

[03fan]

Do you have a link to some of the stuff you're selling? I'd be interested in seeing if I can help lighten your load.

 

[Andysvette1]

One of the reasons for the move is to enjoy the weather and all that the east coast has to offer. Both my wife and I work however we have the luxury of working from home. No daily commutes for us. I do have the occasional business trips but other than that no major reason to leave the house.

 

[Andysvette1]

Do you have a link to some of the stuff you're selling? I'd be interested in seeing if I can help lighten your load.

Sorry, no formal list yet. I will be keeping all my tools though.

 

[ddawg16]

I'm not to concerned with emissions. The Jeep is a 2014 Rubicon, 4.5” MetalCloak lift 37” tires. Yeah about 100K invested.

You are going to fit in just fine here.......

This is my baby....84 CJ...6" lift...5.7L TBI, 4L60E, ARB rear, Detroit Front, full roll cage, 35" tires.....etc, etc.....

 

[Andysvette1]

You are going to fit in just fine here.......

This is my baby....84 CJ...6" lift...5.7L TBI, 4L60E, ARB rear, Detroit Front, full roll cage, 35" tires.....etc, etc.....

Very nice! The JK is the wife's but I also have a 04 TJ. Unfortunately I will have to sell it.

 

[Rorin67]

When you get here, check out the Huntington Beach Jeep Dealer. Which is not terribly far from Temecula. They have a non-exclusive club that goes out on Jeep excursions many times throughout the year. Great group, very welcoming, and you don't have to be a customer of the dealership to join. They range from casual drives that a stock Jeep can handle, to all-out crazy events that only heavily modified Jeeps can even think of doing. I think you'd fit well in that group. And welcome to SoCal!

 

[Social_Joe]

My wife and I moved from Oklahoma to Ohio last Summer. I had a 1600sf house, a 35x40 shop, a 24x24 shop, 5 cars, 2 dogs, and a cat. We moved into a 600sf one bedroom apt. Here’s how it went.

House was on the market when we moved and with only my new job on the Ohio end we had to get an apt here. We sold/donated basically everything we weren’t super attached to or didn’t have intrinsic monetary or practical value. I prepped the tree vehicles I was leaving behind for storage.
18’ Penske Truck + car trailer for me and the wife following in her car.

That was in July, by late September the house sold, so I flew down and packed all the cars and tools I had in the shop into a storage locker and the cars went to my folk’s place for the time being.

We recently got a house and are fixing it up to move into, so I paid to have my cars shipped up here in one shot (cheapest way to get them here and not burn leave time). At the end of June I’m driving home, getting my trailer and clearing out my locker.

It’s actually been a ton of fun getting to find antiques and cool stuff on CL to furnish the new place.

Penske had the best rates, by far. If you book online they take 15% off and if you have AAA I think an additional 10%. You also get a cut for booking way ahead. From Lawton, OK to Cleveland, OH was around $850 (1000 miles, one week, full insurance).

 

[maxpower_hd]

One of the reasons for the move is to enjoy the weather and all that the east coast has to offer. Both my wife and I work however we have the luxury of working from home. No daily commutes for us. I do have the occasional business trips but other than that no major reason to leave the house.

Hmmm....If you're looking for all the east coast has to offer I think you are driving in the wrong direction.....I don't recall any east coasts in Cali...unless you're going to be on a lake.

 

[billspit]

Call your local Penske rental and get a quote, can probably put the Jeep up on a car carrier and tow it with a 26 foot box truck.

I think Penske gives you a discount if you have AAA.

 

[Social_Joe]

I think Penske gives you a discount if you have AAA.

Online booking discount AND AAA discount adds up to at least 25% iirc. If you are a vet, you may be able to get a military discount as well.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Just for the heck of it, have you thought of hiring a semi to haul the entire package in one load? Use one of the conx boxes.

 

[Andysvette1]

Yeah I have been toying with the idea of hiring a semi to haul it all. Good option!

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Yeah I have been toying with the idea of hiring a semi to haul it all. Good option!

Check out renting a big rig trailer from Ryder or Penske and leaving it in Calf. Then check out https://www.uship.com/ to get some quotes.

 

[mikegt4]

I would guess that used trailers go for more money in So Cal than in Wi due to differences in purchasing power. So you may be able to buy an enclosed trailer for the move, and when you arrive, sell it for the same or more than you bought it for with minimal effort. Look on Craigslist in both areas and see how the prices compare.

Fair Warning: I did this myself, but then I ended up deciding I wanted to keep the trailer. That's the risk you take.

My brother did this when moving from Ohio to Phoenix. He sold the trailer in Arizona for much more than he bought it for. The great lakes states have probably the lowest trailer prices in the country, the southwest probably the highest. Of course this assumes that you already have a capable tow vehicle.