The Packing Supplies That Actually Matter (and the Ones You Can Skip)
Skip the impulse Amazon haul. Here is the short list of packing supplies that actually protect your stuff on a Metro Vancouver move.
Walk into any Home Depot and you will find 40 different packing products. You need maybe seven of them. Here is the honest short list - what to buy, what to skip, and how much of each for a typical Vancouver move.
Buy These
- Small boxes (1.5 cu ft): for books, dishes, anything dense. Plan one per shelf of books.
- Medium boxes (3 cu ft): the workhorse. Kitchen, bathroom, office. Plan 15-25 for a one-bedroom condo.
- Large boxes (4.5 cu ft): linens, pillows, lampshades, anything light and bulky. Never put books in these.
- Dish-pack (double-walled) boxes: 2-3 of them for kitchen glassware. Worth every penny.
- Packing paper (newsprint, unprinted): a 10 lb pack covers a small kitchen. Cheaper, faster, and greener than bubble wrap for most things.
- Real packing tape + a dispenser: not masking tape. Two rolls per 20 boxes.
- Permanent marker + colour-coded labels: room name AND priority ("open first" / "garage" / "storage").
Buy These if You Have the Items
- TV box with foam corners - if you do not have the original.
- Mirror/picture carton - for anything framed over 24 inches.
- Wardrobe boxes - rent from your mover for the day; cheaper than buying.
Skip These
- Bubble wrap by the roll: overkill for 90% of items. Use crumpled paper instead.
- Plastic totes: they crack at the corners under stacking weight and do not stack flat in the truck. Cardboard is better for moving (totes are great for storage after).
- Vacuum bags: tempting, but they leave clothes wrinkled for weeks and add no real space savings on a single-trip move.
- Custom label printers: a Sharpie is faster.
The "Open First" Box
Pack one clearly-labelled box per person with: phone charger, two days of clothes, toiletries, prescriptions, basic tools, paper towels, toilet paper, and the kettle. This box rides in your car, not the truck. You will thank yourself at 9 PM on moving day.
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