Moving supplies list

A moving supplies list does not need a warehouse. Most apartments need packing tape, a short stack of boxes, a marker, and bags for everything soft. The bags we sell are 24 gallons (91 L), 27 × 15 × 14 inches, rated 50 lb, waterproof but not submersible, in a 2-pack or a 6-pack. They replace boxes for clothes and bedding. They do not replace a box for books.

Moving supplies that are worth buying

• Packing tape and a tape gun or a spare roll, for boxes only. Bags zip shut.
• A few small boxes for books, dishes, tools, and pantry cans. Keep those boxes light.
• One marker. The bags already include a label card and a pocket.
• Zippered bags for clothes, bedding, towels, pillows, and out-of-season coats.
• Paper or a towel to wrap a few dishes if you are not using a dish kit you already own.
• A basic tool for taking apart a bed frame you actually own. Most rentals leave the big furniture.

What you can skip

Wardrobe boxes, a mountain of bubble wrap, and a dozen specialty bins are optional. Hanging clothes can lie in a bag with the top fully open. Blankets do not need their own carton if a zipper closes around them. You still want a rigid box when the item is heavy, sharp, or liquid.

Stretch wrap has a use on a couch you are keeping. It is not required for a bag. The laminated shell keeps dust and rain off the contents. Do not leave a bag standing in water. Do not pack fuel, paint, or anything your mover or your building forbids.

How the two pack sizes map to a small place

A 2-pack covers one closet or a bedding set plus towels. A 6-pack covers the soft goods in a one-bedroom or a small two-bedroom if books and the kitchen stay in boxes. There is no other pack size. Cobalt Blue and Barbie Pink can split rooms so a helper knows where to walk.

Put the supplies you will use on moving morning in a spot you will not bury: tape, the marker, scissors, and the open-me-first bag. The week-by-week plan on the moving checklist is the timing. This page is only the shopping list.

moving bagsmoving bags for clotheshow to pack clothes for moving

Buy the moving supplies a few days before you pack, not the morning of. Tape dries out if it sits for a year, and a marker that works is worth more than a gadget you will not open. Count bags against closets: one bag per closet section is a fair start, and bedding often takes a bag of its own. Stop when the soft pile is zipped and the heavy pile is in boxes you can lift.

A small-apartment count

A studio or a one-bedroom usually needs one roll of packing tape, four to eight small boxes, one marker, and either a 2-pack or a 6-pack of bags. The tape is for the boxes. The bags zip shut, so they do not take tape. Boxes are for books, dishes, tools, and pantry cans, and each of those boxes should stay light enough to carry down stairs. Paper or a towel you already own wraps a few plates. A dish kit is optional if you are not moving a full kitchen.

Soft volume is the bag's job. Clothes, bedding, towels, pillows, and out-of-season coats fill 24 gallons (91 L) quickly because they are air. The bag measures 27 × 15 × 14 inches and is rated 50 lb. It is waterproof, not submersible. Wardrobe boxes, a mountain of bubble wrap, and a dozen specialty bins are optional. Hanging clothes can lie flat once both zipper pulls are open. Blankets do not need their own carton if the zipper closes around them.

Skip fuel, paint, and anything your building or your mover forbids. Stretch wrap has a use on a couch you are keeping. It is not required for a bag. The laminated shell keeps dust and rain off the contents. Do not leave a bag standing in water. Put the morning-of tools where you will not bury them: tape, the marker, scissors, and the open-me-first bag. The week-by-week timing lives on the moving checklist. This page is only the shopping list, and the only pack sizes are 2 and 6, in Cobalt Blue or Barbie Pink.

Bags: 24 gal (91 L), 27 × 15 × 14 in, 50 lb rated, waterproof not submersible, 2-pack or 6-pack.