Hi Everybody…We are planning our move from Rupert to Ontario within next few months or at least before end of this year. We are not shipping any furniture, only personal belongings and to date our plan is to drive across country. Just looking for some input regarding shipping. Received a quote from Bandstra, on a 1500 LB. load, estimate was approx. $4000. inclusive of all taxes etc. Everything will be boxed or in trunks, can anyone give us a less expensive option or any advice regarding any area of this move. It is quite stressful and overwhemingly complicated so any advice would be appreciated. Good News is that there will be one hell of a garage sale when this is ironed out, so will keep you posted ! Thanks everyone and any advice on transporting 3, yes, count 'em 3 cats, would be awesome too !
When I left Rupert I shipped a lot of my belongings by Canadian Freightways. My roommate actually recommended them because she’d shipped all her furniture from Toronto to Rupert a few years before. If you’re not in a hurry it’s the cheapest option but you will have to do a lot of the work yourself (ie - taking everything to the depot, loading, unloading etc). I would do this if most of your belongings can be boxed or wrapped somehow. I shipped a dresser, several large tables and a bunch of boxes and totes. Basically I had to take it to the depot in Rupert and they helped me load everything onto a pallet. It took probably 3 or 4 days to get from Rupert to Victoria. Super cheap and great service all around. I think ended up costing maybe $375.00 insured, compared to the $800+ some moving companies quoted me.
Have you thought about towing a trailer? 1500 pounds is not a lot of weight. Even a compact car can tow a trailer with a Gross Trailer Weight of 2000 pounds using a Class 1 hitch. I think most 6 cylinder vehicles would be capable of trailers with a Gross Trailer Weight of 3500 pounds using a Class 2 hitch. Have UHaul in town check your vehicle out and give you a complete quote. I am sure they can set you up for considerably less than $4000.
Thank you for your input ! We had actually reserved a trailer for late May and then the car dealership advised us not to tow a tralier although I had checked with U-Haul given our car make and all that jazz ! They said yes, dealer said uh, no ! Will try CF and see what can be done there as I don’t mind packing. Am an expert now, Air Force brat, moved all my life !! Any ideas on transporting cats? I will be calling Paul Kennedy to see what he can advise as Air Canada can only transport a couple of months of the year now. So stressed, aaaargh !!
When I moved from the Okanagan I brought two cats with me. Mom and kitten travelled in the van with no travel kennels and were perfectly comfortable. Even though we had a litter box, we stopped regularly to let them out for potty breaks. The only problem was momma cat didn’t want baby to leave the vehicle on her own, but was fine with me taking baby and watching her.
If you are buying a used car from a car dealer and they say your auto is not appropriate for towing and UHaul says it is, I would have some reservations on the vehicle. It may be because the dealer has some warranty on the vehicle and they would rather not have risk. If that is the case, don’t mention towing but ask to see the written warranty/policy when buying used vehicles. If the warranty does not exclude towing then you should be good to go. If there is no warranty and the dealer suggests not using the vehicle for towing and UHaul says vehicle model is ok, I would have reservations purchasing the vehicle; it might be because the engine and/or transmission is worn out. At any rate I would suggest investigating further why your dealer says no and UHaul says yes.