Have you PCS'd so many times that you can share moving tips to the new service members?

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:03:57 -0400

The military has mastered the art of the household move. In general, it is not considered normal by civilians to move every couple of years, yet for us it is/was second nature. What is your secret to success when it comes to "that time of the year"? Have you gotten your household goods down to half of your allowed weight or are your family treasures rapidly "deployable" at a moment's notice? Does your "SOP" bring out the turmoil or is it effective? And for bragging rights, who here has moved the most?

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Aug 18 at 2014 7:40 PM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:40:10 -0400

9 PCS moves. I have a SOP somewhere for my family. Take all valuables with you. The movers will lose family pictures and other important documents.

Response by MSG(P) Michael Warrick made Aug 18 at 2014 7:58 PM

MSG(P) Michael Warrick — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:58:25 -0400

You can never have enough sniffle gear !!!

Response by SrA Andrea West made Dec 6 at 2014 2:41 AM

SrA Andrea West — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 02:41:38 -0500

As an unaccompanied single in the Air Force, moves were pretty frequent and pretty easy. In one instance of a short-notice PCS I hauled my TV and baggage to TMO rather than wait for the contractor to show up. In another case, also a short-notice situation, I had eight days from the time my orders were issued until the plane left. It's amazing how much stuff went to my buddies in the dorms...

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2014 1:31 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 13:31:42 -0500

4 PCS Moves in 11 years... the thing that I have learned is if you don't need it then don't buy it. Every time you move into a new place its always different. Some houses have fire places, some places have built in shelves, so the wife and I like to buy things to make our current home look nice. Also we have learned that cheap furniture is not the way to go. After moving our bed, and some other furniture we have decided to upgrade to bigger, more quality built stuff so they can with stand all the moving. I am supposed to only be here in Alaska for 3 years then it will be move number 5 for us.

All in all I am not a big fan of moving. I wish the Army would move me one more time and just let me retire there, but if you want to progress, make rank, and be competitive then I guess you just have to be willing to move and take the hard jobs. We shall see. And btw... no DITY moves for me. I have a 1200 pound gun safe and a large Craftsman tool box that I have never had to move over the last 6 years I have had them... movers always hate seeing those two items :)

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 16 at 2015 4:45 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 04:45:49 -0500

Yes, 5 PCS moves in 7 years.

I actually had to teach a SSG about PCS moves when I was a SPC. He had been at Fort Campbell for 8 years, and had never PCSed.

As for moving, we have never (to my knowledge) gone over our weight allowance. I had one set of movers though who knew the system, and marked about half of my HHGs as "Pro Gear." Those guys were awesome!

When it comes to PCS moves, with the exception of family heirlooms and personal treasured items, if we haven't used it, looked at it, or even realized we still have it within/after 6 months, we toss it. It cuts down on transporting junk with us.

We also always let the Army move us, as we have it down to a system. Anything we are taking with us goes in one room of the house. The movers are told not to touch anything in that room, but everything else goes. We then just supervise the movers until they are done. We also have professional cleaners come in, sometimes while the movers are still there, going room to room as the movers clear them out, so by the time the movers are gone, it only takes a short time for the house to be inspection-ready.

What we do on the last day at my losing installation is to book a hotel room so that once the movers are finished and gone, the wife and daughter go to the hotel while I finish clearing housing and sign out. Then it's to the hotel and we get a fresh start the following morning. It's less stressful that way and we can leave early and drive the entire day.

Response by LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® made Jan 17 at 2015 12:44 AM

LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 00:44:36 -0500

Get rid of crap you don't need! In 4 years I moved 15 times (PCS, TDY, Deployment). I realized most of the stuff I didn't need or didn't use!

Here is a cool trick for clothes you don't wear. The 80/20 rule applies for civilian clothes. Put all of your clothes on a hangar and face them all in one direction. When you wear something, flip the hangar. After a month, see what clothes have not been flipped. Get rid of those. You most likely won't wear them.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 19 at 2015 7:33 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 19:33:42 -0500

I just finished another move, but this time as a civiilian. Now that I'm disabled, I buy furniture with special qualities. It has to be light, or easily disassembled! Note to self.....if you have to have your bed delivered an set up, have a plan for finding some young strong people to move it for you!!!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2015 7:36 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 19:36:56 -0500

8 moves (that I remember) in 17 years as an Army Brat
3 moves while in college(s)/pre-commissioning training
11 (so far) in my 22 years of Active Service (7 with my wife!)

Lessons Learned:
-do your own inventory with pictures and/or video to show not only what you have, but also the condition
-clean up; don't let movers pack/move stuff that should not go with you, including trash, etc
-keep valuables and important papers separate (in a spare room/closet/bathroom) marked "DO NOT PACK"
-if you are having them pack valuables, pay attention to how and where they are packed)
-organize your things in the rooms/drawers/closets you want it packed together; packers will combine, but being organized makes it easier for them to pack and you to find everything in the same set of boxes at the new place
-know what is and what is not "pro-gear" for both the service member and the spouse and organize it together so it gets packed together (rules keep changing, we moved 3 times in two years and each time it was different)
-keep cleaning supplies/vacuum/mop, etc out for last if you are cleaning your house before you leave
-get rid of unused or 'extra' things; use the PCS process to purge!
-know your weight limits as well as what you have; if it has been a while, this may be tricky, but after a move, keep the bill of lading, and then just estimate what you added or subtracted to your stuff for the next move (we had two movers try to charge for excess weight, but since we knew our weight from previous moves, we made them re-weigh before delivery - we were right!)
-do as much DITY as you can (we have done DITY for 4-5000lbs before)
-have cold water for the packers/movers, and offer them a meal if it will help with their timing (we have never had anyone turn down either bottled water, or lunch)
-keep track of the numbered stickers (and colors) used by the movers to mark your things
-carefully review the inventory list, make sure everything is legible, and ask questions on anything you don't understand
-don't stress!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 4 at 2021 9:23 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:23:16 -0400

My gosh secure your most valuable things like jewelry. Transformers need to be taped to their appliances. I don't want to say what was stolen from me. I am still pissed.