Move yourself the things that are irreplaceable, the things you will need before the truck is unloaded, and the things a moving company will not put in a furniture load. In practice that means important documents, cash and jewellery, medication, laptops and phones, pets, and a handful of sentimental items that matter more to you than anything else in the house.
Everything else — furniture, boxed belongings, appliances — is what the truck is for. This guide explains how to draw the line, and how to keep those personal items separate so they do not get loaded by accident.
Irreplaceable and Sensitive Items
A moving crew handles hundreds of items in a day, carefully. But a document wallet in a box looks exactly like a box of books, and an envelope of cash has no business in a truck you are not riding in. Keep these in your own custody from start to finish.
- Passports, birth certificates, wills, deeds and the closing or lease paperwork
- Cash, cheques and anything negotiable
- Jewellery, watches and small heirlooms
- Photographs and keepsakes you could never replace
- Backup drives and anything holding personal data
Things You Need on the Day
The truck is usually the last thing to arrive at the new home and the first thing to leave the old one, which means anything on it is out of reach for most of the day. Carry what you will need before the boxes are unpacked: medication, phone chargers, keys, a change of clothes, basic toiletries. We have a separate guide to packing a proper first-day essentials bag.
Electronics You Use Every Day
Laptops, tablets and phones travel best with you. Not because they cannot be packed — they can — but because you will want them during the move, they hold personal information, and they are small enough to fit in a backpack.
Televisions, monitors and desktop computers are different. They are bulky, they benefit from proper wrapping, and they are exactly what a moving crew is equipped to handle. Put the cables and remotes in a labelled bag that you carry yourself.
Pets and Plants
Animals always travel with you, never in a moving truck. Plan a quiet room or a friend’s house for them on the day so doors can stay open.
Plants are generally treated as perishable and are not carried in a furniture load. A car with the heat or air conditioning on is a much kinder place for them in any case.
What Movers Will Not Carry at All
Fuel, propane, paint, aerosols, cleaning chemicals and ammunition are excluded by nearly every moving company, for the safety of the crew and everyone else’s belongings. You should not carry most of them in a car either — run down, give away or take them to a household hazardous waste depot before the move. Our guide to what movers cannot transport explains why, and our items page sets out Stallion’s own list.
Keep Your Pile Separate
The most common way a personal item ends up on the truck is that it was sitting next to the boxes. On the morning of the move, put everything you are taking yourself in one place — the car, a bathroom, or a closet with a sign on the door — and tell the crew lead when they arrive.
- Pack your own items in a distinctive bag or bin, not a moving box
- Load the car the night before where you can
- Mark the room or closet "Not moving — stays with us"
- Walk the crew lead through it at the start
Don’t Overdo It
Some people respond to a move by trying to carry half the house in their own car. That usually means extra trips, heavy lifting you did not need to do, and fragile things handled less carefully than a crew would. The line is irreplaceable, needed-today and prohibited. Everything else can go on the truck, properly wrapped.
High-value items that are too big for a car — art, antiques, a valuable instrument — should be disclosed when you get your quote so they can be planned for.
Moving an Older Parent?
Medication schedules, important papers and valuables carry extra weight in a senior move. Our guide to moving medications, documents and valuables covers how families usually handle them.
If you are unsure about a particular item, ask when you book. It is much easier to plan for something in the quote than to decide in the driveway.