The U-Haul full of guns vs the moving van

[Glenn E. Meyer]

When we moved, we had way to much for a u-haul or a self-driven van. Nor was I capable of manhandling significant furniture. Thus, we did the classic moving company (which we could afford). For the guns - the handguns (due to NYS laws) went FFL to FFL. The long arms were packed in Pelican cases. The driver and I went over them, being sure they were not loaded, taking down serial numbers, I took pictures, he did too). They wouldn't take ammo. In our SUV, I took (stored according to the Fed travel rules, etc) a compliant Ruger PCC. It came up to the motel room each night. Now, for all my generic ammo, I had a bargain sale for buddies. Shipping it would be a pain and not worth my time in the other details of a move and house sale/buy. I did take a few of the fancy SD ammo (some 20 round boxes) with us in the SUV.

Now, I'm reading advice about moving. OMG, the movers will steal everything and it's not covered (I made sure of that specifically). So, folks pack 'arsenals' so to speak in their U-haul and drive across country (some claim to drive 24/7 - I couldn't). Question for those in the know (law,etc.) - how likely is it for a break in at the motel in the dark of the night? Do thieves have a spider sense for the arsenal on the road? Easy to get into one of those?

On a previous move, just for you shower fans, the set of Psycho butcher knives vanished.

Just curious.

[lwt16]

I did a lot of stolen u haul reports back before retirement.

If it were me, I’d employ a friend to drive in shifts. No way I’d leave what I own in a hotel parking lot overnight.

[RevolverRob]

Nothing stored inside a vehicle, in a hotel parking lot is secure, nothing.

I have done the move guns in a uhaul thing before. When I do it, they are in a safe, which is strapped to the front wall of the box right behind the cab and everything else is loaded in after that blocking it (first in, last out). When parking a box truck at a hotel, I like to back the door against a wall or fence, ideally basically touching it. It doesn't guarantee someone won't break into it, but it guarantees they'll have a hard time getting big things out (i.e., enough stuff out to get to any guns). I'd honestly trust this more than I trust low-rate moving companies.

Honestly, I use the same trick when I'm pulling a trailer or when I have an SUV full of stuff. Backing it into a spot where the rear door cannot be opened is ideal. Someone can still break in, but they'll be more limited in what they can get out of the vehicle.

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[penates]

I just moved cross country for employment purposes and moved all my firearms in the U-Haul. The firearms (And a few musical instruments) went in the cab over compartment. The items were all packed into locked hardcases. In front of that went the ammo cans, books, and furniture all cross tied to the tie down rails inside the truck. The truck was parked backed up to light posts. Having had a co worker lose some very high dollar firearms, I would never trust a moving company that is within my payscale.

[Clusterfrack]

I did a lot of stolen u haul reports back before retirement.

If it were me, I’d employ a friend to drive in shifts. No way I’d leave what I own in a hotel parking lot overnight.

This. Your parked U-Haul seems like a convenient way for the thieves to drive your stuff to their destination.

And can confirm that movers are not to be trusted.

[okie john]

TL;DR = plan your route.

I recently moved my father to an assisted living facility, which meant that I needed to get a significant chunk of high-dollar gear to Washington from Texas. Transfer fees for the firearms would have been prohibitive but there was also a trove of scarce loading components. The shipping options open to private citizens for those are non-existent so I decided to drive it all back.

My plan was to load everything into a low-profile rented SUV, drive a while, stop for the night, pull the fun stuff into the hotel room, then reload and roll out the next morning. Lather, rinse, repeat. I didn't make reservations, instead planning to just find little places along the way and go from there.

I left the Hill Country about 1000 and made Albuquerque just before dark. The roads looked good, the scenery was gorgeous, and the weather was clear so I decided to keep going until I found a place to stop.

Bad move.

I got heavy serial-killer vibes from every motel in northern New Mexico so I didn't stop until I hit Cortez, Colorado, around midnight. I pulled the guns into my room, slept with a loaded Glock next to the bed, and got up every hour or so expecting to see the rented Durango surrounded by little blue chunks of broken glass.

By 0400, I realized that the logic behind my plan was seriously flawed so I re-packed the Durango and drove the remaining 14 hours back home stopping only to eat, buy gas, and use the bathroom.

I did get a bunch of cool stuff that used to belong to my father plus more than enough H4350 to pay for the rental AND the post-drive chiropractor visit, but I probably wouldn't do it that way again.


Okie John

[HeavyDuty]

I did two cross country moves in three years, each time through the Dead Zones of NJ, NY and MA. I used UHaul, I believe 25 footers each time I moved the guns. They went all the way to the front and were buried by other things.

IL to NH I did in one long drive, but NH to TX was split over three days. I was careful about where I stayed and parked, but at some point I just took the chance. I did remove the battery cable every night.

[okie john]

I did two cross country moves in three years, each time through the Dead Zones of NJ, NY and MA. I used UHaul, I believe 25 footers each time I moved the guns. They went all the way to the front and were buried by other things.

IL to NH I did in one long drive, but NH to TX was split over three days. I was careful about where I stayed and parked, but at some point I just took the chance. I did remove the battery cable every night.

I made it a point to avoid California, but everything I had was legal in every state that I crossed and in Washington state. I figured one guy driving a rented SUV with out-of-state plates would be a cop magnet but I didn't get stopped once.


Okie John

[Lester Polfus]

I plan to never move again, but if I had to, I wouldn't stay in hotels or motels, particularly ones that have easy on/off access to the internet.

We avoid hotels as much as possible. If I had a moving van full of stuff, I'd instead look to stay at Air Bnb's, State Park cabins, or KOA cabins.

For Air BnB's you're often in a residential neighborhood or rural property, and frequently you can back the truck up to a garage door or something. You're also just not in the type of area that gets cruised by people who boost stuff out of moving trucks.

KOA and State parks are often gated access after dark.

[Borderland]

I plan to never move again, but if I had to, I wouldn't stay in hotels or motels, particularly ones that have easy on/off access to the internet.

We avoid hotels as much as possible. If I had a moving van full of stuff, I'd instead look to stay at Air Bnb's, State Park cabins, or KOA cabins.

For Air BnB's you're often in a residential neighborhood or rural property, and frequently you can back the truck up to a garage door or something. You're also just not in the type of area that gets cruised by people who boost stuff out of moving trucks.

KOA and State parks are often gated access after dark.

I stayed at a WA state park on the Columbia R. with my RV a few years ago. I had an issue with my tow vehicle so we were there in the break down site longer than our reservation. That was 4 days longer than I planned to be there. I had a visit from the state parks LEO to chat about our situation. Cool dude and geared up for a shoot out. He came across like he really enjoyed his job. I think he made his rounds through several parks every few days just to sniff out anything out of the ordinary. Lots of traffic in those parks and they keep them safe for the paying customers. All of our parks are closed at sun down. There's a WA. SP a few miles from me.