Right in the middle of my overseas relocation I found a wireless conection for the laptop and thought I'd share some info for when and if you move with your goodies, too:
1. Counting Beforehand Good. Do an inventory (Excel makes great spreadsheets...duh, right?) for insurance purposes. On the High Dollar Value Items sheet, along with the electronics and stuff. Take pictures, include hotlinks to manufacturers' websites, etc, and keep everything on your flash drive and/or hard copies in your carry-on baggage. As an added benefit, you can show your wife that yes, you DO have something to show for all of it. In my case, too much. Where does it all go? Now you know.
2. Consider that you and your babies will be apart for a loooooong time, so choose a few to keep with you wisely.
a. Low-Mid Range Good. 1x SAK / beater, 1x 4" folder, 1x office / gentleman's folder, 1x multi-tool will probably keep you good for a month or two. Needs, not Wants.
b. The ones you're keeping with you go into a sealed (100mph tape around the edges), heavy-duty Ziplock freezer bag, so Tommy TSA, the checked-baggage screener, can see them, along with the Vise Grips and other hand tools, but won't get to paw them without your permisssion.
c. Decoy: If you just KNOW that Tommy's going to lift one from the bags at the airport, pack a flashy Paki decoy in your checked baggage where he can find it.
d. The rest go into the crates, along with the pots and pans and couches and clothes and other non-essential, non-knife things. Tool Rolls are great low-cost packs. (See, they're "Tools", not toys or weapons, Officer.) Also, try atheletic socks as individual packing pouches if your knives are going en-masse into a soft-sided briefcase, tackleboxes, Tupperware, or other small containers. Low-cost scrape and ding protection.
3. Bribes Good. You can't watch everybody all the time. Movers don't make big bucks, but do like a bottle of Jack Black or a case of cold ones (after the paking's done), the old skin mags you've forgotten about, and free lunches a lot more than the possibility of getting caught pocketing one or two from your collection (so they can hock them later to buy a case of cold ones and lunch?)
Besides, do you really want to argue with the dudes who can carry your piano around? Hearts and minds; Baby.
Anybody got more tips I missed?
1. Counting Beforehand Good. Do an inventory (Excel makes great spreadsheets...duh, right?) for insurance purposes. On the High Dollar Value Items sheet, along with the electronics and stuff. Take pictures, include hotlinks to manufacturers' websites, etc, and keep everything on your flash drive and/or hard copies in your carry-on baggage. As an added benefit, you can show your wife that yes, you DO have something to show for all of it. In my case, too much. Where does it all go? Now you know.
2. Consider that you and your babies will be apart for a loooooong time, so choose a few to keep with you wisely.
a. Low-Mid Range Good. 1x SAK / beater, 1x 4" folder, 1x office / gentleman's folder, 1x multi-tool will probably keep you good for a month or two. Needs, not Wants.
b. The ones you're keeping with you go into a sealed (100mph tape around the edges), heavy-duty Ziplock freezer bag, so Tommy TSA, the checked-baggage screener, can see them, along with the Vise Grips and other hand tools, but won't get to paw them without your permisssion.
c. Decoy: If you just KNOW that Tommy's going to lift one from the bags at the airport, pack a flashy Paki decoy in your checked baggage where he can find it.
d. The rest go into the crates, along with the pots and pans and couches and clothes and other non-essential, non-knife things. Tool Rolls are great low-cost packs. (See, they're "Tools", not toys or weapons, Officer.) Also, try atheletic socks as individual packing pouches if your knives are going en-masse into a soft-sided briefcase, tackleboxes, Tupperware, or other small containers. Low-cost scrape and ding protection.
3. Bribes Good. You can't watch everybody all the time. Movers don't make big bucks, but do like a bottle of Jack Black or a case of cold ones (after the paking's done), the old skin mags you've forgotten about, and free lunches a lot more than the possibility of getting caught pocketing one or two from your collection (so they can hock them later to buy a case of cold ones and lunch?)
Besides, do you really want to argue with the dudes who can carry your piano around? Hearts and minds; Baby.
Anybody got more tips I missed?
