my final container got picked up minutes ago so now i am ready to review the services i have used
my move from NJ to Orlando consisted of 3 “legs” so to speak
1st leg - 22 foot Penske truck
( mine didn’t have a car carrier - the picture is from Reddit )
2nd leg: 16 foot PODS container:
( picture is from PODS website )
3rd leg: ARCBEST ABF Freight U-Pack Relocube:
( pictured: two relocubes from Reddit )
i have additionally looked into
U-Haul
1-800-Pack-Rat
U-Box by U-Haul
28’ Trailer by ABF Freight
and will explain why i didn’t use them …
let’s start from the beginning:
Penske vs U-Haul.
actually my previous move from NYC to NJ was done mostly with U-Haul. i had tried some other rental companies such as renting a van from Home Depot but ultimately settled on U-Haul as my weapon of choice for NYC to NJ move and i U-Haul is perfect for that type of short move that was about 2 hour drive.
When i did my NYC to NJ move Penske was quoting me almost double what U-Haul wanted so i went with U-Haul however for a long distance move from NJ to Orlando the price gap was much narrower and there were a few things that made me lean towards Penske. specifically their large 22 and 26 foot trucks.
namely Penske’s 22 and 26 foot trucks are based on COMMERCIAL MEDIUM DUTY truck chassis from International, Freightliner or sometimes Peterbilt … whereas U-Haul is based on Ford or GM truck chassis that is more consumer grade …
the main benefits of a chassis like International MV is self-leveling air suspension. whereas a U-Haul will ride differently depending on how much weight you load into it a 22 or 26 foot Penske will auto-adjust the air pressure in the suspension to match whatever load is in the truck so it rides identical whether it is empty or fully loaded.
another benefit is that Penske trucks are newer and more fully featured on average. i had power windows, bluetooth stereo with hands free calling and cruise control in my penske. never had those things in a U-Haul.
so was it worth it ? meh i dunno. the steering was very precise - like in a german car - but the seatbelt kept getting stuck and the pedals were very stiff. by contrast U-Haul steering is very loose but i never had a problem with a seatbelt and i saw a youtube video where a guy also had nonfunctional seatbelt in his Penske so overall i would say the Penske was not a huge upgrade from U-Haul.
but i wanted to try a commercial diesel chassis with exhaust and air brakes ( it doesn’t have normal hydraulic brakes ! ) and now i have that experience, so no complaints about that.
overall though if you’re not an engineer or a professional truck driver you should probably stick with U-Haul - the learning curve with a commercial truck is pretty steep.
i also recommend you stick with a smaller truck. the 22 foot pushed me to the limit on several occasions in terms of being able to physically fit in various spaces. i think the largest size i could recommend to an average person is the 16 foot penske. the 22 foot was both too wide and too long for my comfort.
the width was the biggest issue for me. it basically takes up the whole lane so when there is construction narrowing lanes or if you have to go through a toll booth that is narrower than the lane it is somewhat nightmarish.
just don’t do it frens. only drive something like the 22 foot Penske if you want to test yourself. don’t do it to save money - it isn’t worth it. it is both extremely uncomfortable and unsafe.
but for about the same price as a 16 foot PODS with Penske you get either a 22 or 26 foot truck, which are also WIDER than the PODS container so overall you get a LOT more space in a Penske.
PODS vs 1-800-Pack-RAT
the main reason i chose PODS vs Pack RAT is the PODZILLA
the Podzilla allows the container to be maneuvered into tight spots because it detaches from the truck and can steer much more effectively than a truck can.
comparatively with Pack-Rat:
you need a bit more space for delivery and i was a bit worried if there would be enough or they would just leave it on the street because they couldn’t get it into the driveway.
PODS is usually more expensive than Pack-Rat though so if you are absolutely sure your street / driveway are wide enough you can go with Pack-Rat.
Relocube vs U-Haul U-Box
U-Haul has a product that seems similar to the Relocube but upon closer inspection you only really save when you pick it up and drop it off yourself. that is U-Box charges extra for delivery.
if you have a pickup truck U-Box will be cheaper for your as you can drop it off to U-Haul location or even tow it all the way to Florida but if you have a regular car like me the price difference versus relocube is small.
and the relocube is just a much better box. where U-Box is a plywood box the relocube is a commercial grade shipping container made by Hyundai ( which also builds cargo ships ) and most importantly relocube uses the E-TRACK system for cargo tie downs.
i chose relocube mainly for the E-Track system. i used about 20 straps.
between relocube and U-box there really is no competition. relocube all the way.
so if i was doing it again would i do anything differently ?
probably not.
the 3 services i used are probably the best, though others i mentioned should be considered as well.
cons and pros of the 3 i used:
Penske:
pro: very spacious, cheaper than container.
con: very hard to drive. i only had 6 days to complete the move, so only about 1 to 2 days to load the enormous truck - you will have to work FAST.
PODS:
pro: probably best option for most people. good balance of ease of use and value. allows you 30 days to load and unload - the longest of the 3 options.
con: doesn’t have E-Track system. roll up door is fragile and prone to getting stuck.
Relocube:
pro: industrial build quality. completely bulletproof. you can lean items against the door and force it shut and not worry about the door at all. E-track system. easily fits where you need it to.
con: you only get 3 days to load it. this is more than with Penske but less than with PODS.
so which of the 3 is my favorite ?
well i have to say that even though with PODS i had to spend an entire day installing my own D-Rings in their container because it didn’t have enough solid tie down locations …
even though with PODS you can’t lean anything on the door and even though i didn’t my door ultimately had the lock jam and wouldn’t lock ( this happened after the container was delivered in Orlando, so it stayed unlocked in Orlando while i was unloading it ) …
PODS is still my favorite of the 3 for the simple reason that i was able to take TEN DAYS to load it, which allowed me to work at a comfortable place and pack everything carefully.
Relocube was my second favorite because although 3 days is enough to load it it does force you to work at a certain pace.
Penske was by far my LEAST favorite because well it’s just honestly a nightmare from beginning to end. Too many hardships to describe. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU WANT TO TEST YOURSELF.
like if you want to prove to a woman that you’re a real man - drive the Penske truck. otherwise get PODS.
one other option you should consider that i haven’t covered yet is the ABF Freight U-Pack 28 FOOT TRAILER:
this can be a good option because you pay only for the space you use …
but i had two concerns:
1 - i didn’t know if it would fit into the driveway
2 - the bulkhead requires two people to install and there is only one of me
that said if i was doing it again i would definitely consider it because the relocube was just so legit and this trailer is from the same company ( ABF Freight U-Pack ) but also because i miscalculated the amount of space i needed TWICE so i now appreciate the value of being able to use as much space as you need and then only paying for the space you actually used and the U-Pack trailer allows you to do exactly that …
that said relocube allows something similar as well - namely you can have several relocubes delivered but only pay for the ones you ended up using. so for example you can have 4 relocubes delivered but if your stuff fits into just 3 of them you only pay for the 3 you used.
so overall both PODS and U-Pack are great services. Pack-Rat is a cheaper alternative to PODS if your street / driveway can fit that truck that is also a forklift in one unit. this is how Pack-Rat saves money - by having the forklift integrated into the truck, but this also limits their maneuverability because the truck has to go into your driveway whereas with PODS or Relocube it doesn’t.
U-Haul is a cheaper alternative to Penske and is good for in-town moves where their prices cannot be touched by Penske and quality of the vehicle isn’t that important for such a short move ( you don’t need cruise control for a 5 mile move ).
U-Box is a cheaper alternative to Relocube but you mainly only save if you tow it yourself and you lose the E-Track system.
final note is that the way PODS works is they give you a higher quote first, then if you don’t take it a week later they call you with a lower quote ( about $1,000 less ) … this is widely known about PODS
basically the first quote is what they hope to get and the second one is what Pack-Rat charges so once they think you’re about to go to Pack-Rat they will lower your quote to match more or less
but again, a Pack-Rat may not even fit in your driveway … same for 28 foot ABF trailer …
honestly for me it comes down to PODS vs Relocube and you just have to decide what is more important to you - the E-Track system of the Relocube or the ability to take over a week to load the container of PODS
the E-Track system is amazing but it is only worth a premium if you’re actually going to use it. you need special adapters or straps to use it. i used these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCHX7J8X
likewise the week ( or more ) to load the PODS is amazing, but it’s only worth a premium if you need that much time. if you’re using movers to load everything in 5 hours then it isn’t worth anything to you.
i have to say though that Relocube experience was 100% smooth. not a single hiccup.
PODS experience was MOSTLY smooth but the door did get stuck in the end, and i had to install my own D-Rings.
Penske experience was a nightmare - the truck i reserved had a check engine light so i had to spend half a day getting another truck and that was just the beginning - the DRIVE is where the real fun started with seat belt getting stuck, with gas stations having malfunctioning diesel pumps and so on.
it seems then that Relocube is the best of the 3 so why do i say that PODS is the best for most people ? well because the 16 foot PODS container is just the right size. it’s about the same footprint as a car ( the average car like Toyota Camry is 16 feet long ) so it fits perfectly in your driveway. and you can still park your car next to it.
so PODS narrowly edges out the Relocube in this comparison …
i wouldn’t use a smaller PODS container though. if you don’t need a 16 foot PODS and are thinking of a 12 foot let alone a 8 foot then the advantage of being car-sized and fitting perfectly in your driveway goes away and you may as well just get two relocubes …
