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Dorm Packing List - When Flying (He's on his way now & I'm sad!)


mirabillis
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Less than 3 weeks and counting and ds is moving across country. Reality is beginning to set in.... Help me with logistics!!

What do we bring on the plane (no free suitcases anyway)?

What should we ship?

What should we plan to buy locally at Walmart/Target?

Should we try to do the Bed Bath & Beyond Pack and Hold service?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDIT - UPDATE below - he's on his way, flew out today...

Edited by mirabillis
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My kids who did college via plane brought one large suitcase and one large backpack.  Usually one was included in the cost, so they only had to pay for one.  They only brought clothes they needed for the present season (which was usually warm weather clothes) and I shipped the heavier winter clothes.  None of them brought much more than that, really.  Oh, they maybe took a sheet set and one towel, but we ordered most things -- like a blanket and a few kitchen items/desk supplies from Amazon to be sent there.  My kids always went alone, so they only brought on the plane what they could handle themselves, meaning they'd also need to handle it all getting from the destination airport to their accommodations via taxi, train, public transportation or whatever.

We did learn at one point that you can bring all sorts of stuff on Amtrak!  They're not nearly as picky about luggage size and limit. 

Edited by J-rap
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We are in South America and Twin XL bed sheets are not common here, although to my amazement my DW did locate 1 or 2 stores that had Twin XL bed sheets.

DD  was scheduled to arrive at her destination airport at night and then she had to get to her school and check into her   dorm. .  We ordered a set of Twin XL bed sheets from a  very reputable eBay Seller in NY or NJ and it was shipped to our Receiver in Miami and then to our house in Colombia. I knew that the next day, she could go to Target or Wal Mart and buy other things for her bed (blanket, pillow, etc.) but that the bed sheets were critical. A week or 2 after she got there, we bought another set of those bed sheets from the same eBay Seller (the price for the 2nd set was $8 USD higher...) The bed sheets were in her Checked luggage.

DD went by herself with a very long (better IMO than very short) connection in Fort Lauderdale, on SPIRIT AIRLINES. We had paid for one Carry On bag and one checked bag, but about a week before the trip last August, DD realized that she was going to have a problem, during the long layover in Fort Lauderdale, with her "Personal item" bag (Laptop and phone and critical papers in that) plus her Carry On, if she went into, for example, a rest room.  (That assumed that she had rechecked her Checked Bag after clearing U.S. Immigration and then U.S. Customs after arriving in Fort Lauderdale)

So, when it was her turn at the SPIRIT AIRLINES ticket counter, we asked the  woman to change the Carry On bag to a 2nd Checked bag and she did that for us. That made the long layover for the connection in Fort Lauderdale much easier for DD.

She and her roommate, before the semester began, bought a refrigerator. I think it's a tiny one. Also, her roommate is an International student (from the other side of the world) and stays up later than DD and was studying or talking with her family. The light was bothering DD.  One Sunday afternoon,  DW and I looked at dozens of Room Dividers on Amazon.  I found one that seemed to block light. We bought one of those for DD and that solved that issue.  🙂

A laptop cooling pad is nice to have. Also, an external Keyboard with a USB cable and an external Mouse with USB cable.

DD and her roommate have been "SIP" (Sheltering in Place) since Spring Break, when they switched to Online classes. Because of Covid-19, neither of them can return to their countries at this time. They are in a Dorm that has Suites and although there is a Kitchen in the Dorm, DD and her roommate set up a makeshift "Kitchen" to use while they are "SIP".  So, a couple of months ago I remember DW consulting (Via WhatsApp) with DD, about which Cookware to purchase. DD didn't buy a "Set", she bought individual items that she would use frequently. I think she spent about $200 USD on those items. And they have a Coffee Maker. Probably other things I can't remember.

DD has her Laptop, her cell phone, her Tablet and her Wacom tablet with her. And her TI-84 Plus CE Graphing calculator. All or most of those items were in her "Personal" bag that went under the seats in front of her, on the 2 flights from Colombia to Raleigh-Durham.

I would try not to ship stuff. Unless you have the original cartons and the things are pretty new and you don't need them at home. Buy locally and if there's an issue, that can be resolved locally. Or, buy on eBay.

DD has (or had) Amazon Prime so she bought things on Amazon and we have purchased some things for her on eBay. Everything is delivered by the shipping carriers to the Mail Room that serves her dorm (and some other dorms also) and then she goes there to pick it up.

Possibly something I wrote above will help you.

 

 

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I would just send clothes, electronics, and personal effects with him on the plane and plan to buy everything else once you get there. Will you be renting a car?

We used the Bed Bath & Beyond service, which was super easy. They gave us a scanner and we walked around the store and scanned all the stuff we wanted, and we got a print-out of everything we ordered. There was a discount code you could sign up for, too, that took a certain % off the total. They don't charge you until you pick up your order in the destination city, and you don't have to buy everything in the order; if you change your mind, you can remove stuff and just pay for what you want. I think we ordered a mattress topper, mattress pad, sheets, pillows, and a comforter, plus misc stuff like a shower caddy, a shelf that clipped onto the top bunk, a fan, and other "dormy" stuff. You can probably find those things cheaper if you shop around other stores, but the benefit of ordering them all from BBB and having them waiting is that those things tend to sell out at all the stores anywhere near campus, so if you wait until you arrive and go looking for a foam mattress topper or other dorm-type things, you may not have much luck. 

We bought toiletries, hangers, command hooks, extension cords, office supplies, plastic storage bins, laundry stuff, basic OTC meds, and things like Kleenex, paper towels & TP at the local Target. There was a Costco near campus, so I think we got his towels there, along with big boxes of granola bars, instant oatmeal, instant ramen, microwave popcorn, gatorade powder, etc.

If you can, find out ahead of time where and when students can receive packages on campus. Most dorms will not accept packages until after the student moves in, and whether it's quick and easy to pick up packages (e.g. at the front desk in the dorm) or a PITA (e.g. must pick them up at a central mailroom and only during certain hours) varies greatly from one college to the next. If it's a simple process at your DS's dorm, you can send lots of stuff via Amazon once he moves in.

Edited by Corraleno
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DDs (who both went to school 1,000 from home) took two huge rolling duffle bags that they checked. The duffles contained all clothes and personal items they were taking from home. Everything else was purchased locally at Target. We found Bed, Bath & Beyond much more expensive than comparable stuff at Target. Before coming home for summer, they rent a storage unit and leave everything there, bringing home only the clothes they need for summer vacation. 

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When we did this, he and I went, so between the two of us my son was able to bring four large duffel bags--clothes and bedding mostly--and his backpack with his computer as a carry on.  He then ended up buying anything else he needed when he got there.  He also shipped a big box to himself at the end of winter break.

Edited by EKS
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I would not ship anything.  Even if you do not get a free checked bag, it is often cheaper to pay for a checked bag and fill it up rather than pay to ship to the same items.  Use vacuum-seal bags to compress sweatshirts, jackets, socks, and linens.  I would plan to take clothing, computer, and any other personal items.  Anything I was buying specifically to stock the dorm room (soap, shampoo, linens, shower caddy, etc.)  I would wait until I arrived at the destination.  

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11 hours ago, Bootsie said:

I would not ship anything.  Even if you do not get a free checked bag, it is often cheaper to pay for a checked bag and fill it up rather than pay to ship to the same items.  Use vacuum-seal bags to compress sweatshirts, jackets, socks, and linens.  I would plan to take clothing, computer, and any other personal items.  Anything I was buying specifically to stock the dorm room (soap, shampoo, linens, shower caddy, etc.)  I would wait until I arrived at the destination.  

Ideally, I wouldn't ship anything either.  But if one person is going alone, they can only carry so much.  Even two people can only carry so much.  Sometimes shipping is a practical option, even if it's more expensive in the end.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks to all who replied. DS flew out today cross country with DH. Moves in on Saturday. We were able to pack 1 checked bag, 1 large rolling carryon and 1 large backpack/personal item. Have the other items purchased from Target/Walmart awaiting pickup there, and a handful of other items waiting at the hotel from Amazon.... So all set.

But on another note... I'm so sad he's gone! 😉

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