Packing for a move in New Braunfels: a practical guide

Home › Blog › Packing for a move in New Braunfels: a practical guide

2026-09-21 · Trinity Movers

Good packing is the difference between a smooth move and a box of broken dishes. Here's how to do it properly, including a few things the Texas heat makes more important.

Get the right supplies first

Most packing problems start with the wrong materials. Used grocery boxes collapse, newspaper leaves ink on your dishes, and cheap tape lets go in the heat.

As general guidance, buy real moving boxes in a few standard sizes. Small boxes are for heavy things like books and canned goods. Medium boxes are for most household items. Large boxes are for light, bulky things like bedding and pillows. Pack heavy things in large boxes and nobody will be able to lift them.

You'll also need packing paper, which is plain unprinted newsprint, plus bubble wrap for the most fragile pieces, quality packing tape, and a thick marker. Wardrobe boxes are worth it if you have a lot of hanging clothes.

Buy more than you think you need. Almost everyone runs out.

Pack in the right order

Start three or four weeks out with the things you won't miss: off-season clothes, books, decor, the guest room, holiday items, and the good china. Work toward the things you use every day, and leave the kitchen essentials, bathroom, and bedding for the last couple of days.

Pack one room at a time and finish it before starting another. Half-packed rooms all over the house are how things get lost.

Protect the breakables

Most damage in a move comes from how things were packed, not how they were carried. A few rules cover nearly all of it.

Wrap every breakable item individually in packing paper. Stand plates on edge, like records, rather than stacking them flat. Put a cushion of crumpled paper in the bottom and top of each box. Fill every gap, because movement inside the box is what breaks things. When you gently shake a finished box, nothing should shift or clink.

Keep boxes to a weight you can lift comfortably, and tape the bottom seam twice.

Pack for the Texas heat

If you're moving between May and September, remember that the inside of a truck, a garage, or a storage unit gets very hot. Some things shouldn't make the trip in the truck at all.

Candles, crayons, vinyl records, cosmetics, and some medications can melt or spoil. Take them in your air-conditioned car. The same goes for electronics you care about, photographs, and musical instruments. Movers generally can't carry aerosols, propane tanks, paint, fuel, or other flammables, and heat is part of the reason.

Houseplants don't do well in a hot truck either. Move them yourself if you can.

Label everything, and keep the essentials with you

Write the destination room and a few words about the contents on the side of every box, not just the top, since the tops get covered when boxes are stacked. Mark fragile boxes clearly on more than one side.

If the new home has rooms with confusing names, put a sign on each door on move day that matches your labels. It lets the crew place boxes without asking you about every one.

Finally, pack a first-night box and carry it yourself: medications, chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, toilet paper, basic tools, a few dishes, and whatever your kids and pets need. Keep documents, jewelry, and anything irreplaceable in your own car.

When it makes sense to hand it off

Packing a whole house takes most people many evenings and weekends. If that isn't time you have, Trinity's packing services come in three levels: full-home, partial, and fragile-only. We bring the boxes, paper, bubble wrap, and stretch wrap, label everything by room and contents, and can help with unpacking too.

Many customers split it. They pack the clothes, books, and personal things, and we take the kitchen and the breakables. Packing is quoted from your inventory, so a video walkthrough is the easiest way to get a number. See our packing services and video estimates pages, or call (830) 837-4628.