After the interest that our article on packing a guitar for moving raised, we’ve decided to make an article on packing your drums. Packing drum kits can easily turn into a simple, efficient and cost-efficient process ones you know what to do. Knowing how to protect your belongings during a move is your responsibility. And saving from extra costs today, in times of economic crises every cut down on costs you can make during a relocation is not just a possibility, but also a reasonable prerequisite and a duty you have towards yourself and your family. Packing drums for shipping needs a special technique which you will be able to find out below. Here is all you need to know about packing your drums for moving from finding the packing supplies to the packing steps and finally to completing the shipping itself.
How to Pack Drums for Shipping
The first thing to begin with is finding the packing supplies. You have many options for that like going to a local store, online or asking a mover. You can plan how to pack drums for shipping by purchasing second-hand boxes or getting some free at supermarkets or other stores or offices. This will save you money as well. You just have to consider what option is good for you. Sometimes it is better to get a new box – it will be stronger than a used box. It is advisable to use a box that is 2″ to 4″ larger on every side than whatever is going in it. This will leave enough room for packing up the drum kit in it plus adding up enough packing supplies for protection. This means that for example if you are shipping a 14″ drum, a 16″ box would do just fine for you. If you have larger drums, you can use the 18″ box. And for packing drum kits for another country you can use a 22″ or 24″ box – the largest one there is.
You will also be able to save some money also by choosing whether to go for newspaper for the packing of your drum or buy some bubble wrap. Using bubble wrap is good because if you stack up a lot of newspaper the packed item will be a bit heavier. On the other hand, bubble wrap is more expensive and if you don’t have it or cannot find it for free from somewhere your packing may get costly. In general selecting the packing materials when planning how to pack a drum set means providing the right protection for your drum and doing it at the lowest cost possible. And you can apply this rule not just to packing up a drum kit but also to packing anything else.
Use the right-sized box. Generally a box 2" larger than the biggest drum would be perfect.
After you have decided what packing supplies to use it is time to think about how to pack a drum set. You can remove the heads and rims and place the drums inside each other. If there is at least 3″ difference in the diameter of every drum then most probably you will be able to do that. This also means that if you have included heads and rims in packing drums for shipping your drum set you need to take a box that is additionally 2″ larger. If you are placing a drum inside another one you may have to take off the hoops and heads of it. If the drum with heads is 3″ smaller than the drum it will go into you don’t have to remove anything. Remove the smaller parts like tension rods and other hardware when packing a drum set, place them in a separate bag, wrap it with bubble wrap and use tape to fix it to the bag. If you think that you will be able to fix the hoops to the back of the drum use tape from one side of the drum along the inside to the other to make sure the packing will be stable. After you fix the parts of the drum set for packing wrap every drum with packing paper or bubble wrap. It is advisable to use the bubble wrap as a safer way for packing and again remember to use tape to fix the packing to the drum. Don’t be scarce on the bubble wrap and use it wherever necessary.
After that prepare the box. You can use crumpled newspaper, bubble wrap or foam peanuts to cover the bottom of the box when packing your drum set. Put all the drums in starting from the largest one. Put the bag with the smaller parts on the smallest drum if it fits there. Spurs, legs, etc. should be also wrapped in packing supplies and you can just place them in the corners of the box – they will provide enough room anyway. After you have placed the drums inside the box and all the hardware and parts of it it is time to fill in the rest of the space that is left empty in the box. You can do that with newspaper or bubble wrap but the best option would be foam peanuts. They can enter the smallest empty spaces in the box which newspaper and bubble wrap wouldn’t be able to reach. Make sure that when packing your drum kit you also use enough peanuts between the drums – as they are inside each other they won’t be able to break if you leave no empty room there. Use peanuts until the drums are covered with it. Check for any movement inside the box and make sure everything is packed well and is stable in it. If you hear or see some movement don’t seal the box without fixing it. After you make the check you can put bubble wrap on top of the last layer of peanuts and seal the box. If there is empty space between the bubble wrap and the top of the box you can put more peanuts under the bubble wrap, place cardboard parts on top of it or cut the edges a little bit which will make the box smaller. So, this is how to pack a drum set to ship. The last thing to do after your drum kit is all packed and ready for shipping is to choose the means for transportation. You can drive the drums yourself, hire a mover or use a shipping company.
Packing Drums for Shipping & Moving
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Your next task when packing drums for shipping is to decide if you want them packed by the movers or if you will pack yourself. After you take this decision consider who will ship your drums. If you are moving locally you may be able to put your drum and other items in your car and carry some things with you or just load up a trailer. However, for out of state moves it is recommended to get a quote and ask for an estimation of what movers would charge you. Since you will be relocating, you can rely on movers for your luggage. After you get an idea of the prices movers give you you can also consider the prices that different couriers have. After packing drum kits for shipping research on the other options for their transportation. USPS is another option that you have, includingly for international shipping. A transportation with them would take just 2, maximum 3 days and they also offer a free service – they can come to your home and pick up from your door whatever you’re sending. Just take care of the labels on the box. If you opt for the USPS, it is good to choose the Priority Mail service. The UPS is another option. It is more expensive but very professional. Picking up a box from your home would cost you $4 or $5. Fedex is another company you can contact after packing drums for shipping. It is cheaper but you will be charged for a pickup between 9 and 13 dollars per week.
How to Pack a Drum Set to Ship
This is how to pack a drum set to ship and how you can send it. If you find this article useful please give us a g+ so that others will be able to get advantage of this great source, too! Thank you!
