How to Pack Cellar for Moving Cross-Country.

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mossdoug

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 16, 2018
102
1,236
43
Somerset ohio
Make sure to try some rhinegeist beer when you get there. The wife and I are heading down there for our anniversary next month and will be stopping by the brewery
 
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musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,053
Cincinnati, OH
I don't see an issue with the Mylar and tins. I'd probably wrap the jars with thin bubble wrap and store them in totes. If you're lucky enough to have stored what you have in the original boxes, I'd layer bubble wrap on top, bottom and sides inside of a tote making certain to fill in any open areas with bubble wrap.

Why don't you pay a little extra and rent a climate controlled storage unit for the short term storage? For that matter, 25 lbs doesn't take up that much space, you could just retrieve it and take it to wherever you're living.
The only issue with a climate controlled storage unit is that then we'd have to move everything twice, into storage, and then out once we find our house. There isn't really an option for grabbing a few things out of the trailer. The deal with Upack is that it's a semi trailer (so much bigger than a uhaul), and you can have them deliver it when you're ready to move in, with a nominal fee for more than a few weeks of storage. There is no way we are interested in driving uhauls across the country, and while the new job gave me a pretty generous (at least in my world) 15k for moving expenses, that's not nearly enough for a full service, United/Mayflower etc. style move. At this point I'm thinking I'll just pack it in the upack. Might get some minor stoving effects from the heat but it'll all probably mostly be ok.

Who rides in the car with you all the way to Cincinnati? Wife, dogs or tobacco? I hope I never have to make that decision.

Seriously, good luck. Moving can be very stressful, especially long distance moves.
I was thinking wine cellar in the back of the SUV, dogs in the backseat, and tobacco in the front seat. I guess the wife will have to ride in the roof-top carrier! (disclaimer in case this is used in divorce proceedings: This is a joke)

The change in humidity will be shocking..
For us, yes it will be. We lived in Minnesota for 15 yrs though so we know what to expect for midwestern summer humidity. I think the tobacco would probably like the change!
 

musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,053
Cincinnati, OH
Just moved from Oregon to Kentucky with my cellar. Wrapped all jars in bubble wrap and stuck them in couple of those sealing sterilite storage bins along with tins and bagged stuff. No issues despite going through various temps and elevations(no tins popped). They rode in a 12 ft trailer, and had a good three days stoving, particularly through Utah and Wyoming where temps were at or above 100F. All was well.
Freezing would be my only real concern, as crystallization can really jack up tobacco.
Perfect. Given the time of year, and when we would anticipate moving into a new place, I don't think freezing will be much of an issue.
Like it's just 20ish pounds. When do you start moving? You could probably have that all smoked up if you really tried.
I just did some mental math and it's probably more like 30-35 pds total, which means two things: I have enough for the next 15 yrs at my current rate of consumption, and my wife has no need to see this information. :ROFLMAO:

I'd love to smoke a ton between now and then, but this is not the prime time to be doing any outdoor smoking in Arizona, and smoking inside is not an option in our current situation. From Sept-May I'll smoke 3 bowls a day. Right now, between the heat and the bugs (we just finished the wettest month in Tucson history-over 8 inches of rain)
Make sure to try some rhinegeist beer when you get there. The wife and I are heading down there for our anniversary next month and will be stopping by the brewery
Yes! Rhinegeist is on the list, as well as MadTree and Listermann. Cincy looks like it has a great beer scene, and I'm looking forward to sampling the wares.
I'm lucky if it's 3 per week.
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
I really like those plastic racks for mason jars posted by chasing'. If not those, be sure to pack the jars with some kind of plastic bubbles or paper that will keep them from hitting each other. That's where breakage would happen. Four weeks will bring you into September, so you could get moderate weather a both ends of the trip, with luck. Do you have a friend or business contact in Cincinnati who could take delivery of a small select group of your tobaccos, to hedge your bet? Likewise, with pipes I would take your most treasured treasures in your luggage, eight or ten pipes, more if you have room. Safe passage to you and your family. Moving is much misery, but a great opportunity to cull all the unused stuff we all accumulate relentlessly.
 

musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,053
Cincinnati, OH
I really like those plastic racks for mason jars posted by chasing'. If not those, be sure to pack the jars with some kind of plastic bubbles or paper that will keep them from hitting each other. That's where breakage would happen. Four weeks will bring you into September, so you could get moderate weather a both ends of the trip, with luck. Do you have a friend or business contact in Cincinnati who could take delivery of a small select group of your tobaccos, to hedge your bet? Likewise, with pipes I would take your most treasured treasures in your luggage, eight or ten pipes, more if you have room. Safe passage to you and your family. Moving is much misery, but a great opportunity to cull all the unused stuff we all accumulate relentlessly.
Thank you! Sage words from our resident sage. :) I could probably box them up and send them to the church I'll be working at. I'm planning on doing that with all my music and office materials anyway. Maybe I'll give it a shot! My plan is to set aside my best 5-10 pipes and bring those with. That's a lot easier to manage than all the tobacco. Then bring a few jars of my favorites and smoke from those until I have access to the rest. God willing, we will find a home quickly and hopefully be settled in by November. The good? Our home in Tucson will likely sell very quickly. The bad? Homes in Cincy in the most desirable neighborhoods are doing the exact same thing, so we've got to be there seeing homes the day they list to have a chance. Thank you for the great advice and the kind words as well.
 
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captpat

Lifer
Dec 16, 2014
2,280
12,174
North Carolina
I moved this spring ~400 containers -- tins, mylar bags and mason jars. All went into plastic totes and were transported by the movers. The tins were wrapped in a sheet of newspaper, I kept the original packaging for the mason jars -- box and dividers -- which were reused. We had a good moving company and nothing was broken and near as I can tell no tin seals were disturbed. Easy peasy.

In terms of the weather as long as all of the containers have a good seal I wouldn't be worried that a few days in elevated temperatures would have any impact on the product.

In the future, I'll be foregoing mason jars for mylar bags. they take up much less room and seem to be just as secure when heat sealed. YMMV.
 
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Terry Lennox

Can't Leave
Aug 11, 2021
394
2,184
Southern California
I moved across country about 8 years ago and I packed tins and jars into cardboard moving boxes. The key was a lot of bubble wrap. I wrapped every jar and every 5-pack of tins. The movers truck must have traveled through some high heat in late summer. I have since sampled from both the jars and the tins and found no issues. The flavor is fine and the temps did not adversely affected anything. Cheers.
 
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Peter Peachfuzz

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 23, 2019
267
517
Central Ohio
The only issue with a climate controlled storage unit is that then we'd have to move everything twice, into storage, and then out once we find our house. There isn't really an option for grabbing a few things out of the trailer. The deal with Upack is that it's a semi trailer (so much bigger than a uhaul), and you can have them deliver it when you're ready to move in, with a nominal fee for more than a few weeks of storage. There is no way we are interested in driving uhauls across the country, and while the new job gave me a pretty generous (at least in my world) 15k for moving expenses, that's not nearly enough for a full service, United/Mayflower etc. style move. At this point I'm thinking I'll just pack it in the upack. Might get some minor stoving effects from the heat but it'll all probably mostly be ok.


I was thinking wine cellar in the back of the SUV, dogs in the backseat, and tobacco in the front seat. I guess the wife will have to ride in the roof-top carrier! (disclaimer in case this is used in divorce proceedings: This is a joke)


For us, yes it will be. We lived in Minnesota for 15 yrs though so we know what to expect for midwestern summer humidity. I think the tobacco would probably like the change!
Yesterday afternoon it 87 feels like 96. Today they will be worse.
 
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musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,053
Cincinnati, OH
I moved this spring ~400 containers -- tins, mylar bags and mason jars. All went into plastic totes and were transported by the movers. The tins were wrapped in a sheet of newspaper, I kept the original packaging for the mason jars -- box and dividers -- which were reused. We had a good moving company and nothing was broken and near as I can tell no tin seals were disturbed. Easy peasy.

In terms of the weather as long as all of the containers have a good seal I wouldn't be worried that a few days in elevated temperatures would have any impact on the product.

In the future, I'll be foregoing mason jars for mylar bags. they take up much less room and seem to be just as secure when heat sealed. YMMV.
Nice! Good to know. I agree on the mylar. I started out aging bulk blends long term in jars, but I've since wizened up to using mylar, and it's amazing how much space I'm saving. Thanks for the report!
It's a great City. You will be very happy here. What part of town are you looking?
The church I'll be working for is in Kenwood, and we'd like to enjoy everything downtown has to offer, so we're primarily looking in Pleasant Ridge, Oakley, Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, and other neighborhoods on the east side in between Kenwood and downtown. I'd love to be somewhere like Oakley with a place close to the square, but it'll be a matter of finding the right size/price/etc. Great news is that even with the recent price bumps, our housing dollar will buy a lot in Cincy. We're thrilled to be moving there, and I did love the 36 hrs I spent in town for my interview. My wife has never been, so she's flying blind, but I know she'll love it as well.
Yesterday afternoon it 87 feels like 96. Today they will be worse.
I remember summer days in Minnesota when the heat index would be in the 110s. Not looking forward to that again! But overall, for the midwest, it seems like the climate is pretty good. My contacts there have been telling me that spring and fall are the two longest seasons, so I'll take it.
My wife has family in Cincinnati and Covington, KY. Very cool area. Good luck with the move.
Thanks! It seems it. Looking forward to getting there, getting settled, and enjoying everything the area has to offer (with a real salary too, after 5 yrs of grad school!).
 
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jrharrigan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 27, 2020
156
603
when i moved *to* tucson my pipe tobaccos were generally just packed in boxes like anything else would have been. the cigars were more difficult. all of them went into coolers.

that all said you can feel free to drop off anything that just can't fit.

hell...i'll even pick them up.
 

briarbuck

Lifer
Nov 24, 2015
2,288
5,494
The church I'll be working for is in Kenwood, and we'd like to enjoy everything downtown has to offer, so we're primarily looking in Pleasant Ridge, Oakley, Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, and other neighborhoods on the east side in between Kenwood and downtown. I'd love to be somewhere like Oakley with a place close to the square, but it'll be a matter of finding the right size/price/etc. Great news is that even with the recent price bumps, our housing dollar will buy a lot in Cincy. We're thrilled to be moving there, and I did love the 36 hrs I spent in town for my interview. My wife has never been, so she's flying blind, but I know she'll love it as well.

I remember summer days in Minnesota when the heat index would be in the 110s. Not looking forward to that again! But overall, for the midwest, it seems like the climate is pretty good. My contacts there have been telling me that spring and fall are the two longest seasons, so I'll take it.

Thanks! It seems it. Looking forward to getting there, getting settled, and enjoying everything the area has to offer (with a real salary too, after 5 yrs of grad school!).
It's 97 here today with 90% humidity. Get ready...

There are a bunch of neighborhoods right around Kenwood. Look around Madeira, Marriemont, Madisonville, Pleasant Ridge, Norwood, Amberly, Kenwood and Silverton.

Hyde Park, Oakley and Mont Lookout are great, but 50% more expensive.
 
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musicman

Lifer
Nov 12, 2019
1,119
6,053
Cincinnati, OH
It's 97 here today with 90% humidity. Get ready...

There are a bunch of neighborhoods right around Kenwood. Look around Madeira, Marriemont, Madisonville, Pleasant Ridge, Norwood, Amberly, Kenwood and Silverton.

Hyde Park, Oakley and Mont Lookout are great, but 50% more expensive.
Mariemont, Madisonville, Norwood, and Silverton are all on the list too. I'll have to check out Amberly! When I came out for the interview they put me up at the Mariemont inn. I loved the Tudor architecture!

Regarding the weather, based on what I was reading, I think by the third week of September when we roll into town things are getting pretty nice, and they'll only get nicer until winter comes around. And as for winter, as long as it's only 3-4 month instead of 6-7 months we'll be just fine. Minnesota was brutal. Snow in September and/or May some years, at least 2 weeks of guaranteed below zero highs every year. I dunno how we lasted 15 yrs. My dad remembers coming to visit from Oregon during the winter, and walking to the local coffee shop when it was -11 outside, figuring when he got in there everyone would be talking about how cold it was. Nope! In Minnesota, it's gotta be -25 or below before people start talking about how cold it is!
In Cincy I'm looking forward to a true 4 season climate, fall colors, and water in the creeks year 'round. Also looking forward to being near some of the recreation meccas of the east: Fayetteville, WV, Smokey Mts NP, etc. Not to mention the Bourbon trail in northern KY. Pretty excited about the move, overall.
 

briarbuck

Lifer
Nov 24, 2015
2,288
5,494
September in Ohio is a fantastic time to be here. Friday High School Football and the leaves turning. Can't wait!

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