How to pack your car boot like a pro

Moving house on the cheap and escaping town for a family holiday are fraught endeavours when your boot-packing skills are lacking. So we chatted with a removalist mate to find out how to pack like a pro.

Gather everything you need to pack in one area – preferably close to your front door or internal garage entry if you’re ~fancy~. Survey your kingdom; chastise yourself for your pathological inability to throw things out or travel light; and then cluster together objects of similar size, shape and weight. Keep any fragile, soft or squashable items separate too. So. Organised. For once.

First up, pack all your items of a similar shape – preferably square or rectangular. Moving boxes, suitcases, plastic crates, guitar amps, whatever. Pack the heaviest ones first and then Tetris the hell out of the rest. Fit everything in as tightly as you can, and try not to leave any gaps.

Next, fit in any large or oddly shaped objects. Tuck them in as flush to your boxes as possible, but if they’re super unwieldy, just get them in there any way you can.

Remember those soft items you left aside earlier? Cushions, pillows, teddy bears, old shoes, backpacks, duffel bags, blankets… They’re ideal for filling gaps between your cuboids and awkwards. Grab anything soft and cram it in, real tight.

Do you have any space left? Fingers crossed, ’cos it’s time to deal with any delicate or fragile items. Place these carefully on top of everything else in the boot, or wrap them in jumpers and (cautiously!) tuck them into any remaining spaces. If your delicates are in fact also comestibles, chuck them in the back seat instead (space permitting). You might feel like a snack after all this hauling!

All done. Step back and admire your spatial wizardry. You’re a Jedi boot master now. Packed perfectly, is the boot.

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