Shipping a pack

I shipped plenty. A cardboard box was always sufficient.

Cheers

If the frame is pretty fragile, and you don't quite trust a cardboard board, you can insert a piece of plywood, even 1/4" snugly in the base of the cardboard box. That does a lot to take any end-wise or width-wise compression and spare the contents.

In between that and just a cardboard box, you can insert multiple layers of snug-fitting cardboard across the bottom and top of the box.

Dumpster-diving at the recycling center is a cheap way to do it. You'll find some boxes, like for wide-screen TVs, that have VERY substantial cardboard: 2- and 3-layers thick.

A cardboard box should be fine. Boxes do come in various crush strengths, so compare that rating if you are going to buy one.

Use crumpled newspaper or recycled styrofoam blocks to keep the item stable in the box. Don't be sparing on the tape. Insurance should be considered.

Save all those bubble wrap thingies Amazon ships everything in (as in 1 spool of thread and 8 inches of bubble wrap around it)- made by "The Packaged Air Company", my all time favorite corporation name.

How do they get them all to the stores? Pack in a plastic bag inside a box. Get insurance if you are really worried.

How do they get them all to the stores? Pack in a plastic bag inside a box.

Yes, but I think that his point is that they aren't full when they are shipped to the store… :)

Depends on the size of the pack, but I just shipped a medium Kalais (which has an internal stay/frame) from east coast to west coast. I used a large USPS priority flat rate box. The pack just fit. Nothing but the pack in the box, no padding or anything. The recipient used the same box to ship it back to me. Arrived fine to him and me, those are sturdy boxes.

remove hipbelt and place in pack, find box of right enough length and width, you will likely have to modify depth to make the fit tighter and coincidentally lower shipping charges. I use UPS ground for nearly everything, you are looking at $25-35 to ship across country.

"I use UPS ground for nearly everything, you are looking at $25-35 to ship across country."

Priority mail large flat rate box is $17.45 anywhere in the U.S., FWIW. Includes tracking (but you'd probably want to add insurance, though, to be honest, I rarely do). Signature confirmation is an additional $3 (approximate) if you feel a need for that (I rarely do). And it'll go coast to coast in 2-3 days.

I shipped a large gregory reality pack right after christmas. I paid right around $20. I compared UPS, USPS, and FedEx – They were all within the same range, however, UPS seemed easier to deal with. It shipped from Kentucky to Oregon.

I packed im a regular cardboard box. I think it was 12 x 7 x 22. I did place the larger cushion bags (leftover from amazon) all around it, and put the pack in a garbage bag, just in case it was exposed to weather.

"Yes, but I think that his point is that they aren't full when they are shipped to the store… :)"

I wouldn't over think this. A pack load of 30lbs or less really isn't a big deal to box and ship. If you care going to ship your pack and gear, I would put the soft items in the pack and package anything more fragile or with sharp edges in separate boxes placed in the same box with the pack. If you have bubble wrap, use it.

Once you have a weight and package dimensions, you can do the research on the best carrier. With large packages, you will find increments where a few inches in size can make a difference, so try to keep it as small as possible. You may find small increments that make a big difference in cost between one carrier and another. In the past, there were 2"-3" difference between UPS oversize and FedEx Ground oversize that made a huge difference in cost. The point being that it is worth it to do some comparison shopping. Also, some FedEx and UPS vendors can vary in cost. I've found Office Depot to be a good deal.

Thanks for the insight! I probably should have made it more clear in the OP, but my reasoning behind this post was that I am thinking about Gear Swapping my girlfriend's Aura 50 because it hurts her collarbone (apparently a known issue) and was searching for the cheapest way to ship this pack if I do get it sold. After further investigation, it seems as if USPS flat rate is the way to go! More specifically the "board game" box (how many people ship board games across the country? lol). I don't have a tape measure with me to make sure that the arc in the frame is less than 3 inches, but I am sure I can make it fit in that!

I don't price shop shipping providers as it's a very competeitive business so they all have to be close.

With UPS:

They provide free email notification(several email addresses) of shipping, delivery, and any variance from schedule.

They deliver to my store every day so all I have to do is have it ready when they show up.

They have a depot I pass every day on the way home….if i get it there by 6pm it's leaving that night

My USPS delivery guy is not nice and has obvious anger management problems.

I have found FedEx Ground to be the cheapest for shipping large packages across the country. I once shipped an external fram pack from AZ to NJ via FedEx Ground for around $15 or $17. Insurance is included in the price.

method – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYdV7qWlTfA