1-800-PACK-RAT Review 2022

Bottom line: 1-800-PACK-RAT is one of our favorite moving container companies. It has the industry’s strongest containers and matches prices with PODS. On the downside, 1-800-PACK-RAT is available in only 30 states.

The average cost to move with 1-800-PACK-RAT is approximately $3,850. The container company provides services for local moves and long-distance moves and can handle all home sizes. Prices range from about $1,500 to move a one-bedroom apartment 100 miles to more than $6,000 to transport your belongings across the country.

1-800-PACK-RAT makes it easy to understand your final price. While some companies have scores of confusing line items, 1-800-PACK-RAT breaks down your invoice into three easy-to-understand categories:

1. Monthly rental. 1-800-PACK-RAT charges a monthly rental fee for your container. Our analysis of 24 company quotes found a $300 average container charge. However, the monthly fee varies depending on your location, container size, and time of year.
2. “Everything else.” We love the way 1-800-PACK-RAT representatives simplify the shopping process. They laid out the monthly rental costs and then gave us a total for “everything else.” It includes things like transportation costs, delivery charges, and discounts.
3. Total. Your monthly rental plus everything else. It usually takes about 30 seconds to walk through your entire quote. On the other hand, we’ve spoken with a container moving company that sometimes takes 30 minutes to walk through nearly a dozen charges.

1-800-PACK-RAT sells coverage for its moving containers (basic plan) and your belongings (silver plan). Monthly costs for the Contents Protection Plan range from $9.95 to $149.95, depending on the coverage amount. The typical 1-800-PACK-RAT deductible is $100.

1-800-PACK-RAT’s containers stand out compared to what else is on the market. Most containers keep your belongings safe, no matter the materials. But 1-800-PACK-RAT gives you extra peace of mind. The durable containers provide additional protection against bad weather, mold, and mildew.

Plus, 1-800-PACK-RAT has three sizes. That means you can pick a container that matches the size of your home. The end result is that you don’t pay for unused space or extra containers. It’s a big deal when considering that many companies charge a delivery fee for each container. Having an 8, 12, and 16-foot container to choose from can save you money.

Note: 1-800-PACK-RAT’s 12-foot container is available for local moves only.

We say that 1-800-PACK-RAT has “surprisingly” low prices because your initial quote isn’t always what it seems. For example, 1-800-PACK-RAT quotes are within 1% of the industry average. There’s nothing super sexy about that. But when you talk to its customer service representatives, they offer to match prices with PODS. And that takes the price from “meh” to “wow!”

Plus, 1-800-PACK-RAT is Zippy Shell’s sister company. That’s important because Zippy Shell is our pick for this year’s cheapest moving container company. You can technically find this information online, but representatives from both companies keep it hush-hush when you call.

Pro tip: There’s a trick you can use to lower your price. Tell either company (1-800-PACK-RAT or Zippy Shell) that you already have a quote from the other. Then, the customer service reps will acknowledge the partnership and provide quotes for both companies. More often than not, it will be the cheapest rate on the market.

Price-matching with 1-800-PACK-RAT can save big bucks

1-800-PACK-RAT has some of the industry’s best storage features. That capitalizes on the “portable storage” nature of moving containers. In other words, moving containers aren’t just for moving. You can also use them to store household belongings if your home floods or you rent out your college student’s room for the semester. But not all container companies have the same storage services.

For example, some companies limit your storage time to three days. That’s helpful for moving, but not much else. Other companies allow you to keep the storage containers at a company facility, but not your home. And others provide storage facilities and at-home options but don’t allow you to visit the company warehouses.

1-800-PACK-RAT has all of those storage features:

• Monthly storage options. Use your moving container as a portable storage unit for a monthly fee.
• At-home storage. 1-800-PACK-RAT can deliver storage containers to your home. That means you can access your household belongings whenever you want.
• Storage facility options. You can ask 1-800-PACK-RAT to keep your storage container in one of its company warehouses. That’s especially helpful if you need long-term storage or don’t have room in your driveway to accommodate one of its 8, 12, or 16-foot containers.
• Storage facility access. 1-800-PACK-RAT will move your container from storage into a staging area so that you can drop off or pick up belongings. Just call the warehouse 24 to 48 hours in advance.
• Storage perks. There are so many extra bells and whistles that it’s tempting to confuse 1-800-PACK-RAT with one of our best storage unit companies. It has 24/7 surveillance, climate-controlled storage, and easy on-site access. For an extra fee, it will even bring the container to your home so you can get what you need.

1-800-PACK-RAT is our pick for the second-best moving container company. It has low rates (after price matching) and features the industry’s only all-steel moving containers. On the other hand, it falls short in availability (only 30 states) and customer reviews scores (below average).

• Archival storage
• Emergency storage
• Furniture storage
• Home renovation storage
• Home staging storage
• Local moves
• Long-distance moves
• Military moving
• Packing and loading help
• Portable moving containers
• Real estate storage
• Student storage
• Transitional storage

• Car shipping
• Moving supplies
• Professional labor

1-800-PACK-RAT offers international moving services through a third party, Forward Relocation. The partner company is a member of the International Association of Movers and can help you move to approximately 170 countries. Forward Relocation has an assortment of moving services, of which international relocation is only one. Virtually every review we found focuses on domestic moves, so there are a lot of unknowns.

We recommend contacting one of our best international moving companies since Forward Relocation doesn’t have an established public history for overseas relocations.

1-800-PACK-RAT has held steady as our number two moving container company for the last three years. It was twice as good as the competition for price hikes—and twice as bad for customer satisfaction. The two trends essentially cancel each other out:

1. Low price hikes. The average container service raised its rates by 30% during the global pandemic. 1-800-PACK-RAT went up only half as much, making its prices much more competitive in 2022 than in 2020.
2. Increased customer dissatisfaction. Every moving container company saw a drop in customer review scores during the last three years. Our analysis of more than 16,000 reviews shows that 1-800-PACK-RAT’s customer service rating fell twice as far as the average container company. That suggests the company struggled to keep up with increased moving demand.

1-800-PACK-RAT is worth considering if you can find a nearby location. Thanks to its all-steel containers and price-matching feature, it's our second-best container company. Our analysis of 300-plus quotes shows that you can save hundreds of dollars on the average move. 1-800-PACK-RAT also has three different container sizes and provides 24/7 surveillance at its company storage facilities. The biggest drawback is availability: 1-800-PACK-RAT is available in only 30 states.

Looking for low prices and high quality?

The average cost to move with 1-800-PACK-RAT is approximately $3,850. The total amount varies depending on the size of your belongings and the distance to your new home.

Depending on size, you can fit between 76 and 235 boxes in a 1-800-PACK-RAT container. For example, a 16-foot container holds about 235 medium moving boxes.

1-800-PACK-RAT is cheaper than PODS for large home sizes. For example, 1-800-PACK-RAT costs approximately $5,880 to move a five-bedroom home—or around $270 less than PODS.

1-800-PACK-RAT containers range in size from 8 to 16-feet long. You can fit 108 medium boxes in an 8-foot container, 172 boxes in a 12-foot container, and 235 boxes in a 16-foot container.

The average cost of 1-800-PACK-RAT’s 16-foot container is around $3,200. Prices vary depending on your trip distance and home size, and you can also get discounts for ordering more than one 16-foot container.

1-800-PACK-RAT containers are weatherproof, meaning that they protect against moisture damage like mold and mildew. While no container is fully waterproof, 1-800-PACK-RAT’s steel containers offer more protection than any other company.

It depends on how far your long-distance move is. For example, the average cost to move 1,000 miles with 1-800-PACK-RAT is about $4,470, while the price to go 1,850 miles is around $5,510.

1-800-PACK-RAT offers moving discounts for military members. Service personnel can also save extra money on do-it-yourself relocations (DIY moves) thanks to the affordable nature of moving containers.

1-800-PACK-RAT is available in 30 states and Washington, DC. While it doesn’t have as many locations as some companies, 1-800-PACK-RAT is worth considering if you can find one in your area.

Move.org follows a five-step process to identify the nation’s best moving container companies:

1. Compare quotes. We collected over 100 quotes from seven of the nation’s largest moving container companies to identify pricing trends.
2. Mystery shopping. We do a top-to-bottom analysis of each company’s website and even call posing as customers. It helps us get a feel for what real-life customers experience.
3. Analyze reviews. We read dozens of reviews for each company to see what most impresses (and turns off) customers. We also ran the numbers for more than 7,000 total reviews to calculate an industry customer review average.
4. Site visits. We invite industry experts and company executives to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. We grill them on everything from pricing and customer reviews to insurance coverage and the latest industry trends.
5. Annual review. Every year, we repeat the process to ensure that our list of the best moving container companies stays current. That means things like our top recommendations and industry prices may change from year to year.

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• What Size Moving Container Do I Need?
• How Much Do Moving Containers Cost?
• Should I Hire a Mover?
• How Much Do Storage Units Cost?
• Which is Better: 1-800-PACK-RAT or PODS?

• PODS Review
• Zippy Shell Review
• U-Pack Review
• U-Haul U-Box Review

Move.org pays customers to provide candid feedback about their moving experiences. You can apply for a grant here and see what some real-life customers said about moving with 1-800-PACK-RAT:

• Mike’s Move
• Scott’s Move