Later this summer moving my son into his college dorm. Given that his school is very much a plane flight away and we're flying Southwest, we'll have a couple of 66 quart plastic storage bins we'll check as luggage. I'm presuming I'll pack these in cardboard boxes with some padding. Anyone done ths before?

Might it not be cheaper and safer to just ship stuff via UPS or FedEx?

Yes - depending on weight - you will need sturdy boxes. I've found the boxes a new computer arrives in are excellent for that purpose. Watch weight and size that you do not exceed allowances and add fees.

I have checked them as is. I would recommend taping around the whole bin to secure lids. However, I have had them crack as well and would not use most of them on arrival. For less weight and maximum volume, we checked cardboard shipping boxes on our last move to Africa. We had access to some boxes used by Brooks running shoes to ship to a retail shoe store that had dimensions marked on the box right at the maximum size. Weight is easily a problem - be mindful of southwest's restrictions. In our case, a few hundred dollars in overweight fees was much cheaper and faster than any other international shipping option.

Just graduated a kid so have completed four years of cross-country schlepping. Initially, we debated about bins but ended up going with boxes that we checked as baggage. Good boxes, not overpacked (weight) and taped well will survive most anything. We did have some good-sized boxes that weighed near max limits.

My 1K baggage options were definitely the key to our doing this without extreme fees being imposed. At times, I would also upgrade my college kid, like I did to get him home from graduation - and this gave us extra baggage checking opportunities. The return trip after graduation in May was four boxes, two duffel bags, and carryons.

One bit of advice, if year-to-year storage is not available: each year, starting with Christmas break (if possible), have your student bring things home that they've realized they do not need to help minimize a packing/shipping crisis in the spring.

I should add that for freshman year, we bought as much as we could when we arrived in the area of college and did not ship things that could be purchased there. Most of our shipping adventures ended up occurring after that time.

Personally, I would ship them. Simply because TSA might decide to inspect them and do a half-azz job of retaping them. As said they can break and if the contents are not securely packaged you could lose stuff.

UPS is quoting me a $70 fee for ground shipping a 40 lb. box. Southwest $-0- and that's for two boxes per traveler (i.e., 4 boxes). Extra checked luggage is $75 per piece. Besides the 50 lb. limit, there is also a 62" size limit with Southwest. Exceeding either of these will cost $75. While the 66 quart storage bins total 56", when I box them up I could threaten that limit.

Parcel post is your friend. When I moved to Alaska, I did almost everything parcel post. Insurance isn't even too expensive.

As far as using your free bags on WN, weigh them before you leav the house, check to make sure they don't exceed the maximum dimensions, don't be cheap with the boxes (spend a few bucks at uhaul and buy some good ones) and don't be cheap with the tape.

I've flown with boxes before, especially one way trips. I tape them up solid, and the TSA has always taped them solid if they opened for inspection. Just watch weight and dimensions and you'll be good to go.

There are outdoor moulded plastic "trunks" by "Plano" and "Rubbermaid" that are more than sturdy enough for airline checked luggage. It even have wheel that you can two along like luggage. There is even provision for the usage of a lock. I have used both version for checked baggage without any issue (<62 linear inches). They were <$20 at Target when I bought them in the last millennium.

Most airlines look for the linear dimensions of the box. That is weight plus height plus depth. I'm a frequent flyer so I skip Southwest, but you should be able to find this on their website. Going over it usually means a fee as does being overweight. Depending how much you're shipping this might not save you a lot. You still have to get everything from the airport to the dorm. Bins are great, but are you taking them back with you? He'd have to store them somewhere.

Good luck.

As someone who went to college across the country, I found that shipping a couple boxes via FedEx using a discount available to those with eBay accounts. The discount was 30% off cross country ground shipping IIRC. No need to measure or weigh the box, just put a shipping label on it and ones CC will be billed 2 weeks after shipping.

If possible, buy items there. Walmart, Target, and Costco have locations throughout the US.

For checked luggage, I'd use a rolling duffel bag as I needed to take it different places and didn't need to sign the damage waiver required when checking a cardboard box.