Guide to packing and moving sports equipment

With gyms everywhere and different forms of fitness getting increasingly popular, you no longer have to be a professional athlete to own sports equipment. In fact, virtually everyone these days owns some at least. But when the time comes for you to relocate, what will you do with it? Packing and moving sports equipment does, after all, require some special attention. You don’t want to damage an expensive piece of equipment for your home gym or injure yourself carrying some weights you shouldn’t. So how do you properly prepare for relocating sports equipment?

Packing and moving sports equipment – what kind of equipment are we even talking about?

People do different kinds of sports at home. Depending on your preferred activity, you may have a lot of really expensive equipment in a home gym. Or you may just need a yoga mat and some workout clothes. So when we’re talking about packing and moving sports equipment, we are talking about a pretty wide variety of tasks. The type of equipment you have may affect the choice you need to make of whether you will rely on packing services or take care of everything yourself. For expensive and heavy equipment, we suggest turning to the professionals.

No matter what you’re relocating, clean and sanitize first

Whatever the equipment you’re moving, the first step is always the same: clean everything. Long before you start really packing, while you’re still looking at Carmel Valley moving companies and gathering packing supplies, you need to sanitize every piece of equipment you own. Working out usually means sweating which usually leaves your equipment dirty, smelly and full of bacteria if you don’t take good care of it. You don’t want to bring that into your new home! So make sure you wipe down everything and wash any workout clothes you’re bringing with you.

Sort and purge before packing and moving sports equipment

Another thing you should do before packing and moving sports equipment is to sort what you own, check that everything is in working order and get rid of the things you no longer need. Your relocation will be much easier if you’re not lugging around sports equipment that you won’t actually use again. Besides, buying new sports equipment may actually be cheaper. Remember – heavy and bulky items are difficult and therefore expensive to move. So if your treadmill is old, you may be better off paying for a new one than paying to relocate the old one.

The different ways of packing and moving sports equipment

Depending on what exactly you’re packing and moving, you’ll need to employ different techniques. So let’s take a look at some of the most common pieces of sports equipment you might have at home and how to pack them for relocation.

Packing and moving free weights

Packing small free weights like dumbells, hand weights, and weight plates is not too difficult. All you need to do is wrap each individual one in a bubble pack or packing paper for protection and put them in boxes. Be careful not to put too many weights in one box or you risk serious injury for anyone trying to lift them! Finally, make sure the box is secure on the truck because weights coming loose during transport can cause serious damage to the rest of your belongings, especially if you’re moving long distance and looking at long drives. For heavier weights, you can forego boxes and simply secure them on the truck once they’re wrapped.

Packing and moving an elliptical

Ellipticals have a pretty unique shape, which makes them quite difficult to move. The best thing you can do is disassemble them first. Remove the legs and pedals, then unscrew all the nuts and bolts. Then wrap and pack each part individually. Make sure to keep all your nuts and bolts together and either clearly labeled or along with the other parts.

Packing and moving a treadmill

If you have a home gym, odds are that you own a treadmill. Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of sports equipment these days. But because they’re heavy, they’re also one of the most difficult pieces of equipment to move. Different treadmills need to be packed for a move differently. The best thing you can do is follow the instructions from the manual that came with yours. If you can’t find it, however, these are the general steps to take:

1. First, set the incline to zero and remove the safety key (but don’t lose it!)
2. Then unplug the treadmill
3. Fold the walking deck forward until it clicks into place
4. Depending on your treadmill, either tighten the knob to secure it or insert the locking pin
5. Finally, wrap moving blankets around the treadmill to prepare it for loading and transportation

Keep in mind that treadmills are incredibly heavy. You can’t simply carry them around. Hold yours by its sturdiest sections when moving it to avoid damage. Always get help from friends and family or professional local movers CA to move a treadmill out of the house. If possible, use a moving dolly. Finally, make sure the treadmill is secured on the truck and won’t move around during transportation.

Packing and moving an exercise bench

Exercise benches are pretty easy to pack – you can treat them like you would any other piece of furniture! Just wrap them in moving blankets and use furniture sliders or moving dollies to load them onto the truck. Don’t forget to tie or strap them down either!

Packing various sporting goods

Not having a home gym doesn’t mean you won’t be packing and moving sports equipment. A lot of people keep smaller items for other types of sports around the house. If you own skis, skates, rollerblades, yoga mats or anything similar, you will also be packing some type of sporting goods for your upcoming relocation. Luckily, these things are much easier to pack than large exercise equipment. You still want to clean them first, then pack them in specialized bags or boxes they came in. Finally, make sure they’re safely tucked onto the moving truck where they won’t be damaged.