moving my herd east, looking for advice

[oldbrownhat]

If your vehicle isn't so equipped, I would install an anti-theft device that would negate any successful "hotwiring" type of theft. ...

A cheap way to do this is to remove the ignition fuse from the fuse box and keep it on you.

 

[CalifEd]

Have your vehicle serviced and inspected about 2 weeks before the trip.
That way you can 'age' the service, many issues are caused by the service itself.

 

[PauldL]

Have your vehicle serviced and inspected about 2 weeks before the trip.
That way you can 'age' the service, many issues are caused by the service itself.

+1

 

[Enzo Rules]

I drove from Southern California to east Tennessee along the 40. I took 2 vehicles. All my guns were packed in gun rugs. I storied the handguns in the void space where my SUV's back seat folded down then stacked heavy boxes on top of the seats. I made a wood platform for the back seat of my truck for my dogs to ride on. I placed all my rifles in this void. I avoided all major cities such as Albuquerque, Little Rock and Memphis like they had the bubonic plague. I had no issues with my guns being damaged.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Rent a pit bull and keep it in the back of the truck.
Seriously though, tools are item of interest for theft and are easier to sell than firearms. I've known more people who have had tools stolen out of their vehicles than guns. I'd keep them covered up as well.

John

 

[bamashooter]

I was thinking about this idea, I'm glad to hear someone had success with it, some questions for you, did you add any kind of gun oil or anything else in the bag before sealing? seems like a good way to keep firearms safe from moisture or anything else for that matter.

Lightly wiped them down. Liquid in a vacuum bag has a tendency to get sucked up and out a little when sealing. I have one of those basic devices. when I seal food and such, I place the bag in / on the device and turn it on. I then flip the device up while holding it. I let the bottom of the bag rest on the countertop while suspending it. This stop any juices from being sucked up and out of the bag. Of course, all that is unnecessary for non-wet items. I literally paid 16.00 for mine on amazon 3 year ago and never an issue. Walmart has some cheap one that are likely just fine.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Walmart+vacuum+bag+sealer&gs_ivs=1

 

[URIT]

The cheapest moisture protection is cat litter.

 

[Muley Gil]

The cheapest moisture protection is cat litter.

Used or unused?

 

[URIT]

Cat litter is a good dehumidifier. We used it in our closets to keep our leather shoes from molding during the rainy season when we lived in Costa Rica. When the litter clay turns from gray to white it is time to throw it out and replace it when new litter.

 

[mtgianni]

A tool box that fits inside the topper can be screwed to the bed with lag screws and a good lock put on it. It isn't going anywhere. The trouble with that is it looks like easily pawnable tools. Get it covered up with junk.

 

[tlawler]

We are moving in the next couple of months, though not nearly as far as you. When I get to the safe moving weekend sometime in September, I plan on clearing everything out of it and putting them all in zippered pistol rugs, then putting the rugs in the same Lowe's black and yellow containers you are talking about. I have about 20 pistol rugs and I've been figuring the sizes I need and I'll need to order several more. Best prices I've found are around $10 each. Optics Planet has Bulldog cases that are pretty nice and I've been looking at Allen cases on Amazon. I plan on layering silica gel packs between the layers of rugs, hoping to prevent any moisture if the guns are in the rugs longer than I plan. I'm hoping to get it all done over a weekend. Once the safe is in place in the new house, I'll just shovel all the rugs into it and sort them out later.

My idea of using the pistol rugs saves a lot of space, and though the storage containers are a bit heavier, I think it's worth it. If I did it all in Plano cases, it would be a LOT of containers!

As an addendum to this post, now that I've started receiving all of the pistol rugs I've ordered (I think I've cleaned out Optics Planet and Amazon), I've noticed that most, but not all, have little packets of silica gel already in them. Since some are missing, I ordered 100 of the 2 gram silica gel packets ($6 on Amazon) and will make sure each pistol rug has 2 each when I get around to packing them away. This will be in addition to the 20 gram packets I already have and will be placing several in each container, layered between the pistol rugs. Can't be too careful when it comes to moisture!