Almost everything that arrives broken was packed badly rather than handled badly. The physics is simple: fragile items break when they hit each other, or when the box they are in collapses under something heavier. Good packing prevents both.
The three rules that cover most of it
- Wrap individually. Two glasses wrapped together are two glasses hitting each other for the length of the journey. Each item gets its own paper or bubble wrap.
- Fill every gap. A box with space in it lets contents move. Movement is what breaks things. Pack it so nothing shifts when you gently shake the box.
- Heavy in small boxes, light in large ones. A large box of crockery is too heavy to carry safely and will fail at the base. A large box of cushions is fine.
Glassware and stemware
Wrap each piece in packing paper, stems included. Stand glasses upright in the box rather than laying them down — a glass is far stronger vertically. Use a divided carton if you have one. Layer paper or bubble wrap between rows, fill the top gap so nothing moves, and mark the box fragile on the sides as well as the top, since it will be stacked.
Plates and crockery
Wrap plates individually and stack them on edge, vertically, like records in a rack. Flat-stacked plates transfer the whole weight of the pile onto the bottom one; on edge, each plate carries only itself. Bowls and cups get wrapped and nested with paper between them. Cushion the base of the box with crumpled paper first.
Electronics
Original boxes are best if you kept them. Otherwise wrap in bubble wrap and use a box with at least five centimetres of padding on all sides. Photograph the cable connections at the back before unplugging anything — it takes ten seconds and saves an argument with a television later. Bag and label cables with the device they belong to.
Screens travel on edge, never flat, and never with anything stacked on top.
Mirrors, glass and framed artwork
Tape a large X across the face of the glass — it does not prevent breakage but it holds the pieces together if it does break, which is a genuine safety difference. Wrap in bubble wrap, protect the corners, and use a mirror carton or two flattened boxes taped together. These always travel on edge, upright, secured against the side of the truck.
Valuable or original artwork should be custom-crated rather than boxed. It costs more and it is the right call for anything irreplaceable.
Lamps, ceramics and awkward shapes
Remove shades and bulbs and pack them separately — lampshades go in their own box with no weight on them. For ceramics and sculpture, wrap protruding parts separately before wrapping the whole piece, because handles and spouts are where they snap.
What the Dubai heat does
This is the part most packing guides skip because they were written for cooler places. A truck in Dubai in July gets extremely hot inside.
- Candles, vinyl records, some cosmetics and anything wax-based will deform. Move these in your own car.
- Electronics moved from an air-conditioned apartment into a hot truck and back again can condense internally. Let them sit and reach room temperature before powering them on rather than plugging in immediately.
- Sealed liquids can expand. Open, empty or double-bag anything that could leak.
- Aim for an early start in summer. It is better for the contents and considerably better for the crew.
What not to pack at all
Paint, aerosols, gas cylinders and fuel cannot travel on the truck. Passports, Emirates IDs, jewellery, cash, medication and laptops should stay with you personally — not because anyone will take them, but because the one box you cannot find on the first night should never be the one with your documents in it.
If you would rather not do any of this, our packing services cover full, partial and fragile-only packing.