You have crates arriving and you are packing yourself.
Fill to the top, every time
The single rule that matters. A crate that is three-quarters full will have another crate stacked on top of it, and the lid will bow into the gap. Whatever is underneath takes the weight.
If you run out of things to put in, top it up with soft items — towels, bedding, cushions. They are going in a crate anyway and they stop the lid flexing.
Heavy low, light high — inside the crate and across the stack
Inside a crate: books and crockery at the bottom, lighter things above. Across a stack: the heavy crates go on the floor and the light ones go on top, which is the opposite of what happens naturally as you pack room by room.
Label the heavy ones as you fill them. It costs nothing at the time and saves the crew guessing.
- Books: fill only the bottom third of a crate, then finish with something light. A crate of books alone is heavier than it looks.
- Crockery: on edge like records, not stacked flat. Plates stacked flat break; plates on edge do not.
- Glassware: upright, each one wrapped, with something soft between the layers.
- Do not use a crate for anything wet, anything greasy, or anything with an open liquid in it.
Label the crate, not just the room
Crates all look identical, which is their advantage in a vehicle and their disadvantage in a hallway. "Kitchen" on twelve identical crates tells you nothing at eight in the evening when you want the kettle.
Write the room and one line of contents. "Kitchen — kettle, mugs, tea" is worth ten minutes of searching. Put the label on the end that will face outwards in a stack.
What should not go in a crate
Anything very long — curtain poles, floor lamps, rolled rugs — is better wrapped and carried as its own item. Pictures and mirrors travel in purpose-made cases, not laid flat in a crate where they will be stood on.
Anything you will need immediately should go in a bag that stays with you: documents, medication, chargers, a change of clothes, the kettle if you are sensible. Crates go in the vehicle and the vehicle does not always arrive before you want a cup of tea.