I Moved from North Carolina to Louisiana for $1,146
Fact Checked by: 
Charlotte, NC → New Orleans, LA
$1,146
One ReloCube, 308 cubic feet
$1,146
A binding quote, to the dollar
728 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared four quotes before I hired U-Pack for my Charlotte to New Orleans move.
- U-Pack’s binding quote was $1,146 and that is exactly what I paid, less than a third of the highest quote I got.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
See what your move really costs before a mover tells you.
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This account is based on a conversation with Gillian J., who moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, to New Orleans, Louisiana, in March 2024 using U-Pack. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from North Carolina to Louisiana
My partner and I were relocating to New Orleans for work and wanted a fresh start. We didn’t have much, just the contents of a one-bedroom apartment, and we did need to get artwork, a crystal collection, and antiques 728 miles without damage.
Full-service movers were out of my budget, so I looked for something that balanced safety against affordability. I figured out quickly that moving containers were the budget-friendly option and could be perfectly safe as long as I packed carefully. The complication was that we were moving to a part of New Orleans with limited street parking that didn’t allow moving containers, so I needed a company that could offer an alternative delivery point without a lot of headaches.
I started on moveBuddha, which I credit for helping me find a good company fast. I used the moving cost calculator and read the Better Moves Project stories to see which companies people actually trusted. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My U-Pack experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with U-Pack, good and bad.
- Communication: I have nothing but praise here. The online portal gave me timely, accurate information, and I reached an actual human every time I called, including outside standard business hours.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: U-Pack gave me a binding quote of $1,146 and didn’t charge me a dime more.
- Professionalism: The representatives and drivers were consistently professional and kind, which mattered because I had a lot of questions.
- Timeliness: On time for pickup, and my container actually reached New Orleans a day early.
- Loss and damage: None at all. Every fragile antique, every piece of glass, arrived without a scratch, which I put down to how carefully we packed.
- Would I use U-Pack again? Absolutely. I’d recommend U-Pack to anyone on a budget, especially if you want a container but live somewhere door-to-door delivery isn’t possible.
over my original U-Pack quote
Find out what a move from North Carolina → Louisiana actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack
I chose U-Pack on pricing and reviews, and the quote process is what sealed it. The other companies texted me day and night, while U-Pack let me request pricing without a barrage of calls. They sent me quotes for one ReloCube, two ReloCubes, and a trailer, each with three price points for door-to-door, door-to-service-point, and service-point-to-service-point delivery, which let me build a package that actually fit my situation.
U-Pack also offered a guaranteed binding estimate, meaning my final price would match my quote. I was anxious about surprise fees, so that mattered a great deal. I called to book one ReloCube, which included home drop-off and pickup, delivery to the New Orleans service point, storage at that service point, and basic moving insurance. U-Pack offered a guaranteed delivery date as an upgrade and I passed on it. There was no deposit either, so I paid the whole thing by credit card after pickup.
rating
- Long distance moves only
- Only pay for the space you use
- No deposit or initial fees
- Fast delivery time frames
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Charlotte to New Orleans move.
| Move date | March 4, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Moved from | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Moved to | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Distance | 728 miles |
| Move size | One-bedroom, one-bath apartment |
| Moving company | U-Pack |
| Moving quote | $1,146 |
| Actual cost | $1,146 |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
I spent three months planning the move and settled on a company in about a week. I’d assumed a U-Haul rental truck was the only affordable route until I saw container pricing, which had no hidden costs for gas or tolls and spared me 11 hours of driving a huge truck. U-Pack was my first choice going in, and I requested three more quotes anyway to be sure I was paying a fair price.
| Company | Estimated volume/weight | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| U-Pack | 308 cubic feet (2,500 pounds) | $1,146 |
| U-Haul U-Box | 257 cubic feet (2,000 pounds) | $1,755 |
| 1-800-PACK-RAT | 404 cubic feet (4,000 pounds) | $1,780 |
| PODS | 402 cubic feet | $3,320 |
Pickup day
Before move day, U-Pack reminded me to clear an area for the ReloCube drop-off, told me to expect a call from my driver, shared loading tips, and reminded me to bring my own padlock. They texted links to my moving plan as the date approached, and one business day out I called the local origin center to confirm. The rep pulled up my details from my phone number in seconds and gave me an 8 a.m. to noon window.
The driver called two hours ahead, arrived on time, and placed the ReloCube in my garage. I asked them to turn it around to make loading easier and they were happy to. Placing it took maybe five minutes, and afterward the driver showed me how to open and lock the doors and walked me through pickup.
Eager to protect the artwork, antiques, and crystal, I wrapped everything in foam and bubble wrap, put painter’s tape and foam protectors over the glass on the art, and taped cardboard onto the frame corners. I used plenty of packing materials and dispersed the delicate things across different boxes with a lot of cushioning, labeling each one so I’d know exactly where to stack it in the container.
We spent the whole weekend loading for a Monday pickup, and being able to take our time is what made it work. That extra time let us pack, load, and tie everything down properly so nothing shifted in transit. U-Pack came back Monday, charged my card $1,146, and told me the cube would be in New Orleans within five business days.
Delivery day
I tracked everything through U-Pack’s MyMove dashboard, which updated me every time the ReloCube reached a new city. My things arrived in four days, a day early, which just gave me more time to unpack.
U-Pack notified me when the container landed and told me to call the destination service center one business day ahead, so I called and requested a next-day appointment. Because they couldn’t deliver door-to-door at my address, my partner and I rented a van and moved everything from the service center to our house ourselves. It took a few trips and a few hours.
It took some elbow grease, and I was thrilled to finish a move this cheaply. Best of all, when I unpacked, everything was in perfect condition. I was genuinely surprised nothing had so much as a scratch. U-Pack followed up a week later to thank me and ask for a three-minute post-move survey.
Final thoughts
I couldn’t be happier. The proactive communication, the digital dashboard, and the Move Plan were all genuinely useful, everything arrived on time and undamaged, and U-Pack gave me the most stress-free move I could have asked for. I had to pinch myself, because U-Pack was the cheapest of the four quotes I got and I was nervous precisely because it was so affordable.
If you’re fine renting a van and collecting your things from a service center, U-Pack is an excellent middle ground between convenience, speed, and affordability. Not every street accommodates a moving container, so you need a plan B, and I loved that U-Pack had one built in. I wouldn’t change a thing about their service. What I’d change is my own timeline: I’d have started packing sooner instead of spending several late nights scrambling to get the house ready. Budget far more time for packing than you think you need.
Planning a container move of your own? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare real quotes before you book.
My ratings
Here’s how I scored U-Pack on a scale of 1 to 5 based on my end-to-end experience.
- Communication: 5 out of 5. A live person every time I called, even outside business hours, plus a dashboard that tracked the container city by city.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5. On time at pickup and a day early into New Orleans.
- Quote accuracy: 5 out of 5. A binding quote of $1,146 and a final charge of $1,146.
- Overall experience: 5 out of 5. The cheapest of four quotes and nothing damaged across 728 miles.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Gillian J.’s experience:
- Ask about service-point delivery before you rule out containers: Gillian J.’s New Orleans street didn’t allow containers at all. U-Pack’s service-point option, plus a rented van for the last few miles, is what made a container move possible.
- Insist on a binding quote: Most moving quotes aren’t binding, which means the final number can move. Gillian J.’s $1,146 was binding, so it didn’t.
- Learn how to load a container before you load one: There’s a real technique to it, and not knowing it is where most container damage comes from. Gillian J. labeled every box for its stacking position and tied everything down so nothing shifted.
- Spread fragile items across boxes rather than grouping them: Gillian J. wrapped her art and crystal in foam and bubble wrap, taped the glass, padded the frame corners, then distributed the delicate pieces among several boxes with heavy cushioning. Nothing broke in 728 miles.
- Start packing earlier than you think you need to: This is the one thing Gillian J. would change. She lost several nights to last-minute packing, and it’s the most common regret we hear from Better Moves Project participants.
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