Tips for moving a desktop (El Rey in my case)

[LtdChaos]

A year ago I moved from the UK to California and 2 months ago I moved from Cali to Texas . The first time I had to mail my Humi (a ~150 count El Rey that's only about 40% full at MOST) to myself. That took about a week or so and the second time I drove it with me and the family and again that was about a week or two before I unpacked. When I left England I got lots of tips from these boards and they really helped so I thought I would make list of what worked for me for anyone else who has to move a lot like I do with the Air Force.

The things I have learned to do:

1. Keep the original box from your Humi, because you can stuff the humi back in it with it's foam padding to protect the outside wood and make it easier to pack and or ship.

2. Get thin sheets of packing foam or something along those lines (foam eggshell sheets work great). I don't suggest peanuts or other loose packing material. They are a pain in the butt to get back out and they break up and leave crap in the bottom of your humidor. I also don’t suggest bubble wrap. It doesn’t breath at all and kind of stinks. Cut the sheets to fit inside and around hygrometers and such. I have about 4 really thin sheets for my display shelf. Two are cut around my hygrometer and humidifiers and two are not cut so the hygrometer and humidifiers don't touch/scratch the glass. I have a bunch that go under the shelf to protect the cigars from moving too much but don't CRUSH them. This is important. Don't put too much padding in so you actually push down on the cigars.

3. Take out the sticks you are going to hand carry (I put about 6 in a zip lock to get me through my first week or so on the road and settling in). One of these days I am going to get me a little travel case but the zip lock is doing the job so far. Get it stable for a solid week or so before you move it, with the foam inside. The foam will allow a great deal of breathing for the humidity and air to circulate. I haven't noticed a change in taste with my cigars from these sheets yet. This will allow you to stabilize the humi for the trip and get it used to the added foam and packing material. I have not had any problems with humidity changing too much this way. I am not that picky as long as it stays between 65 to 70 I'm happy, and so are my sticks.

4. When you get settled in, unpack and inspect. I then take all of my materials and put them back in the empty box and put it up and out of the way. Next time I move (Oct/Nov) it will all be waiting for me to do it again.

This has worked like a champ both times and I haven't lost one stick or gotten a single scratch on my humidor. I would like to thank everyone who last spring gave me these tips and got me on the way. I really appreciated it and this took one more thing off my mind when I move.