PCS move storage checklist

Written for families moving through Tyndall AFB and NSA Panama City. The parts that go wrong are almost always timing and weight allowance — both are manageable if you decide early.

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Weight allowance first, because it decides everything

Your allowance is finite, and going over is paid out of your pocket. Which means the real question is not “what do I want to keep” but “what is worth its weight”.

Things that are heavy and cheap to replace are the obvious storage candidates: particle-board furniture, exercise equipment, garage shelving, bulk tools, books. Things that are light and valuable should travel. Get an honest estimate of your allowance before you decide anything else — everything downstream depends on this number.

Timing, which is where it usually goes wrong

  1. Book storage before the pickup window, not during. The window moves, and you want the unit and the gate code already in hand.
  2. Separate what is being stored physically — a different room, or taped off. Movers pack what is in front of them, and things get shipped that shouldn’t.
  3. Label by destination room, not contents. “Master bedroom” is useful in eight months; “misc” is not.
  4. Photograph the unit as you load it. Wide shots plus close-ups of anything valuable. This settles claims.
  5. Keep the inventory somewhere that is not the unit — email it to yourself.

Store, ship, or sell

Store it

Heavy, cheap to replace, or specific to this posting — beach gear, the boat, patio furniture, garage overflow. And anything you will want back at this duty station.

Ship it

Light, valuable, irreplaceable, or needed within the first month. Documents and small valuables travel with you, not with the movers.

Sell it

Heavy, cheap, and not specific to anywhere. If shipping plus storage over two years exceeds replacement cost, that is your answer.

The vehicle question

If you have a second car, a boat or a camper, do the arithmetic rather than defaulting. Shipping a car twice, or selling and re-buying it, very often costs more than a gated outdoor space for the length of the tour. This is especially true for anything you bought because you were stationed on the Emerald Coast — a boat here is worth keeping.

Access while you're gone

  • Authorise someone in writing with the office before you leave. Sorting this out from overseas is far harder than sorting it out now.
  • Set up autopay. A missed payment while deployed is an avoidable problem with real consequences.
  • Make sure the contact details on the account are ones that will reach you, and add a second contact.
  • Check your insurance covers stored goods and at what limit. Many renters policies already do.

Month to month, because orders change

This is the part that matters most and gets least attention: do not sign a twelve-month storage agreement. Orders change, dates slip, tours extend. Everything at East Avenue Storage is month to month — see storage near Tyndall AFB.

First month free

New tenants get the first month free on any unit or outdoor space — including the big RV spaces. Month to month, so you are never locked into a year to get the deal.

Questions people actually ask

Should I use military-provided storage or rent my own?

Government storage has rules about duration and access, and getting at your things can be difficult. Renting your own costs money but you can walk in on a Saturday. Plenty of families use both — government storage for the bulk, a small unit of their own for what they need to reach.

How long before the move should I get a unit?

Two to three weeks ahead. You want it in hand before the pickup window, not during it.

Can my spouse access it if I'm deployed?

Yes — authorise them in writing with the office before you go.

Is there a military discount?

Ask. Tell us you’re serving or a veteran and we’ll tell you the best available rate, on top of the first month free.