I am about to fly FLL-ATL-TLV carrying with me a large, very breakable, Wedgewood bowl (about 6 inches high and 10 inches in diameter). It is a family heirloom and I don't want to take a chance of it breaking. How should I pack it?

Obviously I am not going to put it in my checked bags but even in my hand luggage it is at risk from bumps, etc.

Are there stores which sell packing materials (like those small white, peanut-shaped, things that companies use when shipping breakable items? Are there any stores which actually will pack something like the bowl for you?

If not, how should I go about packing it?

 

go to any uhaul rental location or any other place that rents moving trucks. They sell boxes of all sizes, peanuts and all other packing help you need. buy right-size box, fill with peanuts, tape well and you are set. another alternative - if you are taking carry-on roller bag, i would just pack it in there surrounded by clothes. it will always be in your control and a glass bowl is not so fragile that it would break in the middle of a bag is there's turbulence. it will be under your control at all other times.

 

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There are absolutely places that will pack it for you. Any pack-and-ship store, like the UPS Store, FedEx Kinkos, Mail Boxes Etc. (are they still in business?) And while these stores would like to ship the item, as well, I'm sure that they are prepared to merely pack it for you, for the appropriate fee. Just make sure that the package will still fit in your carry-on.

 

I'd have it easily viewable, as it is something that they will probably want to inspect - so clear bubblewrap, or clothing which can be peeled away easily would probably be the best ideas.

 

Am I the only one who thought this was going to be a very different type of thread based on the subject header?

 

A bit off topic but Mail Boxes Etc was bought by UPS. They're now the UPS Store.

 

wrap it in lots of clothing, the UIG may have left some behind?

 

We just transported a Sacred Family Heirloom from SAN to ICT in three checked boxes. It consists of many glass punch cups, a horrifically heavy glass tray and an even heavier large punch bowl. The cups were bubble wrapped in one box, the tray bubbled and boxed in the original box and then we got into quibbling about the bowl. I wanted to bubble it and put it in a roller (not mine, his!) to be hand transported. Mr. LLM insisted it would experience "pressure" and crack. So it got put in a very large sturdy DHL box (they give them out free) with peanuts and survived the trip handily, even being opened by the TSA.

 

LOL

I'm getting kinda old, so I haven't packed a bowl in a long time.

Back to Dov's problem:

Go buy some bubble wrap. The shipping stores (UPS/Fed-X-Kinko's) or Staples/Office Depot will have it.

Wrap it well with bubble wrap. Lots of bubble wrap!

Put it in a cloth shopping bag.

Carry it on the aircraft.

Be careful!

 

I just transported my grandmothers jewlrey box that was very fragile. I checked my bag that I normally roll on to the plane so I could carry the jewlrey box in its own small bag. I wrapped it in lots of towels. The towels were able to fill up the bag and made it soft on the jewlrey box. I just put the bag in the overhead bin and it was fine.

 

As others have said, several places will pack it for you. If you opt to pack it yourself, be sure to "fill" the bowl with something in addition to wrapping it in bubblewrap (more bubblewrap, packing peanuts, soft clothes, popcorn, crumpled paper, etc).

If it is packed in peanuts, you might want to put a plastic bag in your carryon in case TSA insists on "unwrapping" it. You'll need to empty most of the peanuts to get the bowl back into the box.

 

I concur Dov..wrap it good in bubble wrap and just place it in the middle of your clothes or even in a box it with the bubble wrap. If it were me I would definitely hand carry a fragile item or pack in my carry on.

 

This is porcelain so it is susceptible to breakage from shock and from directly levered force. This means it cannot just go in a soft sided suitcase surrounded by bubble wrap and/or clothes.

I wrap art and glass quite often, so I have some experience with the subject.

Wrapping it in bubble wrap is ok. Be sure to also fill out the inside of the bowl with bw (bubble wrap) or peanuts. Then wrap the bowl. Don't put any pressure on it while wrapping it. I suppose the bowl is cone shaped. You need to come up with a rather box shape in the end. Then put it in a heavy cardboard box with more peanuts to prevent shifting. The cardboard box goes ideally in a hard suitcase.

The idea is that when stuff is shifting around the bowl, the bowl can twist and break. That's why you want so much extra packing that no force can be applied to the structure of the bowl. It will practically become a ball or cube of packing material. You could kick it down the stairs and nothing would happen because the bowl is enclosed in a solid block of protective material.

If you want to be absolutely sure the bowl gets there intact I recommend buying a Pelican case with foam insert. The case can be re-used infinitely. I'd ship a Faberge egg in one of those. Consider it an additional luggage purchase and a reusable packing crate. Then the $150 will not seem so steep.

Till

 

Yeah, I knew this was the travel buzz forum, but not that kind of buzz haha.

 

Wrap the bowl in bubble wrap. Put that in a box surrounded by packing P/nuts (Popcorn will serve as an alternative) put that box in another box that is surrounded by packing pnuts.

That is how I protect the family jewels.