Florida Moving Supplies Guide: What You Need (and What H2H Provides)
A practical guide to the moving supplies a Florida move actually needs — boxes, packing materials, humidity-safe storage prep, and hurricane-window protection. What Happy 2 Help includes in every quote, what you buy yourself, and where to source supplies in Northeast Florida.
Generic moving-supplies guides were written for an apartment swap in a temperate climate with no hurricane season and no 80% summer humidity. Florida adds wrinkles. The boxes need to survive a sweat-prone truck. Leather and electronics need humidity protection. Hurricane-window paperboard goes onto in-transit artwork during June through November. This guide covers what changes when the move is in St. Johns, Duval, or anywhere along the Northeast Florida coast — and where Happy 2 Help's included supplies start and end.
Standard Supplies by Home Size
Box counts vary by household density, but the rough averages line up consistently across moves:
- Studio / 1-bedroom apartment. 15–25 boxes total — primarily small and medium. 1 wardrobe box per resident. 1 dish-pack for the kitchen.
- 2-bedroom apartment / condo. 30–45 boxes — mix of small (books, glassware), medium (linens, kitchen), large (pillows, bedding). 2 wardrobes. 2 dish-packs.
- 3-bedroom house. 50–75 boxes — heavier mix of medium and large. 3–4 wardrobes. 2–3 dish-packs. Specialty boxes for art and mirrors.
- 4-bedroom-plus house. 80–120 boxes. 4–5 wardrobes. 3–4 dish-packs. Multiple specialty mirror/art boxes. Often a separate wardrobe or two for the garage workshop or hobby closet.
Beyond boxes: packing paper (one bundle per 10–15 boxes is a reasonable starting point), bubble wrap (for picture-frame glass and fragile electronics), packing tape (two rolls per 30 boxes), permanent markers, and labels. A basic toolkit for furniture disassembly. Mattress bags for each bed.
H2H provides a precise count during the in-home walkthrough estimate. Request a free walkthrough by calling (904) 209-9277.
Florida-Specific Supplies Most Guides Miss
Three categories of supply most non-Florida checklists do not mention — and they matter, especially during summer moves and hurricane season.
- Humidity absorbers. Silica gel packets or DampRid containers slipped into any box containing leather goods, electronics in original packaging, photo albums, specialty paper, or antique books. Florida summer humidity in a sealed truck or storage unit ruins these materials over even a few days. Cheap insurance.
- Hurricane-window protective wrap. Heavy paperboard or thin plywood pre-cut for in-transit artwork and mirrors during June through November. If a storm system shifts and the truck has to wait out a delay, the load is protected from impact during emergency repositioning.
- Palm-fiber padding or specialty wraps for tropical art, rattan furniture, and saltwater-adjacent pieces that already have marine-grade finishes you do not want to scratch. Standard moving paper handles most of this, but the categories are worth flagging.
See the move-day checklist for the broader hurricane-window timing context.
What H2H Includes in Every Quote
Every Happy 2 Help moving quote includes the protective materials used during the load and transit. Specifically:
- Professional-grade moving paper — for wrapping fragile items, lining boxes, and protecting interior contents.
- Padded furniture blankets — quilted moving blankets wrap dressers, tables, couches, and any wood or upholstered piece in transit.
- Stretch wrap — protects upholstery from dust and humidity, holds drawers closed, and binds blankets to furniture during the truck ride.
- Packing tape — used during the load itself for sealing wrap and securing items.
- Floor runners + door padding — protective material for the home itself during the load and unload.
- TV / mirror box rentals — specialty crating for flat-screens and large mirrors is included on most jobs.
When you book full packing services, premium moving boxes (small, medium, large, dish-pack, wardrobe) are included in the packing package itself. For load-only moves where you self-pack, the boxes are your responsibility — though H2H can deliver supplies in advance for an additional service charge.
What You Should Buy Yourself
For a self-packing move, the supplies the homeowner sources directly:
- Boxes. Small, medium, large, plus dish-pack for the kitchen and wardrobe for hanging clothes. Premium-grade boxes outperform thin discount cardboard meaningfully — they survive stacking, they resist Florida humidity, and they hold up to a tape-and-restack at the unload.
- Mattress bags. One per mattress and boxspring. Vinyl bags that fully enclose the mattress for transit.
- Specialty boxes. Mirror boxes (telescoping flat boxes for framed art and mirrors), TV boxes (for flat-screens you are self-packing rather than including in the H2H load), wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes.
- Markers + labels. Heavy-duty permanent markers (Florida humidity can fade thin ink) and labels for room destinations and contents.
- Personal-document protection. Plastic file containers for important documents, photo albums, and anything irreplaceable. These ride with you, not on the truck.
See the packing services page if you'd rather hand the entire packing job to H2H — full or partial packing options available.
Eco-Friendly Options
Two eco-friendly options worth knowing about:
- Reusable plastic moving totes. Rented week-by-week from companies like Rentacrate, U-Pack, or local equivalents. Strong, stackable, no cardboard waste. Best fit for organized urban moves with a defined timeline — they are returned, not kept. Less practical for slow downsizing moves where boxes need to live in the home for weeks.
- Recyclable packing paper over bubble wrap. Premium recyclable paper protects most household items as well as bubble wrap and recycles cleanly with the boxes. Bubble wrap is plastic; paper is recyclable. For the Florida humidity context, paper actually outperforms thin bubble wrap, which can sweat against electronics in a humid truck.
- Donate boxes after the move. List the used boxes on the local Buy Nothing or Facebook Marketplace within a week of move day. They get reused, your garage clears, and a neighbor saves the box order.
Where to Source Moving Supplies in St. Johns + Jacksonville
For physical pickup of moving supplies in Northeast Florida, the practical sources:
- Big-box stores. Home Depot Town Center on Town Center Parkway and Home Depot Race Track Road in St. Johns County both stock boxes, paper, tape, and basics. Lowe's San Marco and Lowe's in Ponte Vedra stock equivalent supplies. The big-box advantage is one-stop sourcing — limited specialty supplies, but full coverage of standard sizes.
- U-Haul moving centers. U-Haul Center on Beach Boulevard, U-Haul Center on Roosevelt Boulevard in Jacksonville, and the U-Haul on US-1 in St. Augustine carry the full moving-supply line — boxes in every size, mattress bags, specialty wrap, dish-pack inserts, wardrobe boxes. The deepest selection of any single source.
- ACE Hardware and independent sources. ACE Hardware in Avondale and ACE Hardware in St. Augustine Beach handle smaller-volume supply runs with personal service. Independent box retailers in Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine carry specialty and eco-friendly options.
- Local Buy Nothing groups. Facebook Buy Nothing groups for Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville neighborhoods are an underrated free-box source. Post the day after you book the mover; boxes typically appear within 48 hours.
See the St. Johns County movers hub for the broader regional context and Jacksonville movers for the metro side.
Moving supplies — frequently asked
How many boxes do I need for my move? expand_more
The rule of thumb: 1-bedroom apartment runs 15–25 boxes total (mix of small, medium, large). 2-bedroom apartment runs 30–45. 3-bedroom house runs 50–75. 4-bedroom-plus house runs 80–120. These are rough averages — book-heavy households need more small boxes, kitchen-heavy households need more dish-pack, and minimalist households can come in well under. H2H provides a more precise count during the in-home walkthrough estimate based on the actual contents.
What supplies are Florida-specific that I might not think about? expand_more
Three Florida-specific items most generic checklists miss. First, humidity absorbers (silica gel packs, DampRid) for any boxes containing leather, electronics, photo albums, or specialty paper — Florida summer humidity ruins these in a hot truck or storage unit. Second, hurricane-window protective wrap if your move overlaps June–November and you have artwork or mirrors in transit. Third, palm-fiber padding or specialty wraps for tropical art and saltwater-adjacent furniture that already has marine-grade finishes you do not want to scratch. Standard moving paper handles most of this, but it is worth flagging the categories.
What does H2H include in the moving quote? expand_more
Every H2H move quote includes professional-grade moving paper for wrapping, padded blankets for furniture, stretch wrap for upholstery, and packing tape used during the load. Premium moving boxes (small, medium, large, dish-pack, wardrobe) are included when you book a full packing service. For load-only moves where you self-pack, you provide the boxes — though H2H can deliver supplies in advance for an additional service charge to be quoted with your move.
Where do I source moving supplies locally in Northeast Florida? expand_more
For one-stop big-box runs: Home Depot Town Center on Town Center Parkway, Home Depot Race Track Road in St. Johns County, Lowe's in San Marco, and Lowe's in Ponte Vedra. For dedicated moving supplies: U-Haul Center on Beach Boulevard, U-Haul Center on Roosevelt Boulevard, and the U-Haul on US-1 in St. Augustine. For specialty supplies and eco-friendly options: ACE Hardware in Avondale, ACE Hardware in St. Augustine Beach, and Stewart-Marchman or independent box retailers in Jacksonville Beach. Local Buy Nothing groups on Facebook are an underrated free-box source for budget-conscious moves.
Are eco-friendly moving supplies worth it? expand_more
Yes, for two reasons. First, reusable plastic moving totes (rented week-by-week from companies like Rentacrate or local equivalents) eliminate cardboard waste, are stronger than cardboard, and stack cleanly — particularly worth it for organized urban moves. Second, recyclable packing paper outperforms bubble wrap for environmental impact and protects most household items equally well. For the Florida humidity context, eco-friendly does not mean lower quality — premium recyclable paper handles humid load conditions better than thin bubble wrap, which can sweat against electronics.
Skip the supply run — hand the packing to H2H
Full packing service, premium materials included. Owner-operated by Devin Vangel, USDOT 4480679, Ponte Vedra Beach.
Also useful: packing services, move-day checklist, truck size guide, Florida moving permits guide.