ideas on how to move guns?

[cabinetguy]

I wuld go with towing the trailer. Just check the weather reports and dont go over the summit in a blizzard.

[Ninety]

Where in ID and what route are you taking ? Thru Vegas or Bishop?

[mzimmers]

I'm in the SF Bay Area, so no Vegas/Bishop. Probably taking 80 east to Reno, then up on whatever highway cuts through NW Nevada, then into Idaho. Should be a 10 hour drive, not allowing for inclement weather.

[SMarquez]

I wuld go with towing the trailer. Just check the weather reports and dont go over the summit in a blizzard.

This is all there is to it. It's not like you are going over in a covered wagon. Too many people here are over thinking it. If it's a 10 hour drive total, how long do you think you will spend in the mountains? If you make it too obvious you will just draw attention to yourself. You can go with the one way U-haul and just leave in your new town. That size trailer would look like you are moving a kid to an out of state college. I hauled a 16' trailer loaded with $25,000 worth of music equipment from SoCal to Louisville KY and didn't sweat it at all. I stayed in hotels with well lit parking lots and backed the trailer up to a wall.

[SVT-40]

I moved my collection last year...over nine tons of stuff.....I used U haul 5x8 enclosed trailers for many of the loads. They will carry 1,780 Lbs. I had to limit my trailer weight as I was using a Toyota V6 Tacoma...I also used a Penske lift gat truck for my real heavy items, but it sounds like you don't need one of those...

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=AV

You will have zero problems transporting your collection in the trailer including the ammo. If you want to make it a stealthy move use a U haul "Grand wardrobe" box.

http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Boxes/Clothing-moving-boxes/Grand-Wardrobe-Box?id=6560

Just wrap your rifles in towels or rags and place them in the box. Seal the box up and no one will know you have any firearms... You could also put your pistols and anything else in it also to fill space.....

Just put the wardrobe box in the trailer and pack other junk around it.....No one will be the wiser...

You can do a one way rental for around $130.00 depending on where you are moving....

Moving 25 firearms is an easy proposition.

[jeremiah12]

I have driven over I-80 to Boise many times. The first time I made the trip was 1978, during a snowstorm in my 1965 Mustang. I learned real fast how to handle a high horsepower, RWD, vehicle with a very light rear end on slippery roads. The concern really is not I-80. It will be the little 2-lane road you turn north onto from I-80 in NV to head towards ID. Depending on where in ID you are headed to, you will then pass through eastern OR before ID or go directly to ID. Neither of those states really plow those little 2-lane roads with much frequency and they do not clear them to bare pavement after a storm. They are not in places where snow piles up many feet thick. Often there will only be a few inches on the ground. On the roads it gets compacted, especially by the big-rigs that travel the same routes. There is not a good interstate route from here to there. Then, during the day, the dark pavement will absorb enough heat to melt a little snow even though the temps are below freezing. At night it refreezes. Rinse, lather, wash and repeat for many days and you get the black ice; ice so transparent that it almost appears invisible. You think the road is clear and are driving at the speed limit for a hundred miles and then all of a sudden you are spinning around in circles wondering what happened and hoping that big rig will stop in time before slamming into you.

People who have driven under these conditions for years usually learn how to deal with it. They learn to spot it or they just drive very slow all the time. You will also find chains are not often used outside of CA. Once you practice and learn, you can even drive a 2WD unloaded pickup on snow and ice with little trouble. You will find though that adding weight over the rear axle helps tremendously. Many people keep a few bags of sand in the pickup bed or trunks for the extra traction the weight can provide and the traction the sand can provide if you get stuck.

4WD simplifies things greatly, but does not protect you from stupid things like loosing traction due to driving too fast for conditions.

One of the major complaints people in ID have is stupid CA drivers in the winter. They seem to think that if the state is not telling them to put chains on or inspecting for snow tires or 4WD then it is still okay to drive the posted speed limit no matter how hard it is snowing. In ID, the state expects the driver to be responsible to drive appropriately for conditions without being told or warned to do so. If you cannot, then the simple solution is you loose you license. OR will post when traction tires or devices (i.e. chains) are required, but I have not seen any of these signs in ID.

For the OP, the time to learn to drive on the snow is not when you are towing a trailer. Your F150 will tow a small trailer as if it were not there. I have towed many trailers in my life and have towed on snow and ice. I still tow my boat over the Sierras during a snow storm if I need to do it to go fishing at some of my favorite places. I have a 4WD truck and have towed over highway 88 in near blizzard conditions and the Caltrans or CHP chain control check people have never required that I chain up, even though they could. Under CA law it is left to their discretion. It is not a cakewalk, but with lots of practice I handle it just fine. I have on occasion slipped and I am able to correct it automatically because it is second nature with me.

If you are not on such a tight schedule that you can give yourself a day or two leeway around the day you are planning to drive to ID, I believe you should be fine. You can keep an eye on the weather forecast and adjust your plans accordingly. If you absolutely have to go on a certain date, then you may want to do something other than the trailer. Cover the bed of your truck and load everything in there. Lock the cover. If at all possible, put the firearms in some sort of locking box, such as a large truck bed tool box. Once you are out of CA, you will be traveling in gun friendly territory. In those places, people who do not own guns, or even carry them regularly are considered the strange ones that must have some sort of mental illness. It is assumed everyone has at least a few guns.

I still go back to Boise. My step-father, who moved to CA from Idaho a very long time ago, also moved back to Boise when his life fell apart many years ago. He decided to move back to Boise and rebuild his life there because that is where he had the support of his family. At the time, he had nothing holding him here and was tired of fighting the state regulations that ended up bankrupting his Auto Painting and detailing business. He was the only person to act like my father, and still does to this day.

So, I go as often as I can. In December, I will be on my two-week break from school (I am a teacher) and I have actually been considering visiting him this break. So if we can work things out, I would be more than happy to help out a fellow CG and maybe some of your guns can occupy the empty space in my truck or 4Runner and we can drive together to ID. I know how important your guns are to you. This saves you the hassle with the trailer and we can keep an eye on each other's vehicle while one needs to use the restroom or in your case let the dog out for a potty break.

I am assuming that since you are saying it is a 10 hour drive and you are from the Bay area, you are heading somewhere around the Boise area. I live in Stockton.

PM me if you think this will work for you. I will cover my own gas as I am planning on going anyway.