Studio & 1-Bedroom Moves: How Many Totes Do You Really Need?

Small moves are deceptive. A studio or one-bedroom unit looks like an afternoon’s work — until you open the kitchen cupboards. The good news: small homes are also the easiest to size accurately, because the rooms are predictable.

Here’s how a typical 1-bedroom breaks down. Kitchen: 4–5 totes (plates, pots, pantry, the drawer of mystery cables). Bedroom: 3–4 totes for clothes and linen. Bathroom and laundry: 1–2. Living room: 3–4 for books, electronics, décor and the things on shelves. That lands almost every studio or 1-bed move inside our 15-tote package — with the dolly doing the heavy lifting.

The classic mistake is packing totes to the brim with books. Keep heavy items to a half-tote and top up with light things like linen — around 20–25kg per tote is the comfortable carrying limit, and the totes stack better when weight is even.

If you’re between sizes, size up: an unused tote stacks quietly in the corner, but running out mid-pack means a pause while a top-up is delivered. And if the wardrobe turns out deeper than expected, we can deliver extras based on availability.

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