Packing an Entire Home Solo: A Long-Distance Move from Vancouver Island to Saskatoon

Long-distance moves have a way of exposing everything that can’t be faked. Planning, patience, and problem-solving all get tested the moment a truck pulls away from the curb, especially when the move begins on an island and ends thousands of kilometres inland. For Two Small Men mover Landon Woodrow, one residential move out of Duncan, just north of Victoria, became less about distance and more about discipline, as he found himself responsible for packing and loading nearly an entire household on his own before hauling it back to Saskatoon.

“I was doing a load-out on the island, out in Duncan, just north of Victoria,” he recalls. “It was one of those jobs where you don’t really know what you’re walking into until you’re standing there.”

The move itself was straightforward on paper. A large residential home, a full household, and a long haul back to Saskatchewan. The challenge came when it was time to actually load the truck.

“I had help out there,” Landon says carefully. “They were physically there, but for the load itself, for actually loading the truck, it was basically just me.”

The geography alone made the job more demanding. Vancouver Island adds layers to any long-distance move. Ferries, scheduling constraints, limited access windows, and tight timelines all come into play before a truck ever reaches the mainland. For a mover based in Saskatoon, the distance adds pressure to get everything right the first time.

“This was shortly after the acquisition of a competitor,” Landon explains, referencing the additional labour support available at the time. “So I technically had labour, but the responsibility of organizing, packing, and loading still fell on me.”

With limited hands-on help, Landon had to rely on experience and process rather than brute force.

“You just have to break it down,” he says. “This is what I need. This is what I’m going to focus on.”

Instead of trying to rush or multitask, he approached the load systematically. One item at a time, one clear goal at a time.

“I’d bring an item down, like a dresser,” he explains. “I’d get it packed into the truck properly. Then I’d run back up, bring down a few stacks of boxes, get those packed in, and just repeat that process.”

It wasn’t glamorous, and it wasn’t fast. It was deliberate.

“I just kept doing that until the truck was packed from the floor all the way to the roof,” Landon says.

Packing and loading under normal circumstances is already demanding. Doing it solo, over multiple days, requires a different level of focus. One mistake in load balance or protection can create problems thousands of kilometres later.

“There’s no room for shortcuts when you’re that far from home,” Landon explains. “If something goes wrong, you’re the one dealing with it.”

The packing alone was a full-day job, particularly in the kitchen.

“Packing the kitchen took an entire day,” he says. “That’s usually how you know it’s a big move. Kitchens always take longer than people expect.”

Fragile items, appliances, cookware, and years of accumulated belongings all need to be wrapped, boxed, and labelled properly. With long-distance moves, that care becomes even more critical.

“You’re not just loading it for a short drive across town,” Landon says. “You’re loading it for highways, ferry crossings, and days on the road.”

The next day was dedicated entirely to loading the truck.

“Loading up the truck took the entire day as well,” he says. “Once it was done, it was done right.”

Despite the workload, the payoff came at the end of the journey.

“I made it back to Saskatoon with everything in mint condition,” Landon says. “That’s always the goal.”

Moves like this are a reminder that storage and packing aren’t just about boxes and trucks. They’re about planning, patience, and the ability to stay calm when things don’t go exactly as expected.

“Have I been in that position again?” Landon reflects. “At times, yeah. But now I usually have help available, which makes it a lot easier, especially when you’re so far from home.”

Still, that Duncan move stands out.

“It’s one of those jobs you don’t forget,” he says. “Not because something went wrong, but because everything worked the way it needed to.”

For customers, the move was simply another relocation. For Landon, it was a lesson in discipline, endurance, and the quiet professionalism that long-distance moving demands.

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