You've likely invested quite a bit of money into your electric remote control, or RC, car collection. Furthermore, as you bash around the neighborhood and race on local tracks, you build a personal connection with each of your cars. As a result, when it comes time to move, you may want to hand deliver each of your cars to your new home to avoid damage or loss. The demands of a long distance move, however, often require that you pack up your collection, send it on its way and hope for the best. To ensure your vehicles arrive at your new home unscathed, use the following smart packing tips for your entire collection.

Remove All Batteries

Whether you run LiPo or NiMH batteries in your cars, you must pack them separately to prevent accidental acid leakage or combustion. To prepare for your move, you should place all of these battery packs in fireproof bags designed for charging and storing LiPo batteries. Take the batteries out of your remotes as well to keep those small batteries from leaking during the move.

When it comes time to travel, carry your filled battery bag with you in your personal vehicle, so you can actively watch for signs of a problem. Keep all of your batteries from overheating by placing them in your vehicle right before you leave and removing them when you arrive at your new home. Do not let the battery bag sit in direct sunlight, or the batteries will likely overheat well before you arrive at your intended destination. Carry your fire extinguisher with you in case the batteries suddenly fail and catch fire during transport.

Utilize Reinforced Boxes

Your RC cars' plastic chassis elements are susceptible to crush damage if the boxes are inadvertently placed under heavy items. The plastic body posts, debris guards, shocks and bumper, for example, could easily snap off your chassis and necessitate major repairs upon arriving at your destination. Lexan and hard plastic bodies are also prone to damage from weight placed overhead. You can prevent this situation by only using reinforced boxes for your RC chassis and bodies.

Use several shallow boxes, rather one or two large ones, to avoid stacking the vehicles and bodies on top of one another. You can further decrease the chance of damage occurring by using the double box method of packing. For this method, place your RC chassis and bodies in their original boxes before packing them in the reinforced shipping box.

Pack Remotes Separately

Your remote calibration settings can be easily knocked out of place when bumped and jostled. To help protect your settings, consider packing your remotes separately from your vehicle chassis and bodies.

Stand each remote up in the bottom of the reinforced box and surround with crumpled packing paper. The paper will help keep the knobs on your remotes from coming into contact with other items. The edges of the paper will compress upon contact with the knobs without affecting your settings. Pack the remotes and paper tightly together to further prevent the items from jostling around during transport.

Planning The Packing Process

If at all possible, pack your RC car collection the day before your moving trucks arrive. By delaying the packing process, you minimize the amount of time the cars have to remain in the boxes. Load up your RC cars in the front of the moving truck and place them in a safe location when you arrive at your new home. Your diligence in packing and transporting your vehicles will be rewarded once you have a chance to unpack and examine your collection.  

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