Moving Totes vs. Milk Crates: Which Is Better for a Move?

Milk crates get suggested as a scrappy moving hack: sturdy, stackable, and often free if you know where to look. They work for some things, but for a whole-home move they fall short of a proper moving tote in a few specific ways.

Where milk crates are fine

Records, books, files, canned goods, and garage odds and ends travel fine in a milk crate. They're rigid, they stack, and the open weave doesn't matter for items that don't need protecting from dust or a light rain.

Where they fall down

• No lid: contents shift, fall out when tilted, and get wet or dusty. You can't safely stack anything on an open crate without crushing what's inside.
• Open sides: small items slip through the gaps; soft items bulge out and snag.
• Inconsistent sizes: crates gathered from different sources don't stack squarely, which wastes truck space — the opposite of the point.
• Sourcing: taking crates that belong to a store is technically theft, and buying new crates costs about the same as renting totes for the move.

How rented moving totes compare

Totes are one uniform size with attached, latching lids. They stack five high without crushing, keep contents dry and contained, and load into a truck with almost no wasted space. They arrive at your door and get picked up after — no gathering, no storing, no reselling a pile of crates when you're done.

The honest verdict

If you already own a few milk crates, use them for books and records. For everything else in a move — kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, fragile items — rented totes with lids protect your stuff better and pack tighter, for a comparable cost and none of the sourcing hassle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are milk crates good for moving?

They're good for books, records, and files — rigid, stackable, open items. They're poor for a full move because they have no lids, lose small items through the gaps, and come in inconsistent sizes.

Is it legal to use milk crates for moving?

Only crates you've purchased. Milk crates marked as property of a dairy or store are not free to take, and doing so is treated as theft in most places.

Do milk crates cost less than renting totes?

Buying new milk crates costs roughly the same as renting moving totes for a typical move — and the totes come with lids, delivery, and pickup.

Questions about sizing, coverage, or what's included? Check our FAQ page or email info@nicetotesrental.com.