How would you ship a bare drive across the country?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Andrew Hamilton
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Andrew Hamilton

About a week ago, I asked for a recommendation for external enclosures
for hard drives. One of my needs was to carry the drive enclosures on
a plane, either in a carry-on item or in luggage.

Some people commented that the enclosures provided no protection for
the drive, except for scuffing. So now I'm thinking that I could
spend less money by buying just one enclosure and shipping the
additional drives bare.

What do I need to do to pack a bare drive an external drive
enclosure, so that I can ship it safely via UPS ground or UPS
second-day air.

As always thanks in advance.

-AH
 
About a week ago, I asked for a recommendation for external enclosures
for hard drives. One of my needs was to carry the drive enclosures on
a plane, either in a carry-on item or in luggage.

Some people commented that the enclosures provided no protection for
the drive, except for scuffing. So now I'm thinking that I could
spend less money by buying just one enclosure and shipping the
additional drives bare.

What do I need to do to pack a bare drive an external drive
enclosure, so that I can ship it safely via UPS ground or UPS
second-day air.
Click to expand...


Any old anti-static bag inside a padded waterproof package.

Look up the full specs of your disk drive on the manufacturer's
website and you'll find it can sustain a large # of Gs when not
spinning,
 
Andrew said:
About a week ago, I asked for a recommendation for external enclosures
for hard drives. One of my needs was to carry the drive enclosures on
a plane, either in a carry-on item or in luggage.
Click to expand...
Some people commented that the enclosures provided no protection for
the drive, except for scuffing. So now I'm thinking that I could
spend less money by buying just one enclosure and shipping the
additional drives bare.
Click to expand...
What do I need to do to pack a bare drive an external drive
enclosure, so that I can ship it safely via UPS ground or UPS
second-day air.
Click to expand...

I keep what it was supplied in when I bought it and can just reuse that.

I buy Samsungs and they come in a semi rigid camshell type container and
that is normally wrapped in bubble wrap in a solid cardboard postal box.
 
Andrew Hamilton wrote:
Click to expand...
I keep what it was supplied in when I bought it and can just reuse that.
Click to expand...

I wish I had done that. From now on ...

-AH
I buy Samsungs and they come in a semi rigid camshell type container and
that is normally wrapped in bubble wrap in a solid cardboard postal box.
Click to expand...

I guess I will use plenty, plenty of bubble wrap.

-AH
 
Any old anti-static bag inside a padded waterproof package.

Look up the full specs of your disk drive on the manufacturer's
website and you'll find it can sustain a large # of Gs when not
spinning,
Click to expand...

Al,

Thanks. I've seen your name in other groups. Always good, solid
advice.

-AH
Click to expand...
 
In message <[email protected]> Andrew Hamilton
I wish I had done that. From now on ...

I guess I will use plenty, plenty of bubble wrap.
Click to expand...

The best choice after the rigid plastic shipping packaging is static
wrap followed by large blocks/bricks of foam, if you have any available.

If you're using bubble-wrap, this is probably obvious, but wrap in
several directions so that the drive can't slip out of the bubblewrap.
I'd also recommend using small bubbles first, then moving to larger
bubbles if you have them, and/or an outer layer of crumpled paper.

Don't use packing peanuts or similar, these do not hold items of weight
properly, the drive will end up on the bottom edge of the box with no
protection at all.
 
I wish I had done that. From now on ...
Click to expand...

You should be able to get one from any operation flogging hard drives.
I guess I will use plenty, plenty of bubble wrap.
Click to expand...

Dont forget to put it in a proper antistatic bag first, and bubble wrap it in two
directions so it cant slide out of the tunnel of wrap when dropped on an edge.
 
Andrew Hamilton said:
About a week ago, I asked for a recommendation for external enclosures
for hard drives. One of my needs was to carry the drive enclosures on
a plane, either in a carry-on item or in luggage.
Click to expand...
Some people commented that the enclosures provided no protection for
the drive, except for scuffing. So now I'm thinking that I could
spend less money by buying just one enclosure and shipping the
additional drives bare.
Click to expand...
What do I need to do to pack a bare drive an external drive
enclosure, so that I can ship it safely via UPS ground or UPS
second-day air.
Click to expand...
As always thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
-AH
Click to expand...

For ESD protection, use the original packaging or an ESD bag.

For Shock-proofing, an older recomendation by Maxtor is to have
5cm (2in) of foam rubber in any direction and between the drives
when shipping multiple ones. This may seem excessive, but it will
very likely keep the drives alive even if thrown around.

As for the (empty) enclosure, the original packaging should be fine.
If there is a drive in it, I would also use the 5cm foam fubber.

Arno
 
I wish I had done that. From now on ...
Click to expand...
I guess I will use plenty, plenty of bubble wrap.
Click to expand...

For bubble wrap (not recommended by HDD manufacturers AFAIK),
also make sure to get at least 5cm (2in) in every direction
around the drives or enclosure with drive in it. But froam rubber
is prefferrable, as it cannot burst and degrade in the way
bubble wrap can when abused.

Arno
 
For ESD protection, use the original packaging or an ESD bag.
Click to expand...
For Shock-proofing, an older recomendation by Maxtor is to have
5cm (2in) of foam rubber in any direction and between the drives
when shipping multiple ones. This may seem excessive, but it will
very likely keep the drives alive even if thrown around.
Click to expand...

OR, with multiple drives, separate with piece of thin cardboard,
and tape together as a bundle; then bubble-wrap the bundle.

You don't want them banging into each other. So keep them
apart or together...
 
OR, with multiple drives, separate with piece of thin cardboard,
and tape together as a bundle; then bubble-wrap the bundle.
Click to expand...
You don't want them banging into each other. So keep them
apart or together...
Click to expand...

Indeed.

Come to thonk of it you could also mount multiple drives
into a drive cage.

Arno
 
Indeed.

Come to thonk of it you could also mount multiple drives
into a drive cage.
Click to expand...

I'm less of a fan of that idea, if the drive cage gets exposed to any
pressure (especially a crushing/twisting load), this could damage the
other drives, either applying load, or pulling/stripping the screws.
 
I'm less of a fan of that idea, if the drive cage gets exposed to any
pressure (especially a crushing/twisting load), this could damage the
other drives, either applying load, or pulling/stripping the screws.
Click to expand...


I don't like anything that can come loose and rattle. A loose drive
inside a metal box padded box will be subject to G forces of it is
dropped.

For the same reason, I'd prefer shipping a bare drive over a drive in
a DIY external case.
 
Andrew said:
About a week ago, I asked for a recommendation for external enclosures
for hard drives. One of my needs was to carry the drive enclosures on
a plane, either in a carry-on item or in luggage.

Some people commented that the enclosures provided no protection for
the drive, except for scuffing. So now I'm thinking that I could
spend less money by buying just one enclosure and shipping the
additional drives bare.

What do I need to do to pack a bare drive an external drive
enclosure, so that I can ship it safely via UPS ground or UPS
second-day air.

As always thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


I've actually done this myself. I shipped two drives in the same package
across the country. I just kept the drives in their original anti-static
ESD bags, put that into a bubble wrap which I curled up at the two
lateral ends to act as an extra soft bumper. Then just for added
protection, I put the two drives, bubble wrap and all into a flat-rate
box packed with packing peanuts. Of course, all of this added protection
will cost you money in shipping charges as the boxes will get bigger and
heavier. The flat rate boxes helped get around that limitation.

I'd say just wrapping them in bubble wrap two or three layers thick will
be sufficient.

Yousuf Khan
 
DevilsPGD said:
Don't use packing peanuts or similar, these do not hold items of weight
properly, the drive will end up on the bottom edge of the box with no
protection at all.
Click to expand...

If there's enough packing peanuts on all sides of the drive, then it
won't even move inside it. I'd still bubble wrap them first and then put
them into the packing peanuts. The bubble wrap should absorb vibrational
impacts best, while the peanuts will absorb crushing weight on the outer
shell of the box.

Yousuf Khan
 
If you're using bubble-wrap, this is probably obvious, but wrap in
several directions so that the drive can't slip out of the bubblewrap.
I'd also recommend using small bubbles first, then moving to larger
bubbles if you have them, and/or an outer layer of crumpled paper.

Don't use packing peanuts or similar, these do not hold items of weight
properly, the drive will end up on the bottom edge of the box with no
protection at all.
Click to expand...

Good points, thanks.

-AH
 
Andrew said:
About a week ago, I asked for a recommendation for external enclosures
for hard drives. One of my needs was to carry the drive enclosures on
a plane, either in a carry-on item or in luggage.

Some people commented that the enclosures provided no protection for
the drive, except for scuffing. So now I'm thinking that I could
spend less money by buying just one enclosure and shipping the
additional drives bare.
Click to expand...

<edited for brevity>

Hello, Andrew:

Please, avoid dealing with "bare drives" -- as indecent exposure is
illegal! <G>
 
Hello, Andrew:

Please, avoid dealing with "bare drives" -- as indecent exposure is
illegal! <G>
Click to expand...

Ya know, with all the news recently about that sex offender in CA, and
all those "Amber alerts," I guess I should watch what I say. Or worse
yet, try to take a "bare drive" through an airport security
checkpoint. Who knows what they will think?

-AH
:) ~:)
 
In message <[email protected]> Andrew Hamilton
Ya know, with all the news recently about that sex offender in CA, and
all those "Amber alerts," I guess I should watch what I say. Or worse
yet, try to take a "bare drive" through an airport security
checkpoint. Who knows what they will think?
Click to expand...

They'll think you're a terrorist and open the drive to see what is
inside, then let you pass with the pieces of the drive in a baggy to
contain any potential explosions (as long as you don't take the pieces
out of a baggy)
 
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