The best summer moving tips come down to four things: book your movers early, move in the cooler hours of the day, protect heat-sensitive belongings, and plan for people and pets as carefully as you plan for boxes. Summer is the busiest moving season in Canada, so the date and the heat are the two things that make or break the day. Below is how we approach a summer move in Abbotsford, Mission, Maple Ridge and Langley, with a timeline you can follow from the day you know you are moving.
TL;DR
- Start looking for movers as soon as you know your dates. Six to eight weeks ahead is a common recommendation, and earlier is better for peak dates.
- Avoid the last weekend of the month and the first of the month if you can. Mid-month and mid-week dates are usually easier to get.
- Load early in the morning, take shade breaks, drink water before you feel thirsty, and know the signs of heat illness.
- Never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle, and give them a cool, calm place away from the open doors.
- Pack electronics, candles, medications and food with the heat in mind, and keep a cooler bag for the essentials.
Table of Contents
- Why summer is the busiest time to move
- Summer moving timeline
- Choosing the right date
- Beat the heat on moving day
- Packing and protecting belongings in hot weather
- Children, pets and moving day
- Renters and apartment moves in summer
- Before a local or long-distance move
- Common summer moving mistakes
- Business and office moves in summer
- Our perspective on summer moves
- Book your summer move with 2 Friends Trucking & Moving
- FAQ
- Sources
Why summer is the busiest time to move
Summer moves cluster for good reasons. Families prefer to move between school years, spring and early summer home sales turn into possession dates, the weather is more forgiving than a Fraser Valley November, and many leases begin or end around then. Royal LePage describes summer as Canada's busiest moving period and recommends booking six to eight weeks ahead, or earlier for peak dates.
The practical result is that popular dates, crews and trucks go first. Booking early is mostly about keeping your choice of day and time. If you wait, you tend to take whatever is left, which often means a hot afternoon slot on the busiest weekend of the month.
Summer moving timeline
A simple schedule keeps the work spread out instead of crammed into the last weekend.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks out | Request estimates from movers, confirm your possession or lease end date, and ask about flexible dates. |
| 6 weeks out | Book your mover. Confirm any building rules for elevators and loading zones. Start decluttering room by room. |
| 4 weeks out | Book packing help if you want it. Start packing rarely used items. Arrange time off work. |
| 2 weeks out | Redirect mail, update your address with your bank and insurer, and arrange utilities and internet at the new place. |
| 1 week out | Defrost the freezer, pack a day-one box, and confirm arrival windows with your mover. |
| Moving day | Start early, keep water on hand, and do a last walk-through of every room, closet and the garage. |
If your plans are already tighter than this, that is not the end of the world. We handle short-notice moves too, though the more flexible you can be on the day, the better your options.
Choosing the right date
When you have a say in the date, pick it deliberately.
Go mid-week or mid-month. Month-end and the first of the month are when leases and possession dates turn over, so everyone wants the same days. Moving on a Tuesday or Wednesday in the middle of the month usually means easier scheduling and fewer conflicts with building bookings.
Watch the holiday weekends. Canada Day, the BC Day long weekend and other statutory holidays are crowded, with heavy traffic on Highway 1 and the Lougheed Highway. Rates and availability tighten around peak dates. CAA-Quebec notes this about Quebec's own peak moving days of June 24 and July 1, when rates go up and streets are busier, and the same logic applies anywhere with a single dominant moving date.
Ask about the start time. In July and August, a crew that starts at 8 a.m. has the heaviest work done before the afternoon peak. A 1 p.m. start means loading in the hottest part of the day.
Have a backup date. Even a flexible window of a day or two on either side helps a mover fit you into the schedule, and it protects you if a heat warning lands on your original date.
Beat the heat on moving day
Heavy lifting in hot weather is a genuine health risk, for you, your helpers and any crew on site. HealthLink BC advises reviewing the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke before hot weather starts, so read them the week before your move, not during it.
Move in the cool hours
Plan the heavy loading for early morning, and leave lighter tasks such as final cleaning and walk-throughs for later. If the forecast shows a heat warning for the Fraser Valley, consider shifting the move to a cooler day or an earlier start. A good mover would rather reschedule a day than push a crew through a dangerous afternoon.
Hydrate and take breaks
Put a case of water or a cooler with ice in the shade at both the old and new place. Drink regularly through the day rather than waiting until you are thirsty. Wear light, breathable clothing, a hat and sunscreen, and take short breaks in shade or air conditioning. Eat proper meals, because a long moving day on an empty stomach makes heat harder to handle.
Know the warning signs
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety lists symptoms of heat illness such as dizziness, nausea and headache. For heat stroke, CCOHS says to call 911 immediately and move the person to a cooler, shaded location. If anyone on your team starts to feel unwell, stop work for them straight away rather than asking them to push through.
Plan for the people most at risk
Public Safety Canada advises planning that explicitly considers children, seniors and people with chronic health conditions. Its extreme heat guidance also notes that during extreme heat events, municipalities may open cooling centres or extend facility hours, so check your city's resources. If an older relative or a young child is part of the move, set them up in a cool room or a public air-conditioned space away from the activity.
Keep the new home cool
Indoor spaces without effective cooling can get dangerously hot. HealthLink BC suggests monitoring home temperature with a thermometer: 26°C or less is generally safer, while above that may be risky for people more likely to be affected by heat. Before moving day, check that the air conditioning at the new place works, or plan other ways to keep it cooler. Shade windows with curtains or blinds, and keep a fan ready for the first night.
Packing and protecting belongings in hot weather
Heat does damage to some belongings long before it bothers people. A truck parked in the sun can get much hotter inside than the air outside, so think about what sits in it.
Pack these last and move them separately:
- Candles, wax items and crayons, which soften and deform
- Vinyl records, DVDs and some plastics, which warp
- Prescription and over-the-counter medications, which should travel with you, not in the truck
- Makeup, skincare and anything that can melt or separate
- Houseplants, which suffer in a hot truck and are better in your own vehicle with air conditioning
Food and the fridge. Defrost the freezer a day ahead and use up perishables over the final week. Bring a cooler with ice for the day's lunches and drinks. Do not plan on moving frozen or fridge food in a truck.
Boxes and furniture. Use sturdy boxes, quality packing paper and moving pads, and leave small gaps so air can move around delicate items rather than packing everything wall-to-wall. Make sure everything is dry before it is boxed, since trapped moisture and heat are a bad combination for wood and fabric. Keep delicate pieces away from the truck walls, which get warm in the sun.
Label by room and priority. In the heat you do not want to open fifty boxes to find the kettle. A clearly marked day-one box holds water bottles, snacks, chargers, toiletries, basic tools and a few towels.
If packing in 30-degree weather sounds miserable, professional packing services take the whole job off your plate and move it into a cooler, more controlled window. We can also handle loading and unloading only if you have your own truck and just need strong hands.
Children, pets and moving day
Moving day is chaotic, and heat adds risk for the people who cannot easily look after themselves.
- Never leave a child or pet in a parked vehicle. Public Safety Canada and Health Canada warn that this is dangerous even on moderately hot days, because the inside of a car heats up quickly.
- Give them a home base. A cool, quiet room at the old place, a friend's house or a grandparent's, away from open doors and heavy furniture.
- Keep water and a plan. Fill a pet's water bowl, keep medications and favourite items handy, and have a trusted adult in charge of supervision, separate from the people moving things.
- Use proper carriers. For pets travelling any distance, carriers should be roomy enough to lie down in and well ventilated. A quick vet visit before a long trip is sensible, and so is asking about any heat-sensitive conditions.
- Keep older relatives comfortable. Seat them in the shade or indoors with a cold drink, and keep them out of the work area.
As the owner of a pet or parent of a young child, you will move more safely if you take them out of the equation early. Many of our customers book a sitter or send the kids to a family member for the loading hours.
Renters and apartment moves in summer
Apartments and condos add logistics that summer crowding makes harder. A few things to settle in the weeks before:
- Book the elevator or loading zone. Many buildings, especially strata-managed condos, require you to reserve the elevator or a loading bay, sometimes with a deposit. In summer these slots fill up for month-end dates.
- Check move-in and move-out hours. Buildings often limit moves to certain hours. Ask for the rules in writing and tell your mover, so the crew arrives within the permitted window.
- Confirm parking for the truck. A truck that has to park far from the door adds time and extra walking in the heat. Reserve space or ask about a temporary no-parking permit if the street needs one.
- Protect the common areas. Ask about hallway padding and door-jamb protection so you do not lose a damage deposit.
- Do your inspection and cleaning. If you are a renter, schedule the move-out inspection and cleaning around the move, and keep the key-return time in mind so you are not rushing after a long day.
- Stay cool upstairs. Fourth-floor units with no air conditioning are the hottest place to work. Keep the elevator reserved for longer than you think you need, and use fans.
We do apartment, condo and residential moves across Abbotsford and the nearby communities, including Maple Ridge, and we can coordinate the crew around your building's rules.
Before a local or long-distance move
If you are driving yourself or following the truck, run through this the week before.
Vehicle check. Check tire pressure, coolant, oil and your air conditioning. Hot weather is hard on tires and batteries, especially on a loaded vehicle. A clean vehicle also makes the car's interior easier to keep cool, and it helps to understand washing a car in heat properly if you plan to detail it before handing it over or driving a long distance.
Route and timing. Highway 1 can back up quickly on summer weekends, and construction and weather-related closures show up on mountain routes. If you are heading to the Interior or Vancouver Island, check DriveBC conditions on the morning of travel and leave early. Allow for ferry reservations if you are crossing to the Island.
Fuel and water. Carry extra water for people and pets, and avoid running low on fuel in hot weather.
Keep valuables with you. Documents, jewellery, medication, laptops and chargers belong in your own vehicle, not on the truck.
Ask your mover the right questions. Is the quote an estimate or a firm price? What happens if the job takes longer? Is there a minimum number of hours? What does insurance cover, and what is excluded? Does the crew carry water and have a plan for heat warnings?
For distances beyond the Fraser Valley, our long-distance moving service covers moves within British Columbia. Advance coordination matters most on longer routes, so lock in your date early.
Common summer moving mistakes
- Booking at the last minute. You end up on the busiest day with the hottest start time.
- Starting loading at noon. The first hours of the day are the safest and most productive.
- Skimping on water and breaks. Tired, dehydrated helpers make mistakes and drop things.
- Forgetting heat-sensitive items. Melted candles and warped discs are avoidable.
- Leaving pets or children in the car. This is the one mistake that can be irreversible.
- Ignoring building rules. A missed elevator booking can stall your whole day.
- Doing too much yourself. Moving a house in July is hard physical work, and professional help usually pays for itself in time and energy.
Business and office moves in summer
If you are relocating an office, summer can be a good time because staff are often on holiday and schedules are lighter, but the same heat and booking rules apply. Plan the move in phases, label by department, and schedule IT and furniture disassembly early. Read about our commercial office moving and office movers services, and if your move involves a gap between leases, storage moving can bridge it.
Our perspective on summer moves
In our experience, the best summer moves are the ones that were planned before the heat arrived. Customers who call us early get the dates they want and the cooler hours of the morning, and that choice does more for safety than anything you can do once the truck is loaded.
We built our approach around clear communication and careful planning: a straightforward conversation about your inventory, your building, your stairs and your timing, so there are no surprises on the day. We think a mover should tell you what is realistic, including when to start earlier or shift a day for the weather.
Careful handling is the other half. Packing properly, protecting furniture and sorting what rides in the truck and what rides with you is what keeps a hot-weather move from turning into a stressful one. Whatever the size of the job, from a student apartment to a family home or an office, our goal is to make the process easier from the first call to the last box.
Jack W.
Book your summer move with 2 Friends Trucking & Moving
We provide residential, commercial, local and long-distance moving across Abbotsford, Mission, Maple Ridge and Langley, with packing, loading and unloading, furniture moving and storage moving available alongside. Tell us your date, your building and what needs to go, and we will plan the day around the heat.
Request a quote on our moving services page or reach us through the contact page, and check availability for your preferred dates early.
FAQ
How far ahead should I book movers for a summer move?
Booking six to eight weeks ahead is commonly recommended, and earlier is better for peak dates such as month-end weekends and holiday long weekends. Booking early preserves your choice of date, crew and start time. If you are inside that window, call anyway, since mid-week and mid-month dates are often easier to find.
What is the best time of day to move in summer?
Early morning. Starting at or near sunrise hours means the heaviest loading is done before the afternoon heat. Save lighter tasks, cleaning and paperwork for later in the day, and take regular shade breaks with water throughout.
What should I do if someone gets overheated during a move?
Stop the work, move them to a cooler shaded spot and give them water if they are alert. Symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and headache are warning signs. For suspected heat stroke, call 911 immediately, as advised by CCOHS.
Can I leave my pet or child in the car for a quick run during the move?
No. Public Safety Canada and Health Canada warn never to leave children or pets in a parked vehicle, even on a moderately hot day. Arrange for a supervising adult at a cool location instead.
Sources
- Why booking early matters during Canada's busy moving season (Royal LePage)
- A successful move: Guide and key steps (CAA-Quebec)
- Hot Environments: Health Effects and First Aid (CCOHS)
- Extreme Heat: Get prepared (Canada.ca)
- Beat the heat (HealthLink BC)
- DriveBC