Every Army soldier who has gone through a PCS move knows the reality: orders come, timelines shift, and housing at the gaining installation is rarely ready when you need to be out of the losing one.
TMO handles the big stuff — household goods, furniture, officially authorized weight allowances. But there’s always a category of personal items that falls outside the official move: the things you’re hand-carrying, shipping yourself, or storing in between. That gap is where most of the stress lives.
Ship2Storage fills that gap. Per-box storage, nationwide delivery, no truck rental, no self-storage unit tied to a city you’re leaving. Your boxes go in, and they come out wherever the Army sends you next.
Why PCS Moves Are Never Simple
A PCS move involves more moving parts than most people outside the military realize. You have report dates, clearing dates, final out appointments, TMO scheduling, DPS (Defense Personal Property System) coordination, temporary lodging, and housing wait lists at the new duty station — all happening simultaneously, often with little notice.
The personal property piece — the stuff you’re managing yourself outside of the official household goods shipment — often gets the least planning and causes the most last-minute stress. You’re trying to close out your current duty station while planning your arrival at the next one, and your boxes are caught in the middle.
What TMO Covers (And What It Doesn’t)
The Transportation Management Office manages your official household goods shipment, which covers furniture, appliances, and other items up to your authorized weight allowance based on rank. TMO also coordinates Non-Temporary Storage (NTS) for long-term storage during unaccompanied tours or overseas assignments.
What TMO doesn’t cover: items you’re moving yourself, personal property you want to store independently during a housing gap, boxes of belongings that don’t fit the official move timeline, and anything you need flexible access to during the transition. That’s the category Ship2Storage handles.
The Personal Property Gap in Every Army PCS Move
Here’s the situation that comes up constantly: your out-processing date is set, your housing at the new installation isn’t available for three weeks, and you’re living in a hotel room with your family. Your household goods shipment is somewhere in transit. And you have a collection of boxes — clothes, personal items, gear, kids’ stuff — that don’t fit neatly into temporary lodging.
Or the reverse: you arrive at the new duty station before your household goods do. You’re in temporary housing with whatever you could carry. Everything else is in a shipment that’s running behind.
Ship2Storage gives those boxes somewhere to go. Ship them before you leave, store them during the gap, get them delivered to your new address when housing is ready.
What Army Families Typically Store Between Duty Stations
The items that end up in Ship2Storage during a PCS move are typically the ones that are too important to leave behind but too inconvenient to manage through the official move:
- Off-season clothing and extra uniforms
- Children’s toys, books, and school supplies
- Personal electronics and hobby equipment
- Sentimental items and family keepsakes
- Kitchen items and small appliances
- Sports and outdoor gear
These items don’t need a storage unit at your current duty station — they need a holding place while you’re in transit.
When Your Housing at the New Duty Station Isn’t Ready
On-post housing wait lists are real. At many installations, wait times for on-post family housing can run several months. Off-post rentals often require a Social Security number, local rental history, and a lease start date that may not align with your arrival.
During that wait, you’re in temporary lodging — hotel rooms or TLE (Temporary Lodging Expense) housing that doesn’t have room for boxes. Ship2Storage stores your personal items until you have a permanent address, then delivers when you’re settled.
SCRA Protections and Your Storage Options
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides some protections around lease termination and storage contracts, but traditional self-storage agreements can still create complications during a PCS — especially if your orders change or your timeline shifts.
Ship2Storage has no long-term contract. You store month to month, with no penalty for changing your delivery address or timeline. When orders change — and in the Army, they do — your storage arrangement adjusts with them.
FAQ
Is Ship2Storage approved for military use?
Ship2Storage is a civilian storage service available to anyone, including military members. It is not part of the official DPS or TMO system, but it fills a gap that those systems don’t address — personal items moved and stored outside the official household goods shipment.
What if my PCS orders change after I’ve shipped?
You can update your delivery address any time in your Ship2Storage account. If your gaining installation changes or your timeline shifts, your boxes adjust with you. Nothing ships until you confirm.
Can my spouse manage the storage account while I’m in transit?
Yes. Your account can be accessed by whoever you designate. Many Army families have the spouse or family member handle the Ship2Storage logistics while the soldier manages out-processing.
How does pricing compare to a storage unit near the old duty station?
Self-storage units near installations can run $100 to $200 per month. Ship2Storage charges per box, so you only pay for what you store. For most soldiers storing five to ten boxes, the cost is comparable or lower — without the need to drive to a facility or arrange local transportation.
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