Cargo-Packing Tips: How to Fit Holiday Gifts Into Your Car

CARS.COM — “How does Santa fit all of the presents for all of the world’s children in his sleigh?” one of my children asked recently. Although you’re not Santa (or, perhaps you are), your own car’s cargo space will get a lot of play during the holiday season, whether it’s multiple suitcases or gifts for your brood. To make the most of that space, we turned to UPS for cargo-packing advice.

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UPS is planning to deliver more than 630 million packages between Thanksgiving and Dec. 31, said Susan Rosenberg, public relations director for UPS. Short of Santa, UPS seems like the most qualified source to school us on packing cargo. Here are some of UPS’ best tips, modified for the average person and vehicle:

• Begin with a “cornerstone” package or suitcase and pack it on the cargo area’s floor as far forward as possible. These are the heavy, strong, stable ones that form a good foundation for all the other packages. Additionally, by placing these heavier items more forward in the cargo area you protect against any potential car-handling shifts that could be caused due to cargo weight.
• Stack packages in a series of walls or tiers, working from left to right and then building up right to left in an offset pattern. This process creates natural Ts in the walls that create stability and prevent things from flying around.
• Place irregularly sized packages or cases on the ends of the cargo space.
• Place small, lightweight bags and packages at the top of your “shelves” (make sure they’re secure so they don’t go flying around) or use them to fill in empty spaces around the tiers if they’re not breakables.

Be sure to steer clear of stacking your cargo so high that you block your rear view. And if you keep an emergency kit or any other potentially necessary items in your cargo space, be sure not to bury them in the cargo area.

Rosenberg said UPS provides 30 days of training for proficiency in its packing process, so give yourself a little time. With practice, we may soon all be nearing the heights of Santa and UPS workers everywhere.