For a move across town, we've started hiring movers every time - we're at the age where we can't really justify asking our friends to spend an entire day sweating just for pizza.

For a move across the country? There is zero chance I'd trust someone driving an 18 wheeler; too many friends have had their possessions disappear for weeks on end in a warehouse. If I were under a restriction similar to yours, I would rather move the boxes into the truck myself, and pay for the extra time it would take.

Which company did you use?

A small local company.

I also know many people who have seriously hurt themselves while helping friends moving - shot backs, destroyed knees.

I guess it is fine while you are still young and poor, and have few possessions. But as soon as you can afford it, you should pay the professionals to protect your friends from harm.

After our experience with a moving company: never again. We boxed it all. They grabbed boxes and larger items. They broke so many things. Took tires and seats off bikes that got lost, wrote our last name on some of our items, broke some furniture, and then couldn’t find a driver to get our stuff to our state for several weeks (3? 5? It feels like maybe longer but it was a couple years back). Tried to make a claim against them, but the way the contract was set up is that they could pretty much do as much damage as they could up to the deductible on the insurance and not have a thing to worry about. We thought of the $5k deductible as a guard against total loss (moving truck burns down or falls in a lake), but it was mostly a license for them to damage our stuff ip to $5k and force us to use their internal processes for claims which paid out a pittance compared to the damage.

I’ll pack and move all my stuff as long as I can. U-Haul ftw.

How much training and equipment do the professionals get?

More than friends and family. ;)

My wife worked for a company who did this. The packers were dedicated packers, it's what they did. The movers were dedicated movers, moving boxes and large furniture. They were able to do things we wouldn't have thought of - protecting corners and doorways. They also had all the equipment they needed to move heavy/awkward stuff.

I'll personally never move myself again - too much stuff that's still good and would cost too much to replace. And I'm getting too old to want to move a 3BR (aka 1 br and two offices) worth of stuff again. Standing desks are fscking heavy.

Yup. I was moved professionally once and I was amazed at how fast and efficient they were. They damaged a lamp and about 100 lbs in free weights were misplaced for a few weeks (they compensated me then found them later), but that was the extent of any problems I had.