Best way to package a saddle?

I sold my saddle and am getting ready to ship it… So far I was thinking of ceram wrapping/bubble wrapping it to pretext from scratches and stuff, but padding for in the box? What have you done/seen? Pictures maybe?

When I had to ship my saddle to get a new tree put in they told me to just put it in a box with nothing else but a box that was the right size with the flaps folded down a bit. Went there and back that way with no damage. I know some new saddles ship with no padding as well.
Let’s see what others say.

I shipped mine in a small box, flaps folded in with just a little bubble wrap behind the cantle. I was worried about it getting tossed around but I was told it was in perfect condition upon arrival!

[IMG]http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah62/horselovelife/Mobile%20Uploads/05AE4CD6-DDE8-4812-AC29-058445BBE9B2_zpshkbwc97s.jpg)

Like this?? But in s box

Always wrap it in a plastic bag to prevent rubs. I also use some bubble wrap.

I have always used styrofoam that I have around the house to pad the pommel and the cantle, then bubble wrap around the rest of it.

I have always sent (and received–from reputable tack shops) saddles with just a couple layers of bubble wrap wrapped around from pommel to cantle and then another layer going across the panels.

We put padding, either bubble wrap, paper or some other stuff in the bottom, then put bubble wrap on cantle and pommel before putting the cover on. We put the saddle pommel down and sometimes just add a little padding if it is a small saddle so that it doesn’t move in the box. We don’t wrap the entire saddle in layers of wrap and don’t use peanuts! No one appreciates them.

[QUOTE=jaybird660;8011089]
We don’t wrap the entire saddle in layers of wrap and don’t use peanuts! No one appreciates them.[/QUOTE]

This!

I have wrapped the saddle in a garbage bag or large trash bag and then put it in the right size box and then draped some bubble wrap between the pommel and the box and the cantle and the box.

The bag over the whole thing both helps prevent rubs and also water damage if the box gets wet.

Ugh say no to peanuts. :lol:

Find the smallest box it will fit in, curve the panels down/around a bit, some bubble wrap around the bits that come in contact with the box to prevent rubs and off you go!

Oh and lots o’ insurance! :yes:

No peanuts. No garbage (yes, I’ve had boxes show up that looked like people cleaned out the barn garbage packing – dirty feed bags and random “packing materials” that I had to unpack outside and stuff in MY garbage can, which was annoying!).

To prevent rubs, I put the saddle’s cover on if it has one, or put in large plastic bag if it doesn’t have a cover. I’ll make sure the pommel and cantle have a layer of bubble wrap covering them. Use the smallest possible box - I think a 16x16x24 works for my jumps saddles and still falls under the UPS limit for extra charges for size (if you use a box that is too big, they charge you “dimensional weight” which makes the shipping charges go way up – you can find out the limitations on the UPS website). I also make sure the box is a good one, heavy cardboard and not the lightweight cardboard that crushes easily. I’ll add some of those puffy plastic packs saved from prior shipments to fill up the rest of the box to prevent the saddle from moving around. I also make sure I put the recipient’s address inside the box just in case the outside label gets ruined or falls off.

I’ve shipped saddles all over the country this way and they’ve all made it just fine. I tend to use UPS as I find they are the most reliable, but USPS can be cheaper. And I always insure.

If you have any old busted up pillows you were going to toss anyway… those can be nice padding in the box