OCONUS PCS: what to pack in unaccompanied baggage
What goes in unaccompanied baggage on an overseas PCS, what can't, what to hand-carry instead, and how to live well until the rest arrives.
The BoxTrack team · · 5 min read
Week three in temporary lodging in Germany, and the family had a borrowed coffee maker, two loaner pots and a toddler sleeping in a hotel crib. The real crib was somewhere on a ship with the couch. It would have fit in the small shipment, and nobody had told them.
On an overseas PCS, unaccompanied baggage (UB) is the small shipment that's meant to reach you first. Your household goods take longer, and what you put in UB decides how the first weeks feel. Here's what goes in it, what doesn't, and what should never leave your hands.
What unaccompanied baggage is for
Your overseas move usually splits into pieces: what you carry on the plane, the UB shipment, and the main household goods shipment (and, for some families, storage back home). UB is for the things you'll need right away, before the household goods arrive. Military OneSource warns that household goods shipments can take weeks to months, so be ready to wait.
UB isn't extra weight. Military OneSource says it counts against your total weight allowance, the same allowance as everything else. Some overseas locations also have their own lower limits, which are listed in the JTR supplement on administrative weight allowance locations. Your orders and transportation office have your actual number, and our guide to the PCS weight allowance explains how it's set.
Plan around this
What goes in
Military OneSource lists clothing and personal items, small kitchen essentials, and collapsible items such as cribs, playpens and strollers. Ramstein Air Base's fact sheet adds cleaning supplies, linens, blankets and towels, books and toys for the kids, and baby furniture like a crib, playpen or walker.
A good test is a single question: what will you reach for in the first month?
- Clothes for the season you'll arrive in, and the next one
- Sheets, towels and pillows
- A few pots, a pan, knives and dishes for the family
- The crib, high chair or stroller, if they fold
- Work clothes and uniforms you won't carry on the plane
- A small toolkit, a shower curtain, cleaning supplies
- Toys, books and something familiar for each child
What can't go in
Military OneSource says furniture and major appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines, aren't allowed in UB. Those go with your household goods. There are no published size limits for individual items, but the point is to send what you need soon after arrival, not whatever was left over.
| Unaccompanied baggage | Household goods | Carry it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal clothes | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Folding crib or playpen | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sofa, beds, dressers | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Washer or refrigerator | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Orders and birth certificates | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Medications and chargers | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
What to hand-carry instead
Some things are too important for any shipment. Military OneSource's list of what to hand-carry includes your orders, birth certificates, medications and chargers, because shipments can be delayed or lost. Add passports, school and medical records, pet paperwork if your pet is coming, and anything you can't replace.
Check what the base will lend you
You don't have to ship a full kitchen. Military OneSource says you can usually borrow basics such as pots and pans, utensils and coffee makers from your installation's loan closet. Ramstein's lending closets offer cookware, dishes, utensils and some small appliances for up to 60 days, and it notes that temporary furniture is available until your property arrives, but linens aren't. So pack your own sheets and towels.
What's available varies by location. At USAG Daegu in Korea, Military OneSource notes that government furniture and appliances are provided, but the loan closet doesn't supply furniture, linens or pillows, so those belong in UB. Look up your new installation's page on Military OneSource, or ask the sponsor or the transportation office there what the loan closet carries.
Pack it so you can find things
UB often shows up in a handful of boxes while you're still in temporary housing, and you'll open it in a hurry. Pack by room or by person, not by whatever fit, and make a list of what's in each box. Our guide on what to unpack first helps decide what goes on top.
An overseas PCS, in three shipments
- Before packoutSort into UB, household goods, storage and carry-on
- UB pickupSeasonal clothes, linens, basic kitchen, baby gear
- HHG pickupFurniture, appliances and the rest
- Travel dayOrders, documents, medications and chargers with you
- First weeksLoan closet for the gaps; UB arrives
- LaterHousehold goods delivered; check every box
Know what went where
With three or four shipments heading in different directions, the hard part is remembering which one has the winter coats. BoxTrack keeps that list. Make a box in the app for each carton, snap a photo of what goes in, and AI lists the items for you to check. Tag each box for the shipment it's going in, print a QR label for it, and search "crib" to find which box and which shipment it's in. BoxTrack doesn't ship anything or file anything with the military; it's your own record. See how BoxTrack works for military moves, or start with the free PCS inventory checklist. Your first box is free.
If you're moving abroad as a civilian, our guide to sea containers vs air freight covers the same split.
Sources
- Military OneSource, Military PCS and moving FAQs
- Military OneSource, What to hand-carry when you move
- Military OneSource, USAG Daegu: household goods
- Ramstein Air Base, Unaccompanied baggage fact sheet
- Defense Travel Management Office, JTR supplement: administrative household goods weight allowance locations
This is general information, not official guidance. Shipment rules and weight limits come from the Joint Travel Regulations, your service and your new location, and they change. Confirm them with your transportation office before you pack.
