Master Your Move: The Ultimate Stowey Guide to Perfect Packing

Moving furniture is one of those experiences that looks simple until it isn't. You measure your IKEA sofa. You eyeball the boot. You think "yeah, that'll fit." Then you're in the car park, the box is 10cm too long, and delivery costs more than the sofa itself.

Stowey was built to eliminate that moment entirely. It combines accurate real-world package dimensions from major retailers — IKEA, Bunnings, Wayfair, Ashley Furniture, Harvey Norman, Best Buy, Lowe's, and more — with your car's actual boot measurements to give you a definitive answer: will it fit?

Unlike a simple calculator, Stowey runs a full 3D packing simulation, visualises the load, and even suggests the optimal loading order so nothing gets crushed and everything makes it home safely.

Start by picking the retailer you're shopping from. Stowey has dedicated pages for each major store, each pre-loaded with hundreds of real product dimensions — the box dimensions, not just the assembled size.

Not shopping from a specific retailer? Head to the Trip Planner where you can enter any custom item dimensions — perfect for moving house or transporting gear that wasn't bought at a listed store.

This is where Stowey really shines. Most online calculators assume a fixed boot size. Stowey knows that your actual usable cargo space changes dramatically depending on how your seats are configured.

Once your car is configured, start building your load. You have two ways to add items:

You can mix and match — add a BILLY bookcase from the IKEA catalogue alongside a custom-measured vintage lamp and a bag of sports gear. The simulator handles them all together.

This is the payoff. Hit Calculate and Stowey's packing engine goes to work. Within seconds you get:

• Fit/No-Fit result: A clear verdict — everything fits, some items don't fit, or you need to reconfigure.
• Animated 3D visualisation: Watch items pack into your boot in real time. Each item appears in sequence, showing exactly how the space fills up.
• Optimal loading order: Items are listed in the order you should load them — heaviest and largest first, fragile items last. No guesswork.
• Volume utilisation score: See the percentage of your boot space used and how efficiently your items are packed.

Watch your items pack into your boot in real time — the 3D visualisation updates as you adjust your load.

If some items don't fit, Stowey doesn't just tell you — it shows you which items are the problem and suggests alternatives: fold more seats, remove a smaller item to make room, or see whether a second trip makes sense. It even links to van hire options if you need more space entirely.

Buying from a single retailer is one thing. Moving an entire house is another. The Stowey Trip Planner is built specifically for multi-item, multi-room moves where the items come from everywhere — your bedroom, the garage, that mystery cupboard under the stairs.

Our packing engine handles the maths, but loading a real car has safety considerations too. Here's how to combine Stowey's output with smart real-world technique:

Don't just take our word for it — here's what Stowey users have shared with us:

Sometimes no amount of seat-folding or Tetris-level packing will get everything in one trip. Stowey integrates with van and car hire options so you can find the right-sized vehicle for the job — without leaving the app.

If Stowey's packing simulation tells you items won't fit, it will suggest the minimum vehicle upgrade you'd need — whether that's a larger SUV, a station wagon with seats flat, or a cargo van. From there, you can compare hire prices directly and get on with the job.