Our First PCS: A DITY Move from Los Angeles to Vance AFB

In this post I’m going to get into the good, the bad, and the ugly of doing a DITY (do-it-yourself) move from Los Angeles to Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.

I’m writing this way after the fact, but figured this would be an informative read for my fellow military spouses out there who are gearing up for their own PCS. Apparently we are approaching or are already in PCS season, so hopefully this applies to someone somewhere!

What is a DITY?

Also known as a PPM (or “Personally Procured Move”), this is basically just a move where you do everything yourself (hence the original name). You book the U-haul; you figure out where to stay along the way; you pack it all up and drive it over to your new duty station; and finally you submit your receipts and mileage for reimbursement when you get there. And be sure you know how a truck scale works, because you’re paid based on the weight of what you move!

The alternative option is to have the military pay for professional movers to come pack up your stuff and have it delivered to your new home. All you have to do is get yourself there. Take a relaxing roadtrip through the country or maybe sip mai tais on a plane. While it may seem like a no-brainer to say no thanks to a DITY, there are a few perks to taking on the move yourself.

Pros of a DITY:

• You have complete control. No risk of movers breaking, losing or stealing your things. Or if you live in a house with other people, no risk of movers packing up their things by accident!
• You can make a nice chunk of change off a DITY move. In exchange for your blood, sweat, and tears, the military will pay you instead of paying professional movers. Within a few weeks of moving, you could be reimbursed thousands of dollars more than what you actually spent.
• You’ll have your stuff with you as soon as you get to base. I’ve seen some non-DITY folks wait more than a week before any of their stuff got to them. If you don’t DITY, definitely bring a suitcase with a week’s worth of necessities with you.

Cons of a DITY:

• You have to fork up thousands of dollars upfront and potentially wait several pay cycles before getting any of it back. You can try to estimate what you’ll make from the move here so that you know what your spending limits on trucks, hotels, etc., should be.
• It is hard. freakin. work. Military moves are stressful enough on their own, and sometimes the money just ain’t worth it. My true feelings on that below.

Disclaimer: This is just what I understand about the two options, but there are actually ways to do a partial DITY move and land somewhere in between. A little less work for a little less cash. Contact (or have your active duty spouse contact) the transportation office at your base for official information. Please do not use this blog as the only resource for your PCS!

Why did we DITY?

Great question! I still wonder if we made the right choice… and whether a DITY is the right choice will depend on several factors. Are you moving pets or young children? How many cars do you have? What types of towns are you moving from/to? How far is your new base assignment? Are you savvy enough to book trucks, hotels, etc. that will actually earn you a profit on the move? And most importantly, how much money is your time and energy worth? Are you the type of couple who laughs in the face of chaos and disaster, or will you be at each other’s throats after four days crammed in a U-haul?

After a lot of consideration, these were the top reasons we decided to go for it:

1. We didn’t have kids or pets at the time, so booking hotels and driving for hours on end would be simple and doable.
2. Coming from a tiny studio in LA, we didn’t have a ton of stuff, so the packing and loading wouldn’t be too laborious.
3. It wasn’t THAT long of a drive. (Update: 25 hours is, in fact, a long drive.)
4. We had just gotten married and needed all the extra cash we could get.
5. We were young and able-bodied… so why not?

I think we came away with ~$2500 in profit, but that’s in large part due to us staying in budget hotels and eating solely fast food for four days straight. We came out of it relatively unscathed thanks to the help of my father-in-law who graciously made the trip with us, but I’m not so sure I would do it again. As they say, money can’t buy happiness.

Don’t get me wrong, a DITY isn’t all bad. I got to spend quality time with my husband and father-in-law (thankfully I ❤ them both) and I kept my spirits up with my favorite true crime podcasts. And TBH I didn’t mind eating french fries four days in a row (I know I could have ordered a salad, but I didn’t, okay?!).

But before you think to yourself, “It must have been a fun road trip!” That’s what I thought, too. Alas, it was not to be. We had a U-haul truck with all of our earthly belongings with my husband’s car hitched behind it, which meant we were pretty much limited to truck stops for parking the thing. We also didn’t want to leave it unattended in strange new lands for longer than absolutely necessary. It contained ALL OF OUR THINGS!

Will we DITY again?

This all depends on where we get stationed next and when. If we get what we want and go overseas to Japan or Germany, a DITY won’t be an option, so that’ll be that. But if we get stationed somewhere stateside, I’ll have some conditions before I’ll agree to another DITY move.

We will probably DITY again if…

• The drive is less than ~15 hours. One night in a budget hotel with all of our belongings in the parking lot is enough, thank you.
• We don’t have kids (or any on the way). I already have pause over taking Mila, our 9lb. Maltipoo, on that long of a road trip, but babies or a pregnant bladder would be a definite dealbreaker. (I know many families do it with babies and more on the way — bless you and your warrior woman souls.)
• We have a house figured out before we move. When we got to Enid, we stayed in the base hotel for the full 10-day allowance while I scrambled to find a place for us to live. As a result, we had to unload the U-haul into a storage unit, just to load it back up and unload it at our apartment a week later. Thankfully we had classmates to help us out, but it was not fun. Not to mention it cost an extra couple hundred dollars!
• We’re not moving to a big city. The absolute worst part of our move was getting that U-haul and hitch through the streets of LA. We spent no fewer than 10 minutes just trying to get out of the U-haul parking lot, and that was with the help of a nice bicyclist who stopped to guide us. We broke parking laws getting it loaded up and I spent the day patrolling the truck to make sure we didn’t get a ticket. AND the biggest U-haul we could get wouldn’t fit all of our things, so we left behind a very nice couch and dining set to be sold off by our property manager.

Of course the decision to DITY or not to DITY is a completely personal one and varies family to family, and definitely changes based on life stage. I’d be interested to reflect back on this post in 10 years to see how my own views evolve.

Until then, happy PCS season, y’all!