PackingThe Durant · move-in Aug 10

The flat is furnished.
Buy the other 83 things.

Every item below is priced against what a 330 sqft furnished studio at 2631 Durant actually ships with — so nothing here duplicates the bed, the wardrobe or the fridge. Sorted into must buy, should buy, depends, and don't buy. Tick things off; the page remembers. 中文版在此.

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FIRST 48 HOURS

Land Aug 8–9, keys Aug 10.

Two full days of buffer before the move-in appointment is deliberate: it absorbs jet lag and a delayed bag. This is the order that works.

The sequence
  1. US eSIM live before you leave HKG — you need a number at SFO to summon a ride.
  2. Rideshare SFO→Berkeley with two suitcases, $40–70. BART is $11–14 and 54 min, but not on night one with luggage.
  3. Renters insurance bought and proof uploaded before keys, or Greystar auto-enrols you in their pricier plan.
  4. Confirm the move-in slot and the lift/loading booking with the leasing office.
  5. Keys. Then photograph every wall, the tub, the counter and the mattress before a single box opens — that is your deposit.
  6. Check the four verify on move-in items on this page before spending: microwave, TV, mirror, shower door.
  7. Target run (2187 Shattuck, 16 min walk): bedding, towels, toilet paper, bin, lamp, hangers, detergent. That is night one.
  8. Groceries the same day — Trader Joe's or Safeway. Cook something. Sleep.
  9. Day two: bank account (passport + I-20 + this address, no SSN needed), then the laundry app, then WARNME to 67283.
  10. Desk and task chair — the flat has neither. Not night one, but ordered or collected well before Aug 26. IKEA Emeryville or Amazon; measure the window wall first.
  11. Aug 19: off-campus GBO check-in at Lower Sproul — Cal 1 Card and a pre-activated Clipper/BayPass, both in one stop.
Where to buy it
ShopWalkWhat for
Target
2187 Shattuck		~16 minBedding, towels, lamp, hangers, kitchen basics, cleaning. The one trip that does 70% of this list.
Trader Joe's
1885 University		~30 min / busCheap real groceries.
Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St		~26 min / busProduce, the local legend. Worth the trip weekly.
Safeway
Shattuck		~20 minFull supermarket, late hours.
Student Food Collective
2440 Bancroft		~5 minTop-ups without the walk.
IKEA
4400 Shellmound, Emeryville		bus / BARTStorage, drying rack, cart — only if the flat needs it after unpacking.
Koreana Plaza 2370 Telegraph, Oakland
99 Ranch El Cerrito Plaza		BARTAsian groceries. There is no H Mart in Berkeley or Oakland — plan a trip, not a walk.
Amazon Hub Locker—Ship here, not to the lobby. Package theft is real; the building's parcel room is the other safe option.
The one mistake that costs money: buying Twin XL bedding. Every American college packing list says Twin XL because that is the dorm standard. The Durant's furnished bed is a full/double, 54 × 75 in. Twin XL sheets will not fit it.
The one that starts a fire: running a 220V Hong Kong kettle, rice cooker or hair dryer off a converter. Adapters change plug shape, not voltage. Buy heating appliances in the US; bring only 100–240V chargers.