transport tube amp

I have transported my tube amps with the driver tubes in my car on the highway after I have packed them in the original boxes. You can transport the amp with tubes for any distance as long as the roads are not crater filled and have many potholes to cause excessive unsettling. Packed in the original box with foam should be more than adequate for normal auotmobile transport. Hauling in a U-Haul would make me cringe.

Ciao,
Audioquest4life

The safest method is to pack the tubes separately.

I've shipped tube amps successfully several times and always remove the tubes and pack them separately.

I agree with Audioquest4life that original boxes are good to have, because they prevent the amp from moving around inside the box but I would add a layer or two of bubble wrap for shock absorption, even if it means double-boxing and having the bubble wrap between the two boxes. The rigid foam that is common in manufacturer's boxes will protect from one impact but it gets crushed in the process. It doesn't really provide any absorption of vibration like bubble wrap or resilient foam.