How much storage space do I need?
The first question everyone asks, and an easy one to get wrong in both directions. Here is how to think about it.
Start with the one question that decides it
Do you need to get at your things while they are in storage, or are you sealing the unit and coming back in six months? If you need access, plan for a walkway down the middle and leave a third of the floor open. If you are packing it once and leaving it, you can fill the unit to the door and go a size smaller. Everything else follows from that answer.
A rough guide by unit size
These are the standard sizes the storage industry uses, not a list of what we have open; call us for that. Sizes are given as floor dimensions in feet. Most storage units are about eight feet high, so the height is the free space people forget to use. Stack boxes, stand mattresses on edge, and put a table upside down on top of a dresser.
| Unit | Roughly the same as | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| 5 x 5 | A hall closet | Boxes, seasonal decorations, a bike, camping gear, a few small pieces of furniture. |
| 5 x 10 | A walk-in closet | The contents of a bachelor suite: a mattress set, a dresser, a small couch, boxes. |
| 10 x 10 | Half a single garage | A one-bedroom apartment, or a large appliance plus a room of furniture. |
| 10 x 15 | A large bedroom | A two-bedroom apartment or a small house, with appliances. |
| 10 x 20 | A single garage | A three-bedroom house, or a vehicle with room around it. |
| 10 x 30 | A garage and a half | A large house, or a contractor's tools and materials with room to work. |
These are working rules, not promises. A household with a piano, a sectional and a workshop needs more than the table says. Call us with a list and we will tell you honestly which of our lockers fits.
Three common mistakes
Renting too small to save money
A unit that is jammed to the door costs you every time you need one thing from the back. If you will visit more than twice, size up one step.
Renting too big out of caution
It is easy to overestimate. Measure your biggest three items, count your boxes, and remember how much height there is to stack into. A half-empty unit is money spent on air.
Forgetting the awkward items
Ladders, kayaks, a bed frame, a rolled carpet. Long items decide the shape of the unit you need more than the number of boxes does. A 5 x 10 takes a ten-foot ladder; a 10 x 10 does not, unless it goes on a diagonal.
What about the compound?
Outdoor spaces work differently. What matters is the length of the RV, boat and trailer, or container, plus the room the tow vehicle needs to swing it in. Give us the overall length including the hitch and we will place you where you can get in and out without a spotter.
Not sure? Call 250-443-0560 with a rough list and we will pick the size with you. Our units have level drive-up entry, so a hand truck does the heavy work. Half price on your first month for new rentals of up to four months.