Types of Self Storage

For an industry that emerged from nowhere with no inherent allure, no collective marketing savvy, and no tangible product to take home, the rental self-storage industry has piled up impressive numbers.

Fifty-thousand storage facilities now dot the American landscape, most of them austere, nearly windowless buildings wedged into commercial strips and industrial zones. That means the industry boasts more domestic locations than McDonald's, Subway and Jack in the Box combined.

Indoor self storage offers you a storage unit inside a building that might contain several floors of storage. These are the most likely to be climate control storage, but be sure to ask because not all indoor storage is heated and cooled. Most mini storage units are found in indoor storage facilities, too. The doors can be roll-up doors like a garage or ordinary doors. These have better security than drive-up and outdoor storage, and are good for people who need climate control storage or just prefer to house their items in an indoor setting, rather than a warehouse or garage-type storage unit.

Outdoor storage usually costs less than both indoor storage (which is the most expensive in almost all cases) and drive-up storage. You can rent storage units big enough for huge RV storage or small enough for a one-person recreational vehicle, like a motorcycle or four-wheeler. The might be covered with a carport, featuring cement or gravel floors. Security of the entire storage area is of utmost importance when you choose outdoor self storage.