Storage

Storage Unit Size
Guide San Diego

The Basics

Sizes,
Honestly

Storage units are sold by floor area and used by volume, which is why people so often book one size too small. A ten by ten is a hundred square feet, but at eight feet of usable height it is closer to eight hundred cubic feet, and how much of that you can actually use depends entirely on whether you need to reach things. A unit packed solid to the ceiling holds nearly double what a unit with a walkway holds. Decide which one you need before you book, because that decision matters more than the dimensions.

Access halves your capacity

A unit you need to walk into holds roughly half what a solidly packed one holds. If you will be retrieving things, size up rather than planning to unpack the unit every visit.

Height is free capacity most people waste

Units are typically eight feet tall. Stacking properly, heavy low and light high, is what turns a small unit into an adequate one.

Furniture disassembly changes the size you need

Bed frames, table legs and shelving flat packed take a fraction of the space. This alone often drops you a size.

Ground floor and drive up cost more and are worth it

If you are moving in and out repeatedly, a drive up unit saves real time. If it is long term and untouched, upstairs is fine and cheaper.

Climate control matters for specific things, not everything

Electronics, timber furniture, artwork, documents and anything leather. San Diego is mild, but a metal unit in an inland valley in August is not.

Sizes

What Actually
Fits

5 by 5, about 25 sq ft

A large closet. Boxes, seasonal items, a bicycle, a small chest of drawers. Not a bedroom of furniture, despite what the size chart implies.

5 by 10, about 50 sq ft

A studio apartment’s worth if packed tightly, or a one bedroom’s overflow. Mattress on edge, boxes stacked, small furniture.

10 by 10, about 100 sq ft

A one bedroom apartment comfortably, or a two bedroom packed tight with no walkway. The most commonly booked size and the most commonly outgrown.

10 by 15, about 150 sq ft

A two bedroom home including appliances, or a three bedroom with disciplined packing. Room to reach most things.

10 by 20, about 200 sq ft

A three bedroom house, or a two bedroom with a garage worth of equipment. Roughly the footprint of a single car garage.

10 by 30, about 300 sq ft

A four bedroom house or a small business inventory. Uncommon in San Diego facilities and worth booking early where it exists.

Packing A Unit

How To Get More
Into Less

Disassemble everything that comes apart

Bed frames, table legs, shelving. Keep fixings in a labeled bag taped to the item itself, not in a communal box you will never identify.

Heavy and flat at the bottom

Appliances and boxes of books at floor level, lighter boxes above. Nothing heavy on top of anything upholstered.

Mattresses and sofas on edge

Vertical against a wall, on a protective cover. It frees a surprising amount of floor for the same volume.

Fill the inside of everything

Drawers, wardrobes, washing machines and fridges are all storage volume you are paying for. Use them, though leave appliances propped open and dry.

Leave a labeled aisle if you need access

Only if you genuinely will. Otherwise pack solid and gain the capacity, and be honest with yourself about which you are.

Local Notes

Storage In
San Diego

A few San Diego specifics are worth knowing. Coastal facilities in Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and along the coast run humid, so timber furniture, artwork and anything leather are better in climate control there than they would be inland. Inland valleys through El Cajon, Santee and Escondido get genuinely hot in summer, and a metal unit in August is hard on electronics, candles and anything with adhesive. Facilities near the coast and downtown price higher and fill faster, particularly in the summer moving season, so book earlier than you think you need to. Facilities inland are cheaper and more available but add drive time every time you visit. Our storage page covers what we offer directly, including storage between leases when your dates do not line up.

FAQ

Storage Unit Size Guide San Diego
Questions

What size unit do I need for a 2 bedroom?+

A 10 by 15 comfortably, or a 10 by 10 if you pack tightly and do not need to reach anything. If you have appliances or a garage worth of equipment, take the 10 by 15. The cost difference is usually far less than the cost of moving everything twice because you undersized.

Do I need climate control in San Diego?+

For most household goods, no. For electronics, timber furniture, artwork, documents, photographs, vinyl and anything leather, yes, especially inland where summer heat in a metal unit is significant, or on the coast where humidity is the issue.

Is a ground floor unit worth the extra?+

If you will be visiting regularly, yes. Carrying boxes up a flight or through a long corridor every visit gets old quickly. For long term storage you will not touch, upstairs is fine and cheaper.

How much can I fit in a 10 by 10?+

A one bedroom apartment comfortably, or a two bedroom packed solid to the ceiling with no walkway. The difference between those two is entirely whether you need access.

Can you move things into storage for me?+

Yes, and we can hold goods ourselves too, which is often simpler than renting a unit if the storage is temporary. Our storage service covers both short and long term, including delivery out of storage when your dates firm up.

Storage San Diego Local Moving Cost To Move Studio 1 Bedroom San Diego Junk Removal

Need Storage And A Mover?

One company for the move and the storage, with delivery out when your dates firm up. Free estimate and no deposit.

Call (858) 490-0155