What size storage unit do you need? A room-by-room guide

The quickest way to choose a storage unit size is to list what you’re storing, then match it to a room you already know. A 5×10 holds about a large walk-in closet, a 10×10 about one bedroom of furnishings, and a 10×20 about a one-car garage. If you land between two sizes, take the bigger one: you’ll want a walkway, and a second trip costs more than the difference.

Start with a list, not a guess

Most people pick a unit by gut feel and end up with the wrong one. Ten minutes with a notepad fixes that.

Walk through the house and write down:

The big pieces: beds, sofas, dressers, tables and appliances. These decide the size more than anything else.
The awkward ones: a treadmill, a piano, a desk that doesn’t come apart.
A rough box count. Guess, then add a third. Everyone underestimates boxes.
Anything long or tall: rugs, lumber, ladders, headboards.

Then mark what needs climate control, because that can decide which kind of unit you rent, not just how big it is.

The sizes, in things you already own

Here’s how each size compares to a space you’d recognize:

5×10 — a large walk-in closet. Boxes, seasonal décor, a mattress set, small furniture and tools. Good for clearing a spare room or holding the overflow from a move.
9×10 — a small bedroom. A studio or dorm’s worth: a bed, a dresser, boxes and a bike or two.
10×10 — one bedroom of furnishings. A one-bedroom apartment’s worth, with major appliances, bikes and a boxed-up kitchen.
10×15 — a one-bedroom apartment. Furniture, appliances and boxes from a small home, plus a mower.
10×20 — a one-car garage. A full two- or three-bedroom home, or a vehicle plus boxes.
10×25 — a deep one-car garage. A three- or four-bedroom home, or a vehicle with room left over. It opens at both ends with two roll-up doors, so bring two locks.

Why you should size up

If you’re between two sizes, go up. It almost always pays:

You need a walkway. A unit packed wall to wall means unloading half of it to reach one box. A path down the middle keeps everything reachable.
Boxes multiply. The count on moving day is always higher than the one you guessed.
A second trip costs more. A slightly bigger unit almost always costs less than hauling the leftovers back home, or renting a second unit.
Wrapped furniture is bigger. A sofa that fits on paper takes more room once it’s padded and covered.

Climate controlled or drive-up?

Size is only half the decision. The other half is what kind of unit.

Non-climate units are ground-floor, drive-up units with roll-up doors, so you back the truck to the door and unload straight off the tailgate. They come in 10×10, 10×15, 10×20 and 10×25. They’re fine for lawn and garden equipment, tools, patio furniture, sports and camping gear, construction materials and short-term moving overflow.

Climate-controlled units are interior units held in a managed temperature range year-round, in 5×10, 9×10, 10×10, 10×15 and 10×20. Through a Magnolia summer, that’s what upholstered and wood furniture, electronics, photos and documents, musical instruments, artwork, leather and antiques need. A closed metal unit gets hot, and the humidity swings with every storm.

If most of your list is in that second group, a smaller climate-controlled unit is often a better fit than a big drive-up one. The climate control guide goes through what needs it and what doesn’t.

Packing so it all fits

How you pack can save you a full size:

Stand mattresses and sofas on end to free up floor space.
Take the legs off tables and wrap them together.
Stick to a few box sizes so they stack square and stable.
Put heavy boxes on the bottom and light ones on top.
Load what you’ll need least at the back, with labels facing out.
Leave a walkway down the middle, and don’t stack anything higher than you can safely lift back down.

Check what you can’t store before you pack, too. Fuel, chemicals, food and anything living stay out, and mowers and generators need their fuel drained and battery disconnected first.

Still not sure?

Describe what you’re storing to the office and they’ll help you size it, or compare every size side by side on the storage units page. Once you know what you need, you can rent online at any hour, and your gate code comes with the rental, so moving in the same day is no problem.