Going Down The Container Route

We’ve covered a few alternatives to self storage on this blog, be they tweaks or alternatives to the usual self storage model, or classic methods that will probably never die. One that we haven’t given credit to at this stage is using shipping containers for storage, which is an offer that comes up from time to time.

Although we are in the age of climate controlled inner city storage units, there is still some call for using containers left in the outdoors. Such a storage service is usually provided at cheaper rates and often found in more remote or unexpected locations, where land is cheaper to be used in this way rather than to have a multilevel storage approach. For many who do not live in cities and need a storage solution, it may be the most logistical solution to a self storage requirement.

The containers themselves we’ve all seen, more than tall enough to stand up inside and very long. So long in fact that you won’t be able to see at all what you’ve stored down the end, so a torch is imperative to take with you when using these. Since they are kept at ground level, loading them up is a matter of driving your vehicle right up the door, a luxury that many using multilevel storage warehouses are not going to have. The units are very well sealed, easy to keep locked up, and have a few other protective measures in place such as a raised floor which is useful if you are in an area prone to flooding or heavy rain. Since they are entirely self contained, there is no risk that any issue with another container is going to affect yours.

There are equally downsides to using this as your storage solution. You are not going to have the luxury of climate control, so should only be thinking about storing items that are going to be resilient to long periods of hot or cold, but they are designed to be left outdoors so are generally speaking weatherproof. Also you won’t have the luxury of choosing a unit size that exactly fits your needs, containers come in an almost uniform size, although some container storage suppliers have devised ways to partition for their customers with smaller space demands. However, with those provisos, they can be a feasible option for particular storage requirements and conditions.

Posted in: Storage Info