With its year-round gorgeous weather, it’s no wonder that San Diego is a popular place to live. Referred to as the birthplace of California, the city’s historical roots run deep. Whether you’re civilian, military or a business, you could use a San Diego self storage unit if you recently moved to the city. Before diving into the actual storage units that you could rent, we looked into a series of criteria that you should consider when browsing for self storage from locations to different facilities and types of amenities.
Here are some aspects that might help guide you in your search for the right storage facility for you:
1. Start With Location
With self storage, one of the most important criteria you will want to take into account is location. Make sure you pick a facility that is situated in your neighborhood or one that happens to be on your commute route to make sure you can get to your storage unit hassle-free. A lot of storage facilities are located close to highways or main roads for the convenience of customers.
2. Types of Storage
As you browse for a storage facility, consider which items you need to keep away from your home. Once you have made that decision, it’s easy to decide which type of facility you’re going to need. Here’s a list of types of storage you can choose from:
- Residential Storage
This is the most common type of storage and it includes general household items. Some of the items that are usually stored at a residential storage include appliances, furniture, books, seasonal clothing and decorations. Residential storage can also include mobile storage, which people sometimes find useful, especially when moving to a new home.
- Business Storage
This type of storage is used by businesses that typically need extra space to carry out their operations. Whether they store general supplies, extra stock or paper records, using self storage is a money-saver for many businesses.
- Other Storage
A range of different items can be found in this category, including boats, cars and RVs. As San Diego is a coastal city, many storage facilities provide temporary homes for boats in their units. This type of storage is popular in San Diego, which happens to have a a large naval fleet. Sailors and their families can also use self storage to keep either their small belongings or the bulkier ones such cars and RVs in storage.
3. Pick Either an Outdoor or an Indoor Unit
When it comes to the way you can access storage units, they can be divided into two types: either indoor or outdoor ones. With indoor units, you enter the facility building first, then you walk down a hall to your unit, whereas outdoor units can be accessed from the outside.
- Outdoor Units
Outdoor units come in handy when you need to store the entire contents of a room ar even a house. Also, they are typically used to store large pieces of equipment and tools, as well as RVs, cars, boats, and tractors. They come in different sizes such as 10×10, 10×15, 10×20 and 10×30 — with the last of these accommodating the larger pieces of equipment and vehicles. Doors on these units usually roll up like those those you find on a garage door. One of the perks of using an outdoor storage unit is that you can drive right up to its door. This way, you can easily load or unload your items larger items, for example furniture or appliances — when moving and make your trip to the storage facility as efficient as possible.
- Indoor Units
The main perk of renting an indoor unit is that it offers added protection from the weather for your stored belongings. Additionally, many indoor units offer climate control, which ensures that your items won’t suffer any damage as a result of temperature fluctuations and high humidity conditions. Dollies and other moving equipment might be available to help you move your items from your vehicle to the unit.
4. Find the Right Storage Unit Size for Your Needs
Make sure you pick a storage unit that is large enough for your belongings. If you’re only storing seasonal decorations, garden tools or a small piece of furniture, an extra small unit (5×5) will suffice for you. If your storage needs include a large piece of furniture and some boxes, you should look into renting a small storage unit (5×10). For an extra bed or a couch, you might need a medium unit (10×10). Now, other house furnishings and appliances belonging to an average 1,500-square-foot home could fit inside a large unit (10×20). As you can imagine, the larger the item, the larger the unit has to be in order to accommodate it. Therefore, a jumbo unit (10×30) is best suited to accommodate pickup trucks or RVs.
5. Amenities Are Essential Too
Besides location, facility type and size, amenities are another aspect you should consider when deciding which facility offers the kind of storage you need. Here are a few amenities that storage facilities might offer:
- Climate Control
Climate-controlled units offer the ideal conditions for heat- and humidity-sensitive items. Consider renting one if you plan on storing clothes, electronics, metal appliances and wood and paper products. It’s especially important that you choose climate control in a hot city such as San Diego, not only during the summer months but also during the rest of the year to protect your belongings from any kind of humidity-related damage.
- Security
As many storage facilities make security a top priority, you will notice that they might have a keypad entry system in place which ensures that only authorized personnel and customers can access the premises. Additionally, for your peace of mind, a surveillance system is a pretty standard practice among storage facilities, adding an extra layer of protection to the stored belongings.
- Round-the-Clock Access
If having access to your belongings is essential to you, make sure that your facility offers this feature. As each facility has their own rules, some might allow you enter at will, while others maintain a visiting schedule. If you’re interested in adding another user to your unit, make sure that the terms of the agreement allow you to grant access to other people if that would be helpful for you.
5 of the Best Properties in San Diego
Now that you’re familiar with some of the criteria you should consider before renting a self storage unit, here are some of the best facilities San Diego currently offers:
1. A-1 Self Storage – 1501 Frazee Road, San Diego, CA 92108 – 168,384 sq.ft.
The first facility to make our list is A-1 Self Storage, serving the Mission Valley East neighborhood. Located close to the junction of Murray Canyon Rd and Frazee Rd, the facility is only 10 minutes away from downtown San Diego.
The development occupies 5 acres and encompasses 168,382 square feet of rentable space. Customers pass through a gate before they reach the drive-up access. Both regular parking and RV parking are offered. For your peace of mind, a video surveillance system is in place. The six two-story buildings provide indoor units meant to better protect stored belongings.
This San Diego self storage facility offers small, medium and large units ranging from 12 square feet to 800 square feet. Rates for a small unit start at $43 while the cost of a medium unit can be as high as $225. Make sure to browse through the listings of this facility if it is close to your neighborhood.
2. Extra Space Storage – 3883 Sherman Street, San Diego, CA 92110 – 157,500 sq. ft.
A Midway District location, this Extra Space Storage facility is very close to the junction of Sherman St and Picket St and only a stone’s throw away from the Pechanga Arena.
Spread out over 2.6 acres, the facility encompasses 157,500 square feet of rentable space. The property can be entered through a gate, and it comes with drive-up access. Customers enjoy regular parking as well as RV parking. For the security of stored belongings, the facility also features a video surveillance system. The three-story building offers indoor storage units and can be accessed round-the-clock. An on-site manager is available to answer any storage-related queries. Additionally, the facility offers retail and truck rentals for customers that are moving to a new home.
Extra Space Storage – 3808 Cedar Street, San Diego, CA 92105 – 132,863 sq. ft.
This Extra Space Storage facility serves the Fairmount Park community and is a mere 8 minutes’ drive away from downtown San Diego. You can find it by Cedar Street with Parrot Street.
The property comprises 2.6 acres and encompasses a total of 157,500 square feet of rentable space. Amenities include drive-up access to a gated area and a parking area for customers. Additionally, the property also includes RV parking. The three-story building also features security surveillance and indoor climate-controlled units if customers need to store sensitive items. Truck rental is another feature that customers can benefit from when coming here. To better serve their storage needs, an on-site manager will be able to assist them as they access their units.
As you can find small, medium and large unit sizes at this facility — ranging from 20 square feet to 450 square feet — it is easy for customers to find the perfect fit for their storage needs. Moreover, rates start at $79 for a small unit and at $138 for a medium unit. Based on your storage needs and your budget, you are very likely to find the right fit if this facility happens to be located in your neighborhood.
4. Public Storage – 9890 Pacific Heights Blvd San Diego, CA 92121 – 131,814 sq. ft.
Located in the Sorrento Valley neighborhood, this Public Storage facility is only 8 minutes away from the University of California in San Diego. It is located at the junction of Pacific Heights Boulevard and Mira Mesa Boulevard.
The property occupies 3.3 acres and encompasses 131,814 square feet of rentable space.
Features include video surveillance and indoor storage units. The 3 three-story buildings also offer climate-control for those interested in this feature. Customers are able to address their storage concerns and questions to the on-site manager.
This facility offers different size options — small, medium and large self storage units are available. They range from 25 square feet to 300 square feet. Prices for a medium self storage unit start at $67, but if you’re looking for climate control, then rates for a small unit begin at $72.
5. Extra Space Storage – 8038 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126- 127,500 sq. ft.
The last facility to make our top 5 is another Extra Space Storage facility located in the Miramar neighborhood. The facility is close to the corner of Arjons Drive with Cabot Drive and is only 10 minutes away from the University of California at San Diego.
The facility covers 3.2 acres and encompasses 127,500 square feet of rentable space. Some of the features are drive-up access and a gated entrance. Additionally, regular parking and RV parking is also provided. For the peace of mind of their customers, the facility also offers security surveillance. The 5 two-story buildings provide indoor units, which are the better choice if you’re interested in protecting your belongings from the elements. For customers in the process of moving home, trucks rentals retail are available. An on-site manager will be able to assist current and prospective customers.
This facility offers small, medium and large self storage units which cover sizes from 20 square feet to 500 square feet. Rates for a small unit start at $45 for a small unit and at $143 for a medium unit. You will easily find the right fit for your storage needs with a large variety of unit sizes and price ranges.
Do you have any other storage-related questions for San Diego? Let us know in the comments section below.
