How to size a storage unit
Cubic feet, not just floor area
Storage units are sized by floor area, but capacity is the cube. A 5″×10″×8″ unit holds 400 cubic feet — about a small bedroom. A 10″×10″ holds 800 cu ft (a one-bedroom). A 10″×20″ holds 1,600 cu ft (a 2–3 bedroom home). Climbing the stack uses overhead room that's otherwise wasted.
Match the size to the contents
5×5: closet contents, seasonal items. 5×10: studio apartment + small furniture. 10×10: 1-bedroom apartment with mid-size furniture. 10×15: 2-bedroom apartment. 10×20: 3–4 bedroom home. 10×30: full home + vehicles.
Access matters
A bigger size is only useful if you can reach what you put in it. Leave a centre aisle when packing the unit so you can reach the back wall. Label boxes on multiple sides. The back third of any unit you can't walk into becomes effectively inaccessible — whatever lives there gets forgotten.
Common mistakes
- Picking by floor area when volume is the real constraint.
- Stacking dense items at the back of a long unit and never being able to reach them again.
- Forgetting overhead clearance — some boxes and bins are taller than they look stacked.