The Packed Rabbit
What size storage unit do I need?
Start from your home, then change the counts to match what's going into storage. The unit fills as you go.
The app numbers each box with a photo of what's inside and can mark it as going to storage, so months later you know which box the winter coats are in without opening the unit. No account, and it works with no signal.
How this works
Each item has a typical size in cubic feet. They're added up, then 15 percent is added, because chair legs, table tops and odd shapes leave gaps. A unit holds its floor area times how high you can safely stack, about a foot under the ceiling. Keeping a walkway takes about a fifth of that. The answer is the smallest common unit that holds the total.
| Unit | Floor | Holds about |
|---|
These are common sizes, not a standard: the same name can mean a slightly different room at another facility, and ceilings vary. Measure the unit before you sign. If you're within about 10 percent of a unit's limit, take the next size up. The cubic feet per item, the 15 percent, the foot of headroom and the walkway share are our own estimates.
Before you sign
- Get the agreement in writing and read it. It sets what you can store, what the facility is responsible for, and what happens if a payment is late.
- You're responsible for what's inside. In Wisconsin, for example, the facility isn't liable for mold, mildew or pests unless the agreement says it is. Look for protection from theft, pests and water.
- Ask about insurance. Ask whether the facility offers coverage, and ask your renters or homeowners insurer whether your policy covers things in storage, and up to how much.
- Keep a list and photos, and keep the agreement and receipts somewhere other than the unit.
- A missed payment can end in a sale. In many states the facility holds a lien on what's stored from the start, can lock you out after a short grace period, and can sell the contents after written notices. The days differ by state: in Wisconsin a renter can be in default five days after payment is due; in Nevada, access can be denied after 10 days late and a lien notice can follow after 14. Paying what's overdue before the sale gets your things back.
- Tell the facility in writing if your address, email or phone changes, so those notices reach you. That's easy to forget in the middle of a move.
- A storage unit isn't a place to live. In Nevada it's against the law.
Sources: renting, insurance and late-payment rules from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Self-Service Storage and the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Self-Storage Units. Each state has its own self-storage law; check yours. Item sizes, unit sizes, headroom and the walkway share are our own typical figures. Not legal advice. Checked October 2026.
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