Moving Guides
One Big Unit or Two Smaller Units?
Compare the real cost and convenience of renting one large unit vs. two smaller ones — then decide with confidence.
- Step 1Pick a footprint50 to 800 sq ft, one unit against two
- Step 2Answer six questionsHow often you visit, what you store, how long
- Step 3Get a verdictWith the reasons, and what you give up
Compare One Big Storage Unit With Two Small Ones
Choose a footprint. Both setups in each plan are drawn to the same scale, with the door wall along the bottom and the floor shaded darker the farther it sits from a door.
| Measure | One 10×20 | Two 10×10s |
|---|---|---|
| Floor area | 200 sq ft | 200 sq ft |
| Volume at an 8-ft ceiling | 1,600 cu ft | 1,600 cu ft |
| Door wall you load through | 10 ft | 20 ft (edge) |
| Farthest spot from a door | 20 ft | 10 ft (edge) |
| Average walk from door to item | 10 ft | 5 ft (edge) |
| Floor within 5 ft of a door | 25% | 50% (edge) |
| Storage width beside a 3-ft walkway | 7 ft | 7 ft |
| Widest open floor | 10 ft | 10 ft |
| Longest item that lies flat | 20 ft (edge) | 10 ft |
| Holds a typical car | Yes (edge) | No |
| Rentals to manage | 1 (edge) | 2 |
| Shrink by ending one rental | No | Yes (edge) |
Volume assumes an 8-ft ceiling, the minimum across our units. Average walk assumes items are spread evenly across the floor. A red dot marks the setup with the edge on each line.
Your verdict appears here
Answer at least three questions and the comparator will weigh access, fit, and flexibility for one 10×20 against two 10×10s.
Same Square Footage, Very Different Units
Two 10×10s and one 10×20 both give you 200 sq ft of floor and about 1,600 cu ft of space at an 8-ft ceiling. What changes is how you get to your things. Five differences decide it.
Door Wall
Every unit is loaded through its front wall. A 10×20 has one 10-ft front wall. Two 10×10s have two, for 20 ft combined. More door wall means more of your belongings sit where you can see and reach them without moving anything else.
Depth
The back wall of a 10×20 is 20 ft from the door. In a 10×10 it is 10 ft. The deeper the unit, the more you have to unload to reach whatever went in first. For load-and-leave storage that barely matters. For anything you visit, it matters every time.
Width
Splitting is not always better for access. Two 5×10s have exactly as much door wall as one 10×10, but each is only 5 ft wide. Leave a 3-ft walkway and about 2 ft remains for storage. A 10×10 keeps 7 ft beside the same walkway, so at 100 sq ft the single unit is easier to live with.
Long Items and Vehicles
A 10×20 lays items up to about 20 ft long flat and holds a typical car. A 10×10 fits nothing longer than about 14 ft, and only corner to corner. Vehicle storage also requires proof of current registration and proof of insurance, and door openings run 8-10 ft high, so measure tall loads before moving day.
Flexibility
Rentals are month to month. With two units you can end one rental when half your belongings leave and keep the other. With one big unit, shrinking means moving everything into a smaller unit.
Need to size the space first? The storage size calculator turns a room list into a recommended unit, and the size guides for the 10×10 and 10×20 show what fits in each.
When One Big Unit Is the Better Choice
- ✓You will rarely open it. A household in storage between homes, loaded once and emptied once, gains nothing from a second door.
- ✓Something is long or large. A car, a boat on a trailer, lumber, or a long sectional needs the depth only a 10×20 or 10×30 has.
- ✓You want one place for everything. One door, one lock, one rental to keep track of.
- ✓Everything leaves together. If it all moves out on the same day, the flexibility of two rentals never comes into play.
- ✓The alternative is two very narrow units. At 100 sq ft, one 10×10 beats two 5×10s on access.
- ✓You need wide open floor. A 20×20 holds items wider than 10 ft, and needs one walkway where two 10×20s need two.
When Two Small Units Are the Better Choice
- ✓You visit often. Weekly trips for tools, stock, or seasonal gear go faster when nothing sits more than 10 ft from a door.
- ✓Your things split into groups. Business stock in one, household in the other, and neither buries the other.
- ✓Part of it leaves early. Staging a home sale or a phased move? End one rental when that half goes and keep the other.
- ✓Only part needs climate control. Put temperature-sensitive items in a climate-controlled unit, which keeps temperatures stable, and the rest in a standard unit, where both are available.
- ✓Two people each want their own space. Each rental belongs to one person, so separate units in each person's name is the clean way to set it up.
What to Know Before Renting Two Units at 10 Federal
Every 10 Federal facility is fully contactless, so you rent online and handle everything on your own schedule. A few rules shape how a two-unit setup works.
- Each unit is its own rental. Month-to-month terms apply to each one separately, so you can end either rental without touching the other.
- One party per rental. There are no joint accounts or co-signers. Two people who each want their own storage each rent in their own name.
- A protection plan is required at checkout. Each rental carries its own plan, so plan for two if you rent two units.
- A free lock comes with every move-in. Each unit gets its own lock.
- Side by side is not guaranteed. Units are rented from what is available, and two units may sit in different rows or buildings. If adjacency matters, ask our friendly customer support team before you rent.
- Mixing unit types works where both exist. A climate-controlled unit for temperature-sensitive items and a standard unit for the rest is a sensible split.
- Access is 24/7 at nearly all facilities. A second unit means a second door to open, not a second trip.
How to Load Each Setup
Loading One Big Unit
- 1.Load the back third with what you will not need until move-out: furniture, archived boxes, anything heavy.
- 2.Keep a walkway about 3 ft wide down one side so the back stays reachable without unloading.
- 3.Put everything you expect to need in the first 5 ft inside the door.
- 4.Stand long items against a side wall rather than across the walkway.
Loading Two Units
- 1.Make one the deep unit and one the everyday unit. Pack the deep unit tight and leave the everyday unit loose.
- 2.Label every box with its unit as well as its contents, so nothing ends up in the wrong one.
- 3.Keep a simple list on your phone of what lives where.
- 4.If one unit will empty early, load it with exactly the things that are leaving.
Want to see it before you load it? The storage unit layout planner draws a to-scale loading plan for 14 unit sizes.
Ready to See What Is Available Near You?
Check live availability for either setup. Every rental is month to month, with a free lock at move-in.
A 5×5 or 5×10 is a small unit. A 10×10 is a medium unit. A 10×15 and anything larger is a large unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
On paper, yes. Both give you 200 sq ft of floor and about 1,600 cu ft of space at an 8-ft ceiling. The difference is access: two 10×10s have 20 ft of door wall and nothing more than 10 ft from a door, while a 10×20 has 10 ft of door wall and a back wall 20 ft in. The 10×20 is the one that holds long items and vehicles.
Sometimes, but it is not guaranteed. Units are rented from what is available at each facility, and two units may sit in different rows or buildings. If side by side matters to you, contact our friendly customer support team before you rent.
Each rental belongs to one person, and we do not offer joint accounts or co-signers. If two people each want control of their own storage, the simplest setup is two units, each rented in its own renter's name.
Yes. A protection plan is required at checkout on every rental, so each unit carries its own plan.
No. A 10×10 is 10 ft deep, shorter than almost any car. The 10×20 is the smallest unit that holds a typical car. Vehicle storage requires proof of current registration and proof of insurance, and you should measure the vehicle against the door opening before you rent.
A 10×30 is one rental, one door, and lays items up to 30 ft long flat. A 10×20 plus a 10×10 doubles the door wall, keeps everything within 20 ft of a door, and lets you park a vehicle in one unit while boxes stay reachable in the other. If you will open the unit often, the pair is easier to live with.
Yes, where both unit types are available at the same facility. Climate-controlled units keep temperatures stable, so a split setup puts temperature-sensitive items in one unit and everything else in a standard unit.
Yes. Rentals are month to month, so you can end either rental on its own at any point. You move the belongings yourself, on your own schedule, with 24/7 gate access at nearly all facilities.
For access, usually yes. Two 5×5s give you 10 ft of door wall and nothing more than 5 ft from a door, while a 5×10 is a 5-ft-wide unit with its back wall 10 ft in. The 5×10 is the one to pick for anything longer than about 5 ft, like a bike or a queen mattress, or if you will load it once and leave it.
Both give you 400 sq ft, 20 ft of door wall, and a back wall 20 ft in, so the difference is width. A 20×20 is one open room: one walkway reaches the back, and items wider than 10 ft fit. Two 10×20s each need their own walkway, but they give two vehicles their own doors and let you end one rental while keeping the other.
Both work, since business storage starts at 10×10. If you pull stock or tools every week, two units keep more of it near a door. If you store pallets or long materials, one deep unit is easier to load. The business storage calculator can size the space first.