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Storage Guide
Enclosed RV, Boat and Vehicle Storage: Which Unit Size Fits What
Full enclosure for a vehicle, sized by floor plan rather than by length. Which sizes take which rigs, why the door matters more than the unit, and when parking is the better buy.
Other Space Types
Standard Unit Sizes
Section 01
What Enclosed Vehicle Storage Is
An enclosed vehicle unit is a storage unit you drive into. Four walls, a roof and a roll-up door, rented by the month like any other unit and sized by floor plan rather than by length.
That last point is the difference between this and a parking space. Parking is sold by the foot: you tell us how long your rig is and you get a space that takes it. An enclosed unit is sold as 10 by 20 or 10 by 40, and you work out whether your vehicle fits inside those dimensions and, critically, through the door.
The Door Is the Constraint, Not the Unit
This is the single thing that catches people out, so it is worth stating before anything else. The roll-up door on an enclosed unit is lower and narrower than the unit behind it. A rig that fits the floor plan comfortably can still be too tall to get through the opening.
Measure the highest fixed point on your vehicle: air conditioner, radar arch, tower, roof rack, antenna or exhaust stack. Then confirm the door opening at the specific facility before you book. Interior dimensions alone will not tell you whether it goes in.
What Enclosure Actually Buys You
- Complete weather exclusion, including wind-driven rain, blowing dust and snow, which a covered space does not stop.
- No sun at all, which is the single biggest cause of cumulative damage to a stored vehicle: gelcoat, seals, tyres, decals and dashboards.
- Out of sight, which matters for anything valuable or distinctive.
- Room for everything else, covers, tackle, tools, spares and seasonal gear, on shelving around the vehicle.
- Optional temperature regulation, which no open or covered space can offer.
Section 02
Which Unit Size Fits Which Vehicle
Work from the overall length of your vehicle, measured including the trailer tongue and anything projecting at the back, then allow clearance to open a door and walk past.
Each of those links through to a full guide with the measurements behind it. If the rig is longer than about 38 feet, no enclosed unit we rent will take it and parking is the answer.
What We Need Before You Store a Vehicle
Storing anything you drive or tow carries requirements that storing boxes does not:
- Proof of current registration for the vehicle or trailer
- Proof of insurance
- Motorised vehicles must be operable and free of leaking fluids
- Towable units need not be operable. Travel trailers, fifth wheels, pop-ups and utility trailers are exempt from the operable requirement, since they were never self-propelled
Have the documents to hand when you rent. Our vehicle storage page covers the detail.
Section 03
When Parking Is the Better Buy
We would rather say this plainly than have you overpay. For a lot of people an enclosed unit is the wrong product.
Choose Parking Instead If
- Your rig is longer than about 38 feet, which no enclosed unit takes
- It is taller than the door opening, whatever its length
- You take it out most weekends and manoeuvring through a door every time will wear thin
- Cost is the deciding factor, since parking is materially cheaper
- You are storing a utility trailer or work vehicle where finish does not matter
Choose Enclosed If
- The vehicle is valuable, restored or distinctive
- It is going away for a season or longer
- You want gear, spares and covers stored with it
- You want the option of temperature regulation
- Dust and wind-driven weather are a real concern where you live
Our guide to RV, boat and trailer parking covers covered and uncovered options and how length-based sizing works.
How Renting Works, and One Thing We Cannot Do
Our facilities are fully automated and unstaffed. You rent online, your gate code arrives by email and text, and you go straight to the space. There is no office visit and no appointment, and nearly all locations have 24/7 gate access. Every rental is month to month with no long-term contract, and a protection plan is required at checkout at all of our facilities.
Because nobody is on site, we cannot accept deliveries on your behalf. If your plan depends on someone receiving a shipment, this is not the right fit, and it is better to know before you book. More on how our facilities operate is on the why choose 10 Federal Storage page.
Section 04
Preparing a Vehicle for Enclosed Storage
Enclosure removes the weather but not the chemistry. A rig sealed into a unit dirty and damp will come out worse than one parked outside clean and dry.
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Wash and Dry It Completely First
Salt, road film and bird mess etch paint and gelcoat over months, and enclosing them does not stop that. Dry the interior fully before the door closes on it.
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Handle Moisture Yourself, Because We Do Not
Climate control at our facilities means temperature regulation. It does not manage moisture, and an enclosed space with a damp vehicle in it is exactly where problems develop. Put desiccant in the cabin and every sealed compartment, and leave interior lockers ajar so air can move.
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Fuel, Fluids and Battery
Stabilise or drain the fuel depending on the storage period, fix any leak before arrival since leaking vehicles cannot be stored, and disconnect or remove the battery.
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Tyres and Weight
Inflate to placard pressure or a little above. Out of the sun, sidewalls fare better than they would outside, but flat spots still form on a rig that sits for months.
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Seal Against Pests
An enclosed unit is not pest proof. Remove all food, close vents and exhausts where safe, and do not leave soft furnishings loose.
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Measure Before You Arrive, Not After
Check the highest fixed point on the vehicle against the door opening figure from the facility. Arriving with a rig an inch too tall is a wasted day.
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Load the Gear First, Drive In Last
Shelving, covers and spares go in around the walls before the vehicle does. Reversing that order means moving the vehicle every time you need something.
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Photograph It and Record the Odometer
A dated set of photos and a mileage note on the day you store is worth having if a question ever arises.
Our full storage tips guide goes further on protecting furniture and preparing equipment for storage.
Enclosed RV, Boat and Vehicle Storage, Frequently Asked Questions
Up to about 38 feet of overall length, a 10x40 is the largest enclosed unit we rent. For a rig plus working room around it, a 20x40. Height decides more of these cases than length, because the roll-up door opening is lower than the ceiling, so confirm the door dimensions before booking.
Measure overall length including the trailer tongue, then add clearance. Up to about 28 feet, a 10x30 or 15x30. Up to about 38 feet, a 10x40. Boats with towers, arches or tall consoles are usually limited by door height rather than length.
A 10x20 takes compact cars, sedans and most mid-size SUVs. A 10x30 takes full-size trucks and SUVs with room to spare. For two cars side by side, a 20x20 or 20x40.
Because the roll-up door is lower and narrower than the unit behind it. A vehicle can fit the floor plan comfortably and still not pass through the opening. Measure the highest fixed point on the vehicle and confirm the door figure at the specific facility.
It protects more completely, against wind-driven weather, dust and view as well as sun, and it can be temperature-regulated. It also costs more, caps out around 38 feet, and adds a door to negotiate. For a valuable or long-stored rig it is worth it; for a trailer or work vehicle it usually is not.
Yes, the same as for parking. Proof of current registration and proof of insurance are required, and motorised vehicles must be operable and free of leaking fluids. Towable units do not need to be operable.
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons to choose enclosed over parking. Shelving around the walls holds covers, tackle, tools, spares and seasonal equipment alongside the vehicle.
It helps with interiors, electronics and finishes on a long-term or valuable rig. Note that our climate-controlled units regulate temperature only and do not manage moisture, so use desiccant inside the vehicle regardless of which unit type you choose.
No. A unit is for storage rather than premises, so no maintenance work, no utilities and no operating from the space. You can access it and load it.
No enclosed unit we rent will take it, and a parking space sized by length is the answer. Our parking guide covers covered and uncovered options.
Section 06
Where to Go Next
Our RV storage, boat storage and vehicle storage pages cover locations and current availability. This guide is about choosing the right size; those pages are where you book.
Find Enclosed Vehicle Storage Near You
Enclosed storage is the right choice when the vehicle is valuable, stored long term, or you want gear kept alongside it. It costs more than parking and caps out at around 38 feet, but nothing else keeps weather, dust and view off a rig as completely. Confirm the door opening before you book, because that is what decides whether your vehicle fits.
