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Storage Guide
RV, Boat and Trailer Parking: Covered, Uncovered and Enclosed Compared
Parking is sized by length, not by floor plan. Here is how covered, uncovered and enclosed storage differ, what each protects against, and what we need before you park.
Other Space Types
Standard Unit Sizes
Section 01
How Vehicle Parking Is Sized
The first thing to understand is that parking does not work like a storage unit. A unit is sold by floor plan, 10 feet by 20. A parking space is sold by length, because length is the only dimension that usually decides whether your rig fits.
That matters practically. When you book a unit you check two dimensions and a door opening. When you book a space you check one number against one number, and the number you need is the overall length of what you are parking, not the manufacturer's model length.
Measure the Whole Thing, Including the Tongue
This is where people get caught out. A boat advertised as a 24-footer sits on a trailer whose tongue adds two to four feet, and a bow pulpit or an outboard bracket adds more at the other end. A 24-foot boat is routinely 29 feet of parking.
Measure from the furthest point at the front, usually the trailer coupler, to the furthest point at the back, usually the engine or swim platform. That figure, rounded up, is the space you need. Book short and you will be turned away at the gate.
Rough Guide to Overall Lengths
These are typical ranges rather than promises. Measure yours.
Section 02
Covered, Uncovered and Enclosed Compared
There are three ways to store a vehicle with us, and they protect against different things. Choosing well is mostly a question of what you are actually worried about.
Uncovered Parking
An open, surfaced space inside the gated perimeter. The most affordable option and the easiest to get in and out of, particularly with a long rig you would rather not reverse under anything.
Protects against: theft and casual access, through gated entry, lighting and camera coverage.
Does not protect against: sun, hail, rain, snow, tree debris or bird damage.
Best for: trailers, work vehicles, boats in regular seasonal use, and anything where cost and access matter more than finish.
Covered Parking
A roofed space, open at the sides, available at select locations. The middle option, and for most RV and boat owners the sensible one.
Protects against: direct sun, which is what degrades gelcoat, seals, tyres, decals and dashboards faster than anything else, plus hail, rain and falling debris.
Does not protect against: wind-driven rain, blowing dust or temperature swings.
Best for: RVs, boats and trailers stored across a season, especially anywhere with strong summer sun.
Enclosed Storage Is a Different Product
An enclosed unit is a building with a door, not a parking space. It protects against everything a covered space does plus wind-driven weather, dust and casual view, and it can be temperature-regulated.
It also costs more, is sized by floor plan rather than length, and introduces a door opening that is lower and narrower than the unit itself, which is what actually rules out most tall rigs. If enclosure matters to you, read our guide to enclosed RV, boat and vehicle storage before booking, because the door is the constraint that catches people out.
Which One to Choose
Section 03
What You Need Before You Park
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.
What Cannot Be Stored
- Vehicles that are not operable, if they are motorised. Towable units are exempt.
- Anything leaking fluids. Fix it before it arrives.
- Unregistered or uninsured vehicles, including project cars awaiting registration.
- Vehicles used as accommodation. Nobody may live in, sleep in or occupy a stored vehicle.
- Loose fuel, propane cylinders or hazardous materials stored separately from the vehicle's own fitted tanks.
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
How to Prepare a Vehicle for Storage
A rig that sits for a season without preparation costs more to recommission than the storage cost. The list below takes an afternoon.
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Clean and Dry It Completely, Inside and Out
Wash off salt, road film, bugs and bird mess, all of which etch paint and gelcoat over months. Dry the interior fully and leave nothing damp on board, because a sealed damp interior is where the worst problems start.
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Deal With Fuel and Fluids
Top up the fuel tank to limit condensation and add stabiliser, or drain it, depending on how long you are storing. Check coolant and engine oil, and fix any leak before arrival rather than after.
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Look After the Battery
Disconnect it, remove it, or fit a maintainer if power is available. A battery left connected through a season is usually a battery you replace.
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Inflate the Tyres and Take the Weight Off Where You Can
Set tyres to the pressure on the placard or a little above, since they lose pressure over months. Flat spots form when a rig sits on soft tyres for a long time. Covers help on uncovered spaces where sidewalls face the sun.
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Close It Up Against Pests
Rodents are the most common source of serious storage damage. Remove every scrap of food, seal openings, and close vents and exhausts where you safely can.
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Handle Moisture Yourself
Put desiccant inside the cabin and any sealed compartment. Covered and enclosed storage keep weather off, and temperature-regulated units regulate temperature, but none of them manage moisture inside your vehicle. That part is yours.
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Fit a Cover That Breathes
A breathable cover on an uncovered space is worth the money. A plastic tarp is worse than nothing, because it traps moisture against the finish.
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Photograph It and Note the Odometer
Take a set of photos and record the mileage and hours on the day you park. If a question ever arises you will want a dated record.
Our full storage tips guide goes further on protecting furniture and preparing equipment for storage.
RV, Boat and Trailer Parking: Covered, Uncovered and Enclosed Compared, Frequently Asked Questions
By overall length rather than by floor plan. Measure from the furthest point at the front, usually the trailer coupler, to the furthest point at the back, usually the engine or swim platform. Round up, because a boat advertised as 24 feet is routinely 29 feet on its trailer.
Uncovered is an open surfaced space inside the gated perimeter. Covered adds a roof, open at the sides, which is what protects gelcoat, seals, tyres and decals from sun and hail. Covered parking is available at select locations.
Usually yes for an RV or boat stored across a season, because sun does more cumulative damage to a stored vehicle than anything else. For a utility trailer or a work vehicle it is generally not worth it.
Proof of current registration and proof of insurance. Motorised vehicles must also be operable and free of leaking fluids. Towable units, including travel trailers, fifth wheels, pop-ups and utility trailers, do not need to be operable.
No, if it is a motorised vehicle. Motorised vehicles must be operable and currently registered and insured. A non-running project car does not qualify for vehicle parking.
No. Stored vehicles cannot be occupied, slept in or used as accommodation at any of our facilities.
Parking if the vehicle is the whole job, since it is sized by length, costs less, and has no door opening to negotiate. An enclosed unit if the vehicle is valuable, stored long term, or you want to keep gear alongside it. Enclosed units also cap out around 38 feet, where parking does not.
Nearly all of our locations offer 24/7 gate access. Your gate code arrives by email and text when the rental is confirmed. Our facilities are unstaffed, so there is no office to visit and no appointment needed.
Yes, proof of insurance is required. A protection plan is also required at checkout at all of our facilities. Check whether your existing vehicle policy already covers the rig in storage before you choose.
Inflate to the placard pressure or slightly above before you park, since tyres lose pressure over months, and use covers on an uncovered space so sidewalls are not baking in the sun. For very long storage, moving the rig occasionally is the most effective step.
Section 06
Where to Go Next
Parking is one of several ways to store a vehicle with us. If you are still deciding, these cover the alternatives in more depth.
Our boat storage and vehicle storage pages cover locations and current availability. This guide is about choosing between the options; those pages are where you book.
Find RV, Boat and Trailer Parking Near You
Parking is the right product when the vehicle is the whole job. It is sized by length rather than by floor plan, it costs less than an enclosed unit of comparable capacity, and there is no door opening to negotiate. Choose covered when sun and hail are your concern, enclosed when the vehicle is valuable or stored long term, and uncovered when you want the lowest cost and the easiest access.
