In today’s blog, we’ll go over RV storage location options for those just getting started with RVing. There is a lot to cover when talking about RV storage and the decisions made here can impact your overall RV ownership experience.
There are four general places to consider when storing your RV: storing at home, storing at a friend or family member’s residence, storing at a public storage facility, and storing at an RV dealer. Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of each choice.
Storing at Home
Storing your RV at your residence has a few benefits, including cost savings. When you store your RV onsite, you have immediate access to inspect it or even use it casually. People even use their parked RV as a getaway, spare guest bedroom, office, or even a home-schooling space. There are several places around the property people store their RVs like in a barn, in a covered parking area, even in a garage with an oversized garage door. Many people park their RVs out of sight on their property when there is space. The big benefit here is that you have your RV nearby on property anytime you want to inspect it or spend some time inside. You’ve made a big purchase, so it’s nice to have your RV on your property when storing it.
An obvious benefit of storing at home is the cost savings. Public storage rental space can be very expensive and can add up quickly over time. When you can store your RV at home, there are definite cost savings. Also, depending on your storage solution at home, you may be able to store your RV covered. Whether a garage solution or an overhang, if you can keep the elements off the RV, it should mean fewer maintenance costs down the road.
Generally storing your RV near your house is a good idea from a safety perspective. This depends on where you live of course, as safety can be fleeting if someone is intent on stealing your RV. Yet in general, having your RV near your house is a good idea. If you do store your RV at home, think about storing it out of sight from the road, if possible.
The detriments of storing an RV at your residence have to do with the RV being neglected because it can become wallpaper. It is easy to park the RV “around back” on your property only to forget about it off season. Depending on the property, this could be a bad idea, especially in rural settings where there tend to be more critters that might be interested in a winter home. Generally, if you have the benefit of a place to park your RV at home off season, then you need to be careful to regularly inspect the unit.
One tip about storing on your property is to avoid areas where a lot of debris could fall and damage the RV. Ask yourself what would happen to your RV in a heavy windstorm if you stored it in a specific location. Could branches break off and fall to damage the RV? If so, look elsewhere. In this regard, you also want to avoid high traffic areas. If for example, you move farm equipment around regularly on the property. Better to have the RV away from in-property roadways than risk damaging the RV by not seeing it when back out a piece of farm equipment.
Generally, most people who can store their RV at home do so for the above reasons. However, many people can’t do this because of neighborhood restrictions, a lack of space on the property, or that they just don’t want an RV near the house.
Friends and Family
A second storage location option is to ask a friend or family member if you can store your RV at their property off season. Depending on the generosity of your friend or family member, this could also be a significant cost saving. I think the better way to look at this option is to ask yourself if you think this is a good idea at all. It may be that the friend or a family member has spare oversized garage space going unused that would be perfect. Yet, it is important to know if your friend or family member is just being polite or is truly good with you using their prime space. Family is especially tricky in this regard, and you don’t want to end up owing a friend or family member in some unseen ledger.
I do think that if a friend or family member provides a space for storage, you should offer to pay for it and insist on it. Only if they insist on not being paid should you be okay with not paying them. You also need to be very clear about your expectations of what you think they are supposed to do. Do you expect that they will keep things clean around the RV or inspect it regularly or not have kids play around it? You shouldn’t have unspoken expectations on a friend or family member of what you think they should know to do while keeping your RV.
I’d recommend making a list of what you need them to do over the storage season and discuss these with them before you agree to step into the arrangement. Didn’t they know not to store that ladder leaning near my RV? All you need is something to go wrong that could have been prevented and you end up with damaged relationships.
Public Storage
A third storage option is to use a public storage location. While costly in most cases, public storage allows people like me who don’t have the space on property to store our RVs. Maybe you can’t store your RV at your residence or maybe you just don’t want a trailer next to your beautiful home all the time (likely your neighbors don’t). So, this is a good option if you live in an established neighborhood, apartment, or restricted community.
There are indoor and outdoor public storage locations. Indoor public storage can be an excellent choice if you want to pay top-dollar for storage but keep your RV inside off season. Often these locations become off season storage to more expensive RVs due to the overall value of the RV and the corresponding cost of the storage. In some places, like where I live, there just aren’t many indoor RV storage options, or they are too far away to keep an eye on my RV, or they are always booked with no vacancy. Also, given the value of my RV, potentially paying several hundred dollars per month just isn’t a good value exchange.
Open-air public storage places are pretty much in every sizeable town. I have always used this option since I started RVing given that the lots are paved or have a gravel base, there are security fences and cameras, and I can access my RV most hours of the day. While no storage is fully safe, given the sheer number of RVs where I store outside, my RV is just one of many on the lot and in some ways can easily be overlooked by those with ill intent who happen to get behind the security gate. If you do choose an outdoor public storage option, you still need to be aware of trees and the possibility of damage during storms. When choosing a public option, make sure the slot chosen is clear of potential hazards.
One of the main problems with storing at a public location is that you are relying on the management of that location to maintain security and oversight of your property when you are not present. Sometimes, managers leave security gates open when they are out of the office and in the storage yard. Management can also pile snow up around your RV in winter making it difficult to access it or get it out in the early spring. Management may be casual with trimming back overhead limbs or grass nearby. There can also be what I call “slot creep,” where your immediate neighbor parks their trailer encroaching on your space making it difficult for you to use what you are paying for. Finally, I have seen neighbors basically abandon their RVs or work trailers immediately next to mine.
I have been fine with using public storage for my RVs over time. The places I have used have security passcodes to get into the fenced area and have security cameras. They seem safe. The value exchange is acceptable, and the location within 5 miles of my residence means I can take a short drive over pretty much anytime to check on my RV.
Dealer Storage
Many RV dealers have RV storage on-premises. Often a dealer will provide limited-time free storage if you purchase from them. The first RV I purchased, my 2016 R-Pod 171, came with this. I could use the dealer’s large grass lot to store my R-Pod for free for the first two years. The problem was that the dealer was 40+ miles away. The other problem was that even if the dealer were close by, the lot was grass and there was no fence around the storage area.
Given this, the idea of free RV dealership storage is a good idea only if it is. If the dealer’s storage lot is behind a fence and on a solid or gravel surface, and nearby, then it may very well be worth considering. It also may be considering if you are indifferent about it. Maybe you own an older RV and just want less expensive storage. The same dealer may provide the free-to-new-customer storage available to anyone with an RV at a cheaper cost than a public storage unit. Just remember that RV dealers are not in the RV storage business, so expect less in terms of them keeping the RV storage lot in perfect shape. The tradeoff should be much lower monthly lot rents.
Ok, that should do it. Deciding where to store your RV is a big decision that can have consequences on your pocketbook and overall ownership experience. Hopefully, we’ve provided some things to think about as you look at RV storage solutions.
All the best in your camping endeavors!
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