As a prepper, you’re used to thinking in layers to avoid a single point of failure. Your home cache is essential, but what if it’s destroyed, compromised or you’re away when disaster hits? That’s where off-site storage units come into play. They offer space, redundancy and an alternate option to hold lifesaving gear, especially if your home becomes inaccessible.
But are storage units really worth it in a true SHTF scenario? To find out, take a deep dive into the options, restrictions, security risks, emergency realities, pros and cons, mitigation strategies and alternatives, so you can make the right choice for you and your family.
Why Consider Storage Units
This is a hot topic in the prepping world. Most preppers first think about storage units for the same reason anyone else does — a lack of space at home. It seems objectively sensible to have somewhere else to store bulky gear, overflow supplies or backup equipment. Of course, it’s not quite that simple in a true disaster scenario, but a unit has obvious benefits for less drastic situations.
Storage facilities can also serve multiple tactical roles in your prep strategy, no matter what kind of event happens:
- Bug-out hub: Keep tools, camping gear, fuel-less cook setups or a spare backpack there so you can shift quickly without waiting for home access.
- Travel fallback: A unit near work, relatives or frequently visited areas ensures access to essentials even if your primary zone is compromised.
- Geographic flexibility: Having one in another town or safe-zone city means you can hold staged supplies for evacuation or sheltering elsewhere.
- Group cache: It allows sharing with trusted allies and can become a mutual aid point when homes are inaccessible.
- Seasonal or overflow space: Store winter gear, extra clothing, solar panels or water barrels that don’t fit at home but are valuable post-event.
Before analyzing how well (or not) a storage unit might fit your needs during SHTF scenarios, it’s important to understand what types are available and what kinds of things you can and cannot store there.
The Storage Unit Landscape
The industry in the U.S. is expanding rapidly. Roughly one in three Americans either already has or is considering getting self-storage. If you’re considering one, you’ll need to know your options.
Facilities range from bare-bones rural drive-up pods to high-security, climate-controlled, bells-and-whistles complexes. Units typically range in size from 5×5 feet to 10×30 feet or larger. Depending on your budget and what you intend to store, you may be considering:
- Drive-ups: Easily accessible, similar to a garage where you can back up a truck. Usually basic.
- Climate-controlled units: Located inside buildings with temperature and humidity controls. Ideal for sensitive gear, electronics or papers.
- Outdoor rural facilities: Often cheaper and with fewer customers. Sometimes less secure but further from urban threats.
- Urban high-security options: Expensive but usually have 24/7 access, electronic gates, full camera coverage and staffed desks.
Restrictions on What You Can Store
Before you imagine loading a storage unit with your emergency gear, take a look at what’s legally and contractually allowed.
Weapons, ammunition and explosives are almost universally prohibited due to liability issues. Food and perishables are also banned at most facilities to prevent pests, mold and odors. Flammables such as gasoline and propane are usually not allowed, nor are living things, including plants.
While it’s tempting to disregard the rules, it’s risky. If you’re found in violation, management can terminate your lease and auction off your items, with no refund and no recourse. Read rental agreements carefully. Some facilities inspect units, others don’t. Knowing the policies lets you plan capacity in a way that won’t trigger eviction while still meeting your needs.
[Editor’s note: These are items that we, as preppers, often store in abundance. But being unable to include them in a storage unit puts you in a bad spot because you’re either going to be without these crucial items or choosing to break the rules. Remember, however, that choosing to break the rules could get you sued into oblivion if it’s discovered that something you left inside caused damage, injury, or loss of life.]
Using Storage Wisely
Work around the rules in a way that still serves your needs. You can legitimately store non-food essentials such as tools, water filters, clothing, first-aid gear, tents and cooking equipment. Bulky items like portable solar power or hunting bows can be a good option for secondary storage when space at home is limited.
You can also store shelf-stable items that aren’t classified as “food” under your specific contract. Think sealed MREs, dehydrated sealed goods or emergency rations in unopened buckets. Consider storing empty fuel containers instead of filled ones, and store actual fuel at another safe location.
[Editor’s note: If you are going to store anything that may draw pests or rodents, but which may still not be classified as “food” I would absolutely double- or triple-contain items. For instance, store buckets of “food” inside sealed trash cans.]
There’s a lot you can store, within the rules, to help avoid sole reliance on your home cache, but how safe are storage facilities, really?
Security Risks in Storage Units
Depending on the location and how much you pay, your facility may have pin-coded gates, motion sensors, security lighting, door alarms, cameras and on-site staff. Many have restricted hours, but some do offer 24/7 access for a premium. On paper, they sound secure enough. In practice, there are multiple risks and weak points preppers should consider.
Don’t limit your thinking to just how well a unit will withstand a true SHTF crisis. If your gear has already been taken during a casual break-in, it won’t even be there for you to retrieve, so assess everyday security issues too.
1. Physical Security Weak Points
High fences or strong gates are a good start, but motivated intruders can usually bypass them. Roll-up doors can be pried open, and padlocks can be cut off. Surveillance cameras and security lighting are deterrents against casual theft, but these are often not backed up by a rapid response.
Staff may only be on-site during business hours, if at all, and many sites have only occasional security patrols. Responses to alarms depend on local police or private security firms, and both are surely to be otherwise engaged in major disaster scenarios if this is a true SHTF scenario.
2. Vulnerabilities During Crisis
Storage units aren’t immune to floods, tornadoes and wildfires, so if they are in the path of a natural disaster, your valuable preps may be lost. Don’t count on getting access back fast after the disaster, either. Interestingly, following historic flooding in South Florida, one flooded storage facility was closed for almost two weeks, leaving residents unable to salvage their damaged property.
During civil unrest, looters may target units, with the risk of this increasing dramatically the further into the emergency you get. Even in normal times, storage break-ins are on the rise. An investigation in Nashville, TN, revealed that more than 75% of facilities had experienced theft, hold-ups or burglaries. There are also insider threats from employees with access codes or master keys.
The Reality of Storage Units in SHTF Scenarios
In normal times, you can just swipe your gate card, roll up your door and grab what you need from your stash. In a catastrophic emergency, that could quickly change.
In reality, you may face a range of access issues:
- Roadblocks or checkpoints could prevent you from reaching the facility.
- Curfews may mean no after-dark retrievals.
- Facilities may be closed by management with no access permitted.
- Staff absenteeism may mean gates fail to operate.
- Power outages may lock electronic doors.
Facility owners, mindful of liability issues, may focus on protecting property collectively. That may conflict with ensuring that each individual customer can access their stuff. In chaotic situations, police may protect properties against looters but may also restrict access entirely.
Even if you were able to access your unit, there are still risks. During a collapse, would you really want to be publicly seen accessing supplies? Wouldn’t this alert others to what is there and make you a potential target? Perhaps. But this is a risk you should balance against the value of having the cache accessible in the first place.
Consider the SHTF Bug-Out Window
Access risks are certainly a valid concern. However, the truth is that most SHTF situations do not occur instantaneously, with absolutely no warning or build up.
Earthquakes, tornadoes and flash floods can, of course, occur out of the blue. But in many major emergencies — pandemics, martial law, economic collapse — there is an escalating situation for some time before the crisis tipping point is reached. This means that you will probably have time to safely retrieve your gear.
Even something like a prolonged grid outage, while sudden in itself, will still have a window of opportunity for you to act in the hours or days before the general public realizes the severity of the situation. In a black swan event, you may have even longer, as although the economic effects can be swift, the public order effects take longer to manifest.
Therefore, it is unlikely that you would be unable to access your unit at all. A thorough understanding of your bug-out window is key to knowing whether or not this strategy can work for you. Having extra supplies held there is certainly valuable, but only if you can reach them in that critical time frame before infrastructure or authority collapses.
Pulling Together the Pros and Cons of Storage Units for Preppers
As you can see, there are a range of reasons why a storage unit might be right for you, but there are also reasons to avoid using one.
The primary advantage is that it adds extra redundancy to your prepping strategy. If your home cache is unavailable for any reason, you have a backup. Choosing a location near your work or close to a family member can be a lifeline if you are away when a crisis hits, and it can also act as a staging post if you need to bug out further or evacuate your home area.
However, your gear will be useless if you can’t get to it in time, before chaos makes your space either a target or inaccessible. Natural disasters could wipe out an entire facility. With restrictions on what you can actually store, the cost of the unit may not be worth it to you. And if you put all of your back-ups in one place, you’ve just created another single point of failure.
So, should you get a storage unit? The biggest objection for most preppers is the risk of being unable to safely access the cache during SHTF-level events. However, given that you will almost certainly have a window of opportunity, however short, a storage unit is worth considering. The key is understanding how to minimize the inherent risks.
Risk Mitigation Strategies for Preppers Using Storage Units
Approach this like you would any other kind of prep: be realistic, and add layers and redundancies. Here’s how:
| Type of Risk | Potential Issues | Mitigation |
| Access | Facility may close Curfews Travel restrictions | Choose a 24/7 building Learn and memorize alternative routes Consider a unit within walking distance of home Act fast during the window of opportunity |
| Security | Theft Looting Facility or staff failure Becoming a target | Use high-quality locks Consider concealment and decoys Visit at least once a month to check supplies Choose the best-secured unit you can afford Build rapport and trust with staff Choose a busy facility where you can blend in |
| Storage restrictions | No weapons or ammo No fuel or flammables Restrictions on food and other items | Store legal, shelf-stable items Consider seasonal storage Rotate supplies regularly |
| Over-reliance | Loss of cache if the unit is compromised | Use multiple locations Don’t store all critical items in one place |
| Natural disaster vulnerability | Floods, fires or storms can destroy contents | Choose facilities beyond flood or fire zones Use waterproof or fireproof containers |
| Legal and contractual | Eviction Loss of access Insurance exclusions | Read contracts carefully Pay ahead Do not store restricted items |
| Cost | Ongoing rental fees | Budget for fees Share costs with a group or family |
Alternatives and Redundancy Planning
If you do get a storage unit, never rely solely on it. Mixing storage methods builds in redundancy and gives you resilience. If one location is compromised, you will have backups. Pair your storage unit with:
- Home cache: Your primary supply location.
- Hidden stashes: PVC tubes buried off-site or gear stashed in waterproof containers.
- Trusted networks: Agreements with friends or family to store mutual aid supplies.
[Editor’s note: Although I’m not against storage units for redundancy, there may be much better options, such as a trusted nearby neighbor or friend. Consider all of your options before deciding on such a limited, potentially expensive option as a storage unit.]
Should Preppers Use Storage Units?
Storage units aren’t a perfect prepper solution, but they are a valid option. They provide valuable redundancy, geographic flexibility and capacity for bulk gear. The risks they carry can be mitigated, and the advantages probably outweigh the issues in all but the most unpredictable and chaotic SHTF scenario.
If you use it wisely, rotate supplies regularly and act fast during your window of opportunity, a storage unit can be a vital asset when disaster looms.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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