RV Storage Facilities ~ sharing 'Lessons Learned'

[Hattie]

I've been private messaging a new JOF member about storage alternatives to help in their search, and realized there are lots of questions and considerations that others on this forum could share. So ... I began searching previous threads to find a generic one to revive, but most of them were very locale-specific. Additionally, a poll on such a topic is always useful. SO - please share your 'Lessons Learned" and sage wisdom on:

• What you look for in a storage location or facility
• How you prepare your rig
• Challenges you face
• Services you expect
• Anything else that will help them make decisions

[Hattie]

For our 3 trailers (Jayco, Coleman, and Wells Cargo), we have outdoor spots in a locked/lighted yard within a military location that requires badges for entrance ~ never experienced damage or theft. Since we use our TT year-round and the lot is about 15 minutes away from home, we're there frequently and have never seen signs of rodents or ants (though there are jack rabbits in the yard). When preparing for a trip, we can have the TT at home for up to 3 days before the police stop by (city ordinance, not HOA restriction); we hook into our home sewer when we don't use a dump station.

[bedrck46]

Outdoor storage facility should have been broken into two parts Fenced or open area

[Hattie]

Originally Posted by bedrck46

Outdoor storage facility should have been broken into two parts Fenced or open area

Good observation ... but couldn't think of all the options and can't retroactively (I don't think) modify the poll. Let's assume that any/all "storage" facilities are fenced, and that "at home" may also apply to homes of others (e.g., family, friends). If multiple solutions apply, select that one that is for the most time within a year. Responders to the thread can detail-out the unique situations in their comments.

[North of 49°]

We do a combination. During the summer the trailer is stored in our driveway blocking half of the garage and driveway. DW's car gets parked inside and my truck is parked on the street. During the winter, the trailer is cleaned out and winterized, and stored in a storage yard. We found one close to home, a locked compound where access is by appointment only, and they charge about half of what the RV dealers charge. So it's a no-brainer for us. In a perfect world we'd have the rigt kind of property where we can store it at home, but our lot isn't set up for that.

[Jagiven]

We are a bit like North of 49. In the summer we keep it at home. It's parked in front of the small garage. In the winter, it is parked inside a farmers barn.

When it is at home, we could take off in less than an hour.

For the winter, it gets a complete cleaning and scrub down. Making sure all food and odors are removed. The farmer has LOTS of cats, so there are no mice issues.

[ctbailey]

Keep ours next to the garage at home, year round. Plugged in during camp season (April to November.). Last winter covered, probably not covering this winter. Totally cold, batteries in house on tender during winter months.

Lesson learned: RV cover is nice to keep dirt off, but it's misery not being able to extend slide outs.

Lesson learned: an RV Cover is a HUGE item to store during the camping season.

[tugboat95]

Originally Posted by ctbailey

Keep ours next to the garage at home, year round. Plugged in during camp season (April to November.). Last winter covered, probably not covering this winter. Totally cold, batteries in house on tender during winter months.

Lesson learned: RV cover is nice to keep dirt off, but it's misery not being able to extend slide outs.

Lesson learned: an RV Cover is a HUGE item to store during the camping season.

I store mine at home in the backyard. My question is this... is a cover worth the money over a cheap blue tarp? Other than looks and neatness which quite honestly I don't care about what's the advantage of a cover over a tarp?

[nunyadamn]

I have mine in a storage lot. I have had my boats in the past and my last Rv in a storage lot, as well as my trailer now.

My advice -

Find one that you can get into 24hrs a day. I have been locked out late and early. Nothing like worrying about your stuff all night in front of your house.

See if you can find a space with large expensive trailers/rv's that you can park between. My reason is, they will most likely not want to hit you more than you will want to hit them. If they are next to you, they should provide shade to you most of the day - I have moved spots to get a better shade pattern.

Look at spots that you can get in and out of. I am really good with my trailer parking ability, but it is tight in front of me - I am on a waiting list to move a couple spots down for a better angle.

Make sure the place has cameras and razor wire, etc. mine has both.

Make friends with the people that work there.

Find a place with a dump station.

Make sure your insurance covers you while you are stored.

See if they have discounts if you pay 6 months ahead.

[bedrck46]

Originally Posted by tugboat95

what's the advantage of a cover over a tarp?

From what I have read about covers The RV designed covers will breath whereas the cheap blue tarps won't and that will allow moisture to collect under the tarp

[Flapper]

I'm curious about how many Northerners store their rigs someplace south (one to a few days drive), for snowbirding to one extent or the other over the winter.
Our local storage plows road/lane access over the winter, but I have to shovel out the rig, and worry about removing snow and ice on the roof. Which strongly limits the thoughts of going anywhere warmer over the winter...

[ctbailey]

Originally Posted by tugboat95

I store mine at home in the backyard. My question is this... is a cover worth the money over a cheap blue tarp? Other than looks and neatness which quite honestly I don't care about what's the advantage of a cover over a tarp?

I like to hate the cover, I suppose.

Its true the ADCO cover breathes. That is a good thing, no moisture build up means no mold & mildew. By letting air in, any moisture does dry quickly.

And, when the snowblower guy gets a little carried away, the cover adds a tiny amount of protection from flying debris and pebbles.

My ADCO cover when fully cinched down was fairly neat, but like I said, the wind did buffet it enough to keep air moving.

I want to sell my cover only because I want to be able to open my slides to use the trailer as a guest bedroom, and get some value out of my winter payments.

[bluie5]

Ours gets parked in the driveway, and plugged in, April to end of October. It goes into covered secure storage all winter at the county fairgrounds.

[GrayHawk51]

Up till the beginning of June 2015 I had the luxury of storing my RV at my sons house. Then he sold it! Had to relocate it to where I live and like most I have a damn HOA (even though I have the space) that does not allow us to park in the driveway.

That being said I searched both indoor and outside storage areas. Indoor was very expensive (over $400 month).

Was about ready to rent a space just down the street from my home, only to find out as the DW and I were discussing it, the owner of a 5th wheel next to the spot I was going to rent pops his head out and tells me he just got broken into by someone jumping the wall unto the top of his rig and broke the bathroom ceiling fan gaining entrance.

They stole all valuables and TV's, microwave, radio etc. Over $2K of value. why his ??? (cuse it looked pretty?)

Well, I ended up finding a covered storage area further down the road for a good price and it is fairly clean and pretty new and secure. Nice size space. High enough fence with condo's on the other side. On my first trip, parked my truck and picked up the RV and went on my way.

On my return, I find out that someone stole my license plates on my truck. My plates are out of state and making a special trip to get new ones was a must as I reported them stolen.

Was it someone jumping the fence ? Or was it someone who rents within the storage facility ? That's the question.

Bottom line, you have to be extra vigilant in securing your rig and check and recheck that everything is secure and not easily accessible for the taking!

[Engoff22]

I'm lucky I keep mine in my side yard on a nice landing pad I just put in. The pad is 14'x40'. I have a 2015 325bhqs

[TeamFoxy]

We store our RV at a gated storage facility about 2 miles from the house. Our town restricts storage of RV's & boats to the side or back yards and I can only fit the boat, or the RV, not both.
When we had a small class C, I used to swap it between storage and home, but with the TT and needing a WD hitch for it, its just too much hassle to juggle the two around.
The TT has never been broken into, but the front jack was knocked off it's extension block once. Whoever did it, didn't own up and the camera angles are such that the front of out trailer was not covered. Fortunately there was no damage.
The storage yard has a dump station, but we also have a 4" clean out above ground for the pipe to the septic tank. So we can dump the TT or the boat's tank easily at home.

[maromeo]

We are lucky, no HOA and we had just enough space on the side of our home to build an RV port. 38' X 20'. We are coverd on 3 sides. Our sun is brutal so what ever we can to to protect our TT, we will.

[need-a-vacation]

TT is currently stored at a relatives house, but seriously looking at moving to a storage lot due to various reasons. This would be during the summer months, then move the tt to a local fairgrounds for indoor winter storage.


Not knowing what the storage will be in the near future I didn't vote.