Self-storage vs mobile storage: which should you choose?

"Storage" means two fairly different things these days, and choosing the wrong one can land you with a fortnight of lugging boxes you never needed to lug. Here's how self-storage and mobile (container) storage really stack up against each other.

Self-storage: you go to your stuff

You rent a unit at a facility and come and go during access hours. It suits anyone who needs to get at their things fairly often, is storing for the medium-to-long haul, or just likes being able to drive over and lay eyes on everything whenever the mood takes them.

The catch is the double handling. You load the car, drive over, carry it all in, and then do the whole thing in reverse the day you move out.

Mobile storage: your stuff comes to you

A container or module gets dropped at your place. You load it on your own schedule, the company collects it and stores it in their warehouse, then they bring it back to wherever you're heading next.

This is the one that suits an actual move, especially when your move-out and move-in dates refuse to line up. You pack once and unpack once, with no trips to a facility in between. The trade-off: while it's in storage it's stacked in a warehouse, so popping in for one box generally isn't on the cards.

So which one?

• Self-storage if you'll be dipping in and out, or you genuinely don't know how long you'll be storing for.
• Mobile storage if you're between homes, want to load at your own pace, and won't need to reach anything mid-storage.
• On price, the two usually land pretty close once you count fuel and your own time, so we'd work out which one fits your situation first and let cost break the tie.

Whichever way you go, pack like the stuff is about to be moved, because at some point it is. A box that's perfectly happy sitting still can still cop a knock going on and off a truck.