Comparison
Storage vs. self-storage.
Self-storage means renting a unit, driving across town and hauling boxes yourself. Mobile storage does the opposite: the totes come to you. Both are real options, and a unit genuinely wins in some situations — here is the honest version of the difference.
Side by side
| Self-storage unit | STOVA mobile storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting your things there | You rent a truck and drive | We deliver totes and collect them |
| What you pay for | The whole unit, full or not | Only the totes actually in storage |
| Climate control | Extra, if offered at all | Standard on everything we store |
| Knowing what you stored | Your memory | Logged tote by tote |
| Getting something back | Drive across town and dig | Request online, we redeliver |
| Access at any hour | Yes — the real advantage | No, deliveries run on service days |
| Commitment | Lease, often with a minimum | Monthly, adjusts as totes move |
When a self-storage unit is still the right answer
If you need to reach your belongings on your own schedule — a contractor pulling tools most mornings, a business rotating stock — a drive-up unit is simply better, and we will say so.
The same goes for anything that does not fit in a tote. Sofas, mattresses, appliances and vehicles belong in a unit or a portable storage container, not in our system.
When mobile storage wins
Seasonal storage is the clearest case: winter gear in summer, patio cushions in winter, holiday decorations eleven months a year. You pack it once and never think about it again until you ask for it back.
Moving storage is the other. During a sale, a renovation or a gap between leases, household overflow has to go somewhere, and hauling it twice is the worst part of the move. Long-term storage of keepsakes, records and baby gear works the same way.
We go into detail on moving storage, student storage and climate-controlled storage.
Common questions
- Is mobile storage cheaper than a self-storage unit?
- It depends on how much you store. A self-storage unit charges for the whole space whether you fill it or not, plus fuel and a truck rental to move in. STOVA charges a membership plus a small fee per tote actually in storage, so a few boxes cost a few dollars a month rather than a half-empty 5x10.
- What is the difference between mobile storage and portable storage?
- Portable storage drops a shipping container in your driveway and takes it away full. Mobile storage skips the container: we deliver totes you can carry, collect them once packed, and store them on shelves in a climate-controlled facility. Nothing sits outside your house, and there is no unit to rent.
- Can I get to my things whenever I want?
- Not on demand, the way a self-storage unit with extended access hours allows — that is the real trade-off. Instead you request the totes you want online and we redeliver them to your door on a service day. For most people that beats driving across town, but if you need daily access to your belongings, a unit is the better fit.
- Is my stuff safer than in a storage unit?
- Everything is stored in a monitored, climate-controlled facility and logged tote by tote, so we know exactly where each one is. A drive-up unit is typically unheated and unlogged — you are the only inventory system.
Decided the unit is not worth it?
See what it costs, or read how the pickup and delivery loop actually works. We currently run in Marquette.