recommend a self-storage place that you've had a good experience with? (Portland: fit in, apartment)

[khyron]

We're planning our cross-country move, and one option among many is to pare our things down to a few boxes and ship them ahead of us before we fly out. In order to plan out this option, I'm trying to make a list of self-storage places in the area that offer to receive packages and place them in your unit for you (we would need a couple of weeks to apartment hunt, then we'd pick them up). Anyone have a suggestion?

[Nell Plotts]

Humm... Downtown Self Storage is top of the line but I have not tried what you are proposing. I would send an e-mail to the self storage places on the inter-net and consider their responses.

Maybe propose a tip per package.

[philwithbeard]

Khryon:

I sent you a long winded DM with a hire-a-helper name and and a very long winded suggestion.

Just food for thought. Nell's idea is still good.

Phil

[hamellr]

I just found out that you can send items via UPS to the local hub and put in "Will Call" where you can pick it up yourself.

The local hub for Portland is down near Swan Island - 6235 North Basin Avenue, Portland, OR

[khyron]

Thanks everyone for the help so far, and keep the suggestions coming! Many self-storage places advertise package receipt among their features/services, but for the ones that don't I'm sending e-mails or using their "Contact Us" web forms. Hopefully soon I'll have a good list to make a choice from.

Holding packages at a USPS hub, Amtrak terminal, or other such suggestions are good ideas but I probably should have been more specific in my initial post - we will need well more than 30 days due to some particulars of our move (there's a gap between our move-out date here and our travel to Portland during which we'll be staying with friends and relatives).

[Leisesturm]

O.P.... this is your stuff you are talking about. Your life. Things that you think you will need in Portland. Since you are working on different scenario's how about working up a couple that involve you actually being onsite when your belongings are loaded/unloaded? There are container shippers that will ship a container that you load anywhere you say. They can also hold the container for you at their warehouse. You don't want "boxes" getting lost. The more money you pay up front the less the likelihood of "losing" things but if you had that much money you could just hire North American Rockwell or Mayflower and call it good.

H

[TechmanOR]

The Public Storage brand storage is month to month contract. You'll have to look around online to get a good rate, but always count on the rent going up after some time. Be ready to move. Once your rates go up, find another unit on their site that is substantially cheaper. Rent it, and move all your stuff. The rate change I'm talking about is substantially. As much as 50-60% over time.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

There are container shippers that will ship a container that you load anywhere you say. They can also hold the container for you at their warehouse. You don't want "boxes" getting lost. The more money you pay up front the less the likelihood of "losing" things but if you had that much money you could just hire North American Rockwell or Mayflower and call it good.

This is certainly an option as well. There's PODS, which is the big brand everyone knows about, and then there are various copycats who cost varying degrees less and have varying degrees of service. Some of the containers are big metal ones like PODS and some are basically glorified wooden bins.

Everyone's needs are unique, for us, I looked into these services and once I separated the ones I felt confidant about from the ones that seemed sketchy, the cost model didn't make sense for us. For example, in our case the PODS cost for their smallest unit from Pittsburgh to Portland cost far more just to move (let alone store for a month) than the sum total value of everything we own.

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by khyron

For example, in our case the PODS cost for their smallest unit from Pittsburgh to Portland cost far more just to move (let alone store for a month) than the sum total value of everything we own.

Now you are getting to the heart of the matter. The essential "cost/benefit" analysis. I had assumed you were down to essentials at this point. Essentials cannot be replaced at the other end and must be transported somehow. Anything else can be sold/given away/auctioned to the lowest bidder/abandoned and then replaced once in Portland. Here is how we did it. YMMV.

Three months before the move date we began selling, gifting and otherwise divesting down to what we considered essential. One essential was our mattress. We knew we did not have the wherewithal to buy a new one of the quality level we wanted and did not want a "used" one. A used TV or computer is one thing, a used mattress is quite another. Our essentials fit into two 5x10 Public Storage Units. Meanwhile we rented a month to month furnished apartment to bide our time in. It had to be furnished because "essentials" do not include furniture.

On moving day we picked up a 16' Penske Truck with 11 days allowance to cross the country from coast to coast. Shipping boxes or containers will be minimum $1100 then there are the costs for handling. Then you will need airfares for yourselves. We had pets and when all was considered, driving us all plus our essentials made the best sense.

We filled that 16' to the gills with "essentials" and hit the road. Five days later we were in PDX. All driving was done by yours truly. I'll leave that there.

Public Storage (presumably their competitors as well) has what they call "first month free" deals. When we arrived in PDX we hit the Public Storage on Sandy Blvd (in Hollywood?) and got two "free" 5x10s. "Free" as long as we had our stuff out of there in a months time. We did. But don't feel too sorry for Public Storage Inc. "free" includes administrative expenses, insurance fees and a mandate to use PS supplied locking equipment at extra cost of course. Nevertheless a deal.

So now the clock was running. We were living in the Motel 6 in Troutdale and commuting via empty moving truck to Portland to apartment shop. After we turned in the truck we used bicycle to get from Troutdale to Gresham and then took MAX into town. The apartment market was nothing like it is now and we still found a place inside of a month.

H

[Wicked Felina]

As good as it can get:

MoneySaver Mini Storage on Beavercreek Road in Oregon City. They're clean, secure (cameras in the storage building, at entrances and exits), well and responsibly managed. Insurance for your property is very affordable. Had my things stored there for several months and was very happy with their management.

Storage Partners | Oregon City Self Storage | Rent Storage Units

There's a moving company which may accept and store your property at their facility, but I doubt it'll be cheap. You can get the info from the storage company.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that all vehicles entering and exiting area recorded as are their plates. If I had to use a storage unit again, I wouldn't hesitate to use these folks, even if it's out of the way.