Storage for the move · August 2026

Where the storage unit should go

I checked live availability at sixteen places tonight, not just the listings. The one I first picked turned out to be completely full. Here are the three that are actually rentable, ranked.

1

Rent-A-Space, Cross Road

175 Cross Rd, Waterford · (860) 263-9920

10×20 climate$169/mo × 5, then $338~$2,226 over 9 months

15 min from the house8 min from Memory Ln

Cheapest climate-controlled unit anywhere in the area, the best truck access in the region (their aisles fit a tractor-trailer), and the closest of everything to Memory Lane.

The catch: it's on an upper floor behind an elevator, so we'd be carting rather than backing the truck in. Two left. A ground-floor climate unit is $226.50 if that's worth avoiding.

2

Public Storage, New London

960 Bank St, New London · formerly iStorage

10×20 climate, 1st floor$226/mo, 2nd month free~$1,859 over 9 months

14 min from the house9 min from Memory Ln

Actually the cheapest of the three once you total it up, and it's on the ground floor, so no elevator on move day. Two units left.

The catch: this chain has the worst record in the area for raising rent after you move in, and their contract lets them do it on 30 days notice. Cheapest now, least predictable by spring.

3

Rent-A-Space, King Arthur Dr

9 King Arthur Dr, Niantic · (860) 739-3386

10×20 drive-up$339/mo flat~$3,080 over 9 months

10 min from the house10 min from Memory Ln

The only one that's equally close to both places, and the only one where the truck backs straight up to the door. Simplest move day by far.

The catch: no climate control, and it's the most expensive of the three. Exactly one unit left.

All the options

Measured drive times, no traffic. Tap any one for its price, unit sizes and the catch. Use the buttons to re-sort by whichever place matters more to you. This list is ordered by driving convenience, not by my ranking above.

New house, Niantic Memory Ln, Waterford

One more worth a phone call

Colton Road Self Storage, East Lyme

18 Colton Rd, East Lyme · (860) 739-3700. Ten minutes from the new house, same as King Arthur, and the closest independent to us. Family owned since 2007, owner on site seven days a week, 10x20 and 10x30 units, and they lend a 22-foot trailer free for move-in.

They don't publish prices anywhere, which is why they don't show up on any of the comparison sites, and also why places like this tend to hold their rates instead of raising them on you. Worth one call in the morning. They likely don't have climate control, so that's the question to lead with.

Worth knowing

The place I originally sent you, Storage Place in Niantic, is completely full. Every unit, every size, waitlist only. We're on the list in case something opens.

Most places charge a one-time $29 admin fee. Rent-A-Space lets you decline their insurance if our own policy already covers stored things, which saves $15 to $47 a month. Public Storage and CubeSmart both require insurance and a specific lock.

Nothing bigger than a 10x20 climate-controlled unit exists anywhere nearby that's actually available, so if we need more space than that it's two units or a non-climate one.