Getting ready to move to college? Whether you’re starting your freshman year or looking for dorm room organization ideas, this guide on college packing and college storage will help set you up for success in your college life!
Consider Your Living Situation
There are a variety of living situations you can choose from in college towns—between off-campus apartments to on-campus dorms or Greek housing. Depending on your situation, what you decide to bring and what you decide to store may vary. Consider the following factors when planning what to take with you and what not to bring to college.
Living Space
Where you live in college will ultimately inform what you’ll need to pack. If you live on campus in a dorm, suite, or Greek house, you may not need certain appliances or furniture like bed frames or desks, since those are typically provided by the university or respective fraternity or sorority. Additionally, many dorms and Greek houses have professional cleaners or provide cleaning equipment for common rooms and bathrooms, reducing the amount of supplies you’ll need to bring—if any. If you plan to live off-campus, you’ll likely need to bring more furniture, kitchen and food preparation supplies, and other essentials for your apartment.
Built-in Amenities
Apartments, dorms, and houses can have differing amenities, which will affect what you’ll need to bring to college or keep in storage. If you live on campus, you might be able to skip buying a TV if a common area is equipped with a screen—or if you’re okay streaming entertainment on your laptop. Think about your laundry situation, as well—if you’ll have access to a shared laundry room or plan to go to a laundromat, you won’t need to bring your own machine. However, if you’ll be in a house or apartment with washer/dryer hook-ups, transporting machines to college may be worth it. Lastly, consider if you will have access to a fully-equipped kitchen or if it would be best to bring along a mini fridge or microwave for those inevitable study break snack times.
Sharing your Space
If you’ll have roommates in your new living situation, you’ll want to coordinate who will bring which items to avoid repeats. If you’re in a dorm, there will be fewer items to consider than when filling an entire space apartment or house with furniture and household necessities. These conversations may seem tedious, but they will help you cut down on clutter and avoid duplicate items in a small shared living space.
Pets & Service Animals
If you are moving with a pet or service animal, consider how much space you’ll need to dedicate to them. In addition to a crate, you may need a litter box, grooming supplies, pet food and water dishes, cleaning supplies, a pet bed, and any necessary pet storage solutions—if living in student housing, make sure to consult with your institution to determine their specific rules and regulations surrounding service animals.
Transportation
Consider how you will get around campus and the city your college is in. If you have a bike or scooter, you’ll need to bring a bike lock and chain, along with your protective riding gear. If you’ll have an outdoor parking spot, consider how often you’ll be using your car and if you should invest in a protective cover of some kind. If you want to bring your car to college but don’t expect to use it often, renting a vehicle storage unit is another solution.
Climate
The climate of the area you’ll be attending college in can dramatically alter which things you should bring to college and which you should store. Bring weather-appropriate clothing to dedicate your storage space to only what you’ll need—whether that’s light clothing or heavy winter coats. If you’ll be driving a car in an area that experiences snowfall, bring winter essentials like ice scrapers and jumper cables, whereas a windshield shade might be more useful in a warmer climate. Finally, if you aren’t going home for breaks or plan to stay for extended periods of time, you may need to have more storage space than what’s available to you in the dorms. However, if you visit home often, you can ask your family to store items seasonally and swap them out as needed.
Sort Out What to Pack for College
Once you’ve evaluated your specific needs, start going through your belongings to decide what to pack for college and what to store away or leave behind. If you’re looking for a general idea of what to pack, here are some categories to help you decide what things to bring to college.
Bring Along
- Weather-appropriate clothing & accessories
- Bedding set & mattress topper
- Tech & electronics
- Dorm-safe kitchen appliances
- Bathroom & personal hygiene items
- Laundry & cleaning supplies
- Decor items
- Dorm storage items
- Educational necessities based on major
- Sports & outdoor recreational items
- Desk, important documents, & study materials
Store It Away
- Dorm-prohibited appliances
- Bulky furniture
- Off-season clothing & accessories
- Duplicates of electronics & cleaning supplies
- Heavy, unnecessary books
- Unnecessary appliances or items with high voltages
- Breakable, sentimental, valuable, or expensive items
College Storage Ideas
Where you should store unused items depends on various factors—including how close you are to home, how often you’ll need to access your stored items, and other personal circumstances. Whatever your situation is, here are some of the top college storage ideas!
Store at Home
If your parents or guardians are okay with it, you may be able to store items with them while you are away. This option is most convenient for those only moving a short distance away for college and who plan to be back home for breaks—making it easy to swap out seasonal clothing as needed so there’s less to store in your college residence. Even if you aren’t within a short drive, if you move something to college and find that you don’t need it after all, whoever helped you move may be able to take it back with them after they drop you off.
Store in Your Dorm or Apartment
Whether you’ll be able to store excess items in your dorm or apartment depends on how much room is available to you and how well you utilize your dorm space. Make extra college dorm storage space by lofting your bed and storing large totes, under-bed drawers, or a utility cart underneath it. You can also find ways to maximize closet space and drawers, though these areas are typically only large enough to store your everyday necessities.
Choose a Storage Unit
For students going to school out-of-state or out of their home city—and even those moving short distances who simply don’t have enough room in their dorm—renting a storage unit for college is a great option! This solution is great for students who can’t store things with their family or who live far away from their family homes. You can visit your unit as needed to swap out seasonal items throughout the year without cluttering up your dorm room. Getting hassle-free student summer storage can also help if you want to keep your items near school instead of haul everything back home at the end of the academic year.
Frequently Asked Questions About College Storage
How to label boxes for storage in college?
The best way to label a box for a college storage unit is to have a printed sticker listing what the box contains. Neatly packing your moving boxes can help you easily grab what you are looking for without digging through the whole box. You can also consider using clear plastic totes instead of cardboard boxes so you can easily see what is inside. Another great solution for keeping stored belongings organized—especially as a college student—is keeping a log or color-coordinating your bins to indicate the season you’ll need the items.
What are the best storage containers for college?
The best storage containers for college are ones that can be clearly labeled and will keep out pests and moisture, which dorm rooms can be prone to. Some people use vacuum-sealed bags, which can help store more clothing while keeping out any unwanted pests. Of course, finding gently used or new cardboard boxes can work, too!
Are storage units worth it for college students?
Many college students find having a storage unit to be worth it—whether it’s to save space in a dorm room or to avoid hauling items between a distant family home and school. With state-of-the-art security features and helpful storage amenities like climate control, storage units are reliable places to store excess items while in college. If you don’t know what size storage unit is right for your dorm, check out our size guide to help you choose!
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Find College Storage Near You!
Extra Space Storage has thousands of storage facilities throughout the U.S. that offer self storage for college students.
Some top schools with students seeking college storage solutions:
- Samford University Self Storage
- Santa Clara University Self Storage
- Emory University Self Storage
- Loyola University Self Storage
- Marquette University Self Storage
- Columbia University Self Storage
Find cheap college storage near your campus today!
