Remember that scene in Indiana Jones where they put the bag of sand on the weight-sensitive pedestal? It has to be perfect, or the whole temple comes crashing down.

Choosing a storage unit is kinda like that, but with less snakes and more of your actual stuff on the line.

Most people look at two things: price and location. Big mistake. The third thing, the thing that matters most, is build quality. And nobody talks about it because it’s not sexy.

Let me break it down for you like I did for my sister when she was storing my niece’s baby clothes.

1. The Floor is a Lie

You walk in, and you see grey concrete. It looks solid. It feels solid. It’s a liar.

That bare, unsealed concrete is basically a giant sponge. It’s pulling moisture right up from the dirt underneath the building. That moisture has to go somewhere, so it evaporates into your unit, creating a tiny, humid jungle that’s perfect for growing mold and that classic “damp basement” smell.

You know that box of your old high school yearbooks and love letters? Yeah, that’ll be a solid, molded-together brick in a year if the floor isn’t sealed.

A good floor has a thick, epoxy sealant. It looks shiny. It feels smooth. It’s a barrier. It’s the difference between storing your stuff in a basement and storing it on your living room floor. When we built our place, I fought with my contractor over the cost of that sealant. I won. Because I’m not storing people’s lives on a damp sponge.

2. The Walls Aren’t Just for Hanging Up Your Bicycle

Tap the wall. Seriously. Does it go clang-clang-buzz and feel like you’re knocking on a filing cabinet? Or does it go thud and feel solid?

The filing cabinet sound means thin, flimsy metal. That’s bad for two reasons. First, it dents if you look at it funny. Second, and way worse, flimsy walls flex. When they flex, they pull away from the seams in the corners. You get gaps. Tiny, invisible-to-you gaps.

But spiders see them. Ants see them. And mice? Mice see them as a front door with a welcome mat.

I will never forget the guy—let’s call him Bob—who pulled his classic vinyl record collection out of a cheap unit. A mouse had gotten in. It didn’t eat the records. Oh no. It used them to build a nest, shredding the cardboard sleeves and, well, let’s just say it used the records as a bathroom. The entire collection was a total, heartbreaking loss over a $15-a-month price difference.

Solid walls don’t have gaps. It’s that simple.

3. The “Climate Control” Bait and Switch

Here’s the scam: A lot of places install a big air conditioner in the hallway and call the whole building “climate-controlled.” Technically, the climate in the hallway is controlled. But your unit? Not so much.

If your unit’s walls aren’t insulated, you get the soda can effect. On a hot, humid day, the outside of the metal wall is hot. The air inside your unit is cool. When that warm, moist air touches the cold wall, it turns into water. Condensation. Your stuff gets rained on from the inside.

So you’re paying extra for climate control, but your wooden dresser is warping from the moisture your unit is creating. Real climate control means insulated walls and a sealed environment, not just a cold breeze in the hallway.

The Bottom Line

Going for the cheapest unit is like buying the cheapest helmet. It might fit your budget, but you’re betting your brain on it. You’re betting your grandmother’s quilt, your kid’s sports equipment, and your own sanity that the cheap place got the fundamentals right.

Most don’t.

At our place, we have a simple rule: If we wouldn’t store our own family’s stuff in it, we don’t rent it out. My wife’s wedding dress is in one of our units. That’s the standard. It has to be.

So when you tour, be rude. Get on the floor. Knock on the walls. Ask the manager point-blank: “Is the concrete sealed? Are the walls insulated?” If they hesitate, walk away.

Your stuff is the sandbag. Don’t set it down on a faulty pedestal.

Hope this finally helps. I’m gonna go give my dog a piece of bacon now.