Q&A: Is it ever okay to have a storage unit?

The second installment of Living Small’s new Q&A column

Something new for 2025: An advice column for paid subscribers. Once a month, I answer a reader’s question about living small and invite the community to weigh in.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Q: What’s your take on storage units? We’ve lived on sailboats for the last 10+ years, and have managed to avoid having a storage unit up until this last fall. Some of this was because we leaned on family, but mostly it has meant a lot of buying and selling and/or generally doing without large items.

The thing that tipped us over the edge this year was skiing. We couldn’t figure out a reasonable way to support our son’s passion and store ski gear on the boat, but I was shocked at how much of a relief we all felt when we got the storage unit. Suddenly winter tires, ski gear, AND off-season clothes have a home that isn’t our 42-foot sailboat.

I just still feel quite guilty about it (like maybe we’re cheating at this living small thing?), so I wondered how others approach this or think about it. —Leah

A: One phrase stuck out from Leah’s letter. She wrote, “I was shocked at how much of a relief we all felt when we got the storage unit.” (Emphasis mine.)