"So what size do I actually need?" It's the question that comes up every single time, right before booking. Too small, and your boxes end up stacked on the landing. Too big, and you pay every month for empty space. Somewhere in between sits the right size, the one that matches exactly what you have to store. Here's how to find it, with concrete reference points rather than abstract square metres.

Before the square metres, the right questions

We tend to think in terms of floor area first. Yet the volume you really need depends above all on your situation. By weighing up a few simple criteria, you land on the right answer.

The number of rooms involved. Emptying a garage is a very different story from storing the furniture of a whole one-bedroom flat while you renovate.
The type of belongings. Boxes can be stacked high. A corner sofa, a wardrobe or a fridge sit on the floor and add up fast.
Duration and how often you visit. If you come to grab things every week, keep an aisle to move around. For tidy long-term storage, you can pack much tighter.
The height. A storage unit fills up towards the ceiling too. Stacking neatly often means dropping a whole size.
Whatever won't fold flat. Bikes, surfboards, a pushchair, a mattress: these bulky items set the minimum width you need.

Three tiers, three comparisons that make sense

To picture it without reaching for the tape measure, here's how we think about it day to day in our facilities. Three broad size families cover the vast majority of needs between Bayonne, Anglet and Tarnos.

The small unit, 1 to 3 m²: a large cupboard

This is the ideal secure storage space for decluttering without moving house. You can easily fit ten to twenty boxes, seasonal gear (skis, beach kit, decorations), a few flat-pack pieces of furniture or the archives of a small business. Picture a large walk-in cupboard, or an extra cellar: it takes whatever clutters up the garage, or whatever no longer fits in a new-build flat with no storeroom. For many families in Anglet or Bayonne, this is the "one extra room" format that changes everyday life.

The medium unit, 4 to 6 m²: a studio or a one-bedroom flat

We move up a gear. This size absorbs the contents of a studio or a small one-bedroom flat: a sofa, a table, a bed, a few pieces of furniture, the appliances and the boxes that go with them. It's the most requested tier during a move or renovation, when you need to clear part of the home through a transition. You keep enough room to move around inside if you have to come back for something along the way.

The large unit, 8 to 12 m²: a whole home

Here you store the contents of a full flat, or even a small house: all the furniture, the appliances, the boxes of an entire family. It's the format for big moves, estate clearances or a major renovation, when everything has to come out at once. A large unit for a whole home saves you juggling several solutions: everything stays in one place, in a clean, dry, alarm-monitored space.

Deciding right, without falling into the traps

Estimating a volume "by eye" is the surest way to get it wrong, in either direction. Here's how to settle it calmly.

Make a list before you estimate. Note the big pieces of furniture, count your boxes. A written list always beats a gut feeling.
Use the volume calculator. You tick off your furniture and boxes, and it suggests a suitable size in a few clicks. It's the most reliable way to estimate your volume with no risk of error.
Don't oversize "just in case". The instinct is natural, but costly. Stack well towards the ceiling and you'll often save a size.
Don't underestimate the bulky items. The bike, the pushchair or the surfboard take up more room than you'd think, and stop you stacking.
When in doubt, ask us. Torn between two sizes? That's exactly the moment to call or drop by: together, we quickly picture what will fit.

And nothing is set in stone. Your needs change, and you can switch sizes along the way. The solution stays flexible, with no heavy commitment: we adapt to your situation, not the other way round. At our Bayonne Les Arènes facility, for example, the outdoor "drive-up" access lets you load or unload straight from the car, right at the door of your unit.

A real example, close to home

Léa and her partner, young parents in a new-build flat in Anglet, were cramped in their two-bedroom place with no cellar: pushchair, bikes and boxes from their old flat were spilling out of the garage. They couldn't decide between a small and a medium unit. After listing their belongings and spending two minutes on the calculator, the 3 m² size came out on top: all the seasonal gear and bulky items fit in, the garage got its car back, and they didn't pay for empty space.

Small unit 1 to 3 m²: the equivalent of a large cupboard, ideal for decluttering.
Medium unit 4 to 6 m²: the contents of a studio or one-bedroom flat, perfect during a move or renovation.
Large unit 8 to 12 m²: a whole home gathered in one place.
List your furniture and boxes before estimating your volume.
The online calculator gives the most reliable size in a few clicks.
Switching sizes is possible: a flexible solution that adapts to you.

Unsure between two sizes? Spend a few seconds on our storage unit size calculator, or call our local team: we'll help you choose right, so you pay for what you need and nothing more.