Oakland, CA Military Storage
Military personnel and their families can never stay in one place for too long and are required to be able to move with very minimal notice. Although you’ve probably learned how to pack light, there are some things you just need storage units for. Oakland is home to multiple military bases, and a lot of their inhabitants are not able to keep everything they would like with them in their homes on the base. With 30 facilities to choose from in Oakland, military members are bound to be able to find a storage unit that suits their needs. If you’re not too sure what to look for in a unit, don’t worry—that’s what we’re here for.
Military Presence in Oakland
There are three military bases in Oakland, the largest of which is Travis Air Force Base. This base is 47 miles north of Oakland and is home to 3,770 civilians, 7,200 active U.S. Air Force military personnel, and 4,000 Air Force reservists. It also has an Air Force Medical Center, which accommodates 256 people at a time. The base has limited military base lodging and priority is given to those with official government orders and personnel on active duty. Family dwellings and temporary lodging facilities are available for military personnel and their families if they have made prior reservations.
With all of these people living on the base, and a fully equipped medical center, it’s hard to make room for storage space for the residents of the base. Military members and their families would be much better off finding a nearby storage facility to store their extra belongings. If you live on this base and are looking for a local storage facility, check out American Self Storage, which is only 1.2 miles away from the base. This facility takes some pretty intense security measures to keep your belongings safe, and also offers military and senior discounts, extended hours, and special payment options for Air Force members. Word is that the nearby Jelly Belly Candy Company and Budweiser Brewery might store here too but we can’t disclose too much!
Special Needs
Sometimes you need to store things that require special accommodations. For instance, when the Air Force Medical Center needs to store things like medicine, they need to be sure to store it in climate controlled units so it doesn’t get ruined before it even gets to a patient.
Military personnel are also big on storing guns. First of all, not all storage facilities allow for gun storage, so be sure to check on that. You also have to look into the special rules of storing guns, such as the possibility of storing guns with a friend or family member, storing guns and their ammunition separately, and a number of other things. Ask the storage facility manager for more safety tips so you don’t end up doing something illegal. Also consider renting a locker unit if you don’t have a lot to store and want something more cost efficient.
Another thing to consider when looking for a storage facility is if they allow you to have 24-hour access to your unit. Certain facilities don’t allow this, which can make things a little complicated for military personnel. Although this may not seem like a big deal, it can seriously impact your storage use and make your life more difficult. You don’t have the typical nine to five schedule, so you’ll need to be able to access your unit after hours.
Storage Safety
If you’re storing something like guns, you want to be very careful, especially in a city like Oakland. Oakland has a very high crime rate; its annual violent crimes are 7,033 and annual property crimes amount to 24,944. With statistics so high, it’s no wonder that storage facilities take strict security measures to protect their tenants’ belongings. The average storage facility in Oakland has an on site manager, keypad gate entry and exit, fenced grounds, security cameras, and is well lit to ward off crooks from afar. If you’re deployed overseas or temporarily assigned to another city or state, you won’t have to be concerned that your belongings are in danger of being stolen.
