Aside from the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF), the military has been out of Philadelphia since the 1990s. Land that formerly belonged to Naval Support Activity Philadelphia has mostly been returned to the city for redevelopment.
However, NISMF is minimally staffed and holds the decommissioned Navy vessels while awaiting determination of their final fate.
This guide can help those who do work at NISMF, or military recruitment centers, to understand their best self-storage options.
Storage Needs in Philadelphia
You may enjoy Philadelphia’s mild winters, but know that summers are hot and humid. Climate control will be a necessity. If you compare climate control to your bathroom at home, you’ll realize you wouldn’t want to store your books or other items even slightly sensitive to moisture in there. Storage units aren’t likely to get that humid, during summer, they can get humid enough. Get climate control to ensure a steady temperature and low moisture.
Military Pricing
Philadelphia is a big city with about 1.5 million residents, including about 400,000 university students, and 118 self-storage facilities. That gives the city only about 64,900 individual storage lockers. Expect early Fall be the most difficult time to procure a unit, with all the students coming back to school. Prices are decent. Often 5’x5’ units rent for between $20 and $40, 5’x10’ units for between $35 and $110, and 10’x10’ units for between $75 and $120.
Other factors to consider are distance from your storage to your home, how often you go, and what you will keep in your unit. A low-priced, nearby (and climate controlled!) facility would be the best option. However, maybe prices around your home are high. Unless you go frequently, a cheaper one a little farther away might save you money.
Whatever you do, ask around about military discounts. You’re in the business of serving and protecting the United States, and various companies want to show their appreciation. Some have military discounts. Usually, though, this is for active members only, and you must show your military ID when you rent.
Storing Your Personal Firearms
You may carry a gun in the course of your military duties, but you may also have a personal firearm or two, and maybe you like to practice at the gun range. You may also choose not to keep your firearms at home, but need somewhere safe to keep them. Self-storage might be your solution.
Most self-storage facilities do not allow tenants to keep firearms in their self-storage lockers, and none allow ammo storage. Ask your local facilities to be sure.
The article
Storing Your Firearms: Safe Options for Gun Storage on the Storage Front website has plenty of helpful tips, including alternative places to store your guns.
