A lot of military bases are situated pretty far from major cities, which can make finding storage a serious challenge. Luckily, that’s not the case with Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. The base is within Tucson city limits, so military members and their families can live on base while still taking advantage of all of the restaurants, shopping, events and of course, storage facilities, that Tucson has to offer. There are 121 facilities in Tucson, which stacks the odds in your favor when it comes to searching for the right one. While you can certainly get a feel for what your storage needs are by browsing our list of storage facilities near the base, we’d suggest you start by checking out our tips on military storage in Tucson.
The Basics
Davis-Monthan serves a population of about 6,500 active duty members, 1,000 reservists and national guard personnel, 3,000 civilian employees and 8,400 family members. This is about 2% of Tucson’s population. These numbers seems kind of big, but consider the fact that the base’s population fluctuates depending on when troops are trained, deployed or stationed elsewhere, and you’ll find that you won’t necessarily be competing with thousands upon thousands of military men and women when it comes to storage. You may find yourself competing with the University of Arizona’s students, especially those in the school’s
ROTC program, but thankfully, unlike the sudden deployments of military members, it’s pretty easy to predict the movements of college kids. They usually only need storage when they’re not actually in school, so they only take up substantial space at facilities during summer and winter breaks.
Storage and Relocation
Moving to Tucson for work at Davis-Monthan and not sure what your storage needs are even going to be? Remember that anyone asked to relocate to the base is provided with a sponsor whose role is to answer questions and provide information about the base and the area. He or she will be able to answer specific questions about what the privatized housing at
Soaring Heights Communities really looks like when it comes to space, and you’ll be able to figure out whether that 10x10 storage unit you’re considering renting actually only needs to be a 5x5 unit. In addition to asking your sponsor questions, you’ll also go through a relocation program called Right Start. It’s a half day orientation where you’ll have access to something that’ll really help: the base’s loan closet. It provides new residents with temporary items like kitchenware and appliances. If you haven’t secured housing or are waiting for the home you want to become available, you can find temporary lodging at
The Inn on Davis-Monthan. You can advantage of a storage facility that offers flexible leases (that’s most of them, fortunately) and store your furniture and larger items while you wait for housing. In addition to providing you with a safe, secure place to keep your belongings while you wait, this gives you the added benefit of downgrading to a smaller unit once you move into your house. Most storage facilities are happy to transfer you to a smaller (and cheaper!) space so that you can keep your new home free from clutter.
More on Housing
On the base, you’ll find privatized housing in three different neighborhoods, most of which offer two to four bedroom plans. Thanks to the low cost of living in Tucson, you can always choose a unit with an extra bedroom and rent a significantly smaller storage unit than you would if you didn’t have the spare room. If you’re opting for unaccompanied housing, this is available but obviously won’t offer a lot of extra space, hence the need for storage.
If you don’t want to live on base, you might find yourself living in a nearby neighborhood like Rita Ranch. The closest facility to you in that neighborhood will be
Arizona Self Storage. It’s about seven miles away, but the drive is easy thanks to the city’s reasonable commute times. You’ll find more traffic during the times when military members are driving to and from the base, so if you’re aware of when this is, you’ll know when not to access your storage unit. If you’re living on the base but you’re ranking below E-4, you’ll be required to live in the barracks. Don’t plan on sneaking any additional belongings into your dorm style housing, as random inspections from first sergeants and commanders occur regularly. Instead, get a storage unit. Most facilities allow you to go in on a unit with a friend. Since the close quarters of the barracks allow those in training to get to know each other, you won’t have a hard time finding someone who’s looking to get a little extra space and save a little extra money.
