Storage Sites vs. Storing a Seasonal Vehicle Yourself

After watching this commercial, does anything seem wrong to you? If you didn’t catch it, watch it again a second time and check out where and how the RVs are being stored. Yes – you probably saw it for a few seconds on screen. The RVs are being stored in an open parking lot, which is where they stay during the winter. Although Seaport Storage claims to store boats and RVs, the location of the vehicles is outdoors – left unprotected to the elements. In terms of a long lifespan for your seasonal vehicle, is such a place ideal for keeping it in shape?

As we’ve mentioned before here, seasonal vehicles left outdoors for several months at a time are exposed to the elements. The prolonged exposure causes UV damage to the surface of the vehicle, often in faded paint and cracked parks, and the water damage can lead to mildew and dry rot on the surface. The best solution for keeping one of these vehicles is to put it in storage, either with a portable storage shelter like those at Shelters of America or Portable Garage Depot or, if you own one already, a brick-and-mortar garage. Left outdoors for six months of the year, the vehicle won’t give you as much usage as it could.

This ties into the last post, in which residents of DeWitt, New York, will need to store their seasonal vehicles, and their respective, shelters in the backs of their homes. Keeping a boat or RV in a driveway became illegal as of January 1, 2010, although various neighborhoods around the city without large enough backyards have petitioned the local government. Nevertheless, if you plan to use such a storage facility like Seaport Storage or a similar company, check first to see if they’ll let you use a portable shelter.