What Actually Fits in a 20 ft Storage Container?

The question we hear most often, whether someone is moving across Reno or clearing out for a remodel: will all my stuff actually fit? Here's a straight answer, room by room, based on the container we deliver every day.

The Short Answer

Our 20 ft container gives you roughly 1,360 cubic feet of storage inside a 20' × 8' × 8.5' heavy-gauge steel shell. In practical terms, that comfortably holds the contents of a 3-to-4 bedroom home — furniture, appliances, boxes, and the garage overflow included.

Room by Room

Living Room

A sectional or two sofas, coffee and end tables, a TV console, bookshelves, and lamps use up roughly a quarter of the container when loaded tall. Stand sofas on end where possible — the 8.5-foot ceiling is your friend.

Bedrooms

A queen mattress set, frame, dresser, and nightstands per bedroom. Mattresses travel best on their sides along the container walls, which also protects your boxes from shifting.

Kitchen & Appliances

Refrigerator, washer, and dryer line up along one wall. Load them upright, and leave fridge doors cracked with a towel between so they air out during storage.

Garage & Outdoors

This is where a container beats a moving truck: no return deadline means the mower, bikes, toolboxes, and holiday bins can load last and unload first.

Mind the Weight, Not Just the Space

Most households run out of room long before they run out of weight allowance — but if you're storing tools, shop equipment, or paper archives, know the numbers: we recommend keeping loads under 7,000 lbs, with a hard transport maximum of 10,000 lbs per Nevada DOT rules. Every container is weighed before transport. Go over the recommended limit and we can still move it for $10 per 100 lbs over, up to the max — or just pull a few heavy items back out. Details are on our pricing page.

Pack Smarter With Totes

Uniform boxes are the secret to using all 1,360 cubic feet — irregular cardboard wastes space and collapses under stacking. Our heavy-duty storage totes ($3/month to rent with a $10 refundable deposit, or $12 to buy) stack cleanly to the ceiling and shrug off moisture. Add up to 50 to your reservation.

What If You Need Less Space?

Storing one room, staging a home for sale, or locking up tools? Our compact 8 ft container ($160/month) fits driveways a 20-footer can't. More units arrive in August 2026 — join the waitlist and we'll call you first.