Is a container a good and mouse-free storage?

[Linea_Norway]

We plan to downsize after FIRE, but maybe live without a house for some months while we travel. And using our tiny cabin as a base and address. We also intend to rent houses for a while (maybe a year or two) until we decide where we want to settle.
This means our stuff during some time needs be stored somewhere, as the cabin is too small and doesn't have a road to the door. And the stuff needs to be transported up to several times.
I was thinking about hiring or buying a container. While travelling, it can store the stuff. We just need to pay for storing it on someones property. But this can be done in an LCOL place or at a friend's house. And when moving between rental houses, it can be transported on a truck.
Do you think this is a good idea? Is a container so tight that mice can't get in? We need to store our sofa and chairs, tools, kitchen utensils. Most stuff except for the camping gear, which fits into the cabin.

I know it is an option to sell the furniture and buy back second hand laterfor a comparable price. But where we move to will be out in the country, probably some small town. There won't be a whole lot of choice of good quality second hand stuff, I think.

The price for official self storage in a container without temperature control in an MCOL area is still so high that after a year we will have paid as much as the sofa is currently worth.

[friedmmj]

Sell the stuff.  The container will be expensive to transport especially overseas and if left in a humid environment your furniture will mildew.

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Containers get condensation. I'd be a lot less worried about mice and more worried about coming back to everything reeking of mould.

[gaja]

How far into the wilderness are you planning to move? First of all; many of the cheap houses in the very rural settings in Norway are sold with some furniture. Secondly, in my experience people living in rural areas spend more on quality furniture than those in the cities because they don’t have the cheap shops close by, and many of them see redecoration as a hobby. Thirdly, why would it be more efficient to move a container of your old stuff from where you live now rather than finding the closest little town to your new home and buy secondhand there?

Look at Finn.no for stuff in the area you are planning to move to, and you will get an idea about how easy it will be to get what you need.

[Linea_Norway]

How far into the wilderness are you planning to move? First of all; many of the cheap houses in the very rural settings in Norway are sold with some furniture. Secondly, in my experience people living in rural areas spend more on quality furniture than those in the cities because they don’t have the cheap shops close by, and many of them see redecoration as a hobby. Thirdly, why would it be more efficient to move a container of your old stuff from where you live now rather than finding the closest little town to your new home and buy secondhand there?

Look at Finn.no for stuff in the area you are planning to move to, and you will get an idea about how easy it will be to get what you need.

Not into the wilderness. But to some small town somewhere along the west-coast (that is not very precise, is it?).

We are rethinking the container thing. I don't want the couch to be damaged with dew. I have also looked into prices for container storage and it doesn't pay off at all to store it for a year. Selling and rebuying is cheaper.

The plan now is to FIRE in autumn 2019, if we can sell the house for a certain price, that is. Autumn is close to the winter and a period when you want to live in a real house, not in our cabin that doesn't even have water.

The plan is to get rid of at least half of our stuff, maybe even more, and just transport it to the new (rental) place. I have understood that moving stuff with a container is the cheapest option, where you load and unload yourself. We did that too when we moved to Norway, that was very cheap. Or we might just rent a large hanger and drive ourselves. I also read that hiring a moving truck with 2 drivers costs 950 NOK per hour.

[pbkmaine]

As someone who moved from Maine to Florida in the US, the best advice I can give you is to sell or donate as much as possible. It costs a lot of money to move, and household goods are not generally worth that much.

[Sibley]

As someone who moved from Maine to Florida in the US, the best advice I can give you is to sell or donate as much as possible. It costs a lot of money to move, and household goods are not generally worth that much.

This. Seriously, your back will thank you for getting rid of all the extra stuff. Your pocketbook will as well, but I think the back is more immediate.

[Linea_Norway]

As someone who moved from Maine to Florida in the US, the best advice I can give you is to sell or donate as much as possible. It costs a lot of money to move, and household goods are not generally worth that much.

This. Seriously, your back will thank you for getting rid of all the extra stuff. Your pocketbook will as well, but I think the back is more immediate.

We have a nice sofa, although it is quite some years old now. It is back breakingly heavy. Although it hurts mentally to sell a still good quality sofa, maybe this is the best candidate to get rid of. It wouldn't fit into a hanger either. I guess all the cupboards can go too. The next house will probably have some. And I have already decided on the large dining table (bought second hand) that only fits into our current house. And 3 hobby tables. And all guest beds. Maybe our own bed can also go, it is from 1997 or so.

[GuitarStv]

Insulate the container so that condensation isn't an issue.  Then when you get back from your travels and are ready to set down roots, buy a second container and use the two containers to build a home.

[partgypsy]

If you are leaving things in plastic for months at a time, depending on how determined, mice can eventually chew through plastic. Putting mothballs in the containers is supposed to be a deterrent. So while it is "ok" solution for short term storage for say 2-6 months, if you want better storage long term I would leave things like upholstered furniture in a storage unit with proper environmental conditions and if something happens to them it is not your liability. Weigh the cost of renting the storage unit to the actual value of the items. On second thought selling your items, or "loaning" the item to friends or family sounds like your best situation.

[nancyjnelson]

I just sold my house, put my belongings in storage and have begun long-term travels overseas.  I got rid of lots of things that might not fit into a new, smaller home (one that has yet to be found and purchased), and what I kept (books, arm chairs, side tables, kitchen stuff, wall hangings, rugs, etc) are things that I love. 

After emptying a 4BR/2BA house (including the single care garage and a garden shed), I ended up sending 3,800 lbs of belongings to professional storage.  It will cost me $140/month.

I highly recommend professional storage.  It's climate-controlled, has good pest controls, has fire and flood protection, and is insured.  Yes, I could have used a relative's barn for storage, but I got rid of the stuff that was extra (things that I actually didn't like, that wouldn't store well, that were in poor shape, or that were fairly large sized), and I didn't want to risk - for example - my books getting moldy. 

During my time working for the federal government my colleagues and I were frequently posted overseas for a few years before returning to the U.S., and during those years we were overseas our belongings were placed in storage.  Those who initially used extra space in the houses of friends or relatives to store a few special things normally ended up regretting it.