As I promised, an update on finding a new location to store our travel trailer after the catastrophic problems with iStorage as I share in this post and this post.

We found a great place in the nearby city of Beaumont, California. At first it seemed too far away, but after some consideration, it really is going to be a good fit for us. In this post I will share some pros and cons and how we made our final decision.

Why Store an RV?

We don’t have much choice. The Palm Springs City Ordinance prohibits parking an RV or boat on streets or driveways. There is an exception — one can get a permit — for $1,206 with considerable qualifications and restrictions.

Challenges to Getting a Permit in Palm Springs

Because of where our house is located in relation to the street, our trailer can only fit in the driveway or to the east of the driveway. Our garage is set back from the front of our house, which allows the trailer to fit in the driveway. Only thing is, if we park the trailer in the driveway we cannot fit any or our vehicles in the garage, the trailer is too wide to allow access.

 

The picture below shows how the garage is set back.

The city will allow parking in this spot along side the garage — meaning the camper needs to be back alongside the garage and not extending beyond the front of the garage, with the caveat that we would have to hide it with landscaping (large trees or shrubs) along the side of the trailer that would be adjacent to hour neighbor’s property.

There isn’t enough room to plant, plus I would have jackhammer out some of the existing cement pad and run irrigation lines for any new landscaping. So we are looking at thousands of dollars to do this.

What is Important to US

More important for us, is we could not cover the trailer with a roof. RVs that are stored outside in desert climates quickly deteriorate. Paint fades and membrane roofs, like we have, don’t last long. RVs whose sides are made from laminated materials, soon start to de-laminate, which is why we bought a trailer with aluminum siding. So . . .

we prefer to store our travel trailer in a storage facility that has covered parking

We have stored our trailer in a covered parking spot ever since we bought it and it looks almost new, even though we have been out camping for around 1,000 days and nights in it.

Logistics When a Camper is Stored

Our last storage facility was about 7 miles from our home. It was a covered parking space. There were no other amenities.

Trip Preparation

When we would get ready for a trip, I would pick up the trailer and bring it home. Once home, I would prepare by:

• load needed food and beverages
• check the propane level
• fill the fresh water tanks
• check/fill the air pressure in the camper and our tow vehicle

Trip Conclusion

We would bring the trailer home and prepare it for storage:

• dump the holding tanks with our FloJet macerator pump (poop canon) — we often camp where there is no dump station
• remove any left over food or drinks
• do laundry — sheets & pillow cases, clothing that is permanently stored in the trailer
• “deep clean” the interior
• perform any needed maintenance or repairs 
• return the camper to the storage facility

Other Maintenance/Repairs

Sometimes there are things that need to be done to the trailer. We are allowed to park our unit in our driveway for 72 hours. If I need to order parts or materials, I will often store the trailer after our return home, and once the needed stuff is collected, I will go get the trailer and bring it home.

Since our trailer was only a 14 mile round-trip to retrieve it from storage, there wasn’t any special planning or logistics involved. The storage facility location was extremely convenient for us.

Our RV Storage Options

The only facilities near us that offer RV storage and had vacancies were in the cities of Indio and Coachella. Distances of 50 to 58 miles round trip. None have openings for covered parking. We could have chosen one and waited for an opening in their covered areas.

Then I found one with covered parking in Beaumont, California that is 29 (58 round trip) miles from our house. I didn’t relish the thought of storing our camper so far away. But the facility is nearly new, built just last year. And it looked secure. So we took a trip to Beaumont to check it out.

Beaumont RV and Self Storage

When we arrived and spoke to the manager, there was one covered spot left in an area that is completely shaded 24/7. There were some others that do get some sun. So we took the shaded spot, which was $27 a month more than what we were paying for our previously unsecured facility.

What impressed upon our arrival was the place looked like a fortress.

 There were several added bonuses that were not mentioned on their website.

The Owner Owns an RV

The owner designed the facility to be RV friendly. Parking spots are wider than the standard 10 foot wide, they are 12 foot wide. The aisles between parking areas are generously wide. 

The facility was designed primarily for RV and boat storage, with enclosed storage units along the perimeter of the property. Unlike our old facility that had a thin layer of decaying asphalt over dirt, Beaumont RV is all cement designed to carry the heavy loads found in large motor homes and those huge 5th wheel trailers.

The grounds are immaculately maintained.

The manager took us on a guided tour. 

The first thing she pointed out, which is important to my wife, is there is a restroom accessible only to the storage unit area and is available 24/7. 

The second item is there are 110V electrical plugs in the storage area close to each parked RV. This allows people to plug in their battery chargers while in storage. Nice touch. She did warn us that there is not enough amperage to run things like an air conditioner.

Of course there is a remote entry keypad for customers. As we toured the facility, we found there were several other amenities that we were not expecting.

RV Sanitary Dump Station

Wow! Just Wow!

We often camp where there are no dump stations. It has been routine procedure for us to bring our camper home after a trip and and dump our holding tanks with our Flojet Macerator Pump, aka the poop canon, before returning the trailer to storage. No more! Plus draining the tanks with the full force of gravity into a sanitary dump is much a much better method than a Poop Canon.

Potable Water

Yep, we can fill our fresh water tanks here.

An Air Compressor with a Digital Gauge

I always check and top off tire pressure on both our trailer and tow vehicle before a trip. Now I can do it while filling the fresh water tank at the storage facility.

An Ice Machine

It isn’t huge, but a nice touch to take some ice at the beginning of a trip.

All of the above amenities are included in the monthly fee — no extra charges to nickel and dime customers.

What All of This Means to Us

No need to bring the camper home before or after a trip. I can even do minor maintenance or repairs at the facility.

The storage facility is located where we often pass by on trips anyway.

For us, it will be a matter of loading our truck with food and beverages, plus any items for a specific trip that we would normally load up at home. Reverse the procedure on returning, such as emptying the refrigerator at the storage unit and bring any excess food or beverages home with us. Not a big deal.

The only downside is that we cannot pre-cool the fridge before loading it with food and beverages, which isn’t a huge problem. On the other hand, the facility has free WiFi and I could probably install a wireless system to start the refrigerator remotely, something we really don’t need.

There are plenty of places nearby that sell bulk propane.

All-in-all this is going to work our well for us. On some trips, it is going to add 35 miles of traveling to our mileage, but since we usually camp for at least a week, and sometimes a month, it is a minor inconvenience.

If you live near the area and need a great storage facility, here is the website.