Storage Near CSU: How to Handle Move Out Week in Fort Collins

Move out at Colorado State runs on a short clock. For spring 2027, University Housing lists finals week as May 10 to 13, and the residence halls close for summer at 10 am on Friday, May 14. A student with a Thursday exam has a few hours that evening and a Friday morning to clear a room. That squeeze is why storage near CSU gets booked by students, parents and roommates who would otherwise be driving home with a full car and nowhere to put the rest. Lockaway Storage rents month to month units east of campus in Timnath, and this guide walks through how to use one without making move out week harder than it has to be.

At a Glance

• Lockaway Storage NoCo at 4973 Goodman Street in Timnath has drive-up units in 10x10, 10x15, 10x20 and 10x25 sizes depending on availability, rented month to month and reservable online.
• CSU lists spring 2027 residence hall closing at 10 am Friday, May 14, after finals week May 10 to 13, so the window to load a unit is short.

Why Move Out Week Is Tighter Than the Semester

The calendar does most of the damage. The halls close the morning after finals end, and summer housing does not open until Sunday, May 16, with summer classes starting the next day, according to the CSU Housing important dates page. That means anyone who needs a place for their things between the end of spring and the start of the next term cannot just leave them in the room.

The scale matters too. CSU reported enrollment of 34,412 students in fall 2025, and more than 5,000 of them live in 13 residence halls, as summarized on the Colorado State University Wikipedia page. Even if a small share of those students store something for the summer, that adds up to a lot of mini fridges, futons and totes moving at once. Roads near campus get busy, rental trucks are scarce, and everyone is trying to finish the same job on the same two days.

None of that is a reason to panic. It is a reason to decide where things are going before the week starts, so you are not shopping for a unit on the day the room has to be empty.

Who Actually Needs Storage Near Campus

Not every student's situation is the same, and the right unit depends on which one you are in.

Residence hall students are the most obvious group. They live in a single room with a bed, a desk and whatever they brought, and many are heading home for summer to a house that is already full. A few boxes and a rug are easy to haul. A loft bed frame, a futon and a mini fridge are another story.

Off campus renters have a different problem. Leases do not all end on the same day, and many students leave a place in May and move into a new one in August. In between, a couch and a bookshelf have to live somewhere. Because lease dates vary by building and landlord, check yours before you plan around a specific day.

Students leaving for an internship, a summer job or a study abroad term often need storage for months at a time, and may be hundreds of miles away when they need to rent. Graduates are in a third group: they are clearing an apartment, shipping some things home and holding the rest until they land somewhere new.

Parents are often the ones booking. If that is you, remember that you can handle the rental online without being in Fort Collins, which helps when your student is the only one in town.

What Is Worth Storing and What Is Not

The question to ask is not whether something fits. It is whether paying for it for three months costs less than replacing it or hauling it twice.

Furniture is the easy yes: a futon, a desk chair, a small bookshelf, a bike. These are bulky, easy to buy again at a cost, and a pain to carry home. Seasonal and sports gear is the next group. Skis, snowboards and a good winter coat have a natural off season in summer. Rugs, lamps, monitors, kitchen items and totes of books can go in a unit and be pulled out again in August.

Skip anything that will not hold up well sitting through a Colorado summer. Think about electronics, candles, anything that melts and anything that goes bad. Food is not allowed in our units at all, and that includes pet food, so the pantry from the dorm room goes home, gets donated or gets thrown out before you load. Combustibles, firearms, living things and illegal items are also not allowed. For anything temperature sensitive that you are unsure about, call the Timnath office and ask before you load.

How to Size a Unit When Roommates Share It

The size question is easier than it looks because most students store less than they think. As a rough guide, one student's furniture and a few boxes usually fits in a smaller unit, while two or three roommates splitting a unit can fill a mid size one fast. Those are general rules of thumb, not measurements from any specific load, so treat them as a starting point and not a promise.

Sharing is a good way to cut the cost, but it is worth agreeing on the basics before you load: who owns what, who is responsible for the rental, and who has access when someone needs to get back in. Put one name on the account, write down who is splitting what, and keep a photo of the unit once it is packed so everyone knows how it looked.

At our Timnath location, units are 10x10, 10x15, 10x20 and 10x25, and what is open changes day to day. Our storage unit size guide shows what typically fits in each size, and it is worth measuring your largest item first, since it sets the minimum width and depth. If you are torn between two sizes, start with the smaller one and ask the office about switching, since a unit that is too large costs you every month.

Why Drive-Up Makes Sense for a One Day Move

Most storage decisions are about where things go. Student storage is also about how fast you can get them there. Drive-up units open straight to the outside, so you can pull a car, truck or rented van right to the door and load without carts, hallways or an elevator. Ours have 10 foot tall doors, which helps when you are carrying a futon frame or a bike. You can read more about how drive-up storage works on our site.

That matters on a day when the room has to be empty by a set time. With a drive-up unit, you can load the car at the dorm, drive to Timnath, unload at the door and be done. With a unit that needs several trips through a building, the same load takes a lot longer. The tradeoff is that drive-up units are outside the building, so what you store is more exposed to Colorado's heat than something kept in a conditioned space. That is one more reason to leave electronics and other sensitive items out of the unit.

You also do not need to bring a key. You open the gate and your unit from a Bluetooth enabled smartphone, and rentals and bill pay are online. The property is gated and fully fenced, with well lit storage areas.

When to Book and What to Do Before Move Out Day

A reservation is optional, but it holds a specific unit and price, and that is worth doing before the last week of the semester. Availability changes, so check the live unit list when you are ready rather than assuming a size will be open on the day you need it.

A simple order of operations helps. Early in the semester, decide what is going into storage and what is going home. A couple of weeks out, reserve a unit, pick a size and line up a vehicle or a friend with one. A few days before the halls close, start packing the things you do not need for exams. On move out day, load the unit in one trip, take a photo of how it looks, and lock it up. Month to month rentals mean you can end the rental when you move back in, with no long term contract.

Remember that insurance or a protection plan is required for the unit, either through the facility or through a qualifying policy of your own. Ask about the options when you rent so it is not a surprise.

Getting From Campus to Timnath

Our Timnath location is on Goodman Street, near E Harmony Road. Harmony Road and I-25 connect Fort Collins to Timnath, and the property is set up for easy access in and out. If you are coming from campus, plan your route the way you would for any move day: check traffic in the late afternoon, give yourself extra time if you are towing or driving a rental, and have the unit number and gate access ready on your phone before you arrive.

Our team can also help you plan, which is useful if you have never rented a unit before. Call the Timnath office at (970) 964 6626 and we can walk through sizes, access and what makes sense for your situation.

Ready to Plan Your Move Out?

Storage near CSU does not need to be complicated. Pick a unit size, rent online, load once and end the rental when you are settled again. Lockaway Storage NoCo at 4973 Goodman Street in Timnath is glad to help, whether you are a student, a parent or a roommate holding the keys for everyone. If you want to see why east side Fort Collins renters use this location in the first place, read our post on why Timnath is the convenient choice for Fort Collins storage.