Yes. Guitars, violins, cellos, brass, woodwind, drums, amps, PA speakers, mixers and keyboards can all go in a Wigwam unit. Our units aren't heated, cooled or humidity-controlled, so the case does the protecting: keep each instrument clean, dry and in its case (a hard case for guitars), off the floor, ease guitar strings down a half step or two, and give a solid-wood acoustic or classical guitar a two-way humidity pack. Take batteries out of keyboards, and check anything with a built-in rechargeable battery against clause 20 of our terms. You can store kit in a unit, but you can't play or rehearse there: clause 22 says the unit is for storage only.
Pianos have their own guide.
Acoustic and electric guitars
Fender has four tips for storing guitars:
- store them in their cases, standing up, "like suits on a rack", not lying in a pile. If they can't stand, lay each case on its side with the upper side of the guitar pointing up;
- keep some string tension: "loosen the strings one or two half steps". Fender says no tension at all "can lead to neck bowing problems";
- keep them "nearer to the center of the building rather than near an outside wall". In storage, that means an indoor unit away from the building's outside walls, so ask for one when you book;
- take tremolo (vibrato) arms off, except a Bigsby, which folds back.
Fender's string advice is written for steel-string guitars. For a nylon-string classical guitar, ask a luthier or your teacher whether to change the tension.
In a unit, the case is your main protection, but not the whole answer. Taylor Guitars says the case "provides essential protection from drying and other environmental effects, but in areas prone to severe dryness and/or cold (such as heated homes), you must use a guitar-humidifying device", and warns that dry conditions can crack the wood and lift the bridge.
Humidity packs
Taylor puts the right range for its guitars at 45 to 55% relative humidity, and recommends two-way humidity packs, such as D'Addario's. These release or absorb moisture to hold the air in the case at 45 to 50%. One pouch sits in the soundhole and one under the headstock. Taylor says the packets last two to six months, so replace them on a visit during a longer stay. Silica gel only absorbs moisture, and dryness is what Taylor warns about, so for a solid-wood acoustic or classical guitar a two-way pack is the safer choice. If you don't know whether a secondhand guitar has a solid-wood or laminate top, ask a luthier or the shop that sold it.
What the unit does, and what the case has to do
Our units are clean, dry and secure, but we don't control or publish the temperature or humidity inside them. Our guide to climate-controlled storage says "bowed string instruments, solid-wood acoustic guitars, and woodwind instruments with cork or skin components are genuinely sensitive to humidity changes over time". For a fine or irreplaceable instrument, take specialist advice: a specialist store may be the better answer. Our terms don't allow "items which are unique in nature and/or where the value to You cannot be assessed on a financial basis" (clause 18(j)), so if an instrument is a one-off, or its worth to you can't be priced, call us on 0800 2545585 before you book. Whether a unit suits your instrument is your call: clause 26 of our terms says "You must ensure the Unit is suitable for the storage of the Goods intended to be stored in it", and "We make no warranty or representation that any unit is suitable for any particular goods".
Our booking system lists the Chipping Norton and Shipston-on-Stour outdoor containers as insulated against condensation, and for any other container, ask when you book. For guitars, though, an indoor unit away from the building's outside walls is the closer fit to Fender's advice. Seasonal effects are covered in do storage units get cold in winter or hot in summer?
Violins, cellos and other bowed strings
Yamaha's care guide says the ideal humidity for a violin is 50%, and that putting it straight back in its case keeps it as close to that as possible. Kept in high humidity and warmth, the top and back swell and the sound post can collapse; kept dry for a long time, the fingerboard can come away from the body. Yamaha's advice is to store it where temperature and humidity stay as stable as possible, out of direct sunlight, and adds: "If just being a room gives you a cold or makes you feel uncomfortable, it's probably a poor choice as a place to store your violin." We have no maker's guidance here on cello cases or humidifiers, so for a cello (or a viola or double bass), ask a luthier or the shop that sold it what case and humidity pack to use, and whether to change the string tension: Fender's advice is for guitars.
Brass and woodwind
For brass, drain and dry the slides and body before casing it: Yamaha's trumpet guide warns of "a risk of progressive corrosion if moisture remains in a slide for a long time".
Wooden woodwinds are the sensitive end. Yamaha says a wooden clarinet body can crack with "rapid changes in temperature and humidity" (plastic ones are the exception), and in winter it should warm to room temperature before you play it. Swab out every instrument before storage.
Take valve oil, key oil and spray cleaners out of the case: clause 18(c) bans "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases", and aerosols are compressed gases.
Drums and cymbals
Yamaha's drum care advice is to wipe the kit down after use, because hardware can rust and screw fittings can stiffen, and to clean cymbals, because grease from hands can oxidise them. Beyond that, store shells and hardware in cases or bags, dry, and off the floor.
Amplifiers, keyboards and batteries
Yamaha's PSR-E223 keyboard manual warns against dust, vibration, and extreme cold or heat, and says that "if the instrument is not to be used for a long time", you should "remove the batteries from the instrument to prevent possible leakage of the battery fluid". You can't connect power to a unit unless we've authorised it (clause 22(e)), so don't plan to plug in and test kit there: see do storage units have electricity?
A digital piano is electronics too, so the keyboard notes above apply; we have no maker's guidance on storing one on its end, so ask its maker or the shop before you do.
Clause 20 of our terms sets the battery rules:
| Item | Can it be stored? |
|---|---|
| Loose AA or AAA batteries in a keyboard or pedal | Not restricted by clause 20, but take them out (Yamaha's advice) |
| Power banks, portable chargers "or any similar portable power source" | No (clause 20(b)). A rechargeable pedalboard power supply may count: ask us first |
| Items "containing built-in batteries" (20(d) names laptops, tablets and children's toys) | Up to 10 per unit. A practice amp or wireless unit with a built-in battery may count, so include it in your count |
Clause 20.1 says goods with built-in batteries must be "free from visible physical defect or fault", "not stacked" and stored "allowing air circulation". We also recommend (but don't require) storing batteries "with the lowest practical charge".
Band equipment, PAs and working musicians
Storing kit for work, a band or a school is fine: we offer business storage. What a unit can't be is a practice room or a teaching room. Clause 22 of our terms says you "will use the Unit solely for the purpose of storage and shall not (or allow any other person to)" use it "as offices" or "as a home, business or mailing address". In plain words: you can store, load and unload, but not rehearse, record, teach or run the business from the unit, and it can't be your business address (see can I use my storage unit as a business address?). "Or allow any other person to" means you answer for bandmates you give access to; sharing access explains how.
Can I play drums in a storage unit?
No. Practising isn't storage, and a drum kit being played is exactly the "noise or vibration which may be heard or felt outside the Unit" that clause 22(b) rules out.
Access is normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page, and confirm your site's hours when you book). Clause 13 allows extended access only where we've agreed it, at the hours on your Cover Sheet and for any extra charge. Whether your site offers it, and what it costs, isn't published, so if your gigs end late, ask us before you book. Clause 30(a) excludes liability for business loss, such as a lost booking, and clause 31 requires your kit to be insured for its replacement value: see how much contents cover do I need? We don't publish a size guide for a band's backline, so tell us what's going in and we'll suggest a size.
Storing someone else's instruments
If you're a parent storing a student's instrument, or clearing a late relative's collection, the same care applies, and if the unit is in your name, its rules are yours. Clause 18(j) on one-off instruments, above, applies to you too.
Visiting, checking and collecting
Our terms advise you to inspect your unit from time to time (clause 26). A visit is the moment to swap humidity packs and look for rust or damp. Goods are stored at your own risk (clause 30), and where a loss results from "Our negligence or breach of contract", "Our liability will be limited to the sum of £100 in total" (clause 30(b)). The RSA policy you can take out through us doesn't cover atmospheric or climatic damage, so preparation is your real protection.
Getting a unit
The median (middle value) of the listed prices on our September 2026 price lists is about £78 per four weeks for 25 sq ft and about £143 for 50 sq ft; prices vary by site and floor, and some sites list smaller units. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT. The notice you must give to end your agreement is the number of days shown on your Cover Sheet (clause 41), so for a short stay, such as a school summer, ask what it is when you book. For a clean, dry, secure home for your instruments, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585. To find a site, see our locations.
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