At a self storage site, a locker is the small end of the same range: a lockable space for a few boxes, suitcases or files. The difference is size and how you use it. A locker holds a few boxes; a unit is a room you walk into, and both are let under the same storage terms. On our September 2026 price lists, rows labelled as lockers run from £9 to £11 a week. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT.
Which should I choose?
As a rule of thumb:
- A locker for a few boxes and nothing tall or long.
- The smallest unit for anything long, heavy or bulky, or for more than a few boxes.
Locker or walk-in unit: side by side
| Locker or 10 sq ft unit | Larger unit (25 and 50 sq ft) | |
|---|---|---|
| What fits | "A few boxes, suitcases, seasonal decorations or small personal items" (our size guide, which describes "compact 10 sq ft lockers") | More than a few boxes; see our room-by-room size guide |
| Median (middle value) of the listed prices, ground and upper floors, per four weeks | £42 for 10 sq ft | £78 for 25 sq ft, £143 for 50 sq ft |
Each figure is the median (middle value) of the listed prices for that size, ground and upper floors, on our site price lists (September 2026). The medians use the size rows, leaving out the rows labelled as lockers and an unlabelled list. They are not any one site's price: at Bath, for example, the ground-floor 10 sq ft unit is £16 a week.
Other operators draw the line by height as well as floor area. Shurgard, for example, says its lockers "are 3 ft. high". The height of our own lockers isn't published, so if it matters (a tall lamp, a golf bag), ask us when you book.
Where we list lockers, and what they cost
Some sites list units below 25 sq ft: the Bath page says "from 10 sq ft", and Burton-on-Trent's price list starts at 5 sq ft. Rows labelled as lockers appear on the Bath, Chipping Norton and Leatherhead price lists (September 2026), which place them on the ground floor:
| Site | Row on the price list | Per week | Per four weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | "Locker 10" | £11 | £44 (12 weeks: £132) |
| Chipping Norton | "10 Lockers" | £9 | £36 |
| Leatherhead | "Locker" (size not given) | £11 | £44 |
For a summer at Bath, 12 weeks in the locker comes to £132 at the listed price (£11 a week × 12 weeks, or three four-week periods at £44). Some lists also show introductory offers; their terms aren't covered here, so check the price and any offer period on your quote.
Bath's list also shows a 10 sq ft unit at £16 a week on the ground floor, next to the £11 locker. Ask us what separates the two before you choose. Chipping Norton lists a 10 sq ft unit at £12 a week on the ground floor and £8 on its mezzanine, which the list marks "No lift" and "First 8 Weeks 50% Off" (call Chipping Norton on 01608 656300 to check), so there the mezzanine unit lists below the £9 locker row.
At Leatherhead, the 10 sq ft unit is on the first floor, at £20.50 a week (£82 per four weeks), and the smallest ground-floor unit is 16 sq ft at £34 a week. The list's offer note reads "First 4 Weeks 50% Off – First Floor ONLY (No Lift)", so check how you would get heavy items up to the first floor.
Our Bath page, as it stood on 23 September 2026, describes "Flexible storage with a two-week minimum stay", so a summer booking there is well past the minimum; Chipping Norton's page describes the same "two-week minimum stay". Bath uses smart entry, opened from your phone: the page says "There are no padlocks or physical keys."
Our local price pages, as they stood on 23 September 2026, give different starting figures: Bath's says "Small units (25–50 sq ft): From £10 per week", Chipping Norton's "Small units (10–50 sq ft): From £10 per week", and Leatherhead's "starts at £16 per week" (its September list shows no unit at that price). Chipping Norton's also describes its sizes as running "from 10 sq ft lockers to 300 sq ft rooms". Your quote will show the current price for your site.
For any other site, check your site's page on our locations page or call us on 0800 2545585. Our student storage page describes booking as: "Select a storage locker or one of our differently-sized storage units", then, "After receiving the quote, complete the booking online, via email or in-store".
Is a locker cheaper?
Usually in total. Per square foot, the 10 sq ft size is the dearest of the three sizes above: at the median (middle value) of the listed prices, 10 sq ft costs £4.20 per sq ft every four weeks against £3.12 for 25 sq ft and £2.86 for 50 sq ft. Those medians use the 10, 25 and 50 sq ft size rows and exclude the rows labelled as lockers. So a locker is good value when your things genuinely fit in it.
If they don't, compare two lockers with the next size up at your own site, because the answer differs by site. At Bath, two lockers cost £88 per four weeks (2 × £44), against £114 to £118 for a 25 sq ft unit there, so two lockers cost less than that unit, provided your things split sensibly between them. Bath's list also has a 10 sq ft unit at £64 per four weeks, less than two lockers, so if your things fit in 10 sq ft, compare that first. At Leatherhead, two lockers (£88 per four weeks) cost more than the first-floor 10 sq ft unit (£82).
A few boxes at home
Our storage types page puts it simply: "Whether you rent a locker or share a room with a friend." Our blog on student summer storage, under "The Locker or Smallest Unit", describes the load: "Think three or four boxes, one suitcase, a rolled sleeping bag, a bag of electrical cables." It adds: "If a mattress is going in, size up." The same applies to anything long, such as a flat-pack wardrobe still in its box.
Storing for a business
Yes, you can keep business stock in a locker, provided you use it only for storage and nothing in it is on the list of goods our terms prohibit. A locker can hold boxed stock, samples or a small kit of spares. Our terms allow storage only: clause 22(a) says you must not use the unit "as offices or living accommodation or as a home, business or mailing address".
Clause 18 also lists what you must not store, whatever the size of the space. It includes "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases" (18(c)), "chemicals… or other potentially hazardous substances" (18(e)), and "any item that emits fumes, or odours" (18(f)), so aerosols can't go in, flame symbol or not, and check products such as colour chemicals with us before you book. Our Bath and Chipping Norton pages also list "Any plants or creatures (living or dead)" among items that cannot be stored, so florists and garden traders should ask about dried stock first. The full list is in what goods are prohibited from being stored at Wigwam?. For boxed records, see our guide to document storage.
Booking for someone else
If you're booking for a student or a relative, note that under clause 1(c) whoever signs warrants that they are "the owner of the Goods in the Unit and/or entitled at law to deal with them in accordance with all aspects of this Agreement as agent for the owner". Our parent's guide to booking student storage covers the rest.
Already storing with us and want to go smaller
If your unit is now half empty, you can ask to move to a smaller unit, subject to availability; see can I change to a bigger or smaller unit?. Call us on 0800 2545585 to ask whether your site has a locker free.
Parcel lockers and left luggage are something else
A parcel locker holds a delivery for days, not your belongings for months. InPost's help page says: "You've got three days to grab your parcel. We'll send it back to the seller if it's not collected in time." That makes them a way to receive a parcel, not somewhere to keep belongings.
The same rules, whatever the size
A locker is still a space let under our storage terms. You are licensed "only to store Goods in the Unit allocated to You" (clause 1(a)). You are "solely responsible for securing the Unit and ensuring it is locked" (clause 21). At Bath, the site page describes smart entry rather than a padlock. Chipping Norton's page says "Bring your own padlock for the unit"; ask whether that applies to its lockers too. Leatherhead's page lists a "Mobile Smart Entry System"; ask whether it covers the lockers. At other sites, ask whether your locker takes your own padlock when you book, and see do I need my own padlock?. Goods are stored at your sole risk (clause 30), and they must stay insured for their replacement value (clause 31), even in the smallest space. Access is normally 6am to 10pm (check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book).
Getting a price
If your things fit in a few boxes, get a price online for your nearest site, or call us on 0800 2545585 and ask what small sizes and lockers are free.
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