Haskell Student Storage Guide
Haskell students come to Lawrence from all over the country. When the halls close and home is a plane ticket away, here is what to do with everything that will not fit in two checked bags.
Why storage works differently for Haskell students
Most storage advice for college students assumes a parent with an SUV three hours away. Haskell Indian Nations University is different. Students arrive from tribal nations across the country, from Alaska to Arizona to the Carolinas, and plenty of them get home on a plane or a long bus ride, not a Saturday drive.
That changes the math. A mini-fridge, a bike, bedding, a desk lamp and a winter's worth of clothes cannot fly, and shipping them home and back twice a year costs more than the things are worth. Haskell student storage in Lawrence solves it: everything stays five minutes from campus, and you travel light.
Five minutes from campus, straight down 23rd Street
Free State Storage is at 2400 Franklin Rd on the southeast side of Lawrence. From the Haskell campus it is a short drive east on 23rd Street, close enough to do in a couple of carloads between a last final and a ride to the airport.
Every unit is drive-up, so a borrowed car or a friend's truck pulls right to the door. The gate is open 6 AM to 10 PM every day, and the whole rental happens on your phone: reserve, pay, and the gate code arrives right away. There is no office to visit.
- Students get 15% off any unit with a valid student ID
- Month-to-month: rent it for the summer, or just for winter break
- Give ten days notice when you are done; no long lease
- A free combination padlock comes with the first month
What size do you need?
One residence hall room fits a 5x10 unit with room to spare. It is about the size of a walk-in closet: boxes stack along one wall, the fridge and microwave sit on top of each other, and a bike stands in the corner.
Sharing is the cheapest way to do it. Three or four students splitting a 10x10 pay a fraction each. Put the unit in one person's name, label every box with its owner, and keep one walkway down the middle so nobody has to unpack someone else's stuff in August. Not sure which size? The size finder takes thirty seconds.
What to store, and what goes home with you
The rule for anyone flying: store what is heavy and replaceable, and carry what is personal and irreplaceable.
- Store: mini-fridge, microwave, bedding, towels, winter coats and boots, books, kitchen supplies, bike, fan, storage bins
- Carry home: laptop, chargers, medications, IDs and documents, anything you need before you are back
- Keep with you or with family: regalia, beadwork, family items and anything that cannot be replaced. A storage unit is for the everyday things
- Never store: food of any kind, even sealed. A metal unit in a Kansas July is not a pantry
- Wash and fully dry bedding and clothes before they go in, and use plastic bins instead of cardboard for a full summer
A timeline for the end of the semester
The end of spring semester at Haskell is busy: finals, commencement, and the Commencement Powwow all land close together, and the residence halls close soon after. Check the Haskell housing calendar for your hall's closing date, then work backward.
- Three weeks out: reserve the unit. Your rate locks the day you book, not the day you move in
- Two weeks out: line up a car. One friend with a vehicle and gas money is all it takes
- The week before finals: move everything you are not using daily, like winter clothes, extra bedding and books from finished classes
- After your last final: the bed-and-fridge run, then lock up
- Before you leave: take a photo of the packed unit and keep the gate code somewhere you can find it in August
No car? It still works
A lot of Haskell students do not have a car in Lawrence. The plan that works is two carloads with a friend, or one trip in a borrowed pickup. Because the units are drive-up, there are no hallways, elevators or carts to deal with: back up to the door, unload, done.
If family is helping from a distance, they can reserve and pay online from anywhere and send you the gate code. Text or call during phone hours, Monday through Saturday 9 to 6 and Sunday noon to 4, if anything comes up.
Coming back in August
Fall move-in runs in reverse and takes under an hour. Pull up, load the car, and close out the unit online, or keep it through the year for the things a shared room never has space for. Students who go home for winter break often keep a small unit all year and skip the question entirely.
KU student instead? The KU Student Storage Guide covers the same ground for the Hill.
Common questions
How far is Free State Storage from Haskell Indian Nations University?
About five minutes. The facility is at 2400 Franklin Rd on the southeast side of Lawrence, a short drive east of the Haskell campus on 23rd Street.
Is there a student discount for Haskell students?
Yes. Students get 15% off any unit with a valid student ID. Student and military discounts cannot be combined with each other or with the move-in offer. Rentals are month-to-month, so you only pay for the months you need.
Can someone back home pay for my storage unit?
Yes. A parent, relative or anyone else can reserve and pay online from anywhere, then share the gate code with you. No one has to come to Lawrence to sign anything.
Can several Haskell students share one unit?
Yes, and it is the cheapest option. Three or four students fit their rooms in a 10x10. Rent it under one name, label each person's boxes, and split the monthly cost.
Most readers of this guide pick a 5x10.
Studio apartment or full dorm room — KU summer storage favorite.
See 5x10 details