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Moving or Travel with Pets

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Thoughts to consider when traveling with a pet

What to consider when moving with a pet

At our self-storage facility, many of our staff are proud pet owners. It got me thinking—what should we consider when moving with our beloved furry friends or simply taking them out during these scorching summer days?

Preparing for pets is crucial because they need extra care to ensure they’re comfortable and safe, whether moving homes or enjoying a day out. As the temperatures rise, it’s essential to be equipped to keep your dog cool and protected. Here are some essential items to have on hand for your dog this summer:

  • Collapsible water bowl: A lightweight and portable option for keeping your dog hydrated during walks, hikes, or any outdoor activity. Easy to clean and store, ensuring your dog has access to water wherever you go.
  • Water bottle: You won’t always have access to water, so carry a full water bottle for you and your pet.
  • Dog-safe sunscreen: Protect their skin from harmful UV rays, particularly on sensitive areas like noses and ears.
  • Cooling vest or bandana: Helps regulate their body temperature in hot weather, ensuring they stay comfortable.
  • Paw wax or booties: Shields their paws from hot pavements and rough terrain, preventing discomfort or burns.
  • First aid kit: Include essentials such as bandages, pet-safe antiseptic wipes, and tweezers for any minor injuries or emergencies that may occur during your adventures.

Having these items ready ensures your furry friend stays happy and healthy throughout all your summer outings. Most of these items can be picked up at your local pet store.

Additionally, when near bodies of water, like rivers or lakes, it’s crucial to check for blue green algae before letting you pet into the water. This algae sits on top of the water and is seriously toxic to both you and your pets. If it’s safe to let them swim be sure to check your pet’s ears for any debris that could have gotten lodged during their cooldown.

Where do you prefer to take your pets to cool down?

~ Roberta Gordica

~ Sue Sage

 

Organize and Maximize Your Outdoor Time

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Make the most of your outdoor time

Organization Tips to Maximize Your Outdoor Time

Self-storage can help make your camping more organized.

With spring on our doorsteps, thoughts of camping trips are on many minds. Maximize the time you spend camping and lessen the work that goes into the set up with a few organization and storage tips from some long-time camping pros at our storage office.

Making yourself a couple of prepacked containers will help get out the door quickly for those spur of the moment camping trips driven by great weather or a little extra time off.  Your first container will be non-perishable food, label it as such so there is no guessing what’s inside. The second container will have toiletries. And if you are tenting consider a third container.

Container one: non-perishable food. Think about quick and easy meals, dry soup mix, cereal in small, sealed containers, graham crackers and chocolate bars ready for smores night, trail mix, granola or protein bars, jerky, freeze dried meals, instant coffee, drink powders or shelf stable milk products.

Container two: Biodegradable toilet paper, Hand sanitizer, biodegradable shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, quick drying towel, feminine products, a first-aid kit, or first-aid supplies.

If you are tenting consider a third container that has kitchen equipment like a can opener, tin foil, cutting board, knives, paper towel, weatherproof matches, or a BBQ lighter, cookware, travel mugs, utensils, a sharp knife, biodegradable dish soap, water bottles, trash bags, a dish towel and pot scrubber. This could mean doing a double up purchase, so you are not stealing from the kitchen.

Pro tip: If you are glamping or renting a condo somewhere have a kit on hand that contains, favorite spices, gravy mixes, cutting board, knives, dish cloth and tea towel, rope, corn holders, salt, pepper, and sugar because not every short-term rental comes with these items.

Happy Trails…

Camping with a sunrise view

It’s a new day, perfect for camping

….. oh yes, now you don’t have to unpack these contains in colder months. Let’s consider where and when you are keeping all this summer camping gear during the cold months.

A 5 by 10 storage unit will hold a person’s camping gear.  Take some time and wipe down your tent, tarps, storage containers, and small equipment. If you found un-used items, its now time to think if they can come off your list for next summer.  Things like oars, water skis and life jackets can stand up in a corner of your storage unit in a laundry basket to keep them together. Pull out all batteries from lamps or other equipment to avoid damage from corrosion that can happen when these items sit.

Keep your heavy items at the bottom of your unit, putting the lighter containers or boxes on top to maximize your space.

A hint to help keep all your items dry over the winter months is to keep all those little silica packets that you find coming in nearly everything you purchase. Also to avoid musty smells consider hanging your tent and sleeping bags instead of storing them in their stuff sacks.

A little organization and storage wisdom will help get you get quickly on your way to your next adventure.

 

If you are needing storage because of a move, remember we have locations in Medicine Hat and Drayton Valley.

 

~Sue Sage

Covered RV Storage Pros and Cons

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Camper under a canopy

Covered RV storage

Covered RV Storage Pros and Cons
When you hit the open road, an RV can be a fulfilling investment, but when you aren’t out enjoying
nature, you need to consider how to protect and store your prized possession.
Do you opt for covered storage where your RV will be safe from the elements? Or do you choose
outdoor storage, where you can save on storage costs? It’s a tough decision and one that requires
consideration. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of using covered RV storage.

The Pros
Protection from the Environment
Many RV owners consider protecting their unit from moisture and hail, but according to Red Seal RV
Parts Technician Billy Buffin,  RV owners need to first consider the damage caused by UV rays. “Both summer and winter UV rays weaken plastic, rubber and vinyl which makes your RV susceptible to moisture and hail. “I’ve seen vent and AC covers crack during light hailstorms that they are designed to withstand all because sun damage made them brittle. I’ve also seen awnings disintegrate after a couple years and tires crack in 5 years because of sun damage.” Billy also cautions that skylights are also made of plastic and after prolonged UV exposure become more susceptible to damage.

Reduced Maintenance Cost
The cost of covered RV may be more than offset by maintenance costs that result from prolonged UV exposure and severe weather.

Higher Resale Value
The rising cost of new RVs has also resulted in the rising cost of used RVs that are in good condition. An RV that has been sheltered when it’s not in use will get top dollar because it doesn’t have sun fade or
worn damaged parts.

Road trip

Cons
Higher Cost
Indoor storage facilities are generally more expensive than outdoor storage options. The added benefits
and protection come at a premium, making it more expensive. Lacombe Storage’s rates for covered RV
start at $180/month and we’ve done our best to make sure our covered RV is competitively priced.

More Information About Storing Your RV at Lacombe Storage

Enhanced Security
Our facility includes surveillance cameras, electronically gated access, and onsite management so your
RV is well protected. You don’t have to be as concerned about theft or vandalism.

Easy Access
Tenants can access our RV storage facilities seven days a week from 6 am to 11 pm using their smart
phone. If you need access outside of yard hours, you can talk to our onsite staff about changing your
access privileges.

Flexible Parking Stall Size
Our covered stalls can accommodate up to a 45 foot RV. This is the same for our uncovered RV stalls. Need a pull though site? We have designed our covered RV, so this is possible. Just be aware you will be paying a premium for this feature because you will essentially be using two stalls.
When it comes to the pros and cons of covered vs outdoor storage, take time to determine your priorities. Is cost a concern or are you willing to spend more to keep your RV protected and ready for the
road for years to come.

 

Have any questions for Billy? You can reach him at gatorrvparts@gmail.com or on Facebook @gatorrvparts 

~ Tamara Traub

Porch Pirates, Are They Real?

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Porch Pirates

Keep Your Packages Safe
Pirates have always been something that appear in story books. But lately piracy has become
very real for a lot of online holiday shoppers. The name Porch Pirates sounds cute and maybe
you’re thinking of all the kiddies showing up on your doorstep at Halloween, but these are not
your neighbor’s children in costume. Porch Pirates steal packages from door steps and porches.
Sometimes these thieves will even follow a delivery vehicle and scoop the package right after
it’s been dropped on the doorstep.

As of Sept of this year, nearly one quarter of online shoppers have felt the sting of porch piracy.
The average value a stolen package is about $113.

Some shoppers that have fallen victim to Porch Piracy before have taken it upon themselves to
fight back. People are putting out boxes full of glitter, dog poo or the cat litter to “be taken.”
While we admire people’s creativity why even give thieves a chance?

Between 2010 to 2017, there was a 581% rise in reports of packages stolen off doorsteps. With
porch piracy on the rise, we’d like to offer a solution for keeping your packages safe.
Our office is insured to receive your online orders and we offer this service free of charge to
everyone on our community. It’s our way of helping you have a happy holiday season. For other Self Storage ideas and happenings check out our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/lacombestoragecenter/

How Do You Use This Free Service?
Step 1
When you are online shopping use our office address as the shipping address for your package:
Lacombe Storage: 4014 52 Avenue, Lacombe, AB T4L 2J7

Step 2
Call our office and let us know your name, your phone number and when the package is
expected.
Lacombe: 403-782-1455

Step 3
When the package arrives, our office will text you a pic of the package, text back an day and
time when you can pick it up.
Need to keep the package away from prying eyes? No problem, we can hold the package until
you need it. Just let us know how long you need us to hold it. (Please keep in mind our holiday
hours).

If you are looking for other holiday ideas or hacks check out another one of our Blogs

 

Christmas Storage Hacks

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It seems as though Christmas has only just arrived, but here we are thinking of ways to organize your decorations as you put them away.

Of course, our first answer would be to send it to us for safe keeping. But we know not everyone can do that, so we are happy to share some holiday storage hacks we use in our own homes. Read more

Prepping Your Motorbike for the First Ride of Spring

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Author’s Note: In light of our current situation surrounding self-isolation and social-distancing, we ask that you ride responsibly – please ride alone, and avoid large groups.

Everyone knows January 1st is the beginning of the New Year, but for me the year really doesn’t get underway until the snow melts and the open road beckons. When I feel that urge to pull my motorbike from its winter slumber, here is my checklist to make that first run of the year a little more enjoyable: Read more

Wrapping, Joyful Or Not?

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With Christmas so close, the wrapping paper starts coming out. Who does the work making these boxes with ribbons and bows look so beautiful? We asked our management team who gets wrapping detail at their home.  Read more

Making Halloween Crafts on a Budget

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I have a daughter in her early teaching years and I seem to find myself always looking for things she can make with her students on a budget. Here’s my adventure.

My plan this Halloween season was to find different ways to make ghosts. Pinterest is still new and scary for me, but after a little research, there are a few ghosts I think would go over well. They all look so easy when you see the finished project online but I already had my doubts as I began.

Read more

When Our RV Clients Hit The Road

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This is my first summer with Lacombe storage.  Our storage lot has about 116 spots for the RV’S to park.
The weather hasn’t been the greatest but we all need a holiday.
I have to admit the first time I saw an RV go out I wondered where it was going.

I would sit at my desk and day dream about what adventure it was taking this family on. Were they going someplace that had water?  Read more

Deck the Halls

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Christmas can be a stressful time. You’re cooking, decorating, wrapping and so much more. And in the end, there’s an ingredient missing, one tree light is burnt out, and there’s tape in your hair. Here’s a few stories from our staff about their funny Christmas experiences. Read more