<p>My family and I are from Los Angeles and well be driving up through northern California and into Salem over the course of five days in order to properly transport my necessary clothes, dormitory equipment, books, supplies, etc. Its been decided that these items will be placed into large plastic storage containers. Here lies the question: shall the boxes of items be stored up in Oregon over the summer as to avoid this trip yearly (I am a sophomore so this will occur for two more years) or is it unsafe to do so? The company Public Storage seems to have good pricing, though I am unsure as to whether I, nor my family, like the notion of my objects being so far away when I return in the summer.</p>
<p>For out-of-state students and parents alike, how did you handle this scenario?</p>
<p>Willamette students can store belongings in the dorm storage areas free of charge over the summer, although there’s a limit on how much students can store. My son left quite a bit of stuff at his dorm this summer and brought everything else down by train.</p>
<p>You should also think about the train, since you’re from LA. The Pacific Coast Starlight will allow you to bring – free of charge – 5 large-sized duffel bags each weighing up to 50 lbs, each item about a yard long (the specifications are on the Amtrak website). My son took the train to Willamette, and he also came home on the train. It sounds as if you’re already planning to drive up, but you might think about taking the train home at the end of the year if you need to bring back more stuff than you could take on the plane. The train station is just across the street from Willamette, fyi.</p>
<p>Thank you. Can you direct me to the link for the storage information?
The train sounds excellent for the holiday season (Thanksgiving/Christmas) though my family seems to have already planned a trek through northern California this time around.</p>
<p>I don’t think there is a link on the Willamette university website that talks about summer storage, but if you need information now, you could contact the Residential Services staff at <a href=“mailto:housing@willamette.edu”>housing@willamette.edu</a>, as explained here: [Residential</a> Services: Meet the Staff | Willamette University](<a href=“http://www.willamette.edu/dept/resservices/staff/index.html]Residential”>http://www.willamette.edu/dept/resservices/staff/index.html).</p>