In the past, public storage was more common than it is today. With public storage facilities, such as train stations, bus depots, and even airports, goods were not as privately stored as that in self-controlled self-service units. Public storage is, as its name implies, storage at a public facility.

There is no freedom for the user of the unit to enter the facility at will after closing times. There is also less freedom in the kind of goods that you can store in a public facility. Just a suspicion that you are storing something illegal allows the management to enter your unit at their discretion.

Self-storage, on the other hand, is more private with users holding their own keys and locks. Many gates are operational as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 9 p.m., even on most holidays. It's rare for management to enter a unit unless the user of the unit has not paid the monthly rent. They have confirmation that the user is storing illegal goods in the unit. This privacy element is what makes self-storage units more popular with people than public storage. Add that to the size of the units in question - self-storage units are large enough to store furniture and appliances.

Most public storage units are not, unless you are renting units in a public warehouse facility. Though these types of public storage units do exist, they are customarily for the benefit of businesses rather than individuals.

Self-storage units are much more convenient, since users have the ability to enter their units earlier in the day and later at night. This convenience even allows those with small businesses to storage their goods in their unit. For example, someone may have a vending route for which he rents his truck and buys his own products. The storage units are much cheaper than having to buy a store or warehouse in which to store the goods. It is more economical than a public storage unit, since it would likely be necessary to lease a unit much larger.

Self-storage units are more versatile, since they come in several different sizes, allowing for use by both businesses and individuals. The set up of self-storage allows larger vehicles to enter and bring the items to be stored right to the door of the storage unit. Thus, in reality, the convenience is enhanced when one can use a self-storage unit. Many public storage facilities are no longer even available, such as those at airports. In the past, people who use airport or bus terminal public storage units to transport illegal goods such as drugs or even for the drop bags of money for illegal purposes.

Many of these are either closed or highly scrutinized to the point that many people fear putting anything in them, les they be ransacked by management of the storage facility. That doesn't mean that self-storage units allow illegal activities. It just means that they are not as likely to search a unit without cause as a public storage facility is.