The season on the water is over, the boat is back from the lake, and the hallway holds rods, a landing net, a chair, a bivvy and two boxes full of tackle boxes. Fishing gear storage in a Bratislava flat usually ends up as rods behind the wardrobe, reels on a shelf and the boat in a friend's garage.

We rent storage units in Bratislava and Nitra, and anglers ask the most specific questions about them: will my rods fit, will the boat get through the door, can the outboard stay there? Below, in this order: long rods and the height of the unit, the boat and the motor, what survives frost in a container and what belongs in an indoor unit, how to prepare the gear, and finally real units with prices as of 10 October 2026.

Long rods and the height of the unit

For rods, floor area matters less than height and the longest wall. All our storage unit types and sizes are 2.60 m high, but that means two different things:

• A container has a solid steel ceiling at 2.60 m. Anything longer has to lie down.
• An indoor unit at Tomášikova and Holíčska has no roof of its own. The walls are 2.60 m and the hall above them is over 3 m high, so a rod taller than the wall can stand in a corner.

Most rods come in two or three sections, and a carp or feeder rod broken down stands upright even in a container. If you keep your rods made up with the reels on, so that in spring you just grab the holdall and go, measure the made-up length. Whatever will not stand goes along the longest wall: a 3.60 m² container measures 2.40 × 1.50 m, a 7.20 m² container 3.00 × 2.40 m, and the indoor unit T73 at Tomášikova 1.30 × 3.80 m.

Rods in tubes keep best standing in a corner or a simple rack, not flat under the chair and the boxes, where the blank bends. How unit height works for skis, ladders and other long things is covered in our article on high ceiling storage with 24/7 access.

The boat and the outboard motor

For a boat, the door decides, not the floor area. A standard container door is 0.80 × 2.00 m and an indoor unit door 0.80 × 1.95 m. An inflatable boat packed in its bag goes through easily, and so does a kayak or a narrow canoe on its side. A rigid fibreglass or aluminium boat, though, is usually wider than 0.80 m.

• The 14.40 m² container measures 6.00 × 2.40 m and has a double door of 2.25 × 2.30 m. At Pionierska in Nové Mesto and in Nitra these stand on the ground floor and the car stops right at the door, so the boat goes straight in.
• A 7.20 m² container with a double door (N29 at the Nitra storage site on Bratislavská) is 3.00 m long, enough for a small boat up to three metres.
• Containers on the first floor (Dúbravka, Kaukazská) are reached by stairs. A boat will not go up there, but they are fine for rods and the rest of the gear.

An outboard motor can be stored, but only without fuel. Clause 3.3 of our terms forbids storing fuel, other petroleum products and flammables, so empty the tank and the carburettor and leave the fuel can at home. Let the water drain from the cooling system so that frost does not crack anything, and stand the motor on a stand in the position the manufacturer recommends. Motorcyclists do the same: what to do with the battery and the petrol before winter is in our article on motorcycle storage in Bratislava. The battery of an electric motor or a fish finder does not go into storage: take it home and keep it on a maintenance charger.

What survives frost in a container and what belongs in an indoor unit

Containers are ventilated but not heated or air-conditioned, so in winter they freeze. The indoor units at Tomášikova and Holíčska are inside a building kept at a comfortable temperature in summer and winter. Split the gear accordingly:

• Fine in a container through winter: carbon and fibreglass rods in their tubes, clean and dry reels, landing nets and keep nets, chairs and bedchairs, rod pods, umbrellas, a cleaned and dried bivvy, metal and plastic boxes of hooks and leads, a rigid boat and a motor without fuel.
• Into an indoor unit: the fish finder, GPS, bite alarms and head torches (without batteries), waders, which do not like frost, a PVC inflatable boat, sleeping bags and clothing, and anything you would not want to find damp or stiff in spring.
• Not into storage at all: live bait, boilies, groundbait, particles or dips (the terms forbid living organisms and perishable food), gas cartridges for a stove (pressure vessels) and petrol. What else is forbidden is in what can you store in a storage unit.

You do not have to split the gear between two units. All the usual kit apart from the boat fits into one indoor unit, where frost is simply not a question. Dimensions, floors and what should not stay in a container over winter are covered in detail in our article on storage container rental in Bratislava.

How to prepare the gear for winter

• Rinse the rods in lukewarm water, dry them and check the rings: a cracked insert will cut the line in spring.
• Back the drag off on the reels so the washers are not compressed all winter, and wipe off sand and mud.
• Mark the lines that spent the whole season in the sun for replacement, so you know what to buy in spring.
• Dry landing nets, keep nets, the bivvy and any netting completely at home. Wet fabric packed for six months goes mouldy in a container and indoors alike.
• Sort the hooks and clips and throw away the rusty ones. Keep soft plastic and silicone lures in a separate box, away from leads and metal lures.
• Label the boxes: "rods and reels", "bivvy", "electronics". In March you will not have to unpack the whole unit.

Which unit and what it costs as of 10 October 2026

Prices are per month for a term of 1 / 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 months, excluding VAT; 23% VAT is added where the location's landlord is VAT registered: always in Nitra, in Bratislava for companies with a VAT number. They change with how full each location is, and you always see the exact price before paying. At Tomášikova a 20% discount applies until 31 December 2026 to new rentals made on the website, for the term paid at the rental; a renewal is at the regular price.

• Just rods and small tackle: T22 at Tomášikova, 1.20 m² (1.20 × 1.00 m), 2.60 m walls with no ceiling: 45 / 42 / 40 / 38 / 36€ (regularly 56 / 53 / 50 / 47 / 45€), a six-month winter 240€. At Holíčska H17, 1.82 m²: 54 / 52 / 49 / 47 / 44€, six months 294€.
• All the gear with chair, bedchair and bivvy, kept warm: T73 at Tomášikova, 4.94 m², long wall 3.80 m: 116 / 112 / 108 / 104 / 100€ (regularly 145 / 140 / 135 / 130 / 125€), six months 648€.
• Gear that frost does not harm: a 3.60 m² container in Dúbravka (D47, first floor by stairs): 73 / 67 / 62 / 54 / 47€, six months 372€. At Pionierska on the ground floor with the car at the door (P13): 75 / 70 / 65 / 56 / 49€, six months 390€.
• A small boat up to 3 m: N29 in Nitra, 7.20 m², double door, ground floor: 85 / 80 / 75 / 69 / 64€, six months 450€.
• Boat, motor and all the gear: a 14.40 m² container at Pionierska (P36), double door, ground floor: 167 / 155 / 143 / 137 / 131€, six months 858€. In Nitra N2 with 20% off: 123 / 114 / 106 / 101 / 97€, six months 636€.

The smallest unit is the dearest per square metre but the cheapest in total per month. If all you need to put away is the rods and a couple of boxes, see what really fits into a small storage unit from 0.99 m². Every free unit with today's price is in our storage unit price list.

Common mistakes

• A wet bivvy or landing net packed straight from the car. After winter it comes out mouldy.
• A fish finder and batteries in an unheated container. Electronics belong in an indoor unit, batteries at home.
• A motor with petrol in the tank, or a fuel can "for spring". The terms forbid fuel in storage.
• A boat that was never measured. Compare its widest point with the 0.80 m door before you load it.
• A first floor container for a heavy boat. You will not get it up the stairs; take the ground floor with the car at the door.
• A 12-month rental just for the winter. For six months the 6-month rate works out cheaper, as the totals above show.

When to pick a different unit or a different term

• You have two rods and a tackle box: you do not need a container, the smallest indoor unit will do.
• You also fish in winter: pick a site where the gate opens on a phone call and the car drives in, that is Tomášikova, Pionierska or Dúbravka. At Holíčska the car stays in the outside car park and the building door opens with your personal code.
• The boat is longer than 3 m: only a ground floor 14.40 m² container will do, a smaller one will not help.
• You know the exact day you will be back on the water: choose "Exact to the day" instead of whole months.

How to go about it

1. Measure the longest rod in its holdall, and the length and widest point of the boat.
2. Decide what must stay warm: electronics, waders, a PVC boat. That decides between an indoor unit and a container.
3. Choose a location and a unit on the website. The unit page shows dimensions, door, floor and the price for every term.
4. Choose the term: six months for the winter, or exactly to the day you go back to the water.
5. Fill in your details and pay. In about 10 minutes the contract and the access details are in your customer account.
6. Prepare the gear at home, bring it in and lock the unit with your own padlock. Only you have the key.
7. In the customer account you can add up to nine more phone numbers, for example the friend you go fishing with. Where the gate opens on a call (everywhere except Holíčska), they can open it too.

Frequently asked questions

Will a carp rod stand upright in a storage unit?

Broken down into two sections, yes, even in a container with its steel ceiling at 2.60 m. The indoor units at Tomášikova and Holíčska have no ceiling and the hall is over 3 m high, so a longer rod in its holdall stands too.

Can I keep an outboard motor in the unit?

Yes, but with no fuel in the tank or the carburettor and no fuel can. Clause 3.3 of the terms forbids storing fuel and other petroleum products. Take the battery of an electric motor home.

Will my boat fit through the door?

The standard door is 0.80 m wide: an inflatable in its bag or a kayak gets through. A rigid boat needs a container with the 2.25 × 2.30 m double door: 14.40 m² at Pionierska and in Nitra, or the 7.20 m² N29 in Nitra.

How much does fishing gear storage cost for the winter?

As of 10 October 2026, from 240€ excluding VAT for six months in the indoor unit T22 at Tomášikova with the discount, or 372€ for a 3.60 m² container in Dúbravka. Prices change with occupancy.

Is the gear insured?

Yes, cover up to 2,000€ is included. If the boat, motor and tackle are worth more, at the rental you can choose cover up to 5,000€ for 4.50€, up to 7,000€ for 7.50€ or up to 10,000€ for 12€ a month.

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