Inventory space is limited in Raft, but players need all kinds of materials and foods if they want to survive the endless ocean. That's why storage containers are an essential item that players will need a lot of if they want to keep everything they find.
However, the trouble with storage is that it takes up space, space that Raft players could spend on other valuable equipment like grills, purifiers, smelters, and so on. This means the best storage is the kind that takes up the least amount of space while holding the maximum number of items. So which container is the best solution?
Small Storage
The first container players get access to is the small storage. Each box only costs 8 plastic, 1 scrap, and 2 rope, making it a bargain to build. On the other hand, small storage boxes can only hold 8 items, which is the lowest of any storage option.
One benefit of small storage is that players can mount them on walls, which gives players more storage space without taking up more of the deck. Because of their size, players can fit around three stacks of three on two wall panels, creating a total of 72 inventory slots on two-floor squares.
Medium Storage
The next storage players will get is the medium storage chest, also known simply as "storage." These chests are a bit more expensive than the boxes at 8 planks, 3 scrap, 4 rope, and 1 hinge. The hinge can be especially hard to find during the early game, but once players get a smelter and a steady supply of metal ingots, extra hinges won't be hard to get.
A storage chest has 20 inventory spaces, over double what the small storage can offer. The chest is also only a little bigger than the box, making it a clear upgrade in terms of horizontal space. Like the small storage, players can mount chests on walls, and while each one is wide enough to take up one wall panel they're short enough to stack four high. This means medium storage containers on two wall panels can hold up to 160 item stacks.
Refrigerator
The refrigerator isn't a buildable container. Instead, players must purchase the refrigerator from a trading post, which sells them off the tier 3 list for 6 trash cubes and 6 trade coins. Once placed on the raft, the refrigerator can hold up to 25 items. Players can put food in their fridges if they like, but the refrigerator has no special properties and works just like any other storage container.
Unlike the small box or medium chest, the refrigerator is too bulky to mount on a wall, and it's so tall that one will take up a full wall panel regardless. With only 5 more storage than a regular chest, the fridge isn't a very efficient container, and two of them next to two walls will only provide 50 inventory spaces. Still, the unique design and fun fridge magnets make a single refrigerator worth a little inefficiency.
Large Storage
The large storage locker is a blueprint players can find on Tangaroa, the fifth-story island. Building one is expensive because each one demands 10 planks, 10 plastic, 2 hinges, and 4 titanium ingots. The titanium is especially hard to find, and there are several other items that demand large amounts of this material. However, in exchange, players will get a container that can hold 40 inventory items at once.
The downside of large storage is its bulk. When sitting next to a single storage chest, the locker is the clear winner, but the large storage is just as bulky as the refrigerator and can't be mounted on walls. This means two wall panels' worth will give players 80 inventory spaces, and while this wins out against small storage boxes, it still doesn't match what players can do with medium storage (which also doesn't cost titanium).
In the end, the best way to get the most storage in Raft is to build plenty of medium storage chests and mount them on walls to maximize vertical space. It's cheap, it's easy, and the only added cost is the wall players must build to hold them. Just be sure to protect these walls from the shark because losing that much storage at once is never good.
Raft is available now on PC.