We have acted as counsel to National Storage Affiliates Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust (the “Company”), in connection with a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-211570) (the “Registration Statement”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). We are furnishing this letter to you in connection with the offer and sale by the Company of 12,046,250 of the Company's common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share (the "Shares") (which includes 1,571,250 Shares purchased pursuant to the Underwriters' (as defined below) option to purchase additional Shares), for issuance pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, dated June 29, 2016 (the "Underwriting Agreement"), by and among the Company and NSA OP, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the "Operating Partnership"), and Jefferies LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named in Schedule A thereto (the "Underwriters").

Based on the foregoing, and such other examination of law and fact as we have deemed necessary, we are of the opinion that following the (i) issuance of the Shares pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and (ii) receipt by the Company of the consideration for the Shares specified in the resolutions of the board of trustees of the Company (the "Board") and the pricing committee of the Board, the Shares will be legally issued, fully paid, and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K that shall be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and to the reference to us under the caption "Legal Matters" in the prospectus supplement which is part of the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.