So what do you use for external storage space on your Wii U?  

Nintendo only recommends those 3.5" external USB HDDs that have their own power supply,

..but what have you tried or used?

Vote in the poll and tell us what your experience is with that option.  Please let us know what brand and size you are using too. 

1. hard-disc drive (HDD) with a dedicated power source (i.e., using an A/C adapter)
2. portable USB HDD with use of a y-cable (does it get enough power?)
3. USB flash drive or thumb drive (not recommended because the number of writes is limited on those devices)
4. SD card with USB adapter (also not recommended for the same reasons)
5. None and have a Wii U Basic 8GB
6. None and have a Wii U Deluxe 32GB
7. Other

None; I have the 32GB model and I still have 14GB of space left.

I used my external hard drive with power (2TB) and it does work

I also use a 8gb sdcard mostly cause I have nothing else to put it in

imation portable with y cable

500 Gig portable USB HDD with use of a y-cable

I don't have any kind of hard drive yet.

A 2 GB with its own power source. Works wonderfully.
I use to use one with a Y-cable but the HD was old and died soon afterward. (It was showing signs of death before it was connected.)

I own the 32gb model hence I don't need an external HDD. (I prefer retail games over digital ones and only rarely download other stuff)

I use a 500 GB Western Digital external drive with a Y cable. Works like a charm.

I have 32gb Wii U so I don't need any external storage but i would get a HDD if i needed any.