A system utilizing elastic spares includes nodes and devices to store one or more data objects having information. The data object includes data object units each assigned to a storage location on a different node than the other units. The data object includes one or more spare units to store reconstructed information of a failed unit. When one of the data objects has a failed unit and no spare units available to store reconstructed information, a controller of the system assigns an elastic spare unit to an available storage location of one of the nodes. Reconstructed information of the failed unit is stored in the elastic spare unit.