Low or no maintenance humi

[triggerpuller]

I currently work in Iraq and I am usually out of the US for 6-8 months at a time. What sort of setup can I put together to age some sticks while I am away. Needs to be little to no maintenance as I wont be around to do the work and dont want to leave anything overly complicated for my wife to worry about. I had started on a coolidor and was going to do beads but I am not sure how stable this setup would be over 6 months.

Also, I am looking for some suggestion for an easy humi to set up here in at work. I dont need too much capacity, 20 or less. Simplicity is key here I dont want to worry too much about the setup getting trashed or left behind. Are beads stable enough to not need a hygrometer?

I was thinking just a good sized, quality piece of tupperware with a small pack of beads and maybe half a box of sticks.

Thanks,

Triggerpuller

 

[jfields]

Coolidor!

 

[badhangover]

Because of your stated desire for little to no maintenance to your work setup, I don't think a Tupperware container is in your best interest. You would need a seasoned wood environment to help buffer the humidity swings (usually a loss) incurred when the container is opened. Otherwise, if just left to the hygroscopic nature of the beads and cigars alone, both the beads and cigars would likely dry out in an effort to re-humidify the Tupperware container's ambient air each time it was closed.

For long term maintenance while you are away, I would think that any airtight and temperature buffered container with beads seasoned to their target level and a full complement of cigars (less cigars = more room for ambient air that requires humidifying) would be able to survive the lack of TLC for 6-8 months. I rarely have to service my seasoned humidors that are stocked full of cigars and humidification beads.

 

[mysterea]

Get a 120qt cooler from walmart, put a light in it, and seal up (with weather stripping) where the visible light shows thru.

Get a ton more 'beads' than you need (maybe 5 lbs? Ask 'viper' at heartfeltindustries.com) to give ya alot of longevity and you're good.

Subtleties of the art here:
http://www.cigarbbguide.com/NEWBIE~1/Coolerdors.html

For the portable? anything airtight works, you can get great tupperware for a '20 count' cheap portable humi. Anything that holds in air is fine, some folks swear by ziplock, tupperware etc. Captain Contrary has a rocket ammo box for his, not exactly portable, but definitely badass.

Best of luck in the sandbox.
Rob

 

[triggerpuller]

Sounds good. Next time home I will set up the coolidor and fill it up with some favorites.

I have access to some pretty cool cans for storage but most of a fairly strong odor from the 'items' that were originally packaged. I think I will go with the tupperware style container and maybe just break up a few cedar boxes and line for a buffer.

I was initially using an otterbox 15 count for my storage while at work but the humidification device sucks and with all the foam I had to constantly rotate my sticks to keep them from drying out INSIDE THE BOX.

Thanks guys,

Trigger

 

[badhangover]

Get a ton more 'beads' than you need (maybe 5 lbs? Ask 'viper' at heartfeltindustries.com) to give ya alot of longevity and you're good.

Why would one "need" a ton more beads than they need? It is not my understanding that humidification beads have a "longevity" shelf life. Rather, it is my understanding that humidification beads, like cigars themselves, are hygroscopic in nature and both emit and absorb moisture. The difference being that humidification beads, unlike cigars, have a target humidity level they are set to. If they are both properly humidified, and in good balance, they can last for a long time without requiring extra precautions - as long as the interior ambient air does not overwhelm the system.

If a person has a cigar container that is full of both cigars and a portion of humidification beads appropriate to the container interior dimension, then they should likely fare well for long term little to no maintenance storage. Empty cigar boxes would also help to displace ambient interior air, if one is short of cigars.

 

[sinnyc]

I dunno. For that amount of time I'd look into renting a box at a B&M or someplace similar. That's a long time...

 

[grateful1]

There's a thread on here with a link to some tight sealing tupperware. That would work great for what you need.

Another alternative is a cigar caddy (otter box/sherman/etc). Get a 30 count with O-rings and put a couple humipaks in there....keep it in a cool place and you should be set.

The Humipaks may have to be rotated out - but if the cigars a well humifid on the way in you should have no problems.

With the Cigar Caddy you then be able to travel with it if you need too.



Edit - "the humidification device sucks and with all the foam " - you can now get them with beads...or take out the foam and put beads in. If you don't have any beads....PM me.

 

[badhangover]

I dunno. For that amount of time I'd look into renting a box at a B&M or someplace similar. That's a long time...

Whoa. You're talkin' a fair chunk of change now. B&M lockers ain't cheap. On top of that, I trust their humidity levels far less than most do it yourself systems I could set up myself on the cheap - even if I had to leave them for long extended periods of time.

 

[mysterea]

Get a ton more 'beads' than you need (maybe 5 lbs? Ask 'viper' at heartfeltindustries.com) to give ya alot of longevity and you're good.

Why would one "need" a ton more beads than they need? It is not my understanding that humidification beads have a "longevity" shelf life. Rather, it is my understanding that humidification beads, like cigars themselves, are hygroscopic in nature and both emit and absorb moisture. The difference being that humidification beads, unlike cigars, have a target humidity level they are set to. If they are both properly humidified, and in good balance, they can last for a long time without requiring extra precautions - as long as the interior ambient air does not overwhelm the system.

If a person has a cigar container that is full of both cigars and a portion of humidification beads appropriate to the container interior dimension, then they should likely fare well for long term little to no maintenance storage. Empty cigar boxes would also help to displace ambient interior air, if one is short of cigars.

The reason I suggested getting 'more beads than ya need' is from the belief that no matter what you do over time that humi would lose some humidity. Temperature fluctuation alone would probably 'burp' a humi every now and again. That's just one scenario, but you get what I'm saying.
If I were to leave my precious sticks for a year, I'd want to be sure there was no risk of the smokes drying out. Hell, if you get alot of beads it's possible that you wouldn't even need to have someone check on 'em.

Gary: storing in a cool spot, great call, glad ya mentioned it.

 

[Rob_k]

One word.....AMMOCAN. I converted a .50cal ammo can to a humidor....lined it with spanish cedar....grabbed a 1/2 lb of vipers beads, put the beads in a mesh bag....65% RH and 60 degrees in my basement. You being out in the sandbox, I assume you have access to ammocans, just be sure to clean it out, those brass shavings and gun powder residue can leave a nasty taste.
The best part is, they are practically indestructible, cheap, and if lost or damaged, no biggie. Hope this helps.
Rob

 

[mrrt]

If your going to go the Tupperware route....might I suggest using the Lock and Lock varity (clip locks on all 4 sides and a silicon seal). I have recently switched and these things are great. The seal is absolutely air tight and the sizes are a little better suited for sticks and some beads. They are alittle more expensive than the Tupperware, but IMHO well worth it..

art

 

[SouthsideCigar]

Whatever humidor you choose (cooler, tupperware, desktop, otterbox, etc), I would strongly consider using the Boveda Humipaks for humidification. They will normally keep the RH pretty close to whatever pak you get (65%, 69%, 72%) and if you put the right amount of paks based on the number of cigars, they should only need to be replaced approx. every 2 months.
This will be a very inexpensive solution and should work will since you will not be around to check the RH for extended periods.

Dave