Tobacco Containers for Travel and Storage

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shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,081
49
Las Vegas
I decided to upgrade from ziplock bags for travel with tobacco but also wanted something I could just leave the tobacco in for a short to medium duration and be both lighter and less fragile than glass jars. After some searching I opted for baby food freezer containers. I found a brand called QOOC on Amazon with a 12 pack of 4 oz containers for $15.99 and free shipping with my prime account. I choose these because they were advertised as air tight and BPA free. Here's the results:
Old glass jar:
mvimg_20190827_190309898-600x450.jpg

New plastic container:
img_20190827_190334263-600x450.jpg

Viola:
img_20190827_190315350-600x450.jpg

I'm very pleased so far but we shall see how durable they ultimately are and how they do for storage. I'm hoping for 12 or even 24 months. That is plenty of time for me to go through the quantities I have in mind.

 
If we are talking about flying, I like to keep the tobacco in tins. This way the people who search my luggage don't have to guess as to what is in the jars or baggies. But, then again, even if I am not flying, or going anywhere, I leave the tobacco in tins. I have a nice camera bag that I use as my travel bag, and I can get six tins and as many as twenty pipes in it for my trip.

I know some guys sweat bullets about tins leaking, but I have found so few leaky tins in my years of smoking, that it doesn't worry me one little bit... and I am at over 400 lbs in my cellar.

 
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didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,893
31,601
34
Burlington WI
Cosmic, do you do something to keep your open metal tins together, while traveling? Or do you binge and smoke the whole tin in one sitting, so you don't have to secure it later?

 
do you do something to keep your open metal tins together, while traveling?

My tins tend to stay together after I close them. I'm not sure what you mean. But, no, I don't binge smoke a whole tin... except for Haddos Delight, which just seems to overcome me... then I wake up the next day with an empty tin of Haddos, a weird taste in my mouth, and a very satisfied flock of flamingos sleeping soundly on my arm. it's weird. :puffy:

 
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shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,081
49
Las Vegas
I am currently in Puerto Vallarta with one full of Sutliff Sweet VA and one full of GH&C Dark Flake Unscented. Zero smell in my suitcase and clothes so they appear to seal and stay sealed well.

 

rmpeeps

Lifer
Oct 17, 2017
1,122
1,765
San Antonio, TX
Depending on the duration of a trip, I normally carry a primary tin and 4-6 other blends in old plastic film canisters. They all fit nicely in an old compact binocular case, my pipes are carried in a separate pipe case. Each film canister will hold 3-4 bowls and I’ve never experienced any noticeable moisture loss.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
There's travel and there's travel. For most recreational trips -- an overnight to a few weeks -- a folder-over or ziplock will suffice. My experience with drying tobacco suggests that getting it a little dry usually improves rather than diminishes the smoke. My wife just bought some of those baby food freezer jars for storing sauces in the freezer, so if she doesn't use them up, I may try it for small quantities of tobacco, since you mention it. For long trips, these might serve well, and personally I wouldn't mind just taking along the tins. Unless we're taking some months, those would do it for me. You do have to reckon with the security searches. You never know what raises an alert. One X-ray operator thought my harmonica looked like a pistol clip. Uh, okay. I should have threatened to play them a tune, since they mentioned it.

 

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,033
14,644
The Arm of Orion
When I was in Germany in May AD 2018 I kept the tobacco in its tin (I had to, I had no access or willingness to go looking for jars) and it never dried out in the 3 week it was there. It was still moist when I came home and jarred it and that is the moisture it still has now.
Yeah, I also had a harmonica in my luggage but nobody ever said anything. :P LOL. I'm told that carrying a firearm in your checked luggage is a 100% guarantee they will NEVER lose it.

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,564
36,059
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
One full roll ups pouch of Amphoras,something stronger flakes for after-dinner in a little zip log bag, and some lighter virginias or St Brunos for a change pace + three pipes along,and so by I'm good to go for an extended period of time, say one week,I use to pack my supplies at home beforehand ,and should it happen I face to run out of tobacco,I can always buy a pouch of Clan aromatics,lol

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
When I used to travel I just brought a bunch of tins, some sealed some open. Never had issues with either. Even on a 3 week trip the tobacco in my open tins didn't get dry. The tobacco I would travel with were all flakes.
I am with Cosmic in that I never worry about tins loosing a seal. None of my tins have ever lost a seal no matter what shape tin and I open lots of aged tins.

 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,081
49
Las Vegas
The containers held up perfectly round trip without incident. Very pleased.
I've got a little over 3 dozen blends in 4oz glass jars but I'm going to pare this down to a dozen-ish blends and use these plastic containers. I don't smoke as much as others and take longer to go through a container so these allow me to just grab a few blends, toss them in my luggage and go. When I return I just pop whatever may be left right back into to my storage drawer. No muss no fuss. Really, these containers seem to suit my smoking habits better than anything rather than them being a good choice for all smokers or a "universal" choice if you will. They're a good "grab and go" option.
Puerto Vallarta, I'm jealous!! Have a great time!! Tell us about any great smoking locations there.
Mostly just smoked on the beach and my room balcony. I will throw a shout out for La Bodeguita del Medio. It's a Cuban restaurant with a nice selection of cigars. After lunch we were able to get Cuban cigars, sit at our table on the second floor overlooking the ocean and boardwalk (the Malecon), drink Cuban rum, and enjoy our cigars. We'd probably get arrested for smoking in a restaurant in the US but they pretty much encouraged it there.
On a side note, I almost had to keep my pipe tobacco sealed in containers in my air conditioned room while there to keep it from getting over-humidified. Coming from a desert environment I didn't mind the temperature in Puerto Vallarta but there were times the humidity was almost overwhelming. Margaritas helped though...

 
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