Storage for under $200ish

[LakeTex]

Hey guys, I've been kicking around storage ideas for a bit now since I have a dang good selection of cigars coming in and I'd like to get a couple bundles and maybe a few more singles to age for a bit. I'd like storage for 200+ cigars at any given time. I used to have a cheap coolerador with heartfelt beads and it was ok. Then I downsized into a couple of wooden humidors, but would like to upsize again. I really don't think I'll ever be in the 10 coolers club, got other hobbies that demand cash as well, as well as ever rising inflation, etc. What I do want is the ability to have a choice of a stick to grab and relax on the back porch or in the garage at any given time.

So 200-300 cigars, see what I did there? What I'm trying to do is find a spot for 400 cigars...just kidding.

Coolers are expensive now. I have an old cooler or two that aren't too hammered up, that I could clean out well and use with a bovida or heartfelt beads. Which is better? I already bought a Boveda 320 69% pack that I could use in an old cooler while I'm trying to figure this out.

I could get a newer cooler of course, or even one of the rotomolded jobs, but still looking at $60-$200 for a dang cooler and they don't even seem to make them with trays anymore which is weird.

I could get a needone wine cooler maybe, that thought has crossed my mind, although it would likely need to go in my overcrowded closet at this point. And I'd need to put a plug in the closet as well, which would be easy to piggyback off the one on the bedroom side.

House stays around 65 in the winter, and around 73 in the summer.

Cheaper is always better, but I don't want to do the upgrade 5 times thing just to end up with the wineador that I could have bought in the first place already.

Thoughts? I'm open minded to how this goes.

Thanks,

Bryan

[BigO]

Try buying your coolers at a thrift store? I see them all of the time at Goodwill and other thrift stores I frequent.

[LakeTex]

You know that's a great idea, and one I hadn't thought of. I'd rather spend the cash on smokes than storage at this point in my life. Maybe someday when the 3 kids are out of the house....

[BigO]

Buy a sack of silica kitty litter nd a few cheap pairs of pantyhose. I put about a cup and a half in the end of the hose, tie it off and cut the pouch from the hose. 1/2 cup of distilled water inside of a styrofoam bowl, place the pouch in the dish and let it soak up the water. Then turn the pouch upside down in the now empty bowl. As longer as the cooler keeps its seal, you shouldn't have to refresh the water for about a month. Put a cheap hygro in the cooler and check it every few days until you have a stable humidity level. Check it once a month. When you get it stable, you won't have to check and refresh the water every 3 months or so. Very cheap and stable humidity. Between the cooler and the other ingredients, you might spend $25. I've been doing this for many years and I haven't found a better commercially available unit that performs as well.

Just don't get scented kitty litter.

[jefslat]

I use Plano tackle tubs. Put some empty boxes on the bottom for cedar; they hold about 5-600. and they're $30 on AMZ. I keep the cigars in bags of 5 or 10 and add a cabinet Boveda. If you're concerned about the seal, you can put weatherstripping tape around the top. I have 8 so far, plus a couple of larger containers and two wine fridges (not plugged in). Yeah, I've got too many cigars...

[jefslat]

These are $50 but it only holds 80.
It's a nice little box, and it's sturdy enough for me to stand on.

[TommyBB]

Originally Posted by jefslat

I use Plano tackle tubs. Put some empty boxes on the bottom for cedar; they hold about 5-600. and they're $30 on AMZ. I keep the cigars in bags of 5 or 10 and add a cabinet Boveda. If you're concerned about the seal, you can put weatherstripping tape around the top. I have 8 so far, plus a couple of larger containers and two wine fridges (not plugged in). Yeah, I've got too many cigars...

Did you say "weather stripping?"