Hey quick question. I am trying to expand my cigar storage capability by building a field expedient humidor out of an ammo can. It is air tight and I am using a cedar cigar box to line part of the ammo can (cedar is hard to come by here). I have some humi paks but I don't have any distilled water. I have sterile water, does that work? Do I need to line the whole can with cedar? It is presently about half full of cedar. What is the best way to gauge the humidity level? Thanks for your help.

SEMPER FI
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The cedar is there to help hold some humidity and the aroma it imparts onto cigars. Sterile water is not the same as distilled water, but if it is all you can get ahold of, then I say use it. The humi packs may get clogged up eventually, but it would probably depend on the mineral content of the water. You could make distilled water a couple of different ways. One way would be to boil water and collect the water off the lid. Another would be an old scout trick. Dig a hole or use a large vessel. Put a cup or a smaller vessel inside. Put water in the large vessel. Cover the large vessel with some sort of plastic wrap or tarp. Put a weight in the middle of the tarp (like a stone or something). You could put this in the sun to speed up the process. What will happen is the water will evaporate (leaving behind minerals, etc), collect on the plastic wrap/tarp, and drip into the smaller vessel. You will have distilled water in the small vessel.

The best way to check the humidity is the cigars themselves if no access to an accurate hygrometer. If the cigars are smoking good and are not drying out and not molding, then the humidity is fine. The humi packs may overhumidify a bit, so open up your ammodor every few days.Good luck!
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