Guys,

I have not been around for a long time. I was overseas for 2 months and now am in the process of moving. My household goods will be in storage for up to 6 months as I relocate states so I am taking my cigars with me. Problem is, I cannot take the humidors with me (I might be able to, but it wont be easy).

My plan is to put all the cigars into 5 fingers bags and then put all the bags unsealed into a cooler with all the beads I have and a whole bunch of boveda packs. Simple question, will this work? Will this be safe for upwards of 6 months? Am I missing something. There will be no boxes or anything else in the cooler, just the cigars in open 5 finger bags with plenty of beads and bovedas.

Any advice will be more then welcome. I look forward too settling down again and getting back on the board... unfortunately I will just be checking in to get answers on this and then off to restart my life!

Thanks for the all advice in advance if I do not have time to thank individually.

Lu
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You could figure out how to caulk/seal/tape all entries into the cooler shut so it is super air tight. Do you know the conditions of your storage unit?

Maybe there is an inmate that lives near you you can entrust your inventory to?
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Where are you moving to and how many cigars are we talking? I have quite a bit of room in my Vino, if you wanted to ship them to me I would take very good care of them. My vino runs at 67 degrees and 65% RH. Being totally serious here.

I would see if someone could hold them for you or, find a way to take them along with you.
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If the cigars go with you,keep them from extreme heat and cold.Also keep in mind a decent cooler seals quite well,do not over humidify!

Follow this guideline and your smokes should be fine :-)
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I've been storing my cigars in a Coleman Cooler for the past 1 1/2 years. It'll work no prob :-)
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I have been keeping my main bulk of cigars in a cooler for 2 years. I use Scott's beads, and an occasional cup of water to help out once in a while. 65% and the temp between 65* and 72* depending on the time of the year. Mine smoke just fine.

I do keep mine in cigar boxes though. The fuller the cooler and the boxes seem to help hold the RH steadier.
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The only issue I can see it damage. I know what the airlines up here are like and they would be throwing my cooler around.

How many sticks are you talking about? A case like cigar caddy, while expensive, would provide better protection for them. Unless you have hundreds of cigars.

If you want to use you cooler maybe look at adding foam sheets to keep the cigars from moving around too much.

Also like tchariya said, watch the lid. Make sure you have the whole thing secure, with straps or tape or something.
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Hi guys.

To answer some questions, my collection is ~700. The cigars will not be in storage, they will move with me form OR to CA in my car (however, I will have enough other stuff that taking the humidors will be hard). The actual cigars will not leave me and will be climate controlled in the car/house where I will be staying.

I was hoping the damage would be avoided using 5 finger bags. My man concern is mold without much wood in there, but using 1.5 lbs of 65% beads and 8 boveda packs in a ~80-100qt cooler should do the trick I hope.

Lu
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Hey Lu, if the cigars are going with you then why will they need to be stored unattended for 6 months? Or are you just asking if the cooler method is acceptable for storage as opposed to your humidors?

If you'll be there to check on them this will work fine. I use one cooler for long term storage and it holds rock solid RH. If possible add some cedar / a cigar box to each cooler.
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Will you still be in OR for the Herf with pnoon on 12/27?
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Lu, mold can't grow unless the RH reaches 80% for a week.
If you've got my beads, and I think you do, you're good.
If you've got any others, just do what you've always done.
Finger bags are fine. Don't sweat it. You'll be 100% okay. :-)
God bless you on your new venture, wherever it leads you!!!
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Do you know a B&M you can store them at until you get back? I bet for a very modest fee, they'll store them for you.
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Guys,

I am not sure if I will be around 12/27. I am tentative to leave anytime between 25-28 so there is a slim chance.

The cigars will be with me all the time, I just cannot move all the humidors in the car. So I will be able to attend to them. I wont be coming back to OR so storing them with a b&UM is not an option.

Final question... anyone want to guess what size cooler I will need to store 700 cigars, all in 5 finger bags?

Thx again guys,

Lu

Final question,
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Just a suggestion but you may want to put the cigars in some type of container inside the cooler to reduce the moving as you travel with the cooler. I have used those disposable ziploc plastic things or empty cigar boxes. I know you want to limit space but if your moving the cooler a lot things can slide and what not. As for size I would imagine a 52 count cooler or similar would work for you. Best of luck with you move.
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I would think they would travel and store better (RH) in empty boxes from a B&M, also make it easier later on for you to find what your looking for. I'm not sure that the 5 fingers are really going to save you any storage space in the cooler. Not sure if your loking for one big cooler or several smaller ones. I would carry 10 of the 5 fingers (with cigars) to Wally world and use them as a gauge to see how they take up space. I can't imagine any cooler less than 72 qt working. Based on what is in my 140 qt, I'm thinking that size or the 158ish one.
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Update,

The biggest cooler I could find locally that did not have wheel or nonuniform insides was a 48ct coleman. ( http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colem...ategoryid=8540 ). It holds about 275 cigars in 5 finger bags with no cedar boxes, etc. It took 1 lbs of beads to level off!!! I think this is a function of no cedar and the fact that the cigars are in bags. That being said, it has been rock steady now. I increased the beads by 4 ounces at a time so 1lbs might be a bit high.. rather too much then too little. Just waiting on another lbs from cigarmony and will complete the job. Thanks for all the help guys.

Lu
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Good luck with the move. Save travels.
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