I have a cooler, I have a minimal amount of cigars at the moment(need to get more after coolidor is finished), and I want to make a coolidor. A friend of mine lined his with spanish cedar and gave me a bunch of spare strips and chunks he didnt use. My question is, after I clean and let it sit in the sun and such to get rid of the plastic smell, is it worth lining with the cedar? or should I just get some old boxes from my local shop and use those? Cardboard or wood boxes? Both?

I then want to get some beads (even though I tried them in my deskto humi and for some reason couldn't get it to work right so ended up using bovida packs).

So thats my question. Just curious on the thoughts of the cedar.
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The cedar is not a requirement. It acts as a buffer for moisture and has a pleasant smell (which can get into your cigars). There are many people who use cedar and many who don't. It's your choice.
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If you have them, use them. It's all personal preference. I use Cedar in my as the walls and the shelving.

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Toss the cedar in the bottom of your cooler (no need to line it) get some Heartfelt beads (I suggest 65%),some distilled water, a good adjustable hygrometer and you're good to go. Go with wood boxes over cardboard. Just my:-)
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That is nice.. I wish I could do it like that but all I have is literally odd chunks haha.

That was my other thought. Just toss em in there. Thanks, right now I am useing 72% Bovida packs. I don't know why I use that RH but its what I have always done.
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Try to get unfinished wooden boxes for storage. Ideally something that doesn't have a strong residual odor. But a few days in a large sealed bag with a cup of baking soda next to the box can remove odors.

Boxes aren't the only option. I've also seen various plastic baskets used for singles storage.

Cedar pieces or sheets can be attached to the lid of the coolidor with double stick tape. I used 3M molding tape since it was in the shop. As already stated the cedar isn't a necessity, but I got some sheets and blocks for free.

The blocks are set that way on the lid because there was a small gap where the lid hinges. Nothing that I worry about but the blocks do seem to help humidity stability.

The white racks are cupboard organizers. The large one covers the entire bottom with more cedar sheets and a few blocks below it.

Don't mind the sponge thing as this is an old pic from when I first put the coolidor together.


(click to enlarge)

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You can also use Shialal's beads; they are very effective in a coolidor. No matter whose beads you get, you definately need a good, adjustable hygrometer.
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I have an adjustable hygro I got from Heartfelt a while back. I hope to get this rolling this weekend. Do I need to "season" the cedar, like when you season a humidor?
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I don't have any experience with the heartfelt beads but my Shialal beads work like a charm. very easy to chance the RH% that they're set to and best of all they come from a friendly BOTL that ships quickly. :-)
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Question...anyone prefer Igloo or Coleman coolers? Standard cooler vs marine?

I think I want to keep it under 80 qts so I can throw it in a closet. How many boxes can you get in a ~50 qt cooler or ~70 qt cooler roughly? I saw a link in one of the other threads about a coleman coller for $35 shipped, but didn't know if I should spend a few more bucks for a better one (or is it even necessary).
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Figures I would make a typo (Shialal instead of Shilala -- apologies to Scott!)... Just call me fumble-fingers :-)
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I have 1 1/2 lbs of beads in my ~100qt coolidor, I just have all my singles in old boxes and what ever boxes I buy get tossed in. No lining and i've been pretty bad the last year or so I've just never got around to replacing the battery in my hygro, but before that it died it was rock solid at 65% for 3 years and I need to add water to the beads every 3-4 months everything still smokes great so i'm willing to bet its still at 65%
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Coleman, Igloo, and Rubbermaid all make good coolers.

In my post above is a Rubbermaid 48qt. Without knowing what size of boxes, I would take a guess that up to 12 is possible. The nice part about the Rubbermaid is it has a pin-hinge design versus a plastic strap. Granted there's no harm to a coolidor if the lid straps break just an annoyance.

Igloo Marine coolers work good if you're going to stand it upright and add shelves. These have molded in grooves that allow for easy shelves (as shown in J0eybb's post).

The Coleman Extreme and the Coleman with radio are thick walled coolers (more insulation). Not really something that is needed for a coolidor but won't cause any harm. A benefit to the design of these coolers is having good areas to install weatherstrip material because of how the lid fits with the bottom.
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They are all good; I prefer the Coleman Extreme coolers because the lids have a good seal.
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My only concern is no straps to keep it shut. :-)
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I agree with Fumble-Fingers :-)...if you go Coleman, make it the Extreme.

I have a Marine Igloo (obviously you know that Jon :-)), and the seal on that is good enough where you wouldn't even need the straps. If you decided to go with the Extreme, you would be fine. The main decision maker for me was that I could pick up a 150qt Marine Igloo at Sam's for $68.
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Which is now $64.88 :-)

I might go for the Coleman extreme......half the price on the cooler, the size is probably the biggest I could get into my closet, and the money saved will get me more beads. :-)
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If it was my post, I meant the plastic straps some companies use for hinges on the lid. Some coolers use an actual hinge and others use a piece of plastic that is cut to flex (sometimes breaks). Regardless of brand, the cooler shouldn't need any sort of latch or strap opposite the hinges to keep the lid shut tight.
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The deterioration of the plastic hinges could be an issue if the cooler was sitting out in the sun and cold -- exposed to the elements -- for an exteneded period. Somehow I don't think that is an issue with a coolidor :-)

I picked my 120 quart up at Walmart for around $50 a few months back. Actually, I got two :-)
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Just order the Coleman extreme 70 qt cooler from Walmart yesterday....$36 shipped :-)
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