Coolidor - getting started

Lots of threads posted about this, but I will try and recap it. I would go bigger, rather than smaller...48qt is a great starting point...Tupperdors are about 1/3 the cost as well, so keep that open unless you will be storing it in a place with high temperature variances.

Get it home and wash it out with a mild detergent once or twice and then dry. The do one of the following two(or both): put newspaper in there to deteriorate the plastic smell or pour some baking soda onto a plate and let it sit in there as well with the lid closed, for about 24-36hours. If it still smells wash and repeat the previous steps.

Choosing how to humidify it you have already decided, so I would put the beads in a nylon stocking, or similar, charge them, and then put them in the cooler with the cedar strips along with a hygro and make sure the numbers are good. I would put cedar from older boxes in there, all pending if you like the cedar taste from a cigar and how you are storing the cigars(personal preference). If you are storing the cigars in old boxes then I would maybe put a couple cedar dividers or broken down boxes in there, but if you are storing with baggies I would put more cedar in to compensate.

The cleaning process should take about 3 days and then you are set.
PM me with any questions!

go for a 120/150 qt .... better to have too much space.

wwestern:

go for a 120/150 qt .... better to have too much space.

As someone who did not take this advice, I concur that you should do this. While something a little smaller may look like a lot, it will fill up fast and then you have to buy another one.

Petsmart has unscented silica gel cat litter 8 lb for $14. Gonna get some for my next tupperdor project.

BigT06:

wwestern:

go for a 120/150 qt .... better to have too much space.

agreed! I bought a 120qt a couple moths ago when I started having storage issues, thinking I'd never need to purchase another storage device. Wrong. I already need another cooler.

I give the same advice about cooler that I give about getting your first tattoo. Get exactly twice as big as what's in your head. Don't start small just to see what it's like. It's awesome, and you'll wish you had more space (or ink... lol) in the future. TRUST ME.

GREAT analogy. haha. very true.

OchoZacho:

Todd - if that analogy had only come a day sooner! I bought a 50qt yesterday. Just like tattos - my first was about 3 inches wide, now anything less than a half sleeve or rib/back piece won't work. I am covered! Crud! Oh well, I will have a good vacation cooler in the future. And Rick, I can quit IF I want to.

50qt is a good size, I am comfortably fitting about 200-225 in there and that is with bad sorting and minimal space maintenance and a 1/2lb of beads...stays at 66/67 every day of the week.

bdmauk24:

Shaun.Harrison87:

50qt is a good size, I am comfortably fitting about 200-225 in there and that is with bad sorting and minimal space maintenance and a 1/2lb of beads...stays at 66/67 every day of the week.

Good to know. I was thinking about that size for a tupperdor. I've only got a small cooler set up now, but it will be outgrown very soon I think. Do you have any cedar in yours?

Yes. Currently in there I store everything in old boxes, some still in tact and some broken in half. I get old boxes for free or $1 each at my B&M and they never leave their humi. I have about 3 box tops and 2 small cedar strips in there and about once a month I will spray them down lightly with distilled water to increase the cedar smell and hopefully pass some of that onto the cigars. If not the cedar can also act as a high-moisture protector as it will take humidity out of the air. It takes some playing around to get it the way you want, but once you do its very easy to maintain

You should have taken your daughter to gymnastics. Your wife would have let you stop off at Walmart and buy a new one.

wwestern:

Bout to drag in a 48qt I had sitting in the garage cause my 120 is full... gotta hurry and set it up while the wife takes my daughter to gymnastics... liable to be a rough night lol.

You sound like me Western...I like my like one Mission Impossible to the next!

wwestern:

The night ended with me showing her pics of cabinet humidors and she said " That would be so much better than these coolers!" winning.

WINNING!

wwestern:

The night ended with me showing her pics of cabinet humidors and she said " That would be so much better than these coolers!" winning.

Nice! I just got my cooler set up and my wife has already said, Why did you do that? Don't you think someone will get you a humidor with Christmas coming? C'mon Santa!