Coolidor upgrade...

[Baccy]

I've been storing my boxes in a little 30 quart Igloo, and I'm now in need of a significantly bigger cooler for my expanding collection of boxes. I also plan on transitioning from boveda to beads  when I upsize. I know they makes all sorts of coolers. Can someone suggest a good cooler for this, or does it really matter?

[nKostyan]

What is the maximum temperature in the room? Many of my friends store Cigars at temperatures up to 25'C with Boveda 65 and have no problems. Some use a wine cooler. I am skeptical about all these systems with Peltier modules - their performance is not stable. It is much easier to reduce humidity if you cannot meet the temperature requirements

[Cayman17]

All my coolers are Coleman, mainly because they are plentiful around me. Never had a problem with any of them. If you want max storage go 150 quart. They also make 120 and 100 qt.  They get very heavy and difficult to maneuver when full, but they hold a lot of boxes.  Wal-mart usually has the best price on them. 

[HarveyBoulevard]

Coleman 150qt.  I like white

[Rupe]

I use 3x 48 quart Igloo marine coolers. I use a combination of Bovedas and crystal kitty litter for my humidification and the Sensor Push hygrometer system to monitor everything.

I prefer the marine (white) coolers because they have less "plastic" smell to them when new so they were easier to get prepped and ready for my cigars. I could probably have gone with a larger cooler but I added coolers as my collection expanded over the course of a couple of years rather than jumping in with both feet and "going big" right away. The side benefit of having 3 smaller coolers vs.1 big one is that they are easier to move around. Plus, I think it may be easier to find things since I have them organized into NC, CC and singles. As far as brand, I don't think it matters much as long as they have a good seal which most of them do. I would say however that going with something high end like a Yeti would probably just be a waste of money since the standard Coleman and Igloo coolers do a great job at a much lower cost.

 The crystal kitty litter does a great job and IMO works just as well as beads but at a much cheaper cost. Let me know if you would like some more information on setting up the kitty litter. I put together a primer a couple of years ago (for another forum) that explains how to dial in the humidity level you want to use.

The Sensor Push system helps me to monitor everything and sends a really nice readout to an app on my phone which tracks the temperature and humidity levels in all 3 coolers and gives me awesome information with graphs and historical data to satisfy my inner nerd.

[Cayman17]

I stand corrected. I have an Igloo maxcold 100 quart and a Coleman 120 quart as my primary cc storage coolerdors.  They both have excellent seals and cost between $50 and 60. The igloo has latches which is nice if you get nervous about a tight seal, but they are not necessary.  I do love the storage capacity of the 120 quart but it’s very difficult to move around.

The rest of my cigar coolers are 48 quart Colemans that stack very nicely but don’t hold enough boxes for my liking. You get more bang for the buck with 100 to 120 quart. Here are some shots of the 100 qt igloo that I started out with. 

[Stump89]

2 hours ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

Coleman 150qt.  I like white

Can't go wrong with these.

[Frozen North]

I am using 2 wine fridges for my storage. Going on 3 years now. They work great, and look good too. Steady 68*, with 64-65RH. I paid $120.00 for both of these.

[Baccy]

Thanks for the replies, and yea I'd love to have a wineador or even an Aristocrat, but I don't have the resources right now. When I get a bigger place I will probably get a big cabinet for storage. I plan on getting the cooler sometime today, probably from a sporting goods store rather than walmart, as they normally have a better selection.

[GP]

I use 3x 48 quart Igloo marine coolers. I use a combination of Bovedas and crystal kitty litter for my humidification and the Sensor Push hygrometer system to monitor everything.
I prefer the marine (white) coolers because they have less "plastic" smell to them when new so they were easier to get prepped and ready for my cigars. I could probably have gone with a larger cooler but I added coolers as my collection expanded over the course of a couple of years rather than jumping in with both feet and "going big" right away. The side benefit of having 3 smaller coolers vs.1 big one is that they are easier to move around. Plus, I think it may be easier to find things since I have them organized into NC, CC and singles. As far as brand, I don't think it matters much as long as they have a good seal which most of them do. I would say however that going with something high end like a Yeti would probably just be a waste of money since the standard Coleman and Igloo coolers do a great job at a much lower cost.
 The crystal kitty litter does a great job and IMO works just as well as beads but at a much cheaper cost. Let me know if you would like some more information on setting up the kitty litter. I put together a primer a couple of years ago (for another forum) that explains how to dial in the humidity level you want to use.
The Sensor Push system helps me to monitor everything and sends a really nice readout to an app on my phone which tracks the temperature and humidity levels in all 3 coolers and gives me awesome information with graphs and historical data to satisfy my inner nerd.

I’d be interested to hear your technique for setting up the KL. I used it before in a wineador but found it difficult to hit the humidity level I wanted. Sounds like you might have it nailed....


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[apollo]

7 minutes ago, Astar20 said:

So you can actually use an ice chest as a way to store boxes? How do you maintain the proper temp and humidity? Since I'm getting more and more boxes my display humidor isn't able to hold boxes especially for some of the bigger vilotas (lusi, Churchills, etc) is there anything you need to do to prep the cooler? 

Here ya go:

 

I use the 320 gram Boveda at 65 spaced around the cooler (I use three, it’s totally overkill). 

[Baccy]

So you can actually use an ice chest as a way to store boxes? How do you maintain the proper temp and humidity? Since I'm getting more and more boxes my display humidor isn't able to hold boxes especially for some of the bigger vilotas (lusi, Churchills, etc) is there anything you need to do to prep the cooler? 

They hold humidity very well, much better than a desktop humi ever could. When I first heard about coolidors I thought they were a joke until I actually "built" one... best decision ever.

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[poorman]

Can’t over recommend these....

http://www.hbshumidifiers.com/

Check them twice a year, really.

I’m lucky enough to have a basement that helps with temp a lot. 

[Rupe]

7 hours ago, GP said:

 

I’d be interested to hear your technique for setting up the KL. I used it before in a wineador but found it difficult to hit the humidity level I wanted. Sounds like you might have it nailed....


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Just sent you a PM @GP

[Burningman]

Everyone has pretty much covered all the basics already. The only thing I'd add is that if you are storing nothing but boxes there is no need to add cedar planks. The bonus to putting one of these together in the winter is the crazy mark downs on ice chests this time of year. Paying less is nice, regardless of your budget. 

[Derboesekoenig]

10 hours ago, poorman said:

Can’t over recommend these....

http://www.hbshumidifiers.com/

Check them twice a year, really.

I’m lucky enough to have a basement that helps with temp a lot. 

What are the benefits of choosing this over the other options? I currently use Boveda + HCM. I'm in need of another few pounds....but when I compare the calculators on HCM vs HF, here are the results:

HCM says I need 2.88 lbs and HF says I need 4.15 lbs. It shouldn't vary that much, right??

[unitedfly]

Based on research I've done and harassing @backbone, I just purchased a 120qt Coleman from Walmart for $60 bucks, and threw a couple empty cedar boxes in there for loose cigars. I've currently got over 400grams of 62%RH Bovedas in place, and after a day its only about 4% off and climbing steadily. Should be good to go by the time my boxes arrive! 

[Baccy]

Just picked up this 55q Igloo marine cooler. I looked at some of the 120q and 150q varieties but man... those things are HUGE. I just don't need that much space right now. This should allow me room for boxes and for a good while into the future as well. It's black on the inside, which is different...

[poorman]

13 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

What are the benefits of choosing this over the other options? I currently use Boveda + HCM. I'm in need of another few pounds....but when I compare the calculators on HCM vs HF, here are the results:

HCM says I need 2.88 lbs and HF says I need 4.15 lbs. It shouldn't vary that much, right??

Benefits: set and forget, easy to move around in the cooler

I never used the calculators. 

I buy the largest brick only. One for 48 qt. Think I might have two in the 70 qt. One would do tho. 

Two for the 110 qt.  

And this,

 

 

The Humidity Beads System® maintains a constant rate of relative humidity by consistently

absorbing and releasing water vapor as necessary, providing a precise level of humidity for

your cigars

[Derboesekoenig]

10 hours ago, poorman said:

Benefits: set and forget, easy to move around in the cooler

I never used the calculators. 

I buy the largest brick only. One for 48 qt. Think I might have two in the 70 qt. One would do tho. 

Two for the 110 qt.  

And this,

 

 

The Humidity Beads System® maintains a constant rate of relative humidity by consistently

absorbing and releasing water vapor as necessary, providing a precise level of humidity for

your cigars

I'm not using a cooler though. The humidor I have to prep is nearly 36,000 cubic inches. I also have (2) 28 bottle wine coolers that are filled, and I used a mix of Boveda + HCM, and a desktop humidor that uses just Boveda. I think I'll try out the HBS this time, plus some large Bovedas and will see how it does.

[Rrm7284]

I’m a big fan of the Coleman’s too. Like others have said, good seal. I threw in a bunch of large bovedas and have not had to touch anything for 2 years now. Temp and humidity holds stable, stored in my basement.


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[PabloJr]

I'm starting to think i'm going to have to upgrade to a coolidor myself. I have an storage bin that about packed to the brim and a desktop humidor that is completely filled as well. Was thinking about doing a wine cooler but then thought i could get a huge cooler for the fraction of the price and not have to worry about running out of space