A simple, cheap and fairly elegant dry storage solution for lenses

[pgk]

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I could have added this to an existing thread but perhaps as an individual storage solution it is worth a thread of its own. As I live in a fairly damp area (at the base of a mountain and half a mile from the sea) I do try to keep my gear reasonably dry (or need to dry it out after use) and have been looking for a less bulky solution that Pelicases (of which I have too many and they are too big, bulky and heavy).

 

I came across the beautifully (Swiss) made, really not too expensive (£20) and readily available Sigg box - whick looks like an old fashioned aluminium lunchbox with a silicone gasket fitted. It may not be absolutely hermetically sealed but it looks good enough (it would be easy to make a rubber band to encircle the joint from an inner tube, or even use a silicone sealant to increase the gasket depth - though read on about plastics - if really needed) and the maxi version is still quite small, light and stackable. To ensure that the contents stay dry I've put a film canister containing indicator Silica Gel*, with a hole cut in the top and some fine mesh which is held down by the top. This box will take several Leica lenses and being anodised aluminium is pretty inert (cheap plastic containers always concern me with the plasticisers and other compounds they contain). The photo shows size and my older M lenses to give an idea of what the box could hold. Eventually I'll line it with foam or wrap the lenses up in suitable material.

 

* Silica Gel is available on-line** in 'indicator' form - pellets which change colour as they absorb water. They used to be bright blue (cobalt chloride I think) which changed to pink as they hydrated, but now a more environmentally friendly organic orange indicator is added which turns green. If you want to do some recycling, Silica Gel can be reactivated in an oven at just over 100C for a few hours - the indicator will change colour back as it dries.

 

**And if you want free silica gel (no indicator but a bit can be added) then talk to any local outdoor clothing shop as many expensive garments are packed with a sachet of silica gel which usually seems to get thrown away - most shops are perfectly happy to retain these for collection if asked in my experience as it saves dumping a perfectly reusable material even if it is deemed to be harmless. Cutting the sachets open and drying the silica gel really isn't that much of a chore.

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