Waterproof negative storage

[Ed Richards]

I am curious about negative storage - waterproof comes to mind given what has happened around here. Pelican and some others sell reasonably priced waterproof storage boxes that could survive a flood if you kept them tied down. (You could also use them to as a raft if it comes to it.) Any issues with keeping things in sealed boxes in a climate controlled room?

Fire is more difficult - Ideally you would put your waterproof boxes in a firesafe, but that would take a pretty big safe. Perhaps take your best 100 negs and put them in a sealed box in the fire safe?

I am assuming in all of this that you have to leave in such a hurry that you cannot take your stuff with you, or, more likely, something happens when you are gone. I would absolutely have my stuff stored in such a way that I could grab it and load it into the car pretty quickly, so you could skip the survival part.

Ideas? What do you folks do?

[John_4185]

Steel military ammo boxes. They snap and seal perfectly, are painted to resist rusting, and are available in several sizes. Look at them - sixty years old and still not rusty. It helps to load them on a low humidity day. Put them between the basement rafters and relax.

[Richard Schlesinger]

Where does one purchase ammo boxes these days?

[John_4185]

Where does one purchase ammo boxes these days?

Army surplus stores. Are they becoming rare? Shipping might be expensive.

[John_4185]

You want steel boxes such as those above, not wooden boxes. They have a rubber gasket. Perfectly waterproof.

Go to www.usmilitarysurplus.com/surpluscatalog/default.php?cPath=82&sort=4a

[Paul Butzi]

I've bought ammo boxes, cheap, in several sizes, from www.cheaperthandirt.com.

Warning: buying from them puts you on the 'gun owner/knife enthusiast/survivalist' mailing list, and you'll get ads for gun shows, knife magazines, etc. as well as catalogs for everything from cheap ammo (korean war surplus) to military surplus camping gear to replica weapons to books and magazines on military history to wholesale discounts on large american flags.

So if you're worried that your liberal neighbors will suspect that you're a republican and stop allowing their kids to associate with your kids and will try to kick your dog and trash your car - you wouldn't want to buy ammo cans unless you bought them in person, wearing dark glasses, and paid cash.

[Michael S. Briggs]

Re the firesafe portion of the question -- most fire safes are designed to keep their contents below 350 degrees F.
This will keep papers readable but films will be ruined. For film you need a model designed to keep the contents below 125 degrees F. These are typically sold under the name "media safe". Here is one manufacturer's description of the Underwriters Laboratories categories and testing procedures: http://www.schwabcorp.com/File_Cabin...ting_guide.htm.