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I'm now sold on ziplocking cans.

Discussion in 'Trade Talk' started by blackcloud, Jul 22, 2016.

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  1. blackcloud

    blackcloud Savant (1,197) Apr 28, 2012 Alaska
    Trader

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    Just got this exploding Big Gruesome in a haul today from @Mipper - I'll be ziplocking all cans from here on out as I had a can blow in the last box I shipped out, creating an exception. Had I been smart like ol' @Mipper it wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary. A precautionary tale.
     
  2. maximum12

    maximum12 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,662) Jan 21, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    A good reminder. I ziplock/bag everything, including the glass, for just this reason, but it seems like cans are a big more prone to the occasional explosion, especially in the middle of a heat wave like we're experiencing now!
     
  3. NoleBeerNoleFun

    NoleBeerNoleFun Initiate (0) Aug 17, 2015 Florida
    Trader

    All of my problems sending and receiving over the years have been with cans...never have had an issue with a single bottle...I think we all tend to forget just how thin that aluminum can is till one punctures or slices open and then you see...I Ziploc everything...it prevents a lot of problems
     
    CavemanRamblin likes this.
  4. juliuscaesar2701

    juliuscaesar2701 Aspirant (289) Jan 11, 2016 Massachusetts
    Trader

    I always put bubble wrap around the cans then put it into a ziplock bag. Can easily fit 2 or 3 cans into a 1 gallon bag. Seems to work like a charm.
     
  5. CavemanRamblin

    CavemanRamblin Initiate (0) Jun 19, 2014 North Carolina
    Deactivated

    This. I've had 1 bottle break in all my trades, but have had cans come open a few times. Ziplock bags will ensure that a single can being compromised doesn't cause your leaky box to get sent back or worse.
     
  6. Jmorey

    Jmorey Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2015 Michigan

    so do you guys not bubble wrap the cans too? Or just ziplock them?
     
    Justin1686 likes this.
  7. maximum12

    maximum12 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,662) Jan 21, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I don't bubble wrap them. I do stick something in between them/stick them in a four-pack holder so they don't bang together, & always tape a piece of heavy cardboard over the top so a tab doesn't accidentally get pushed in.
     
    Jmorey likes this.
  8. CavemanRamblin

    CavemanRamblin Initiate (0) Jun 19, 2014 North Carolina
    Deactivated

    Sometimes, maybe if I'm shipping cans only. But if it's say mainly bottles with a few cans as extras or something then I don't. I just bag them individually and tuck them in carefully amongst all the other bubble wrap/other padding that I have in the box.
     
    Jmorey likes this.
  9. LloydDobler

    LloydDobler Pooh-Bah (2,028) Jul 25, 2014 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Just got my first and second cans that "didn't quite make it" in my last few boxes. Both were from the same trader in back to back boxes(one Crowler and one 16oz can). The following box came with everything double zip locked and in a box wrapped in a trash bag... inside another box! This was the first time I've had any problems with any cans.
     
  10. Kevin67

    Kevin67 Initiate (0) Feb 8, 2015 Arkansas

    I've had this problem once. but it was contained. I Ziploc everything, then bubble wrap it. I've also had a couple of cans blow in the closet. The common denominator has been that they were creams stouts from two different breweries. I think the carbonation was the cause for both.
     
  11. RavageCat

    RavageCat Devotee (346) Jun 24, 2014 New Jersey
    Trader

    I never zip locked cans or bottles before but after reading the thread, I recently started doing it. It's little cost and sounds like it could save a lot of potential headache.
     
  12. Yohann

    Yohann Zealot (708) Apr 29, 2014 Wisconsin
    Trader

    An alternate approach to containing leakage, that some may find easier and that covers everything, is to put the entire contents of the box inside of a large heavy duty garbage bag, and tie that tightly closed before placing it into the box. (Or if you're really the belt-and-suspenders type, ziploc the cans/bottles and seal up the entire contents in a garbage bag.)
     
  13. Chris912

    Chris912 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2014 Illinois
    Trader

    Have to say, this is the 'way to go'.

    We're spending $50+ on beer, plus shipping costs, why not spend the extra 10 cents on a ziplock bag.

    I found construction bags to be a nice choice to wrap the entire shipment. Nice and thick, but fitting them into a tight fitting box can be a challenge.
     
    hoptheology likes this.
  14. Justin1686

    Justin1686 Crusader (448) Aug 4, 2014 New York
    Trader

    see, i bubble wrap even my cans. i never ziplocked them, until one recently was punctured on the way to me in a trade. It wasn't bubble wrapped though. so now, i just save all the ziplocks and reuse them for my cans, and still bubble wrap.
     
    Jmorey likes this.
  15. hoptheology

    hoptheology Grand Pooh-Bah (5,343) May 12, 2014 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I grossly prefer shipping cans as I've had more bottles break than cans. Never had a can punctured. Of course I am a pretty meticulous packer, and I think the time I had half a dozen bottles break it was because they were in there a bit looser than normal and a gargantuan threw the box off a four story building...

    I always do grocery bag, wrapped around, then ziplock, then inside of a garbage bag, and bubble wrap on the outside between bottles/cans/layers. and of course the sides are reinforced with cardboard or bubble paper.
     
  16. Joplamp

    Joplamp Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2016 Michigan
    Trader

    I've had 4 cans of Big Gruesome explode. Two in my cellar had the tops blow completely off
     
  17. Jlabs

    Jlabs Pooh-Bah (2,608) Nov 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've always zip locked any cans/bottles/crowler, then bubble wrap it..I think out of almost 60 trades, I've only had one bottle break..I like those odds:grinning:
     
  18. Jmorey

    Jmorey Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2015 Michigan

    Interesting as I do the opposite. Bubble wrap then ziplock. Heck I'm doing it right now in my hotel room :slight_smile:
     
  19. Jlabs

    Jlabs Pooh-Bah (2,608) Nov 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If you do both, there is no right/wrong way to do it..just a personal preference
     
  20. Jmorey

    Jmorey Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2015 Michigan

    Totally agree. I just had never thought of doing it that way and started to think if I would be easier to do certain bottles.

    Although a lot of times I bubble wrap a couple bottles or cans then bag them together and it makes for a pretty solid little package.

    I had a 32oz bullet howler (plastic) leak slightly on my flight back. Happy the bag was there :slight_smile:
     
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