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stony

Swap containers

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When I send my flies out, I usually use some type of large and hard container. Altoids tins for the most part. I want to make sure my flies are protected and just in case somebody ties a larger one, I want to make sure it fits.

 

I have received some many different containers in my swaps that I host.

 

Film canisters, Altoids Tins, Mustad hook boxes, some weird duck tape self folding envelope thing, aluminum foil, saran wrap, a dental floss thing, a tic-tac thing, or even no container at all.

 

For those of you that send the non-conventional type of containers, how do they hold up when they are returned to you? How are the condition of your flies when you send a smaller container and receive a large fly that may take up the whole thing and everything has to get jammed in there somehow?

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I am probably guilty of using too small a container.Usally big enough for my flies but not large enough for the ones I get back. In the swap I'm in now all the flies should be five to six inches in length and I had to buy a plastic pencil box to hold them. I had thought to find some old VHS boxes and fit them with foam to hold the flies this should be large enough for most swaps in the future.

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I like to use a cheap fly box I got from Bass Pro Shop. That way, when I get the flys back they're ready to hit the water straight out of the mailbox. ;)

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I've been in several swaps and only had a problem one time. I used a plastic box the same size as an Altoids tin. It was a hard plastic with little flexibility in it. The post-office used it in their new package crunching machine. The flies survived but the box was a disaster. I use metal boxes and padded envelopes now.

 

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I've used a few different containers, my first choice is Altoids tins, unfortunately I only have 4 or 5 and they are often out. I have some hard plastic containers a little larger than Altoids for larger swaps, or when I figure some of the flies will be larger. I've used the Mustad hook shells a couple times, usually when flies will be small and crushing damage is not an issue, otherwise they don't do well.

 

I do try to take into consideration where they are going, type of flies (size, delicacy, etc). About 1200 flies swapped so far since last fall and no serious casualties except a couple lost packages ...

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Altoids tin by far the best choice.

 

I went to WalMart and bought self adhesive craft foam and line the boxes. (8 sq. ft. for $3.00).

 

Anytime I deviated from the tin I had troubles either with not enough room or damaged boxes.

 

:P

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The PO used to sell small (3x6x1) cardboard containers that a plastic 6 compartment box would fit. Now two things happened: 1) they don't sell those anymore and 2) I realized after a few swaps that you never know what's coming back, as far as what other sized flies people are tying.

 

So while they are still selling these, the PO has a larger cardboard box available and I've changed to using a clear VHS tape box. Plenty of room to hold whatever you're sending and should cover any and all flies coming back.

 

I don't use much tape to seal it because then the swapmeister can reuse everything for the return trip. Have 6 round trips logged on one of the cardboard boxes already.

 

 

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I've used altoids tins, plastic pill boxes, plastic containers that card decks came in and a few others. I have had a fly or two come back to my in less than pristine condition because I sent a container that was too small, but all in all everything has worked out fine for me. Doing the cross border swap thing the altoids tins are just a hair too big to meet the criteria for regular mail and result in more than double the price for postage compared to a thinner container, so I generally reserve the use of these for swaps with larger flies.

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