[Killietalk] Re: Shipping boxes; was NEW Flat rate priority mail boxes

["Kenneth Combs" <KCombs at mergerx_net>]

On  Wed, 8 Dec 2004 10:41:17 -0800 (PST) Scott ask:

>Neat experiment. Since your have got the thermometer, if you have the
steak box, could you 
>check and see how much better, after that same time period, the steak
or medical supply box >really is?

Yeah, probably should; esp. being that I commonly see only about only 4
or 5 types of styro boxes; as for the "Omaha Steak" type box, my opinion
was conjecture...I've received them a couple times with good
results...so to be "scientific", it could've easily been some "other"
variable (handling, wind. Et)....

As for those "Pharmaceutical grade" type styro boxes, well the design
advantage is pretty darn obvious: dbl thick inner locking lid, thicker
foam walls, et...Anyway, next time I'll try a more "objective" approach
and test those also...BTW, those are kinda tough to get in qty...(I
tried the "vendor" route..since the wife buys medical supplies...no dice
thus far...)

Either way, I don't think the "classic" LFS "styro fish shipper" is not
the greatest deal with regard to exposure to the elements(as opposed to
being on a truck or plane)

Wright said: 
>My only conclusion was that the heat pack may have used up almost all 
>their oxygen. I rarely have used heat packs and then never, ever put 
>them inside the styro with the fish.

I overheard someone mentioning those heat packs are some type of
"Iron/oxygen reaction dealy" erhh ahh uhh...something like
that...(pardon the layman ignorance)..anyway, I guess like anything
else, they use O2 to react, I suppose for a buck & 1/2 they are cheap
insurance, but hardly dependable IME... And a obvious disaster using
tight insulation & breather bags...

I've always wondered what the "real" difference is between the 24hr and
the 60hr heat packs is "IN Calories!" (or whatever)...I suppose this is
a classic calorie/water "story problem", and it does kinda matter: you
could overheat the water if improperly using a 24hr heat pack, whereas
if you use a 60hr heat pack, what good does it do if it can't
appreciably raise the water temp if it all of a sudden drops below
tolerances?

...heck, for the $1-$2 per you spend on each "heat pack", I wonder if
it's just as feasible to take the "weight hit" on shipping chgs and just
add a extra bag of warm water to the box (again, thinking in terms of
total calories)...

Any how,...I've read a few "fish shipping 101's, FAQ's, et"...still some
of the FAQ's IMO are kinda subjective and perhaps overly dependent on
the "common sense" of the shipper...(which varies)///What may "seem" to
us "laymen" as a good insulator often is not..I've read charts of
"common insulators" and as best I recollect, it did not follow my
guesses anyway...If I recall: simple shredded newspaper was not bad as
expected, whereas "peanuts" were not as good as I expected...probably
would be worth while to find that "chart" and post it somewhere...

KC...




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