OK, I am off to start construction on a coolador. I've wandered through the old forums and gotten some good tips.
Please share your thoughts on two things..

Do most of you leave the cooler upright, or, go for the coleman and attempt to build it on its side (like a fridge)?

Lining - should I line the coolador, or, just put in a lot of boxes made of spanish cedar, filled with smokes. And if the answer is to line it, do I use glue?

Many thanks.

telcom,
Search through the pic posts from cwilhelmi he has IMHO the best setup for a coolador. I built mine based on his posts and pics.

Happy herf`n
Rob

I think that standing on the end gives you more versatility in organization and accessibility. It does lend itself to less stability that you will have to deal with.

I believe most people lean towards lining them. I do not practice that myself and really see no benefit.

No answer for the glue except it should be non-toxic, odorless and be able to handle the humidity. I am sure someone will know the right brand.

BUD

I have three coolers but just leave them laying down. I store cigars in the boxes and don't line the cooler itself. My coolers are for storage or long term aging. If I was accessing them daily, I would much rather have the cool setup mentioned above.

Dan (JustDanD)

I would not line it,as this takes up room,but if you must line it,then I would use wood glue and spanish cedar(old cedar cigar boxes that are unvarnished will do). As far as positioning the cooler,if you stand it up on end it is less stable and also you can't store as many boxes. If you research the Picture post forum,there are some pics of coolerdors. Good luck. X

telcom,as long as you keep keep your cigars in a stable enviorment,everything else is cosmetic and a matter of personal preference.After cleaning and airing,I use my *dors "as is".The only cedar I have in them are boxes and a few pieces at the bottom of the singles tray.Works for me.

I agree with everyone that posted here, making the coolador is a personal perfernce on what you do. My 1st attempt at making one, I tried it standing up right. It didnt work well. If you make it upright, you really need to put it up on a table so you have easy access to it. I am only 6'1" tall but didnt like having to bend down to grab a cigar. I changed my setup and layed them down. I have I on top of another, so the top one is much higher and easier to access. I guess I am just lazy.

(the artist formerly known as mrtelcom)

I am drooling on that upright coolidor. Interesting point about having to put it up on a table. I am currently scoping out coolers and it looks like the Coleman 100 quart marine model should last me a while. 😉

One Word - Aristocrat - Invest Now! 🙂

Spanish Cedar Lining does have value for the aging of the gars and as a deterent from pests. In addition, it can help stablize the enviornment.

Glue - What X Said!

Up or Down - I prefer both at a rapid fire pace...Ooops, sorry been away too long. I use both as some boxes tend to fit better in the standing one as the one that lays...

Regards,


B

telcom/ I have several cooladors and what I did for the closed boxes and bundles was to sprend some Cedar chips on the bottom then place some shipping paper over them then stack in my boxes and then some bundles on top of that then placed a couple Humidifers in and worked on regulating them then once that was done it is just a matter of checking the RH once every couple of weeks or month depending how often you open and close them.. And They have all worked GREAT and the cost is Extremely reasonable..I got the Chips at the local Lumber yard for a couple of bucks.. TinMan

Coolers upright so I can stack them. Four so far. (Honest, honey, I need this many cigars because I am aging them.)

Mine are unlined. Works just fine, although adding cedar probably has some advantages.

If you use glue, I suggest mixing flour and water into a paste. This has been used for centuries as a surprisingly effective glue, plus it has no toxins or odor.

Hope this helps.

Keep smokin' (]]]]]]]]]]~~~

Mark? Is that you?

I'd advise to save cash on the cedar, buy some Climmax beads (which hold humidity steady w/o cedar as a buffer), and store with boxes.

Spend any remaining money on cigars and any time saved by not building on smoking them.

John

robby - yep its me.
Update.
70 quart cooler check
small tuperware with drilled cover check
Oasis foam cut to fit check
Digital hygrometer - bidding
PG - tomorrows action item.

I recently built a "bedoudour". I saw a post on here that mentioned if one would work. Well I made it work !!..Lots of space for the Gars now. Course you still have to dig around for the one you won't but I can live with that ( for now ) LOL. I went to my local Cigar shop here in SC and he loaded me up with enough spanish cedar, very thin sheets from the cigars he was selling, which was perfect to line the inside of the "beduodour" I have 6 of the "tampon" LOL...u guys came up with the name not me, humi sticks and it keeps them perfect 70/70. The wife loves it cause they are out of sight and I love it cause she loves it! 🙂 Holds a lot of Gars!! 6 "tampons" is equal to 150+ Gars. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee

LOL... Forgot to mention that the "bedoudour" is in reality a large rubbermaid under the bed stash for your sheets, blankets and the like. WORKS EXTREMELLY WELL FOR CIGARS

Tinman,

Unless your lumber yard uses spanish cedar, you should throw away your cedar chips. Any type of cedar other than spanish is too aromatic and can ruin your cigars.

Matt

Thats what it is Spanish Cedar, we have a contractor that uses small amounts of it ever so often and the lumber yard save's the chips and left overs when they cut it for the contractor..Tin

Operation Coolador complete.
Currently testing the radio shack hygrometer.
Question - if it is off by say 3 degrees, will it be consistantly that way? So, said another way .. is it worth the hassle of opening it up and tweaking it, or, can I just add 3 degrees and leave it be.

Robby - bring me in some of those rarities to break it in. 🙂

errr, PERCENT not degrees.