Properly storing your cannabis flower and gear is crucial if you want to keep both in optimal condition. But it's not just storing your herb that will dictate the overall cannabis experience. You also need to store the rest of your cannabis gear carefully, too. Here's everything you need to know about storing cannabis flower, concentrates, and gear.
Storing cannabis flower
When storing cannabis flower, there are five main variables you need to control:
- Light: Dating back to a 1976 study, research has found that exposure to light is the biggest contributor to the degradation of cannabinoids and terpenes. To avoid this, the flower should be stored in a dark location.
- Air: The same 1976 study also found that oxidation due to contact with air was another critical factor in the degradation of cannabis, which is why storing your flower in an airtight container is also important.
- Temperature: Because mold and other forms of bacteria thrive in moist, humid conditions at temperatures between 32 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or 049 degrees Celsius, it's best to store your flower at temperatures slightly below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or 21 degrees Celsius, but not so cold that your nugs freeze.
- Humidity: To avoid mold, keep your flower in a location where the relative humidity (RH) is between 55% and 62%. Anything above 65% RH makes your cannabis vulnerable to mold.
- Odor: If you would prefer to keep your stash discreet, consider purchasing odorproof containers and storage boxes for your flower.
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The optimal storage solution for your cannabis flower will take each of these variables into account. Stick with airtight containers made out of glass, metal, or silicone. Avoid plastic containers, as they can produce static electricity that could potentially pull trichomes off your flowers. And be sure to store your containers in a dark, cool location away from heat or direct light.
You can find a number of products designed to control humidity at local head shops or online.
Storing concentrates
As with cannabis flower, cannabis concentrates should also be kept in a dark, cool, airtight container at low relative humidity and away from heat or direct light. Because concentrates tend not to give off aromas as strong as flower, an airtight container will usually be good enough to trap any potential odors.
For concentrates, use storage containers made out of glass or silicone, as your concentrates will not stick to these materials and will be much easier to scrape out when you're preparing for a dab.
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Finally, it's usually a good idea to store your concentrate containers in some sort of sealable box. These often come with padding for extra protection and many models also feature storage space for dabbers, carb caps, and other simple dab tools. Even more, you can also get storage boxes with locking lids for additional security.
Storing glass pipes
When it comes to storing your glass pipes, the main concerns are protecting the glass and limiting odors from leftover resin. To address both concerns at the same time, consider storing your glass pipes in one of the following:
- A sealable hard plastic container. These are affordable, simple, and trap odors relatively well. The downside is that they're not padded, so you'll need to be careful when handling your container.
- A padded box with a dedicated space for your glass piece. The best options are ones that are also airtight and odorproof.
- If you want to be extra-discreet and secure, try a small safe or lockbox. Just be sure it's padded so that your piece stays protected. This option is especially useful for those who have expensive custom glass and are willing to spend more to protect their precious paraphernalia.
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Storing bongs and bong equipment
In most cases, bongs are a bit too large and unwieldy to store them inside some other type of container or box. Instead, simply keep your bong clean and store it standing upright in an out-of-the-way location where it won't get bumped, jostled, or broken. If you really need to be discreet, look for a padded lockbox or storage container that is large enough to hold your bong and that will do a good job of trapping odors.
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Beyond the bong itself, if you use glass attachments or adapters, it's a good idea to keep each component in a padded storage box. Just be sure there is adequate space for each component so that there's no risk of them knocking into each other inside the container and breaking.
Storing dab rigs and dab tools
Dabbing is unique because it requires specialized components such as nails, domes, carb caps, and more. On top of that, many dab-specific components have to be especially durable, since dabbing requires much higher temperatures than simply igniting and smoking flower. If you invest in the specialized equipment needed for dabbing, you're going to want to store your gear properly.
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Fortunately, the market is full of storage options for your dab equipment. Some of the most common types of storage options include:
- Storage jars or containers for concentrates, typically made out of glass or silicone.
- “Wallets” for storing multiple concentrate jars and tools like dabbers.
- Larger storage boxes with compartments for dab jars, nails, dabbers, carb caps, and other tools, or additional space for larger attachments in some models.
- Hard-shell or soft-shell cases with padded storage compartments for your rig and gear.
- Small safes or hard-shell cases that come with locks for additional security.
- Odor-proof, locking, and heavily padded traveling cases to keep all your dab gear safe, discreet, and secure.
Other cannabis storage considerations
Storage for Joints, Spliffs, and Blunts
You can find a number of small cylindrical storage containers perfectly designed for storing and transporting pre-rolled joints, spliffs, and blunts.
Storage for One-Hitters
If you ever use a one-hitter, the best storage option is to get a piece that slides down into a dugout. Typically, dugouts include a cylindrical opening for your one-hitter as well as an open chamber into which you can drop some ground cannabis. That way, you can store your piece, take it with you on the go, and pack your one hitter all with a single storage device.
Storing Vape Pens
Vape pens are exploding in popularity, in large part because they are so easy to store and use. A bit of smart storage can go a long way in maintaining the performance and overall state of your pen.
As with any type of cannabis product, it's best to store your pen — or, more specifically, the THC cartridge portion of it — away from direct light and out of extreme temperatures. Beyond that, find a safe place so the glass cartridge won't break. Let's face it, no one wants to reach for their vape pen only to find the glass cartridge has cracked and the precious, sticky concentrate has spilled all over the place.
And finally, it's best to store it upright so the oil doesn't flow away from the heating element. If this happens, you should wait to hit your cartridge until the oil has once again settled on the bottom and is covering the small holes near the heating element. To avoid all this, store your vape pen standing upright in a tall glass or any other skinny cylindrical container.
On-the-go storage
When you're traveling with cannabis or gear, you need to be sure that whatever you store is capable of keeping your equipment safe and discreet. In particular, focus on finding storage cases that account for discretion.
Obviously, traveling with anything related to cannabis is a stealth operation. Fortunately, there is now a wide variety of travel gear designed specifically to keep the strong odors of cannabis in check. These include odor-proof carrying bags, handbags, purses, duffel bags, and backpacks.
Because most cannabis gear is fragile — made out of glass, ceramic, quartz, or similar materials — it's crucial that your traveling storage equipment is very protective. Look for carrying cases or travel bags that are fully padded. Even better, look for traveling cases designed for cannabis gear that is padded, and include compartments for specific components.
Finally, when you're traveling with your cannabis and cannabis gear, you want to be discreet. Assuming that a particular travel case, handbag, or storage box meets the above requirements, your last concern should be getting storage and travel gear that looks like any other backpack or piece of luggage. Your traveling bag should not alert people or attract attention, and it should be easy to carry with you wherever you go.