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Cheap alternative to Blue Barrels

Recreational barrel works does not make their own barrels. No way. They have a plastics manufacturer make them for them. If they made their own they wouldn't have a sticker. Their logo would be molded in. Most likely off the same mold as a UN barrel, but without the certification they can be bought at a discount. They could be made with different possibly thinner material, but that is unlikely.

As to the reason they're mostly blue. The manufacturer buys a bunch of blue base stock for their HDPE. No one in industry cares what color the barrels are.

I garauntee you won't find anywhere besides internet conjecture that a certain color of plastic is specifically food grade. That is a long running internet forum myth.

Edit to add: The FDA regulations for food grade plastic containers is CFR 21 Part 177. When in doubt go to the source. There is no mention of color. You would really need to talk to the manufacturer to find out if a container is food safe. A recycling number is not enough information. Having said that, my personal standards are below that of the FDA.

If you find a used barrel or bucket of any kind, I wouldn't use it without knowing what was in it first. There is no way to get a barrel, unless it is brand new, that doesn't come with some risk. But hey, liberty or death!
 
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I'm with Muskrat.... One of my barrel I got while working for a sling manufacturing company back home, and we received all our graded chain directly form Italy and they cam in the same blue barrel that Barrel work sells... I bet there is not many companies that makes blue barrels in this world...
 
Ursacks are not a cheap alternative. Not starting at $59.95/ 10L they're not. But they are a lighter critter-proof alternative to heavier containers. If I could reduce our diet down to freeze-dried this would be my go to for light weight travel. Our menu is mostly dehydrated and adds up to nearly 30L of space. We're not going to eat space food to save space. Our loaded 30L weighs about 20 - 30 pounds. I bet 5 of that is barrel/harness. The meals are worth it. We go on paddling trips with some portages, not hiking trips with some paddling. lol
I assume Ursacks are used only for food. Blue barrels aren't single purpose containers, though they suit our food container requirements well. As a food barrel however they become emptier barrels as the trip continues. Not efficient. I suppose you could shift some gear etc into the emptying barrel, but "thou shalt not mix n' match food n' stuff". So we don't.
We love our 60L as a waterproof pack for such things as sleeping bags etc. But there are much lighter options still. Pack liners or even trash bags in roomy packs can do that too. I found a 60L duffle at a flea market with water resistant interior coating for $10. Score. It is now my tent/tarp/whatever else bag. I still line it with a heavy duty trash bag. Still lighter than the barrel/harness, but far less joy on portages.
I test fit the 60L barrel with kitchen kit and 1 wk of food but haven't tripped with that yet. It's doable. Maybe next year.
As my partner and I slow down a bit I have a feeling our barrels will be the first pieces of gear to be retired, in a few years time.
It's good to know they have alternatives.
 
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Great Scott. So the story from the blue barrel seller turns out to be false. Thought I sensed something funny going on... something not quite right, something is way off base here. Here are some quotes from sellers on the net...

We use blue barrels for one very key reason: blue is the industry standard food-grade. The blue HDPE plastic is also naturally UV resistant. While these barrels do come in a few other colors, other colors are not necessarily food-grade, and are more likely to have contained toxics.


Black barrels are generally not considered food-grade. Most polyethylene drums are created using a blue pigment, and this has become the industry standard for food storage.


All of the virgin blue or white plastic barrels are basically food grade before they're filled with anything.

Back to the sniff test. As always, proceed with caution... if that blue barrel had been used to transport drugs, sniffing it may be the last thing you remember.
 
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Notice those sellers use terms like basically and generally. I've worked in business regulated by the FDA, USDA, DEA, and DOT. We don't use those terms. That will get you in trouble. In the industry we have to have documented chain of custody. In the consumer world we don't get that. Just know what was in your barrel before you got it. If you get a barrel that previously had food in it you can be rest assured that until that point it was food grade. After that, it is no longer food grade according to the letter of the law. I can't stress enough, make sure you know what was in the barrel before you buy used. The reason new barrels are expensive and used ones are cheap is because one is certifed and one is not. The cheapest used barrels come from completely unknown sources, that could have contained anything from Twinkie filling to arsenic.
 
muskrat; That's why I buy from the shippers- they usually have the shipping information and waybills still attached
 
If you find a used barrel or bucket of any kind, I wouldn't use it without knowing what was in it first. There is no way to get a barrel, unless it is brand new, that doesn't come with some risk. But hey, liberty or death!

Screw-top pails and drums likewise. Mine all hail from research labs and still had the chemical contents shipping labels attached. Those contents were mostly lab salts and ureas, which were bagged inside the barrel. I scrubbed them out thoroughly anyway, which is a good time to do an initial leak test.

In any case I’m not carrying 30L of loose rice or beans; the foods I store in those barrels, drums or pails are bagged or packaged separately and stored in meal segregated stuff sacks.

Griz, I like to idea of checking with a shipping supply company that sells used boxes and such and wish I had thought of that when I did work business with a used box company.

I have mentioned this before but several years ago I a saw a Blue Barrel in the back of a UPS truck and asked the driver if I could see the shipping company label. It was full of bird seed.

I wrote the company name down, promptly lost it and have since Googled every variation of “30L bird seed”, “8 gallon bird seed”, “Large quantity bird seed” and “Bird seed in blue barrel” I could think of to no avail.

Dayum though; I go through a lot of bird seed every year and if I could get a free blue barrel with each order all of my friends would be set for barrels.

I have sung praises for these ad nauseam, but Cur-tec wide neck drums are the best packing and most leakproof buckets, pails or drums I have found.

https://www.curtec.com/en/products/drums/wide-neck-drums
 
"I wrote the company name down, promptly lost it and have since Googled every variation of “30L bird seed”, “8 gallon bird seed”, “Large quantity bird seed” and “Bird seed in blue barrel” I could think of to no avail."

dang it I almost puke my coffee out of my nose!! Expensive organic fare trade coffee out of my fancy Ti french press with frothed organic milk....

Regarding the curet drums, I saw a few f them over the years up here. I like them... If they could only make them square with square lids it would be awesome!!
 
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"I wrote the company name down, promptly lost it and have since Googled every variation of “30L bird seed”, “8 gallon bird seed”, “Large quantity bird seed” and “Bird seed in blue barrel” I could think of to no avail."

dang it I almost puke my coffee out of my nose!! Expensive organic fare trade coffee out of my fancy Ti french press with frothed organic milk....

Regarding the curet drums, I saw a few f them over the years up here. I like them... If they could only make them square with square lids it would be awesome!!

I had never seen those Cur-tec wide neck drums until a lab relocated from the west coast and brought the ones we have with them, half full with (bagged) salts or chemicals. I made sure to scarf every one when they were empty.

A friend soon after found a couple used 15 or 20L Cur-tecs; those are equally awesome.

Square sided with a round lid would be even better, but freebies is as freebies come. I believe that Johnson Outdoors/Eureka briefly sold a square barrel like that, not sure why they stopped.

I’d really like to find a 15 or 20L Cur-tech to augment our 30L barrel and/or 10L drums.

I’d really, really like to find that birdseed vendor that uses 30L blue barrels. I should have written the company name on the shop wall instead of a scrap of paper.
 
Jim,
Love those gamma lids!
Wish I would have known that menards sold gamma seal lids before my Labor Day trip, would've saved me a couple bucks! I used two buckets on my trip this year along with a blue barrel purchased on Amazon. I think I kinda like the buckets more than the barrel, I mostly kept cooking equipment and such in them.
I also like your pack set up for your buckets. I think I might try to find a similar pack for mine.
I made a 10' stainless cable that is attached to my blue barrel which I wrap around a tree and also run through the handles of the buckets as a last line of defense against thievery by bears. I know the bear could get in if I were not around to try to attempt to scare it away, but it wouldn't be running off with my barrel!
In the end, it seems to be the rodents which are the most problematic from my limited experience.
 
Earlier in this discussion I noted that I had made a harness for the Gamma Seal Lid Contractor Buckets. Having the harness made it easy to carry the buckets on their side as well as upright. The side carry made it easy to carry two on a portage with a pack on your back. It cost my about $30 bucks Canadian, if you have the bucket and lid already it would be about $10.


Here is the how to video [FONT=&quot]https://youtu.be/jar9uEFXtiM[/FONT]
 
Earlier in this discussion I noted that I had made a harness for the Gamma Seal Lid Contractor Buckets. Having the harness made it easy to carry the buckets on their side as well as upright. The side carry made it easy to carry two on a portage with a pack on your back. It cost my about $30 bucks Canadian, if you have the bucket and lid already it would be about $10.


Here is the how to video [FONT=&quot]https://youtu.be/jar9uEFXtiM[/FONT]

Great video ! Makes me want to learn to sew !
I also like how you can open the lid, without having to remove the whole harness !
 
Earlier in this discussion I noted that I had made a harness for the Gamma Seal Lid Contractor Buckets. Having the harness made it easy to carry the buckets on their side as well as upright. The side carry made it easy to carry two on a portage with a pack on your back. It cost my about $30 bucks Canadian, if you have the bucket and lid already it would be about $10.


Here is the how to video [FONT=&quot]https://youtu.be/jar9uEFXtiM[/FONT]

Got my webbing and buckles ordered. Thanks.
Any specific thread number, and needle size work best on the webbing?
 
Got my webbing and buckles ordered. Thanks.
Any specific thread number, and needle size work best on the webbing?

​I used a 90/14 universal needle and I believe the thread I used was left over from a Rip Stop by the Roll tarp - Gutermann Mara 70 black.

​I usually use the Gutermann that you can get at the local sewing place. Have used Leather or Denim needles when the fabric is too thick. Bothwell Voyageur is way more knowledgeable on fabric and needles than I, maybe he or others can offer some advice.

If you can use power tools - you can use a sewing machine. Not as scary as a table saw.
 
​I used a 90/14 universal needle and I believe the thread I used was left over from a Rip Stop by the Roll tarp - Gutermann Mara 70 black.

​I usually use the Gutermann that you can get at the local sewing place. Have used Leather or Denim needles when the fabric is too thick. Bothwell Voyageur is way more knowledgeable on fabric and needles than I, maybe he or others can offer some advice.

If you can use power tools - you can use a sewing machine. Not as scary as a table saw.

One of my sewing machin is really scary... At least as much as a table saw.. Big huge Pfaf for leather and I got scared a bit by it when I first started... But now It is ok.

And really sewing is not rocket science, much easier than people think. I mean we are not talking making a double wall dome tent or a down jacket here lol.

Take your time and all is well!!
Good luck
 
​I used a 90/14 universal needle and I believe the thread I used was left over from a Rip Stop by the Roll tarp - Gutermann Mara 70 black.

​I usually use the Gutermann that you can get at the local sewing place. Have used Leather or Denim needles when the fabric is too thick. Bothwell Voyageur is way more knowledgeable on fabric and needles than I, maybe he or others can offer some advice.

If you can use power tools - you can use a sewing machine. Not as scary as a table saw.

Thanks GearFreak. Have a cousin that has shown me how to load bobbins and properly thread, and set tensions. Saw her today.
She looked at me real funny when I asked her if my needles would run Gutermann Mara 70 thread? How do you know about 70 thread?
I just smiled and said "GearFreak". She said "what is a gearfreak?". I said who, not what. Made for a great conversation. Thanks again.
 
I stumbled upon this thread and was wondering if anyone has thought about a portage cart that doubles as a dry box. And any input on portage carts in general
 
Portage carts are only as good as the portage you use them on. Up here in Northern Ontario, our ports are usually not much more than a goat track through the bush, often with large sections of swamp and loonshit. Everything has to be carried.
 
As far as thread goes, a lot of what you find at sewing stores is cotton wrapped polyester. For outdoor gear use all polyester. For sewing a few pieces of webbing together any needle/thread combo will work. No reason to go out and buy something specific. I'm sure that whatever is already on the machine will work fine as long as it's not cotton.

Mark
 
Odyssey . That is some fine Craftsmanship ! An Afternoon spent watching a Cooper would be well worth it !

I added Gamma lids to my old Pickle buckets ! I really like them. Those old pickle buckets have been with me on every trip for 30 yrs. Just wouldn't be right to leave them home ! The pics don't show the part of a Thermo pad that fits between the bag and bucket. It pads my shoulders very well, and makes a good seat at camp.

A few pics from Last Fall.

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