Dry cabinets

[BUGSnBIRDS]

I know many people talk of pelican cases with good stocks of silica gel but large cases to fit f/2.8 lens don't come cheap. In fact dry cabinets like those offered by some retailers in Oz are well priced. Some can also be locked which is beneficial.

What do people think about the cabinets for warm-ish conditions (not tropical) and also cold conditions - worthwhile investment?

Comments welcome

[gabber]

I'm of the belief that if you don't live somewhere with really high humidity, and your gear sees the light of day every once in a while; dry cabinets, silica packs, etc, aren't really warranted.

That said, if it gives you peace of mind and you don't mind the intial cost outlay, more power to you :)

[fabian628]

if you go to the supermarket, you can buy packets of moisture absorbing solid- Calcium chloride which will suck all the moisture out of the air. I usually just get one of these, it will absorb maybe 200-300ml water which will last a fair time in a cupboard. This keeps moisture away and subsequent fungus growth. A few of my cupboardw which I did not open for a while (2 weeks) my clothes started to get fungus growth on them so these water absorbers are a good idea. They are sold under various names, i know it as 'damp rid'. If you could be bothered, you can easily recycle the material by boiling off the water and resuing the solid powder; this can be a bit of a hassel though.