Sep 12, 2023
There are a million and one ways to carry your cannabis stash, and what's preferential is different for everyone. In this blog, I'll go over what works for me and hopefully you'll take a thing or two from it.
When storing my stash, my top 2 priorities are:
1) Airtightness
2) Lingering effects from the container's material
Why is airtightness my number one?
For a multitude of reasons! The main one is that when someone grinds their cannabis en masse like I do, they have to account for air exchange and the environment. If your container isn't airtight, a number of issues can occur. Although cannabis flowers are pre-dried, you still want them to maintain some semblance of moisture. When a container isn't airtight, it can cause one of two things to occur. In an arid environment, a crossing of air means dried bud. (Luckily, there are easy ways to correct this - look out for a future post!) In a humid environment, the crossing of air may allow too much moisture to accumulate in your container, promoting the growth of mold.
Another reason for the airtightness is that air exchange means that air from the outside is coming in and air from inside your container is coming out. While I personally love the smell of cannabis, my partner, child, and guests in my home or personal space might not. Keeping things airtight means that my cannabis stays as discreet as possible. Additionally, if there are any scents that may affect my cannabis, I want to keep them out. Part of knowing with which strain I need to medicate comes from smelling my stash. I don't want any cross-contamination to happen when it comes to the taste or smell of my bud.
The effects of the materials I use is the second consideration.
Just like I don't want air exchange from the outside to affect my cannabis, I don't want the smell or taste of the containers I use to influence my cannabis, either. Throw in my love for sustainability, and now you know why you'll find very little use of plastic in my cannabis storage.
But! Plastic has its place. Especially if something is going to be tossed into my purse and flung around recklessly throughout the day, the clinking of glass and metal may not be what I desire. For that, purpose, plastic is your friend. There are also types of airtight technology that don't work with metal or glass as well. If you go through your stash quickly and you're using an airtight container of excellent quality plastic, it's possible that the seepage of smell or taste may not occur.
For everything plastic I have, I have a glass or metal option, too. What you surprisingly won't find much of in my gear is wood.
While wood is beautiful, has a smell and taste I don't mind if exchange happens, and is as sustainable as it gets, it's not airtight. It's not easy to clean. It's all of the fun stuff and few of the practicalities.
To best preserve the quality of your stash, cannabis should be stored in an area that will ideally remain under 25°C (77°F) and without access to light. You don't need to go overboard by keeping it in the fridge; a simple cupboard or opaque box will do just nicely.
Other things you may want to consider is:
- The discretion of the location
- Its accessibility to pets or children
I could tell you about the plethora of knick-knacks I've picked up over the years to store my cannabis, but the truth is that I go back to my tried-and-true almost every time: baby food jars. I like to keep things simple and easy, and it doesn't get much easier than repurposing jars. In fact, I have the perfect-sized jar for a future project in my purse right now! Because they're made for food, I know I can trust the materials. The seal isn't perfect, but it's generally reliable. Plus, the glass and metal help ensure that the jar won't transfer its smell or taste to its contents.
How do you know which strain is which?
I keep a jar of ground flower for each of the following categories: T10/C10 Hybrid, T20/C4 Sativa, T20/C4 Hybrid, T20/C4 Indica, T4/C20 Hybrid. That means that at any point I have at least 5 jars that need to be properly labeled for my use. Again- I keep it simple and easy. First, on each jar is a picture of a sun (indica), moon (sativa), or combination of both (hybrid) to indicate what type of strain it is. Second, I put a smaller sticker with the strain name and THC/CBD percentages. That way I can switch the names of the strain I'm using when I finish one, while still keeping easy track of what kind of medicine I need to resupply.
While the clinking of baby food jars in my bag doesn't particularly worry me in terms of discretion, they're heavier and more fragile than I want to deal with when I'm out of the house. That's why when I'm on-the-go I turn to (sigh) plastic. But not just any plastic! I'm talking about special containers made for cannabis concealment.
Waterproof bag
Since the stash I need to carry with me is plentiful, I have repurposed a plastic waterproof bag that I originally used for my nursing pads. This ensures that anything wet in the bag (like leaked oils) stays inside while anything wet on the outside (like spilled water) is kept from soaking the stash.
Tight-Vac / Vac-Pac / Vita-Pack
Tight-Vacs are plastic canisters that have been especially designed with a vacuum seal so that air that's in stays in and air that's out stays out. They come in all sorts of colors, sizes, and designs. I even have one with a built-in grinder. Alas, even though the plastic is of top quality, I still use them sparingly.
Joint holders
Because I like to carry every option of my medicine, I simply don't have the room for a jar with each type of flower. I'm not particularly a joint smoker, but these in tandem with a pre-packed vaporizer cover the majority of my needs. Joint holders come in all sorts of colors, sizes, and materials. For my joints, I don't care what strain is in them, so much as what type of strain it is. That's why I use different colors and designs to tell the strain-type.
Activated Charcoal Bag
Still afraid that your stash will be noticed by someone while you're out and about? Maybe consider a proper carrying tote with activated charcoal and extra padding. Activated charcoal will absorb the smell while the padding provides extra layers of protection as well as distance from the world outside the bag.
Everyone has their own preferences with cannabis storage. Mine differ between on-the-go and what I use at home. You might want to keep things simple for your personal stash and commit to one option that works for both. Whatever you choose, airtightness and environment are two of the biggest considerations in my book.
Still have questions about discreetly carrying cannabis? I'm happy to answer them and add them to my post! Send an email my way: sydney@weedmatchmaker.com
