Hate to resurrect an old thread .... And this may have already been mentioned yet missed when I speed read through this thread - so my apologies if this is the case.
Any
boveda pack can be "recharged" and therefore used almost indefinitely, although
boveda doesn't say so for obvious reasons. The process is fairly quick and super easy if you respect a few limitations.
1) ONLY recharge using (preferably steam) distilled water or with RO water etc. being the second best choice.
Any other water source likely contains minerals as well as other potential impurities or elements that could hinder absorbtion through the
boveda membrane.
Boveda does not to my knowledge release the specifications of the membrane they use, so its even possible that small mold spores in questionable water sources could pass through and contaminate the
boveda pack.... And your stored materials. The highest quality of the purest, unadulterated h2o source one can easily procure is paramount to successfully recharging without any concern or worry.
2) NEVER soak or let the
boveda pack touch or come in direct contact with water.
Doing so will deteriorate the outer paper like packaging that not only protects the inner 2 way membrane, but also acts as a type of pre-filter during the constant and continuous 2 way exchange of moisture.
3) Keep any "abuse" of the
boveda packs to an absolute minimum if you wish to reuse them over and over year after year.
If your a frugal (cheap old bastard) person like myself, then you like to keep expenses to a minimum yet still maintain the highest level of quality rewards for your efforts. Folding, bending, creasing or any other form of manhandling or mutilation/molestation of your packs is the quickest way to have them end up in your trash can. Now, this doesn't mean you have to always handle them like a delicate flower. However, they are not bulletproof and can be damaged or punctured with carelessness and abusive treatment. When in doubt - The condition of the outermost paper packaging is usually indicative of the inner membrane integrity.
My own methodology for recharging my
boveda packs is a super easy process.
I take a canning jar of proper size in relation to pack size and clean thoroughly with water/soap then rinse/dry with an ISO alcohol wash to minimize any possible bacterial/fungal spore contamination that any environmental conditions usually have present.
I then take a plastic jar lid that will fit very snuggly within the canning jar and cut a hole in it roughly 2/3 the size of the lid but not too big a hole as you want to have a nice "ledge" area of which to support the
boveda pack. Wash/rinse with both water/soap and iso as done with the jar. I'll then wedge this plastic jar lid within the canning jar about half way down creating a nice platform with a large hole in the middle - This leaves plenty of room in the jar below the now suspended plastic lid/platform for water and plenty of room above it for the
boveda pack itself. I've found that using those white plastic screw on lids sold for canning jar use superior to other methods I've tried. They are fairly thick yet easily drilled using the appropriate size hole saw and are the perfect diameter to wedge down into some jar sizes (but not all size jars) securely. This method also minimizes the chances of the water being able to splash up and hit the
boveda pack if the jar should get bumped into etc.
That's all folks .... Easy peasy
FWIW ... Being a "frugal" personality - I just can't see the wisdom of dedicating valuable resources on those cvaults. Jars have their place, and are super cheap as well as easily obtained. The other thing canning type jars can easily do that the
cvault currently is unable is be vacuum sealed. Investing less than $25 in a cheap hand/portable vacuum sealer with the appropriate size wide mouth lid vacuum sealer attachment allows me to vacuum seal a jar with a
boveda pack inside. This makes for the very best long term storage solution I have personally tried.
Down side to jars have been well mentioned like potential for breakage, light penetration and size limitation etc. However, if one respects these limitations then they are easily overcome. When I absolutely require a larger vessel than can be had using jars, then I move towards food grade plastic buckets with a gasket sealed lid commonly used by preppers/survivalist types for long term dry food storage. I will also incorporate oxygen absorbing packs should it be a long term storage situation. I can buy at least 5 of these buckets for the cost of one of the largest cvaults ....... Its just not as shiny or cool ;)
OC