BubbaL002:
Storing your weed in plastic bags of any kind is a short term solution...meaning, a couple of weeks to a couple of months at most, depending on the tobacco and ambient air conditions. In the desert (high temps, low humidity), you're at the low end of the scale, timewise.
If all you want is to keep the weed reasonably fresh while you smoke it to oblivion, then put the tobacco in a Ziploc bag, put the bag inside the tin, and put the lid on the tin. A well-sealed tin will do more to protect the weed than the baggie does, but it's pretty tough to get metal lids (like Dunhill or SamGaw tins) to seal after they've been opened unless you have a vacuum device. Mongo's rubber band idea is a good one. Anything that puts pressure on the lid is good, and the more pressure the better. Clamps. Weights. Something. Anything.
I imagine you've got some severe conditions over there, so you'll just have to mess around with it until you find what works. Glass jars are best, of course, but if those are out, then the methods above will get you close. Just remember, plastic isn't permanent. Soft plastics (low-density polyethylene) are gas-permeable, and that includes water vapor. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) like the lids on G.L. Pease and Cornell & Diehl tins offer pretty good protection. Weed stored in a Ziploc bag inside one of those tins should keep just fine until you smoke it...er, assuming you don't have a zillion open tins. Yak's advice on that point is sound; keep the number of open tins to a minimum.
There is another plastic storage option that is often overlooked but nonetheless offers a reasonable alternative to glass: Polyethylene terephthalate ("PET", or sometimes "PETE"). It's a relatively high-density, usually clear plastic that's commonly used for food packaging. (Skippy peanut butter uses PETE jars.) They're non-breakable with normal use, and they provide excellent protection against moisture loss and oxygenation. But there are three caveats:
- Make sure you clean the jars thoroughly before you store your tobacco in 'em; you don't want your weed tasting like pickles or peaner bickle.
- It's always best to use a Ziploc bag inside the jar. If you use a relatively large bag (say, the one-quart size), you can open it up and out to a wide-area "fill zone" in which to pack your pipe—one that funnels any spillage neatly back down into the jar. When you're done, carefully fold the bag back into the jar, leaving one end unzipped to expel the air, and then seal it as you stuff that end in last.
- Check the fit between the rim and the lid. If it's going to leak air, that's where it'll happen. Even the smallest irregularity can result in an air leak. Some kind of gasket will help, as will making sure the lid is torqued on as tightly as the plastic threads will allow.
I assume you're not concerned with long-term storage, but for the record, it's glass. Aluminum tins are OK as long as they remain sealed. Steel tins are a time bomb. They last longest in a dry environment, but they can still rust from the inside out. In a humid environment, they'll rust from the outside in as well. Sooner or later, all steel tins degrade if you wait long enough. Hopefully, you'll be coming home before long-term storage is of any concern.
:joker:
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