Be honest- how many things have you purchased just to get the tin/container?

[hunter63]

Some day I would like to meet the guy that though of and sold the idea of using the Altoids tin for everything.......

Setting in his cabana on his own island, sipping a umbrella drink......Waiter comes up, as says, "Sir, will you have another?....or can I get you some Altoids?"

He says, "Yeah, hit me again....but those white things are nasty, l'll pass"

[CreekFisher]

Yea I buy the container and use the product as an added bonus. I'm also a sucker for glass jars. My whole shop is organized with old salsa and spaghetti sauce jars.

[hayshaker]

when was the whole altoid survival tin created because i still have one i put together back in the late 80,s

[xjosh40x]

A few years ago before ammo was so scarce Wal-Mart sold a brick of 22 ammo in a tin around Christmas. I can remember how many of these we bought. Dozens every year. My brothers and I would shoot the ammo and keep the tins for whatever we needed. Sure wish now I had stockpiled, never in my life would I ever believed a simple 22LR bullet would be a rarity.

[7whitewolf7]

Yes, and I equate altoid tins to near duct tape, as in you want both for no particular reason, but always find all sorts of things to do with it. Imagine a duct tape container with a zipper, or vecro lid.

[DSJohnson]

when was the whole altoid survival tin created because i still have one i put together back in the late 80,s

Well, in 1968 we used "Sucret" tins for our first kits and for our "match box/tinder box" in BSA Troop 79
(Yes I still have my first aid tin somewhere. I saw it in a box several years ago.)

[DSJohnson]

A few years ago before ammo was so scarce Wal-Mart sold a brick of 22 ammo in a tin around Christmas. I can remember how many of these we bought. Dozens every year. My brothers and I would shoot the ammo and keep the tins for whatever we needed. Sure wish now I had stockpiled, never in my life would I ever believed a simple 22LR bullet would be a rarity.

No kidding. I always figured that they would be extremely rare and a very valuable commodity in a "Post Apocalyptic" scenario but never dreamed the EPA and hoarders would be able to overcome the supply chain.

[blackthorne]

a friend of mine is english... earl gray tea comes in two inch by two inch by two inch tins. I dont even have to ask anymore he just drops them off at my house. great little boxes.

[7whitewolf7]

That's amazing, do they still sometimes smell like tea?

[Enigma]

British stainless steel, round 25g snuff tins, like McChrystals and Wilsons of Sharrow, make great lightweight char cloth tins. :-) And you also get to use the entire contents beforehand, if you are that way inclined.

[tundrabadger]

Bought a thing of the holiday popcorn they sell at the Bay for the tin once. The sad thing being I'm not sure if I still have the tin. In university I used to buy twinnings looseleaf tea all the time mainly because I liked keeping things in the empty tins, although there may also have been an aspect of being a supercilious liberal arts student. And before I quit smoking, I used to buy Sherlock Holmes pipe tobacco because it enabled me to have tobacco tins that said "sherlock holmes". Also it was delicious.

[7whitewolf7]

Nice, but this talk of tea tins reminds me of those old cigar boxes. Not metal, but handy all the same.

[Eastree]

I haven't had a cigar box in about forever, but I do have some other boxes that work great for a lot of things. One great box comes from one of those subscription mystery boxes my girlfriend buys. I have one of the boxes as a pocket dump. Things don't go missing any more.

I have also acquired my fair share of tins. One of our vendors where I work sent some complimentary tins of mints with their catalog. They're in a tiny tin about 7/8" wide, a little over 1/4" high, and maybe 1 1/2" long. The top slides. I'm holding on to one in case I find a use. I have one of those top-opening Altoids sugar free mint tins for ink cartridges for a set of drawing pens. It's about perfect for that use. My girlfriend is using some different containers of Nivea products, which come in a range of tin sizes I can't wait to get my mitts on.

[tundrabadger]

When my grandmother passed on and we cleaned out her stuff we found old cigar boxes that I guess must have been my grandfather's all over the place. Like she had her drawing pencils in one in her office, old postcards in one in her bedroom, something or other in one in the dining room. We'd seen most of them before, but we never noticed how many there were until we had them all together. Nice solid wood boxes too. Held up for decades. I think mom has them now. Heck, I keep my spare change in one of *his* old tobacco tins.

[Rick]

I'm holding on to one in case I find a use.

Welcome to the club. About 3/4 of the stuff in the garage will be used some day for something. Or be needed immediately if I throw it away. I'm not a hoarder. I'm a plan a header.

[natertot]

I am guilty of buying things for containers as well. I used to buy the 50 or 100 rd boxes of .22 ammo just because I liked the sliding plastic containers. I like the smaller plastic peanut butter jars that are roughly 16oz. Since I buy large cans of coffee, I transfer some to the PB jars to store in my car for work/camping/fishing. I used to have a friend who used Camel brand snuss in the tins and he gave those to me all the time until he expectantly passed away. Mrs. Tot buys the lunch meat that comes in the plastic containers and I have several of those in the garage for parts. I have also found that the tins surplus ammo comes in makes wonderful parts trays.

So many things with so many uses!