# Products with useful packaging **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183 "2018-08-24T12:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/61 "2018-08-25T01:19:18Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > [Crown Royal Whiskey](http://www.shopwinedirect.com/crown-royal-blended-canadian-whisky-750ml.html?vfsku=bour266&vfsku=bour266&gpla=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs-yh3uuF3QIVAa_ICh2tCQ9bEAYYAiABEgJDn_D_BwE) comes in a cloth bag with draw strings at the top, which is excellent for holding Scrabble tiles. Much easier to throw the tiles in the bag than to turn all of them over. I have one of those bags! I didn’t buy it, I’m not sure how I got it, probably from my mum when I was a kid, so I’ve had it for ages and ages. It’s lovely soft fabric. I’ve got my Sony Walkman cd player (yes, really) in it. It would be good for a lot of things. Things you want a nice soft bag for so it doesn’t get scratched up. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/62 "2018-08-25T01:41:20Z")
I keep my sunglasses in a crown royal bag. I have a bunch of them. Occasionally Mr.Wrekker will get Crown. I shouldn’t have as many as I do, though. Hmmm? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/63 "2018-08-25T02:07:36Z")
One from my childhood: dad saved the keys from canned hams and we used them as corn on the cob holders. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/64 "2018-08-25T02:37:44Z")
I once bought a can of crushed tomatoes–imported, don’t know why I spent the money, I was young and poor at the time–and instead of a paper label it had a really nice painted one. I still use it to hold pens and pencils. A coffee can would do as well but I really like the design on the tomato can. A tip I learned from Cook’s Illustrated–cardboard egg cartons are really good charcoal starters with virtually no smoke. Put half of one in your charcoal chimney and bob’s your uncle, never fails to catch the coals quickly. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/65 "2018-08-25T03:38:13Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > A classic example would be the old tin Band-Aid containers. > > Also, those plastic containers some lunch meats come in. They are the same thing as the Glad/Ziplock storage containers. It even says they are reusable on them. They’re not as durable, and don’t hold up well in the dishwasher. However, they are fine for things like nonfood storage, or using them in the freezer. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/66 "2018-08-25T15:33:33Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Does Sucrets still come in a tin? Do women still use bobby pins? When I was a kid both my mother and my sister used old Sucrets tins to store their bobby pins. I never knew until much later in life what a Sucret even was, I don’t remember seeing any new or partly used tins anywhere in the house. Just the old ones stuffed with bobby pins. > > Some sugar free mints come in tins, but I don’t know if they’re the right size. > > Re: the use of the M&M tubes for quarters, they are an excellent fit, but I ended up using a larger sugar-free gum container (either Eclipse or Ice Breakers, I don’t remember). It’s a lot bigger, I hide it in the center console and I can reach in and grab quarters without looking. OH how I hated Sucrets when I was a child, my mother was always handing me those when I had sore throats…not sure why I agreed to take them, I must not have been nasty enough to say no! Anyhow I love those small tins! I have a few still. Ice cream buckets, large cat litter buckets, all sort of reusable containers in the world plus I imagine there are plenty in landfills that should not be there. Recycle people, reuse too! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/67 "2018-08-25T20:23:42Z")
Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs have a little pod inside them that is similar in usefulness as the old 35mm canisters used to be - I use the little pods for taking pills to work (e.g. just those required for the day, leaving the rest of the pack at home), collecting seeds, keeping small parts such as screws, and as spice containers in my [travelling spice kit](http://atomicshrimp.com/post/2012/09/07/Travelling-Spice-Kit). ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/68 "2018-08-25T21:08:03Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > [Crown Royal Whiskey](http://www.shopwinedirect.com/crown-royal-blended-canadian-whisky-750ml.html?vfsku=bour266&vfsku=bour266&gpla=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs-yh3uuF3QIVAa_ICh2tCQ9bEAYYAiABEgJDn_D_BwE) comes in a cloth bag with draw strings at the top, which is excellent for holding Scrabble tiles. Much easier to throw the tiles in the bag than to turn all of them over. I am a huge fan of the packaging for Cisco Meraki Router/switch. Power cables come in nice little fabric bags and the boxes themselves are very solid. > **[Meraki Bundle - MX64, MS220-8P, MR33 with a 3-year License for each device](http://knoppix.net/store/Meraki-Bundle-Mx64-Ms220-8p-Mr33-With-A-3-year-License-For-Each-Device_173065609975.html)** > > Meraki Bundle - MX64, MS220-8P, MR33 with a 3-year License for each device ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/69 "2018-09-01T05:51:42Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs have a little pod inside them that is similar in usefulness as the old 35mm canisters used to be - I use the little pods for taking pills to work (e.g. just those required for the day, leaving the rest of the pack at home), collecting seeds, keeping small parts such as screws, and as spice containers in my [travelling spice kit](http://atomicshrimp.com/post/2012/09/07/Travelling-Spice-Kit). Unfortunately not the ones they finally sell in the US. Since before I was born until just a few months ago they were illegal in the US because they worried that they’d be a choke hazard, but after 45ish years they finally figured out a way to make them legal - they seal the toy in one half of the container and the candy in the other. And you can’t put the halves back together. They look [like this](https://www.today.com/food/kinder-joy-chocolate-eggs-are-coming-us-t118667), by the way. I’ve bought two because I’ve heard for decades how we were missing out, and they’re kind of weird (the candy, not the toy). ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/70 "2018-09-01T07:09:39Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Unfortunately not the ones they finally sell in the US. Since before I was born until just a few months ago they were illegal in the US because they worried that they’d be a choke hazard, but after 45ish years they finally figured out a way to make them legal - they seal the toy in one half of the container and the candy in the other. And you can’t put the halves back together. They look [like this](https://www.today.com/food/kinder-joy-chocolate-eggs-are-coming-us-t118667), by the way. I’ve bought two because I’ve heard for decades how we were missing out, and they’re kind of weird (the candy, not the toy). That looks almost entirely unlike the Kinder surprise eggs available in the rest of the world. They’re a thin chocolate shell and a layer of hard cream stuff inside, no squishy stuff, no wafer. Plus the container is entirely different. Like [this](https://imgix.ranker.com/user_node_img/50077/1001532363/original/original-kinder-eggs-are-banned-in-u-s-due-to-1938-law-photo-u1?w=650&q=50&fm=jpg&fit=crop&crop=faces). They are both egg shaped and chocolate-involving. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/71 "2018-09-01T07:22:00Z")
Way back in the day McCormick spices came in the metal rectangular can like they do now except the top was made of metal also instead of plastic. If you pushed down on the part with the little holes you could form a nice little bowl so you could use it as a pipe to smoke weed. You’d inhale through the open hole for pouring the spices and keep your weed in the can also. Those little black film canister cans were also great for keeping weed in. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/72 "2018-09-01T09:31:54Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Unfortunately not the ones they finally sell in the US. Since before I was born until just a few months ago they were illegal in the US because they worried that they’d be a choke hazard, but after 45ish years they finally figured out a way to make them legal - they seal the toy in one half of the container and the candy in the other. And you can’t put the halves back together. They look [like this](https://www.today.com/food/kinder-joy-chocolate-eggs-are-coming-us-t118667), by the way. I’ve bought two because I’ve heard for decades how we were missing out, and they’re kind of weird (the candy, not the toy). Yeah, they have those here too. Bit of a disappointment really. Maybe I should set up a service where people pay me to eat a real Kinder egg for them (at huge risk to my own life from choking on an obvious lump of plastic), then ship them the pod and contents! ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/73 "2018-09-01T13:10:01Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I keep my sunglasses in a crown royal bag. I have a bunch of them. Occasionally Mr.Wrekker will get Crown. I shouldn’t have as many as I do, though. Hmmm? Those Crown bags are great for keeping your pistol in when it’s in your desk! Referencing an episode of “The Closer” TV show. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/74 "2018-09-01T14:21:19Z")
The plastic boxes with the sliding lids that (some) .22LR bullets come in are really handy. [Here’s a picture of what I mean.](https://www.gunsamerica.com/993755153/20-EMPTY-22LR-CCI-PLASTIC-STORAGE-BOXES.htm) The part with the holes pops right out. Sometimes they are square rather than long rectangles. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/75 "2018-09-01T22:53:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yeah, they have those here too. Bit of a disappointment really. > > Maybe I should set up a service where people pay me to eat a real Kinder egg for them (at huge risk to my own life from choking on an obvious lump of plastic), then ship them the pod and contents! A bunch of people on eBay already do this. I’ve bought several bags full in the past for party favors, etc. I never much liked the chocolate part anyway. Years ago, when we still used burners in the lab, flints for the spark lighters came in a nifty tin with a sliding lid. I used to grab them when they were emptied for keeping little screws and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/76 "2018-09-01T22:55:35Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > Years ago, when we still used burners in the lab, Sorry for digressing, but what is used now instead? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/77 "2018-09-02T00:12:28Z")
> [@blob](#): > > Sorry for digressing, but what is used now instead? Kinder eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/78 "2018-09-02T00:14:27Z")
When my late husband was looking for a discreet pocket pillbox, we settled on a repurposed Altoids Smalls box. I find the lunch meat tubs stand up to the dishwasher just fine. The problem is accumulating too many of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mumberthax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@Mumberthax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mumberthax)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/79 "2018-09-02T22:24:57Z")
If you use dip tobacco, those little plastic cans are waterproof. Too bad they don’t last very long, though. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183/80 "2018-09-02T23:05:16Z")
I’ve been buying cases of [PB2](https://www.amazon.com/Plantation-PB2-Powdered-Peanut-Butter/dp/B00H8YGKTQ/ref=pd_sim_121_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00H8YGKTQ&pd_rd_r=9711b463-af04-11e8-a3d9-8f6065affc51&pd_rd_w=FmLsL&pd_rd_wg=PGxZi&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=V0M9MSJ4AC25Q9BEDMD3&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&refRID=V0M9MSJ4AC25Q9BEDMD3&th=1) in 1-lb jars. The jars have a shrink-wrapped label, and once that is removed, they make perfect containers for all the zillions of types of screws and nails I have. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/products-with-useful-packaging/820183.md?page=5)