DIY Travel Humidor

Pete's dad came to visit us this weekend, just as he has every summer since we moved to North Carolina. One of the highlights of the trip, for them anyway, is when they sit on our porch and smoke cigars together. We have cigar shops in town, but Pete's dad brings down his own cigars -- in his own DIY travel humidor.

I thought it was such a good idea, especially for a destination wedding. What if you are traveling and you want to bring your own cigars with you (or bring them back from the wedding location)? This is a lot easier and cheaper than trying to fit an actual humidor in your suitcase.

So, I give you: a DIY travel humidor post.

DIY Travel Humidor

You don't need more than a few items, and you definitely don't need an expensive DIY humidor kit. Instead, you can make this with items you have in your house right now. So this DIY travel humidor can actually cost you absolutely nothing.

What You'll Need:

• 24oz. rectangular plastic container, with lid
• Sponge
• 2 plastic bags
• Cigar cutter
• Rubber band

What You'll Do:

Start with a plastic container. Pete's dad uses a rectangular 24oz. container. You can use whatever you have in your home, but you'll probably end up picking this size.

Why? It is the perfect shape for cigars. You don't want a round container because you will have so much wasted space. The cigars will fit in the middle, leaving each side open for no good reason. You can't go with one that is a square because it could end up being too small for your longer cigars -- and where would you pack your sandwiches?

Rectangle for the win.

Just make sure you pick one that has a matching lid, so you can create an airtight seal.

The most important part of the DIY humidor is the sponge. See, cigars act like sponges and will absorb its surroundings. So, if it is humid, your cigars will absorb the humidity, become moist, and it's game over. But, if you don't have any moisture in your humidor, your cigars will dry out completely and you won't be able to smoke them.

You need something that will act like a sponge -- and what better thing to do that than an actual sponge.

Now, like I said above, chances are you have all these items in your home but I get it. You're thinking, "Lisa, I don't just keep sponges lying around" to which I reply, "Check your kitchen. Pretty sure you use sponges daily to hand wash your dishes."

Take the sponge, wet it, and ring out any excess water. Put it in a small plastic bag and seal it. Then punch holes in the bag so the sponge is exposed to the elements. The amount of holes is relatively non-important, but what is key is to punch holes on both sides of the bag.

Add your cigars and bagged sponge into the container.

Now, what you absolutely don't want to forget is the cigar cutter. Forget that and you have no way to open the cigars to smoke them.

You also need to remember a lighter so you can smoke your cigars too, but I wouldn't keep that in with the cigars themselves. You don't want to accidentally spark them.

Place the cigar cutter in a plastic bag and place it on top of the cigars.

Close the top, add a rubber band for extra protection, and your homemade humidor is ready for traveling.

By comparison, a travel humidor on Amazon will run you over $20 for a case that holds 10 cigars. This is definitely a lot cheaper and makes a lot more sense.

BRIDAL BABBLE: This DIY humidor definitely works if you're trying to transport cigars to a wedding. What do you think about dressing it up, filling it with cigars, and giving it as a groomsman gift?

Like cigar gift ideas?

Check out our Thank You For Being My Groomsman Cigar Gift.