Packing glass bottles in duffle bags during travel

[Axeman33]

Ok,

So I have been on a course in BC for the past 9 weeks and flying back home to NS next week. I am considering bringing back a couple growlers home with me from BC with some of the local craft brewers from out this way. I do not have hard suitcases for the plane. I have a couple big military duffle bags which will be fully packed with work/personal clothes. If I had hard suitcases this would be easier and I probably wouldnt need to ask this question but that isn't the case.

My question is this: if I travel with bottles full of liquid (beer), is the chance of them breaking higher then if I just bring back the bottles empty? I plan on wrapping them well with towels and there will be plenty of other clothes around the bottles for protection. I am just not sure if glass bottles travel better full of liquid or empty.

Any fluid engineers out there able to answer this question for me.

[Pengwin7]

Containers or shells have good material strength depending on their composition (material) and shape.
The more egg-like (or uniformly smooth in curvature) the better the strength.

Yes, filling them with any substance makes them less likely to crack - its some amount of resisting force (other material).

But, sand (glass) is a brittle material in itself. So it can rupture upon "impact loading".
Plastics have more flexibility, so are less likely to rupture upon (same) "impact loading".

There's some geek-speak for you.

Given a choice, a double-plastic container with some sort of jelly between layers offers your best production.
Surely there is some product online.

Or better yet. Think of your own head.
You've got a skull... and some jelly... and then your precious brain.

Put a good helmet on your goods - and you'll be fine.

[Godin]

I'm assuming they don't sell them in Duty Free?

[Axeman33]

I'm assuming they don't sell them in Duty Free?

No, these are local beers from smaller craft breweries here in Esquimalt and Victoria. You can get some of them in local liquor stores here but definitely not in duty free shops.

I am packing the growlers from here one way or the other and bringing them home with me as momentoes. I am just trying to figure out if they will hold up better in my duffle bag empty or full. I'd like to bring them home full because the beers were really good and I'd like to bring them home just so some friends can try them out with me but if the risk of them breaking is exponentially greater when they are full, I will just bring the empty growlers home with me.

[Godin]

I think if you wrap them up towels (maybe tape them as well) and keep them away from the sides and ends of the luggage or duffle bag, so in the middle of everything, they would be fine.

[als_revenge]

Here is a thread where people are talking about how best to pack a growler. Maybe there is something in there for you. Good luck.

https://www.ratebeer.com/forums/pack...wler_26775.htm

[hockeymanG23]

I've never travelled with full ones but I've brought empty ones home just by wrapping them well in a few pieces of clothing and keeping them in the middle of the bag.

Growlers are built to be super tough though so I wouldn't be too concerned but to be safe you can grab some bubblewrap and put a few layers on each that would work even better and probably tape those bubble wrapped growlers together so they can't roll around as a solid unit. May as well fill them up too, what the hell

[Savvy1982]

I find that standard 64oz. glass growlers are too fragile for that sort of thing.

I keep a couple of growlers like THIS around, and they are my "travel" growlers because they use a thicker glass and hold up better for travel.

Use some electrical tape to tape the bottle closed though.

[Axeman33]

I find that standard 64oz. glass growlers are too fragile for that sort of thing.

I keep a couple of growlers like THIS around, and they are my "travel" growlers because they use a thicker glass and hold up better for travel.

Use some electrical tape to tape the bottle closed though.

The ones I will be travelling with are the 32oz (1L) growlers. I do have a 64oz one here but I am not taking that one home with me.

[The Comish]

Containers or shells have good material strength depending on their composition (material) and shape.
The more egg-like (or uniformly smooth in curvature) the better the strength.

Yes, filling them with any substance makes them less likely to crack - its some amount of resisting force (other material).

But, sand (glass) is a brittle material in itself. So it can rupture upon "impact loading".
Plastics have more flexibility, so are less likely to rupture upon (same) "impact loading".

There's some geek-speak for you.

Given a choice, a double-plastic container with some sort of jelly between layers offers your best production.
Surely there is some product online.

Or better yet. Think of your own head.
You've got a skull... and some jelly... and then your precious brain.

Put a good helmet on your goods - and you'll be fine.

Sweet Jeebus Peng! Wrap them in towels/clothes, buffer with protection in the suitcase (all sides including the top and bottom) and hope for the best. I've done this before and never had an issue. The advantage of taking back some empty bottles is that you can pack them in a carry-on. Good luck!

[Godin]

So, did they make it?

[The Comish]

So, did they make it?

Yeah, we wanna know! Some of us actually care, not me though, but some do...I'm sure. No really. Come on, don't keep us waiting.

[Godin]

Yeah, we wanna know! Some of us actually care, not me though, but some do...I'm sure. No really. Come on, don't keep us waiting.

Atta boy. You tell him Comish.

[Axeman33]

So, did they make it?

Actually, they did make it. I filled both 1L growlers with BC craft beer. I wrapped both with towels and placed them in the middle of the duffle bags, surrounded them with clothes.

Thanks to all who offered advice.

[Godin]

Actually, they did make it. I filled both 1L growlers with BC craft beer. I wrapped both with towels and placed them in the middle of the duffle bags, surrounded them with clothes.

Thanks to all who offered advice.

Great. I can sleep again.