The wooden crates . . . I really don't want to use up that much of my finished basement, and if kept in the garage the humidity in the summer will be too high and they are likely to mildew.
Cart them off to a self-storage facility and pay the monthly tariff??
i have smaller wooden crates for electronics in my Barn attic; tt's, amps, grounding boxes.
my speakers are -4- 7 foot tall towers, weighing 3000 pounds total. they came in 14 large wooden crates 9 years ago. i researched what it would cost to store them for 10 years, and it's the same as building new crates. so i dumped them then.
it's looking like i made a great decision.
get the spec plans for your crates from the gear manufacturer, and contact a local company that builds crates. get an estimate to build them, add 20% for inflation, and compare it to the storage hassle/cost. there you go. if it's close, based on ownership time expectations.....trash them.
freight companies can pack and ship large items without crates; it's what they do. you can always sell gear without a container. costs more but it's not crazy.
I have problem with speaker crate too. I threw out those crates. Now I am thinking how to store my big speakers. I have to disassemble them just to move them from third to first floor. Disassemble no problem I am very good at disassembling things. Putting them back together is a different story. How many big boxes are needed. I guess I will just pass my head ache to my dealer. I share the pain of wasting space on audio boxes. I store my boxes at my factory.
Depending on where you live humidity is a real concern, thats for certain. If you dont have a garage with available space then it may be cheaper to buy a Shed assuming your location allows you to have one verses paying some storage company to hold the crates. That shit adds up quick and within a few years a Shed would be far cheaper. You can always put a dehumidifier in the Shed to, again if humidity is a concern.
I store my Magico crates in one of my outdoor Sheds. Humidity in my state is very low all year around (I've never seen it go above 40% or so on the worst summer days at 7200ft elevation above sea level) so its not a concern for me.
Getting rid of the crates was never an option in my mind but I also never considered having new ones made should I ever decide to sell my speakers. These days, with the price of wood, getting rid of the original crates would be even less appealing of an option.
My garage attic is unfinished (no shetrock), so I clamshelled the two halves together and then stretch wrapped them and built a rope hoist system to elevate them to an open bay in the attic, then secured them with shelving racks. worked very well.
My garage attic is unfinished (no shetrock), so I clamshelled the two halves together and then stretch wrapped them and built a rope hoist system to elevate them to an open bay in the attic, then secured them with shelving racks. worked very well.View attachment 87070
I've kept the original crates for Wilson X1 and they served their duty again when we moved from CA to OK.
We're keeping them in a shipping container which is sealed very well against moisture to the extent it is better than anywhere in my home. Sea containers are great for keeping the garage uncluttered - if your property is large enough to place them.
