Plastic box storage question

I've used both wood and plastic and found no difference. I think gas would only be an issue if you were rarely opening the box. The wooden boxes are overpriced for what they are and I would only buy them because they are natural and not for any benefit in preservation.

@againseriously  Can you take a quick snapshot of the plastic box Chess Bazaar ships their pieces in? I'm curious about how it looks. 

Sure, here you go. The recycling label is PP5. When the pieces were shipped, they were inside this box, individually wrapped in foam. The whole thing was well-packed inside a cardboard shipping box. And since I had the camera out anyway, I added a picture of the set itself on a 2.25" board :-)

@againseriously Nice set! Thanks for posting the pics. The only thing I would be concerned about is the strength and durability of the plastic material. Especially the cheap hinge. My kids have a ton of these cheap plastic bins holding everything from crayons, markers, legos, toys, tracks, etc. They do become brittle after a while from normal use. I don't know about that specific plastic, but I can't imagine it's high/mid grade material.

I read good things about Plano brand plastic storage containers.

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/plano-3700-boxes-for-set-storage

I keep my "workhorse" chess sets in padded zippered pouches. All contained in a man-purse..... I MEAN, tool bag. 

I have a couple of Plano Stowaway plastic tackle containers. I like these when I want a bit more piece separation. I also have some plastic Sterlite containers. I tried wooden boxes but found them to be heavy and bulky. Plastic containers for chess sets are fine. They've never failed me yet. I also use All Purpose Zipper Bags for wooden and plastic sets. Storing means that they are not moving. So added weight and padding is a waste. Sterlite containers are stackable and the zipper bags lay like sand bags. This works for me and none of my sets have any damage throughout the years I have stored them.

I have several wooden coffers (one really nice one for my most luxurious set), a couple of boxes from Hobby Lobby, and a few Plano Stowaway as @KnightsForkCafe does (and several others here that I got when I purchased the sets from members. 

All of them work well, I have seen no issues with the pieces in plastic containers and a few of them have been in there for years (several years with the original owner and several years with me now). 

Not to doubt anyone's word on this but has anyone actually checked their pieces in various plastic containers?  Remember that plastic is a (very) complex chemical compound and a different chemical compound (i.e., a chess piece's coating, whatever that may be) may have some reaction over time which would only be noticeable if the piece was removed and inspected.

Just a thought...

All the time. I rotate the set I use and I have looked at all my sets within the last 6 months. I have more issues with a set stored in a wood box (the dreaded oxidation dust that has been talked about here) than in any set stored in plastic. 

I will check two of them now as they are within visual and striking distance from my current seated position.

Perfect. 

Just for the fun of it, I went over and looked at a set of white pieces that I got replaced (and they told me to keep the bad set if I wanted) that have been in a plastic box very similar to the one in OPs pics. They have been sitting there for about 2 years , untouched. 

Pristine condition.

Hope this helps

That's encouraging, thanks!

All good suggestions. I have been buying Blake & Lake wood boxes on Amazon. They just went up $1-2. They are well made and attractive but your solution is about 75% cheaper. And the dividers are a nice touch.