Finding The Right Plastic Map Tubes

When searching for the right plastic map tubes to transport or store your maps, there are some important things that you'll need to keep in mind. While it may be tempting just to grab the cheapest, most accessible tubes you can find, the fact is that this is not always the best course of action. In fact, this can sometimes be a big mistake that can create quite a lot of headaches for you.

To start, you'll need to consider the material your map is made out of. Maps that are made out of synthetic materials often don't require tubes with strong climate controls. For example, a map that is already laminated will likely be good in a simple plastic tube with a couple of end caps. However, this is not going to be true for maps comprised of other natural materials.

Maps made out of heavy paper or card paper may require stronger, specially-made tubes if they are being stored away. This is because humidity can absolutely destroy these maps with long-term exposure. While it's not generally feasible for you to store your maps in a climate-controlled room, the truth is that a sturdy map tube can do more than enough to protect your maps in normal conditions.

Of course, if you're just going to be transporting maps from one place to another, you can use just about any plastic map tubes you like. For international shipping, it's often best to use the sturdiest map tubes you can find. This is because local shipping companies in some parts of the world may not treat your map with the care you'd expect from your local shipping company. This is a small and somewhat obscure consideration, but it is one which will undoubtedly be helpful to you should you find yourself shipping internationally.

As with any other purchase, finding the right map tubes will rely on you taking your unique needs and situation into account. When you take your time and find the right tubes, you'll find that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the right ones.