[Thirsty_Monk]

I think your biggest enemy is moisture.
So good moisture barrier is first line of defense.
Ideal temp for storing grain is somewhere between 60-70F.
So 70-80F is not too far off.
And finally if you put it into the garage make sure that rodents will not get to it.

[ne-brewer]

For base grains, I use Homer Buckets and pails that wine grapes come in. They have good seals and I purge them with CO2 before closing them up.

For specialty grains, I use a vacume sealer.

During the winter I keep everything in the heated garge (55*F) and then in the basement (60*F) for the summer.

Seems to work okay so far....

[blatz]

I think your biggest enemy is moisture.
So good moisture barrier is first line of defense.
Ideal temp for storing grain is somewhere between 60-70F.
So 70-80F is not too far off.
And finally if you put it into the garage make sure that rodents will not get to it.

ok, so do you think the moisture barrier you mention that is already in the bags is enough?

don't really need to go spend more $$ on rubbermaid totes, and 10 bags of grain is about 25 buckets, on top of the 20 I already have, so that's a bit much too.

[lonnie mac]

For the last several years, I have kept my sacks of malt in my malt/hop deep freezer... A deep freezer at about -15 or so it gets down too... I find that this works very well for me.

[drf255]

Rodents are my biggest concern.

I use an old metal garbage can with a plastic drum liner in it.  I leave it in my shed, and have never had a problem.

[Thirsty_Monk]

ok, so do you think the moisture barrier you mention that is already in the bags is enough?

Yes I think this is sufficient moisture barrier as long as you can keep rodents away.

How many bags are you planning on buying?
One 30 Gal garbage can is about $10-$12. You probably could put 2 bags in one can.
Would there be any issue to keep the bags in middle of the living room?
It could be your temporally coffee table 

[blatz]

ok, so do you think the moisture barrier you mention that is already in the bags is enough?

Yes I think this is sufficient moisture barrier as long as you can keep rodents away.

How many bags are you planning on buying?
One 30 Gal garbage can is about $10-$12. You probably could put 2 bags in one can.
Would there be any issue to keep the bags in middle of the living room?
It could be your temporally coffee table  

I think my wife might have an issue with the redecorating - I was lucky enough to put a bar/kegerator in the family/dining room area - I think a new "coffee table" might be the proverbial straw.

I am planning on purchasing ~10 sacks of grain, or enough to last me one year or so.

I had an idea to get these:

http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Can-Do-VAC-01299-Storage-Vacuum-Packs-2-Pack/dp/B001F51ATO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1259355761&sr=8-5

I would think that these would provide an extra barrier of protection against moisture/humidity.

At $5 a pop, the ~$20 in shipping savings still makes it worthwhile and if we do another bulk grain buy next year, it will start to really payoff.

Thoughts?

[Thirsty_Monk]

How many bags you think you could fit in there?
They say that dimensions are:

Extra large packs are 27-1/2 inches wide and 40 inches tall

http://www.imserba.com/store/B001F51ATO/Honey_Can_Do_VAC_01299_Extra_Large_Storage_Vacuum_Packs__2_Pack.html

One 55 lb bag is about 24" X 18" X 12" (I mean you can stretch it then it will not be that fat).
You might be able to fit two bags in there.

[neilrobinson]

I think I am going to go down to my local farmer's CO-OP and see what they have to offer in ways of storage. I live in a humid part of the country, so I definitely will need a moisture barrier. The rodent problem I will definitely have to think about as well. I have seen those dog food storage bins before at the CO-OP and they seem like that might work best for me right now. Thanks.

[meegs]

I haven't started to buy in bulk yet, but I plan to. I've been researching this exact question for a while. I'm leaning towards a container like this: http://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Airtight-Storage-Container-Quart/dp/B00186RTWW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I think these will work great, they come in various sizes and I like the fact that they are on casters.

[central_wa_brewing]

Yep, I simply buy 5 gallon buckets w/ lids at HD.  Each bucket holds right at 25lbs.  It works great with nil moisture and does not invite rodents.

[rabid_dingo]

I use the Rubbermade Roughnecks. one18gal holds a whole 55# bag. But they cannot handle
the weight of more than 75# stacked on top. So two stacked roughnecks will hold 100#.
I recently bought some of the 10 gallon sized ones. they hold 25# for split bag orders...

[MDixon]

There really are only three things that ruin grain and one of them doesn't count.
1 - rodents - simple solution, put in a rodent proof container
2 - moisture - simple solution, put in a container which will not allow moisture in
3 - bugs - bug larvae are in the grain and will hatch under certain conditions. The only true way to avoid those conditions is to freeze the grain for a day or more and most of us cannot pull that off.

With that in mind, here is my method which has worked for more than 10 years. I split the sack into individual gallon ziplocks holding 4lb each. Then I put the sacks either back into the sack the grain came in, especially if it is a woven sack with a liner sack, or into a large rubbermaid tub. Generally what happens when the bugs come out is they infest all the grain they are in contact with. Since the grain is in zips at most they infect 4lb unless ALL the zips hatch bugs. Keep in mind you can still brew with buggy grain, it will just freak you out a bit. Bugs tend not to hatch in colder temps so the cooler the grain is kept, the less likely it is to have bugs. I keep mine under the house in the crawlspace. Some mice and rat killer baits thrown around keep any mice away

I keep my caramel malts in 5 gallon buckets. As someone else pointed out, they will hold 25lb with ease.

HTH

[halenrush]

I use the Vittles Vault.  A bit pricey, around $45, but they stack and look pretty.  And they have a gamma seal. In my fantasy home brew store that I open I envision using a bunch of these.  

[k4df4l]

For base grains, I use Homer Buckets and pails that wine grapes come in.

Yep, I simply buy 5 gallon buckets w/ lids at HD.  Each bucket holds right at 25lbs.  It works great with nil moisture and does not invite rodents.

Likewise...2 pails per sack, cheap and easy.