Storing Props and Miniatures for your tabletop RPG session.

In this post, I talked about how I am storing  my Dwarven Forge pieces using Storage Boxes and Storage Totes.

The next step was to figure out a better way of dealing with my miniatures. For years I been using plastic storage bins used for beads and handicrafts.

While compact, it does involve packing three or four metal minis in each compartment (lined with foam). They don't chip too badly but they do acquire dings and bent parts over two decades of hard use.  So I resolved to finally invest into foam that allowed storing each mini by itself.

The problem of course is it is expensive compared to bead storage especially if I want to tote a lot of them. I shopped around and decided on US Battlefoam.

I was going to order five individual trays to see which fits the Sterlite containers. But when I went to check out I noticed free pick up in Arizona! Further checking found that they were in Gilbert Arizona and within driving distance of where my family will be staying at over the Christmas Holidays.

So I bought a container from a Phoenix area Target, took it over to Battlefoam and tried out some foam trays.

The one that worked was their economy storage line. I bought two forty figure trays, one tall figure tray and one large figure tray. When I got home I organized all my metal miniatures and figure out how much I had to buy to fit them all. Luckily they have a five pack deal that made it slightly more affordable.

As for the plastic miniatures I own, I took two stacks of smaller sterlite bins (for six total), bought some cheap plastic storage compartment liner. Cut the plastic apart into section that fit the four bins that didn't come with storage compartments. Then organized my plastic minis into them.

For my larger miniatures I had one large Sterlite left over. I put some of them in there and the rest into two portable tool storage bins. One of them I had earlier and since it was only $20 at Home Deport I got another one.

The result was this.

I still used four plastic bead storage boxes. I found rather than buying more sterlite snap togethers that those four plus the six small sterlites fit nicely into a wood crate.

This makes it handy to bring some miniatures when I don't want to bring everything. And it is so much lighter.

And that pretty much closes out what I am going to do for storage. I don't expect to buy more metal miniatures but I have a few compartments open if I get one or two more. I do expect to get plastics minis more often and made allowances for adding more.

I wouldn't say it is economical. For that go with foam lined bead storage boxes and long wooden milk crates. But it is more economical then buying purpose built tote bags.

Load Outs

Full Monty Loadout
Three Storage Bins

1: Dwarven Forge Dungeon
2: Dwarven Forge Caverns and Props
3: Miniatures

Lite Loadout

Two wooden milk crates

1: Miniatures
2: Props and a small selection of Dwarven Forge.