What is the best way to store filament?
Printer filaments can be degraded by ambient moisture, dust, or exposure to sunlight.
In particular, filaments often absorb water from the air that later boils when heated, causing small "pops" that greatly reduce the strength and quality of the finished print.
To avoid this and keep your filament in prime condition, there are a few recommended options for storage and handling.
The simplest form of storage is a large 'freezer' bag with as much air squeezed out as possible before sealing, ideally with a silica gel/dessicant packet to capture any moisture already in the filament before sealing.
A vacuum bag, such as the eSun eVacuum kit, performs even better for medium or long-term storage.
Another popular option is to use tailor-made containers for keeping filament in certain conditions, often called filament dryers.
InkSmith offers the eSun eBox Lite filament dryer, a tried-and-true design that maintains the proper temperature and humidity for maximum filament quality and lifetime.
One advantage to specialized dryers over bags or other filament storage solutions is that the filament can remain in the dryer while printing, functioning as a filament holder for convenience - storage boxes also cut down on single-use plastic waste when compared to vacuum bags.
Remember not to store your filament in direct sunlight, even if inside a bag or a filament dryer - UV exposure weakens filament over time.
Even the most well-stored filament will degrade over time, and filament that is years old tends to become brittle, leading to failed prints or poor strength on finished parts.