Mr. Lid Outdoors Shotshell Storage Container

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that staying organized in the field is one of a hunter’s greatest challenges. Assuming you remembered everything to begin with, the chaos has just begun when you add weather, kids, and dogs to the mix. Whether you are an upland hunter or a waterfowler, we all know what it’s like to wrap up the day with pockets full of shells, crushed or wet shell boxes littering the blind, and other loose shells rolling around on the floor of the truck. After cleaning your quarry, your boots, and your dogs, the urge to sort loose shells into baggies or their crushed original containers ranks pretty low on the list.

However, we also all know what happens if we don’t: you’ll be looking at those Winchester 12 gauges in your truck’s coin compartment until next fall, or listening to the lecture on how shot isn’t good for the clothes dryer (oops). Or worse, throwing away unused shells because they’ve rusted or you just don’t have the time to figure what to do with the stray ones.

Enter an ingenious little invention that will make you say, “why didn’t I think of that:” the Mr. Lid Outdoors Shotshell Storage Container. It’s a simple, low-cost, common sense tool to keep all of your shotshells clean, dry, and organized, both at home and in the blind. And if you’re into reloading, these boxes are going to prove indispensable.

“Mr. Lid Outdoors” is the outdoors products division of Sussex IM, an injection-molding company in my area. As a writer for OutdoorHub and a SportingDog Adventures crew member, I was given a few of these little containers to put to the test.

Mr. Lid Shotshell containers consist of one impact-resistant plastic piece, including the lid. The lid is attached to the case via a “living hinge,” which, although flimsy-looking in appearance, has been factory cycled thousands of times. The containers are waterproof, air-tight, and capable of standing up to heat and cold. The three-inch containers allow for a “tip and transfer” of your shells right from the factory’s cardboard box, and the 3-1/2-inch design allows for either tip and transfer or for placement of the entire cardboard box inside. Putting your shells away doesn’t get any easier than that.

These durable little containers are offered in a number of designs sporting a variety of logos, including Duck Commander, Pheasants Forever, and Ruffed Grouse Society. A portion of the profits of the sales of Pheasants Forever and Ruffed Grouse Mr. Lids go back to the organizations to support their conservation efforts. If that weren’t enough, Mr. Lid Outdoors products are 100 percent American-made. Between their American roots and their charitable giving to conservation, this is a product and a company the outdoorsman can take pride in patronizing.

Here’s my take on Mr. Lid’s ranking:

Jeff and Katherine Fuller

Jeff Fuller, Host and Executive Producer of SportingDog Adventures, always loved dogs and hunting, but never expected to make a career out of it. Jeff followed his college career and time in the Army Reserve with a career in law enforcement, until a squad accident ended his career in 2005. Looking for a new path, Jeff began to expand his Labrador breeding program and incorporated Soggy Acres Retrievers. Appearances on local television shows inspired him to aim higher, and SportingDog Adventures was created to provide wholesome, family entertainment geared towards those with an interest in dogs and the outdoors. The show is now in its 4th season, with new episodes beginning each July on the Pursuit Channel, as well as several other networks including The Walk, Tuff TV, and Wild TV Canada. The show is also available year-round online at www.carbontv.com.

Katherine Fuller, wife of Jeff Fuller, came from a dog-loving family with a history of hunting that goes all the way back to her European roots. Still, she never expected to end up using her years of accounting experience and her marketing degree in support of a Labrador breeding program and a hunting show. In addition to her accounting and PR duties with Soggy Acres Retrievers kennel and SportingDog Adventures TV, Kate also appears on many of the episodes, and has also formed a marketing company, Brown Dog Communications, offering the outdoors industry media kits, press releases, web content, social media management, and more. Her contributions to OutdoorHub and other samples of her work can be found at www.browndogco.com. When she’s not writing or chasing after the dogs or the kids, she enjoys researching recipes and natural products, as well as organizing the family’s extensive photo collection.