Product First Look – PolyFarm MonoVault

In a previous post we introduced the concept of burial or sinking to disguise or otherwise hide equipment, weapons or other preps. Today we will take a first look the MonoVault line of products by PolyFarm of Meridian Idaho.

Recently, some of the Utah Preppers authors met at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show in Salt Lake City. This is where we first met PolyFarm. After some discussions to learn about their production, they were kind enough to provide us with sample of one of their smaller MonoVaults to review and to beat up with some tests. I really like the idea of the product so I purchased a couple larger sizes so that we will be able to review several different sizes.

Above are the three models that we have on hand to test. As you can see, they range from small to very large. The large one is more than capable of holding two full size long guns with scopes attached with some room left over for other gear. The base product number is listed in each of the pictures below. All the models I have are “s” or Standard Models. They also offer “t” models that have an extra think sidewall for increased protection. Given their already sturdy construction, I don’t know if this is necessary for most applications.

Description of the tubes

The tubes are made from a “Heavy duty polyethylene extrusion” with a machined area to securely mount a Gamma Seal lid. Those of our readers familiar with food storage products are probably already familiar with these fantastic lids. If not, check out the link.

Gamma Seal lids are great, but aren’t particularly heavy duty. To account for this, Poly Farm developed a “Burial Shield” that slips securely over the lid to protect it. The burial shield acts as a heavy duty protective cap.  From their site:

In burial applications, the Burial Shield directs moisture away from the gasketed lid, keeps the lid area clean, protects the lid from soils and foot traffic, and protects the lid from excavation damage in recovery.

Of particular interest on their site, they show promotional pictures they took when testing some of the tubes, by loading a truck, as well as a front-end loader on top of the tube, in order to display the strength.  Worth checking out if you have some interest.  We might try that, but only after our burial tests.

Although Gamma Shield lids are great, I doubt they would hold up to repeated pounding with a shovel. The burial shield on the other hand appears to be proof against just about any sort of battery it is likely to see while buried or during recovery.

The shield goes on tightly but I doubt it is waterproof. If that is a concern for your application I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to use a silicone sealer for enhanced water/moisture protection of your valuables.

An interesting note is that PolyFarm told us that it takes as much work to make a large tube as it does to make a small one. The extrusion process is the least of the work in both time and effort. Machining the lid area to securely mount the Gamma Seal lid is the most critical and time intensive part of the manufacturing process. This process leaves a one piece tube with no joints below the lid assembly. With the shield properly attached and waterproofed water should have no means of reaching the contents of the tube.

Below are some pictures showing the 212 model in grey.

The Green 107 model is shown below in several pictures and with a book to provide some perspective as to the depth of the container. This is the smallest model PolyFarm produces.

In an upcoming post we will be burying several of these tubes and comparing their performance over a 30 day burial with the cheaper PVC pipe alternative.

Stay Tuned!