Boxes or Barrels. Why Barrels?

Here is a thought: if you are considering shipping barrels to the Caribbean why use barrels? Surely they don't make maximum use of the space available in a container or anywhere else as a carton or box would?

And no, they don't.

However, there are a couple of very good reasons why, if you are shipping barrels to Barbados, you should use them instead of boxes or cartons. Very often, these barrels are found to be full of dry goods and items of clothing. Now you don't want to get them wet, and the barrels are far better at waterproofing than commercial shipping boxes.

But there is another reason as well, and this is one that you might never think of. Barrels are cylindrical. This means that they can be rolled around very easily by hand, and this is a huge benefit when loading or unloading from the deck of a ship, which has always been the most common method of transport to the Caribbean, as opposed to air cargo. You can't roll a crate or box: it has to be loaded and unloaded with a crane, as do barrels, but you can't easily move a crate around on deck or below deck. Barrels are very easy to move.

So now you know. They keep your goods dry and are easier to ship.

When packing barrels, always ensure that you place the heaviest items at the bottom and work upwards. Also, don't include any glass items. Some goods are not allowed to be imported, but you will need to check with the island to which you are shipping, as rules vary.