Long-distance transportation and decay - what are the risks?

[Twerp]

I'm kinda the long-ranging guy for my miniscule little settlement, and among the resources we're lacking is sand. We've got a glassworker who's been mourning this lack, and I recall crossing multiple lakes on my long journey to the settlement, and so decided to make myself useful.

I've got a rowboat loaded with two birch baskets, but I wonder: can I do better? Crates seem large enough to hold a more appreciable amount of sand, but I hear about crates and decay and again I wonder: what would happen to all the precious precious sand I collected if the crates were to abruptly decay in transit? It'd disappear, I assume, but is decay fast enough that this is an actual concern? Can crates decay while placed inside of my rowboat, or does that put them in a sort of stasis?

Crates seem to be the most spacious option available with our fledgling limited resources, though maybe I should find out if our farmer's had any luck with his wheat field to spare some straw for a basket, assuming those don't decay quite so fast.

[Moogie]

Do items decay while inside boats?... I don't think they do. But in my experience, even though crates do indeed only take 2 decay hits, since decay is entirely random they can actually survive a pretty long time outside. I have had several sitting out in the cold for about a week now, and only one of them has even turned red.

[Twerp]

Huh, the way I'd heard people going on about them, I thought they'd be lucky to last an in-game day. If you've managed to have crates for a week without them crumbling away, though, it seems like I have a fair chance to take them out on a resource-gathering expedition without having them suddenly disappear and obliterate all my silicate treasure, so thanks for that.

[Moogie]

Huh, the way I'd heard people going on about them, I thought they'd be lucky to last an in-game day. If you've managed to have crates for a week without them crumbling away, though, it seems like I have a fair chance to take them out on a resource-gathering expedition without having them suddenly disappear and obliterate all my silicate treasure, so thanks for that.

Yeah, you should be fine. While it technically is possible, you'd have to be supremely unlucky for them to be destroyed in a single day. They are ideal containers for transport, but generally ill-advised for long term storage, is all.

[Zamte]

Items do not decay while inside of a building, nor while inside of a cart, wagon, or boat. Also, while crates do decay quickly, they're referring to quickly as opposed to most other containers. You can keep things like chests, urns, jars, and most baskets outside for several weeks before you risk losing them. Crates and straw baskets don't last as long, but you're still talking several days at the worst. You'll be perfectly fine using crates to go get your sand, and even to store it outside for a while.

[footwo]

So what is the ~best~ outdoor storage? I'm using straw baskets all the way. They hold 16 items in a 4x4 grid which is suitable for most things.

[Moogie]

I don't know what's best, but I'm currently using a bunch of chests. I don't have much outdoor storage set up yet. I imagine I'll eventually get around to building a whole bunch of straw baskets to hold seeds and produce from the fields, and maybe move the chests up nearer to the main building where they can store tools and maintenance materials.

Along with crates, cupboards sitting outside are a no-no.

[footwo]

its moving stuff from container to container thats the real problem.

The process of sorting high qual seeds from the low qual ones is a pain in the ass :/

[Twerp]

Augh, I found out too late that rowboats can't even carry crates, so it's a moot point, but thanks anyhow.

[sabinati]

what? yes they can