Doug,

No argument with a PVC pipe. For barrels.

Not clear by the pic is the fact that it is a large rectangular box, containing a two barrel set s x s in a leather case. Not easy to get that in a PVC pipe. Fortunately, I also had the canvas cover on it, and everything was OK despite obvious incompetence/negligence/belligerence on the part of USPS, as this box was left out in the rain, or set in a gutter full of water, or some similar dock monkey behavior. Other than Cliff packing the the bat instead of the barrels, I suspect my FedEx foibles were more technological than human.

Tolerance: the abolition of absolutes

Consistency is the currency of credibility