Retro/Old Skool Tea chest

Hi, does anyone know where I can get an old skool, retro shipping chest? Been looking online and no luck - maybe calling them the wrong thing!
Thanks!

Maybe you are thinking of a steamer trunk?

Tea chest...

do you mean the kind that were used as a bass back in the days of the skiffle groups?

I don't think the term Tea Chest is used in North America, is it the same as a Camp Trunk?

That is just what I am looking for, I was hoping for some funky colours! No wonder I was having no luck calling them tea chests!! 

LOL... that's because a tea chest looks like this:

http://www.abidally.com/karachi.jpg

 

That is just what I am looking for, I was hoping for some funky colours! No wonder I was having no luck calling them tea chests!! 

Its a funny thing, that is what all my British friends call Tea Chests, but I never really had a good idea of what they were. Have you tried Army Navy type shops? Camping shops?

When I went to camp here in the US - we called them steamer trunks

Found some at Walmart called Foot Lockers, but they seem more decorative, not sure they would make a transatlantic shipping experience!

Its a funny thing, that is what all my British friends call Tea Chests, but I never really had a good idea of what they were. Have you tried Army Navy type shops? Camping shops?

That's odd... with you being in Manchester, and therefore so geographically close to Liverpool.  Most defintely in Liverpool, a 'tea chest' is the wooden box with metal seams/seals that tea used to be shipped in.  Same in Glasgow.

That's odd... with you being in Manchester, and therefore so geographically close to Liverpool.  Most defintely in Liverpool, a 'tea chest' is the wooden box with metal seams/seals that tea used to be shipped in.  Same in Glasgow.

I have only ever heard one person use the phrase tea chest and he is an 18th Century Gentleman, or at least he thnks he is. Seriously, I have only heard the phrase used once or twice in my entire life, and I thought it was a wooden box with tea in it, this kind of thing. And to be completely honest, the topic never came up in conversation again...never really thought about it again.

LOL... I guess I'm a lot older than you!
Plus, I guess geographical differences?  The circles we run in?  
Removals companies (at least here in Glasgow, and I saw them in London too) often have these boxes for packing stuff in, and refer to them as tea chests.  Also, I'm a fan of skiffle music, where in many cases the bass player used a tea chest with a taut string on it instead of a real bass.  So being a fan of this stuff, I've heard 'tea chest' a lot!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rhoener_Saeuwaentzt_Guenther.jpg

Doesn't matter... I just thought it was a common name for a fairly common item.  

That one you posted a pic of above is a pretty special one... worth a lot, I'd imagine.  I don't reckon anyone would be using that as a bass! 

The shipping company I used from Glasgow to the US called them tea chests.

If it helps, I saw some the other day in Bed Bath & Beyond. Obviously trunks are in the "Beyond" category.

Though if you are after proper vintage ones, E-bay is your best bet. I've yet to find one in my price range that I like.

I have learnt a lot, thanks so much everyone. Going to check
out Bed, Bath and Beyond tomorrow and watching a few on eBay!