filling and gifting 5l Mini Kegs, Q?

[rawlus]

i have a friend who has one of the more versatile 5l mini kegs systems, dont' know what kind, but it supports both gravity feed and cartridge pressure feed - i was thinking of getting one of the reusable, empty 5l mini kegs, filling it off my keezer tap and shipping it to him to use in his system...

so my questions are this:
good, reasonably priced source for these empty 5l minikegs?
is filling any more complicated than filling a growler from the tap?
is the bung system reliable enough for a full mini keg to be shipped after filling without bursting, leaking or otherwise failing?
any tips and tricks on handling, filling, purging, sealing and shipping anyone has come across?

many thanks for any advice.

R

 

[cruckin78]

MY LHBS sells them for like $5 each.
The rest of your questions, I have no idea about....but I too would be interested in the responses...

 

[Gregscsu]

All the LHBS in MN sell them at $10-11. It is usually more fun to just buy a full one, drink it, and refill with homebrew.

Filling will be just like filling a growler. Be sure to thoroughly purge the head space once it is filled just before you pop the bung in.

As for shipping it should be just fine if it is packed decently well.