Key takeaways
- Both packs were accurate: after 3–4 days, each stabilized within about 1% of the 62% target.
- Boveda reached 62% faster: about 2–3 days vs. Integra taking about one day longer in this setup.
- Integra’s indicator card is a nice usability feature: especially if you aren’t always running a humidistat.
- RH range guidance: 55–62% is a practical curing window based on the discussion.
- Don’t ignore storage temperature: cool + dark helps protect oils and quality over time.
Hey everyone, Nate here. If you’re curing or storing plant material (flowers, buds, or other botanical crops), stable relative humidity (RH) can make the difference between a clean cure and a jar that swings too wet or too dry. In this Integra Boost vs Boveda comparison, Nate from Growers House walks through a simple side-by-side test using the same RH target (62%) and the same amount of plant material to see how each two-way humidity pack performs.
Video transcript about 8 minutes
0:14Hey everyone, Nate from Growers House here, and today we’re going over two products, because one is like an industry standard — the Boveda humidity pack — and a new one just came out, and people are wondering: which one should I use, what are the benefits, what are the drawbacks, how are they different? So we decided we’d pull them out, show them to you guys, do some of our own testing, and let you know what we came up with.
0:36So if you guys aren’t familiar with Boveda packs, what they are known as is a two-way — essentially a humidity stabilizer. You put these in any closed environment, and if the humidity is too high — like, let’s say this one’s actually at 62%, if your humidity is at 70% — you put this in, it’ll bring the humidity down to 62%. If the humidity is 50%, it’ll bring it up to 62. So it has the ability to both raise and lower relative humidity within the enclosed environment that you put it in.
1:07Now, primarily people use this for plant material. As you can see here, I actually have the Boveda on this side, and this is the Integra Boost on the other side, from Desiccare. I put them in with a little bit of plant material, and I also put some humidistats in there so you can see what the relative humidity is.
1:32Now, these have actually already been in here for a week. So what I’ve been doing over the last week is, I put some plant material in, threw each one of these in a jar, and I monitored day over day what happened to the relative humidity. Initially what happened is, it spiked right when it was in there — just, you know, we just had a higher relative humidity, new plant material in there — and then they both slowly brought the humidity down.
2:04I’ll tell you some of the results of that here in a second, but first let me just touch base on both of these products. So here’s the Boveda. It’s like a little packet, has liquid in it. And here’s the Integra Boost, which is also the 62.
2:12You’ll notice it’s a little bit larger. This is about a 60 gram, this about 67 gram. And you’ll notice, when you feel this, it’s like a gel, where this is a liquid. This one does feel more like there’s Jell-O inside of it.
2:27And it comes with a little indicator card, which is unique and new. This indicator card — it’s a red dot right now — and what you do is, you put this in with the Integra and you’re able to see if the humidity is staying consistent with what you want, even if you don’t have a humidistat. So this red dot turns blue when it’s time to change the pack out and the pack’s done, and not able to keep the relative humidity where you need it anymore.
3:01Whereas the Boveda, when it goes and it cannot produce or stabilize humidity anymore, this liquid actually turns into a solid. So once it turns solid, then you know to switch it out.
3:10So now that you kind of know a little bit more about these products, I’m going to get back to what I was telling you earlier about them and what happened over the few days. The first day, the relative humidity for both of them was hovering around 80%, and then it slowly dropped down, and it took about three days — or I think it was just about two to three days — for the Boveda to get the relative humidity at 62%. And it took the Desiccare about one day longer than the Boveda to get to that relative humidity.
3:41But now they’re both there. You’ll see this one says 61, 62. They’re staying within 1%. I mean, sometimes I walk up and this one’s at, you know, 61, this one’s at 62, or at 63. But it’s all hovering — I mean, for the last three or four days they’ve hovered between 63 and 61%. So I would say both of these are very accurate at keeping that relative humidity there.
4:05And just as an FYI, I put 300 grams of plant material in each, and I weigh it out just to make sure that, you know, everything’s on an even playing field as far as comparing them against each other.
4:22And, you know, some people were just wondering about what are some other differences between these two packs. I took a look at it — I’ve used Bovedas in the past, I just started using the Integra, so it’s still pretty new as it’s a new product to the market. I really like the Bovedas, I always thought they were a great product.
4:38What Integra claims is that they said they know their unit takes a little bit longer to get to the relative humidity, but they say that their Integra lasts slightly longer than the Boveda. Now, I want to test that and see if it’s true, but it’s going to take a long time.
4:55So what I’m doing with these two guys is letting them keep going. I’m going to burp them a few times over the next couple months. I bet you it’s going to take me a couple months to figure it out, but as soon as I have the details on that I’ll post them, you know, as a link at the bottom or in the description of this video, or on the growershouse.com website, which you can find.
5:21So now, other than that, one benefit that Integra said that they have over the Boveda — which some people, I’ve kind of seen this before a little bit — is that with the Boveda, some people don’t like the taste or smell that the plant material has after using the Boveda for a long time. They said it kind of takes a little bit of the smell away from the plant, unless you break it up again after that.
5:47So I started using the Integra. I kind of understand what people are saying when they say this, but I don’t think it’s that big of a noticeable difference. I think some people might be a little more attuned to it, but I couldn’t notice that much of a difference with the Integra. I mean, so far I’ve only been using it for about three weeks, but everything seems — like, I kind of understand what they’re saying, but when I was using this I just didn’t notice any difference. So I would say that might be a plus for the Integra.
6:11So other than that, these two packs cost pretty similar, although the Integra I think is coming in at a lower price right now. It’s about 20% cheaper to go with the Integra packs over the Boveda ones. So they’re relatively close in price, but I guess, you know, if you’re buying these in bulk or in large quantities, you can see quite a bit of a difference with the Integra packs versus the Boveda.
6:44And other than that, I think one of the last things that people have been asking us lately is: which humidity should I buy for my plants that I’m curing? You know, there’s a lot of people saying 62% is the right humidity, but now a lot of people are saying 55% is actually a better humidity for curing your plants. So I’m not actually sure which one is better, but I would recommend staying in that range. These companies do make other humidity levels, from like 84 to 50%, somewhere in that range, but stay around the 62 to 55% humidity packs and you should be fine.
7:15Other than that, just always make sure to have any plant material that you store in a cool, dark place. When it gets too hot you run into issues with decarboxylation, which just means that your plant’s essential oils get prematurely activated, and you don’t want that to happen.
7:40But other than that, these are two cool products. I’m really glad these came out, they make life so much easier. So if you’re looking to buy either the Boveda or the Integra in the 62 or the 55% relative humidity standards, you can get them at growershouse.com. We have bulk discounts, you know, all the good stuff, price guarantee. Other than that, if there’s any information or questions that you have, please call Growers House or email us at staff@growershouse.com. Happy growing.
This video was recorded when the Integra Boost line was new to the market, and the pricing, the pack sizes and the offers mentioned in it describe that time rather than today. What is stocked now, and what the packs cost now, is in the sections below.
Quick Links to the Products in This Test
Everything named below is stocked today, in the sizes this test used.
What Humidity Packs Do (And Why Growers Use Them)
If you’re not familiar with humidity control packs, think of them as two-way humidity stabilizers. You place a pack inside a sealed container with plant material. If RH is too high (for example, ~70–80%), the pack pulls moisture down. If RH is too low (for example, ~50%), the pack releases moisture up. The goal is to bring the environment to the pack’s rated setpoint—like a 62% humidity pack—and keep it there, assuming the container size and the amount of plant material are within what the pack can regulate.
You will see the same product called a hydration pack, a moisture pack, a humidiccant, or simply a humidity control pack, depending on who is writing the label; they all describe this one job. That “two-way” behavior matters during curing and storage because it helps reduce day-to-day swings that can affect texture, aroma, and overall consistency. For hydroponic growers curing harvests, stable RH is a practical way to protect the work you put in from crop to cure.
Both brands publish the same working tolerance for that setpoint. Boveda states its packs hold within ±2% of the RH printed on the pack in an airtight environment, and the retail listings for both lines quote a two to four month service life once a pack is in a sealed container. Sealed is the operative word. A jar that gets opened twice a day is asking the pack to re-regulate a room, and it will run down in weeks rather than months.
Boveda vs Integra: Product Notes (From the Bench)
Here’s what Nate noticed right away when handling both products:
- Boveda 62% pack: a small packet that feels like it contains liquid.
- Integra Boost 62% pack: feels more like a gel inside.
- Size difference: the Integra pack used here is 67g, while the Boveda pack compared is 60g.
That difference in feel is a difference in chemistry, and it is the one specification worth knowing before you pick a side. Boveda describes its contents as purified water, natural salts and a food grade thickener. Integra describes its packs as 100% salt-free. Both are stated by the manufacturers to be safe in direct contact with food, so this is not a safety question—it is why one packet sloshes and the other one squashes. Worth naming the makers plainly while we are here, because the shorthand gets confusing: Boveda is Boveda, and Integra Boost is made by Desiccare and sold as a humidiccant — which is simply the industry term for a pack that both absorbs and releases moisture rather than only drying.
One unique detail: the Integra Boost indicator card. It’s a simple visual cue—when the dot changes color, it’s time to replace the pack. With Boveda, the pack itself transitions from liquid to solid as it runs its course.
Integra Boost vs Boveda Testing Methodology
To keep the test fair, Nate used the same setup on both sides:
- Two jars with the same amount of plant material in each
- One 62% humidity pack per jar (one Boveda, one Integra Boost)
- A humidistat added to measure relative humidity over time
- Plant material mass: 300 grams per jar to keep conditions even
The jars were monitored daily. Like a lot of real-world curing scenarios, RH initially spiked right after the plant material went in, then each pack began bringing RH down toward the target.
One caveat about the setup, stated plainly: 300 grams in a single jar is a heavy load for one 67-gram pack, which both brands rate to about a pound in a sealed bin rather than in a jar opened for daily readings. That works in the test’s favour rather than against it. Both packs were asked to do more than a normal cure asks, and both were measured under the same handicap.
Boveda vs Integra Comparison: Test Results
What follows is a hands-on review of both packs rather than a spec comparison — two jars, one week, and a reading taken every day. Both jars started out high—around 80% RH on day one—then decreased steadily.
- Time to reach 62% RH: Boveda reached the target in about 2–3 days.
- Integra Boost: took about one day longer to reach 62%.
- Accuracy after stabilization: after 3–4 days, both packs hovered within about 1% of 62% RH.
Bottom line from the data Nate observed: both humidity control packs were very accurate at maintaining their designed RH once stabilized. The main performance difference in this test was speed—Boveda got to 62% a bit sooner.
A day of difference sounds like a result until you ask what it costs you. On a cure measured in weeks, arriving at target on Tuesday instead of Monday changes nothing you will ever taste. Speed is the honest finding here, and it is also the least important one.
Differences Between Boveda vs Integra Packs
A few practical differences came up that growers commonly ask about:
1) Speed vs longevity (claimed, and partially tested here)
Nate notes that Integra claims their packs can take a bit longer to reach the target RH but may last slightly longer than Boveda. This specific test period confirmed the “slightly longer to reach target” part (about one day longer for Integra). The longevity question requires a longer observation window, so Nate continued running the packs over months and planned to share updates once fully verified.
2) Indicator and replacement behavior
Integra includes an indicator card that changes color when replacement is needed. Boveda provides a visual cue through the pack’s texture change (liquid to solid) when it’s spent. If you like an easy “at-a-glance” indicator, Integra’s card can be convenient—especially if you don’t always keep a humidistat in every container.
How long does a humidity pack last, and how do you know it is spent?
Both manufacturers quote two to four months in a sealed container, and both say the same thing about what shortens it: moisture content going in, how often the lid comes off, and the storage conditions around it. Integra’s answer is the card—replace the pack when the dot turns bright blue. Boveda’s answer is the pack itself, which goes granular and then solid; their test is whether it feels rock solid all the way through rather than merely firm at one corner. Neither classic pack is meant to be recharged. A pack that has been dried out and re-wetted no longer holds a known setpoint, which defeats the entire point of using one.
3) Aroma/taste concerns (user feedback and early observations)
One talking point Nate mentions is that some users report a taste or smell change in plant material after long-term use of Boveda packs—specifically that it can mute aroma. Integra’s position is that their packs reduce that risk. Nate’s take from his own use: he understands what some people mean, but he didn’t find it to be a major or consistently obvious difference. After about three weeks using Integra, he didn’t notice a smell change in the plant material.
4) Price (at the time of the discussion)
Nate observed that pricing was fairly close overall, with Integra coming in at roughly ~20% less at the time. For commercial grows or bulk curing workflows, that gap can add up—though pricing can vary over time.
That gap has widened since. As currently listed, the 67-gram Integra Boost 62% pack is $3.06 and the equivalent Boveda 67-gram pack is $4.99—a little under 40% apart. Multiply that across a few hundred bins and it stops being a rounding error, which is the whole reason the question keeps coming up.
Looking for a Boveda alternative?
This is the question behind most of the comparisons growers send us, and the honest answer is that Integra Boost is the closest like-for-like swap there is. Same two-way behaviour, same 62% and 55–58% range, same 67-gram and 8-gram sizes, and the same one-pound and one-ounce coverage. What actually changes when you switch is small and worth knowing: you gain the replacement indicator card, you gain the 4-gram and smaller sizes, you lose the 320-gram pack, and you pay meaningfully less per pound. If you have been running Boveda for years and want alternatives that are not a step down, that is the shortlist — it is one name long.
Which size pack do you need?
This is the question that actually gets people into trouble, and the good news is that the two brands size identically at every shared weight. Match the pack to the amount of plant material in the container, not to the container itself. Asked the other way round — which humidity pack to use for a jar, a bin or a full tote — the answer is the same: weigh what is going in, then read the row.
| Pack size | Amount it covers | Boveda | Integra Boost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 320 gram | 5 lb | $20.87 | — |
| 67 gram | 1 lb (450 g) | $4.99 | $3.06 |
| 8 gram | 1 oz (28 g) | $1.33 | $0.82 |
| 4 gram | 1/2 oz (14 g) | Case only | $0.56 |
| 2 gram | 1/4 oz (7 g) | — | Case only |
| 1 gram | 1/8 oz (3.5 g) | — | Case only |
Read that price column down rather than across, because the interesting number is not what a pack costs — it is what a pack costs per pound of flower it protects. The 67-gram Integra works out at $3.06 a pound and the 67-gram Boveda at $4.99. The 320-gram Boveda, covering five pounds, lands at $4.17 a pound — less than its own 67-gram pack. Go the other way and the small sizes get expensive fast: an 8-gram pack protecting one ounce is $13.12 a pound on the Integra side and $21.28 on the Boveda side, four to five times the large-pack rate. Small packs are priced for a jar on a shelf, not for a room full of bins, and if you are curing at volume that gap is the whole argument for sizing up.
A quart jar holding an ounce wants an 8-gram pack. A pound bin wants a 67-gram pack, which is what this test used. Undersizing is the common mistake: one small pack in a large sealed tote will read low for weeks and look like a defective product when it is simply outnumbered. If you are curing at volume, the CVault storage containers are built around the 67-gram size and hold the pack in the lid, off the flower.
What RH Should You Use: 62% vs 55% for Curing?
Nate highlights a common debate: many growers aim for 62% RH, while others prefer 55% RH during curing and storage. His practical recommendation is to stay in that 55–62% range. Both companies offer multiple RH options (roughly from the mid-80s down to ~50%), but for curing most plant material, focusing on 55% or 62% packs is a sensible starting point.
If you are curing medicinal flower in mason jars, 62% is the number most growers land on and the one this test used. The same window applies at any scale — a single jar or a room full of bins, the setpoint does not change, only the pack size does. Where the two brands diverge is at the bottom of that range. Integra makes the 55% pack, Boveda makes a 58%, and there is no direct equivalent between them. If you have settled on one number after a few harvests, that alone can decide the brand for you—which is worth knowing before you commit to a case of either.
Higher inside the range gives you a softer, more forgiving flower and a little more aroma at the jar. Lower gives you longer-term stability and less risk on dense material that dried unevenly. Neither is wrong. Pick one, hold it, and judge the result after a full cure rather than after a week.
Storage Tip That Matters: Temperature and Light
For long-term storage of medicinal flower the pack is only half the job. Beyond RH, Nate recommends keeping stored plant material in a cool, dark place. Excess heat can cause issues like decarboxylation, meaning essential oils can become prematurely activated—something you generally want to avoid during storage.
A pack cannot fix a temperature problem, and it will not try to. Two-way packs regulate moisture only, so a jar sitting in a warm room stays a warm jar with correct humidity in it. If the room itself is the variable you are fighting, that is a temperature question rather than a packaging one.
If you want additional resources related to environmental control, temperature management is a strong place to start: temperature control considerations.
Key Takeaways for Growers
The five lines above are the whole test. Here is what they add up to.
If I had to put it in one sentence: these two products do the same job to the same tolerance, and the decision comes down to whether you want the indicator card or the wider size range, and what the case price looks like on the day. That is a duller answer than a head-to-head usually gives you. It is also the true one, and after ten years of running both I have not found a reason to change it.
If you are sizing a run and want a second opinion before committing to a case, call us or leave a comment below—we would rather spend ten minutes on it now than have you fight a jar reading 51% all winter.
Take care,
Nate