A packing solution for Audiogonitis carriers

Anyone else here HATE Styrofoam packing materials? Once it gets compacted a little, it fails to provide any protection and/or also fails to secure the component in the box.

Peanuts and news paper are about useless if the piece being shipped has any weight to it. Plank foam is expensive as is special two part foam bags. Bubble wrap works, but it is sometimes hard to be consistent with it and can get expensive if you have to buy a lot of it.

Although I seem to have settled down in my buying and selling of A/V gear, I think I have finally found a cheap alternative to my packing problems - and it's kind of funny:

Swimming noodles

You know those things they sell at dollar and grocery stores for a buck or two for kids to play with at pools. Their foam and easily cut to size, and they can protect a piece of gear over multiple impacts without loosing their shape. For corners I simply zip-tied three together in an “L” shape so they wouldn't separate. It worked like a charm on my 50 lb CDP since the original Styrofoam had compacted and disintegrated.