Me and my uncle have been running Nimh as long as we remember and considering lipo. we found a charger combo with lipos. In requirements it says lipo charging bag. I know what it is but is it necessary? If not is there any other precautions we should follow? Thanks

Pretty much all tracks require them. Even for back-yard bashing, would'nt charge without one. safety first!!!

Yes and get a ammo box from Harbor Freight to store them.

It is not about all the times nothing goes wrong, it is about that one time it can go wrong.

When a LiPo catches fire a huge flame can come out which can hit the face of a person nearby and because a LiPo fire is hard to put out it can burn other equipment arround it.

Sand is the best and simple option to put out a LiPo fire.

Not to be the non-safety supporter person but most of the time label batteries if you charge them properly and they are not damaged are not going to blow up. And if you're charging batteries you should always be watching them to make sure that they're not blowing up or smoking or something. You shouldn't plug them in and go for a drive and come back hoping nothing happened. I have two charge bags but honestly I never use them. Usually keep a close look out on my batteries when charging and if any battery is puffy or looks like it might be damaged I get rid of it. I store mine in a $30 metal tool case from the tool store but I cycle them every four months so I get a look at them to make sure they're OK. Obviously the charging bag is a good safety precaution but I think most of the time when people blow up batteries is because they overcharged or charge to fast or had a damaged battery that should've been discarded

Do yourself a favor and start using the bags. As Roelof says it's not about the times it goes right it's about that one time that it goes wrong. It is absolutely possible for you and your charger to do everything correctly - it has happened where a branded good quality lipo has let go without any warning. I have been charging lipos week in week out for years and never had a problem however I still use those bags religiously.

Once a lipo starts to breakdown and combust there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. All you can do is try to contain it as best as you can and the first line of defense is that lipo bag.

You are absolutely correct that lipos should not be left charging unattended but PLEASE for your own (and the other around you) start using those bags. If it was an optional thing then why has every governing organization made the use of lipo charging sacks mandatory. In the U.K. if you get caught charging without a bag you'll get expelled from the event - no second chances.

They're snake oil. They're a false sense of security. They burn.

Here is just one example:

Yep! Moral is use those lipo bags and take precautions.

You mean the bags are snake oil? Not really, Of course they will burn, everything will at some temperature- even flame retardant racing suits. What they do is buy you time, time to get whatever is burning into a safer place, like out of the house.
I don't think the bag manufacturers say in absolute terms that bags won't burn, just that they are resistant.

I've heard to get bags for charging, but do you guys store them in the bags as well? Like if you're putting the lipos in a ammo box, do you also store them in the bag inside the ammo box?

Ammo boxes keep fire in, but not smoke. If you charge inside the house that would be a problem.

I'd just get a tin bucket filled with water, hang the battery in a bag over the tin bucket, so if it does go off it will first burn through the bag then fall in the bucket.

Just an example of, if something goes wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbnjEt8msjI

Yes, LiPo bags are snake oil. Look at videos. Do some research. Unless you are sitting there watching the LiPo charge they do not buy you much time at all. They are a bad invention that creates a false sense of security. Most of the LiPo bags are completely useless.

Water will not put out a Lipo fire!

Sand