Outer Vinyl Sleeves, is it a good idea?

My LP collection dates back to the 1960’s, and until 2020 it was without plastic outer sleeves. The LP jackets are all ring wear-free, as I packed them in cubes mildly snug, which means each LP can be removed with little effort, yet each remains perfectly vertical. I regularly see record collections with the LP’s not filling an entire cube, the LP’s leaning/tilting against one side of the cube or the other. When so stored, removal and reinsertion of an LP may result in wear to the jacket. And the weight of all those leaning records on the LP’s closest to the "leaned-to side" can be significant, enough to cause warps.

Then in 2020 I started watching videos on YouTube, and discovered the group of record collectors who identify themselves as members of "The VC": The Vinyl Community. Most of them are not audiophiles, "just" music lovers. Some of them are boomers---who have bought records their whole lives, others are youngins’, having started buying LP’s only recently.

One VC member who started posting videos on YouTube goes by the handle "45 RPM Audiophile." His videos contain reviews of audiophile LP reissues almost 100% exclusively. In one of the first videos of his I watched, he reviewed a new, patented LP outer sleeve made by a Canadian, his company named the already-mentioned above "Vinyl Storage Solutions". 45 RPM Audiophile’s review of the patented outer sleeve aroused my interest not because of the protection the sleeve provides to the LP jacket---regular outer sleeves have long provided that. No, it was the second pocket of the sleeve---the part of the sleeve that is patented.

I have long disliked how tight the cardboard jackets of LP’s are, making removing and reinserting an LP into the jacket somewhat (with variability) difficult. I was unaware of the fact that some LP collectors who kept their records in plastic sleeves did so with the LP (in an inner sleeve, of course) outside of the cardboard jacket, just slid behind it in the outer plastic sleeve.

The Vinyl Storage Solutions double-pocket sleeve goes one step further: the sleeve has one pocket for the cardboard jacket, a second pocket for the LP. The double-pocket sleeve is offered in a few different versions (go to the Vinyl Storage Solutions website for details), all of which I tried. I settled on the version with a strip of resealable tape on the sleeves’ "flap" (the sleeve is also offered with the tape on the sleeves’ "body").

I slide the cardboard jacket into the pocket open end first, remove the plastic film covering the resealable tape on the flap, wrap the flap around the jacket’s spine, and finally press the end of the flap (wear the resealable tape is) onto the body of the sleeve. The cardboard jacket is now sealed within it’s own pocket, the spine and it’s printed info clearly visible (the VSS plastic is very transparent).

When so used, the pocket for the LP itself is located opposite the spine, on the backside, just like the open side of the jacket. Slide the LP into the second pocket, and when stored inside the common record cube, the LP is now pretty much immune to contamination of dust. And if you buy used LP’s, the LP and it’s inner sleeve are separated from the cardboard jacket, which are often found in various states of nastiness. I’ve long cleaned the cardboard jackets of used LP’s I buy with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes (and remove sticker price glue residue with Bestine brand solvent and thinner, the best I’ve found), which the double-pocket sleeve renders unnecessary (though I still do it. ) 

The double-pocket sleeve may also be used with gatefold covers, double LP’s, even triples (used in conjunction with the VSS Multi-Function model). The Vinyl Storage Solutions Double-Pocket Sleeve is a fantastic product, and very reasonably priced. I sleeved my entire collection, and no, I’m not on the VSS payroll.

Doesn’t that double the horizontal shelf space required per LP?

@bdp24 - if it is the same guy I’m thinking of, he owns an ad agency in Germany, was involved in the whole MoFi debacle a few years ago where everybody was named "Mike"--the In Groove guy who did the expose, this guy, Fremer, and even that OCD Mike guy of Interwebs fame (at the time when there was a flurry of posts about the issue, it was the four "Mikes" which made me laugh). I don’t usually watch web-based talking head stuff--I will resort to YT videos where a manufacturer shows how to do something with one of their products.

Plus, if it is the same fellow, I also thought he got rid of all his new MoFi records that were pulled from DSD "masters" and got into buying up OG pressings, but haven’t followed him. 

@lewm- I use the method but not the product BDP24 describes, and yes, it makes for a thicker package even when using a simple oversized outer jacket without an extra pocket, shown in that photo I posted upthread. 

Since my LPs are all snug in their respective storage racks, I’d have to add about 50% more new storage space if I were to adopt that system, but there is no danger of that ever happening. As most probably know, most purveyors of high quality used LPs do sell you the album cover and sleeved LP as a sandwich inside a polyurethane envelope. I don’t keep them that way.

90% of my 12,000 records have outer sleeves. i just prefer to remove the actual pressing from outside the jacket. so the record sits inside the outer sleeve, but outside the actual original jacket. this allows me to easily navigate my collection in dim light and not fight the process of re-inserting the pressing. and mostly for new records i will keep the original outer jacket if it’s in proper condition. mostly i will add an outer jacket to new 33rpm records where it’s shrink wrap.

the exception is my 45rpm collection.....which is around 1500+ so significant. for those i do place the pressing inside the original jacket. they are almost 100% thicker pressing and two or more per title. so it’s just more practical. of these almost 75% still have the original outer sleeve they came with.

after 30 years my muscle memory for record handling is very dialed in so this is just ’MY WAY’ now. and i am no longer in the acquisition mode so not really even thinking about this stuff any more.

i do think my way is the optimal way for ease of use. but if you don’t have the space then one needs to do what’s best for you.

i do have 600-700 or so ’B’ records (mostly left-overs from an early collection i bought) where mostly they don’t have the outer jacket.

i have a large collection of box sets; most of those have no outer jacket and i don’t worry about it.

yes; it takes more shelf space to use the outer sleeve, but then there is an advantage in finding particular pressings too as the individual pressings don’t stick together. the jackets are not harmed taking them in and out.