A front opening wafer container for wafers 300 mm and larger, comprising: a container portion having container wall that extends around a closed left side (66.2), a closed right side (66.3), a closed bottom (66.1), a closed top, and a closed backside (67.1) defining an open interior, the container portion having a plurality of horizontal wafer shelves spaced apart, affixed therein and defining a generally cylindrical wafer receiving region in the open interior for holding a stack of horizontal spaced apart wafers seated in the shelves, a door frame defining an open front, wherein the container portion wall at the back side has a pair of corner regions extending from the top of the container portion to the bottom (66.1) of the container portion; a door to fit in the open front and latchable to the door frame; a pair of elongate tubular environmental control components (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700) positioned in the corner regions, each elongate tubular environmental control component (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700) having a containment portion (81, 420, 644, 730) with an interior and a plurality of apertures (110, 464) providing communication between the interior of the containment portion (81, 410, 644, 730) and the open interior of the container portion, and wherein each of the elongate tubular environmental control component (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700) has an axis that is upright and the elongate tubular environmental control component is connected to the bottom (66.1) of the container portion at a purge port characterized in that the purge port is offset from the axis of the tubular environmental control component (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700). a container portion having container wall that extends around a closed left side (66.2), a closed right side (66.3), a closed bottom (66.1), a closed top, and a closed backside (67.1) defining an open interior, the container portion having a plurality of horizontal wafer shelves spaced apart, affixed therein and defining a generally cylindrical wafer receiving region in the open interior for holding a stack of horizontal spaced apart wafers seated in the shelves, a door frame defining an open front, wherein the container portion wall at the back side has a pair of corner regions extending from the top of the container portion to the bottom (66.1) of the container portion; a door to fit in the open front and latchable to the door frame; a pair of elongate tubular environmental control components (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700) positioned in the corner regions, each elongate tubular environmental control component (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700) having a containment portion (81, 420, 644, 730) with an interior and a plurality of apertures (110, 464) providing communication between the interior of the containment portion (81, 410, 644, 730) and the open interior of the container portion, and wherein each of the elongate tubular environmental control component (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700) has an axis that is upright and the elongate tubular environmental control component is connected to the bottom (66.1) of the container portion at a purge port characterized in that the purge port is offset from the axis of the tubular environmental control component (60, 78, 119, 400, 600, 700).