An upper imperforate cap closes the uppermost end of a bailer and a lower imperforate cap closes the lowermost end of the bailer. In a preferred embodiment, screwthreads are formed in the uppermost and lowermost ends of the bailer and complemental screwthreads are formed in the upper and lower caps. By capping the opposite ends of a bailer, the bailer serves as its own container when the sample contained within it is shipped to a laboratory. This eliminates VOC devices, nozzles, and the concomitant contamination that may result from emptying a bailer in the field.