Hot-fillable plastic container with tall and slender panel section

In a hot-fillable plastic container including a panel section having a substantially cylindrical panel circumference and a plurality of vacuum panels symmetrically disposed about and radially recessed with respect to the panel circumference, the panel section further including in the panel circumference post walls between the vacuum panels and land areas above and below the vacuum panels, the improvement comprising:

• the panel section having a relatively tall and slender profile and a ratio of vacuum panel height D to panel section diameter C on the order of 0.85 to 1.05;
• longitudinal post ribs in the post walls which are radially recessed with respect to the panel circumference;
• the land areas each having a height E greater than on the order of 0.45 inch and the ratio of E to C being on the order of greater than 0.1;
• and
• circumferential hoop ribs in the land areas;
• each post wall forming a first corner with an adjacent vacuum panel and a second corner with a post rib, and wherein the panel section has a wall thickness and the vacuum panels and post walls each have an angular extent selected to enable the first and second corners to open to reduce the hoop rigidity and allow the vacuum panels to move radially inward in a controlled deformation during the cooling portion of a hot-fill cycle.