I am using a ptr_vector<MyAbstractType> in a class called Container to store pointers to derived types inherited from MyAbstractType. In my Container class, I want to have a member function which returns the ptr_vector<MyAbstractType>. First, am I better off modelling this "getter" as an iterator over this ptr_vector or is it proper to return the ptr_vector itself? Right now, when trying to return the ptr_vector itself (a copy of it) I am getting an error: "/usr/include/boost/ptr_container/clone_allocator.hpp:34: error: cannot allocate an object of abstract type 'MyAbstractType' The function prototype for the getter is: ptr_vector<MyAbstractType> GetDestinations() const Is ptr_vector trying to make a copy of each MyAbstractType contained instead of copying the pointer value itself? This would indicate that I need a get() type method for ptr_vector like what a scoped_ptr has. Any recommendations on how to design this situation? Thanks, Jim