FAQ 28.05 Does this mean that containers of pointers should be avoided?

The rule of thumb is to use containers of values when you can, use containers of pointers when you must.

Containers of pointers must be used when the identity of the contained objects matters, in addition to their state. For example, containers of pointers must be used when the same instance must be "in" several containers at the same time.

Another reason containers of pointers are used is when the cost to copy an object into and out of a container is too large, but in this case judicious use of reference counting (see FAQ 31.09) and copy on write (see FAQ 31.10) can reduce the copying cost significantly.