PACDADDY Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 (edited) For free containers try asking for empty film containers at a 1 hour photo the will usualy give you all you want also try a pharmist. They get pills in 1 qt. plastic bottles that are water tight ,they may give them to you if you ask nice Edited August 23, 2005 by PACDADDY Quote Link to comment
geo_boy_2001 Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 (edited) wow I didnt know that cool thanks! Edited August 23, 2005 by geo_boy_2001 Quote Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 Ahh there's nothing like a newbie who re-discovers an old idea and calls it his own Now if someone would figure where to find an abundance of free larger containers, now that would be cool I'm tired of finding film cans. Quote Link to comment
+BadAndy Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 Ahh there's nothing like a newbie who re-discovers an old idea and calls it his own Now if someone would figure where to find an abundance of free larger containers, now that would be cool I'm tired of finding film cans. It's easy. Find a letterbox and recycle it into a geocache....the stamp is a bonus. KIDDING...I'm kidding!!!! Theres nothing wrong with someone new discovering something on their own and telling the rest of us. As for free larger containers? They are all around. Peanut butter jars, coffee cans, all those things you might normally toss in the garbage. You just can't beat a good ole .50 cal ammocan though. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Most film canister caches that I've found were soaked. The things leak, big time. Quote Link to comment
+rusty_tlc Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 How well film canisters work probably depends a lot on the hide. Film canisters beat the heck out of those breath strip tins as far as size and weather tightness goes. If you use a food container soak it in a bleach and water mixture for a day or so to kill any food odors. Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Please.....somebody make it stop..... Quote Link to comment
+Tidalflame Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 I just wish I could get free Lock 'n Locks and ammo cans. They're not cheap! Quote Link to comment
+Ed & Julie Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Ahh there's nothing like a newbie who re-discovers an old idea and calls it his own Now if someone would figure where to find an abundance of free larger containers, now that would be cool I'm tired of finding film cans. amen... Ed Quote Link to comment
p10st8 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Try asking your local doughnut maker for the empty "fillings" containers. They are usually 5 gallon buckets with lids. A company I used to work for used them for soil samples, not sure how water tight they might be though. Quote Link to comment
geo_boy_2001 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Now if someone would figure where to find an abundance of free larger containers, now that would be cool I'm tired of finding film cans. just take 10 film canister and glue them together Quote Link to comment
+tabulator32 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Yep! I was considering this for my "Giant Slim Jim" cache and then I thought of making a "Spaghetti noodle trading" cache. Quote Link to comment
geo_boy_2001 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (edited) you can put coins in it or super balls or a rollo cache ----------------------------- twinkies and spam Edited August 24, 2005 by geo_boy_2001 Quote Link to comment
Team WorldPeaceTurtle Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Being pretty new we haven't placed a cache yet - but what about the plastic coffee cans that Folgers is using now? They're red, but could be spray painted for better camo. Has anyone tried/encountered them? My office buys the big wholesale-club size, but I don't know how well they'd work for a cache. Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (edited) Being pretty new we haven't placed a cache yet - but what about the plastic coffee cans that Folgers is using now? They're red, but could be spray painted for better camo. Has anyone tried/encountered them? My office buys the big wholesale-club size, but I don't know how well they'd work for a cache. We've found three or four of them. I always expect them to be either animal-chewed (becasue of the scent) or soggy inside, but so far every one of them has been in surprisingly excellent shape. (I felt like such a moron the first time I found one -- it was fairly large, and I have kind of small hands, and it was all I could do to barely stretch my hand across the lid -- I twisted and turned it about a dozen times, but it didn't come off. Eventually it dawned on me that it was a lift-off lid, not a twist-off one. [i drink hot chocolate, not coffee!]) edit: I just went back and checked the logs for the cache I was describing above, which I found last fall. Apparently it didn't survive the winter too well; by spring there were reports of dampness. The coffee container has now been replaced with an ammo can. Edited August 24, 2005 by the hermit crabs Quote Link to comment
geo_boy_2001 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 how much are ammo cans Quote Link to comment
+the hermit crabs Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 how much are ammo cans Different prices for different sizes. You can get six 30-cal ammo cans for $19.99 plus shipping from cabela's. Quote Link to comment
geo_boy_2001 Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 is there a place i can get them cheaper Quote Link to comment
Team WorldPeaceTurtle Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (edited) (I felt like such a moron the first time I found one -- it was fairly large, and I have kind of small hands, and it was all I could do to barely stretch my hand across the lid -- I twisted and turned it about a dozen times, but it didn't come off. Eventually it dawned on me that it was a lift-off lid, not a twist-off one. [i drink hot chocolate, not coffee!]) edit: I just went back and checked the logs for the cache I was describing above, which I found last fall. Apparently it didn't survive the winter too well; by spring there were reports of dampness. The coffee container has now been replaced with an ammo can. The first time I brought one of those coffee cans home, I had the same problem! I started cursing the coupon I'd found for the "new" package before I managed to pry off the lid I had wondered both about water tightness and the scent thing... I guess free isn't always good! Thanks for the info, we'll keep an eye out for other possible unique containers! Six ammo cans for $20 sounds like a bargain to me - just over $3 apiece for a big sturdy container! Edited August 24, 2005 by Team WorldPeaceTurtle Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (edited) Being pretty new we haven't placed a cache yet - but what about the plastic coffee cans that Folgers is using now? They're red, but could be spray painted for better camo. Has anyone tried/encountered them? My office buys the big wholesale-club size, but I don't know how well they'd work for a cache. They don't seal all that tight and don't last. If you can hide it where it will not be exposed to the elements it will be OK, otherwise forget it. is there a place i can get them cheaper Cheaper than 3 bucks each? Sure, but bring a truck . I've heard of them being sold for a buck or two at gun shows and flea markets, but the Cabela's 6 pack is the best, cheap regular source at the moment. Cheaperthandirt.com was the cheapest for a long time, but they don't carry them right now. Edited August 24, 2005 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+Langly Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 but what about the plastic coffee cans that Folgers is using now? Recently found a red plastic coffee container that was a new hide in the woods. Some critter beat me to the fist to find, the nerve of that critter. Anyway the critter apparently really liked the rich aroma of Folgers coffee grounds, opened the container, shreaded the plastic log baggie, scattered the cache contents. Critter didn't sign the log so I was first human to find. Like others have said if you re-use a container make sure it is clean and scent free. Small ammo cans in the DFW area are $3.33 or 3 for $10. Decon kits which are also sealed are $2.50. IMO ammo cans and decons are the only way to go in the woods due to critters. If you hide an ammo can make sure to wash it out well so if your cache gets discovered by bomb sniffing dogs or the like it doesn't get blown up due trace gun powder residue or the like. I like to clean ammo cans with simple green or dish detergent and water. Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 (edited) For free containers try asking for empty film containers at a 1 hour photo the will usualy give you all you wantalso try a pharmist. They get pills in 1 qt. plastic bottles that are water tight ,they may give them to you if you ask nice Free is not always a good thing Free can be a very bad thing also :ph34r As was said before, film can are not waterproof. Drilling holes into any cache in order to hang in a tree is also a bad itea, once they have a hole drilled into them they are usless I have had good luck with peanut butter jars, but you should wash them and clean them out with some bleach to kill any food odors. Edited August 24, 2005 by JohnnyVegas Quote Link to comment
JohnX Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Most of my cache containers are either tennis ball cans or plastic Hellman's Mayonnaise jars. It is nice that the containers are clear and have the cache note visible from the outside. The only animal nibbled container I ever found was a tennis ball can. I don't put a whole lot of faith in the "used food containers are bad" theory. I have had mice eat plain white utility candles and bars of soap in my cabin and squirrels eat a hole in the cap of a plastic gasoline can, while the can was filled with gas. Quote Link to comment
+BillsBayou Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Cheaper than 3 bucks each? Sure, but bring a truck . Evil! Evil! Evil! Can I forward all complaints from my wife to you? I'm sitting here trying to figure out the gas money for Fort Polk to go pick up those ammo cans. Of course I'll have to store 500+ ammo cans in my backyard. 120mm cans? Man, them ain't no little cans neither! EVIL!!! Quote Link to comment
+fly46 Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Decon kits which are also sealed are $2.50. The downside to Decons is that quite a few people don't take the time to make sure they close - some of them seal so tightly you have to really wait for the sound of it closing. Last one I found was half water half soggy cache swag mess. Quote Link to comment
Dinoprophet Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 VictoryMike always brings boxes full of microfilm containers to events. They're 4"x2"x2" and hold a lot of small swag. I can't imagine they're very waterproof, but I've never had a problem with them. Quote Link to comment
+tls11823 Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Small ammo cans in the DFW area are $3.33 or 3 for $10. Then buy them one at a time and save a penny. Quote Link to comment
+KoosKoos Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 is there a place i can get them cheaper In our local area, they're mass purchased from auction by a cacher and then resold to others...the last ones I bought were $2 for 50cal and $2.50 for 30cal. Depending on the auction price, they've been even cheaper. Geo Boy, check out the CenTex Geocachers group. Moosiegirl is your local connection. Quote Link to comment
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