Ammo Boxes?

[+Rose_Thorn]

These seem to make pretty good cache containers, though I have come across one or two where the contents were a bit damp; but usually they seem weatherproof. They hold a lot of stuff and are easy to hide. But where does one get them from?

[+Tupperware Hunters]

army supluss is usuly a good place i get mine from there most of the time but always check the seal before you buy

[+Kitty Hawk]

I usually get mine from the local Army Surplus.

[Remote Part]

And if you don't have a local army surplus, you can order them from Surplus and Outdoors.

 

I've got a couple from there, and they're in decent condition. Though its probably a good idea to paint over the ammo markings before using them as caches.

[+The Mars Bars]

Flecktarn.co.uk

 

I have bought 4 from here and was delighted with the quality....

...almost mint condition.

[+walkergeoff and wife]

Flecktarn.co.uk

 

I have bought 4 from here and was delighted with the quality....

...almost mint condition.

I can confirm not only the quality but the delivery too. Not too expensive, and very quick.

[+kbootb]

Flecktarn.co.uk

 

I have bought 4 from here and was delighted with the quality....

...almost mint condition.

I can confirm not only the quality but the delivery too. Not too expensive, and very quick.

Stock seems to be a problem lately with a number of suppliers. I think the army are using them somewhere else and not so many getting through to civvy street.

 

I expect to see a large number of sand coloured ones on the market soon.

[+John NW]

We get ours from Anchor Supplies

 

There is a link on our Portal under accessories

[+Pharisee]

I get mine from Luton Army & Navy Stores which is just a short walk from where I work. They may not be the cheapest but I don't have to pay postage charges and they are in absolutely pristine condition. I doubt whether they've ever had ammo in some times.

[+The Hokesters]

These seem to make pretty good cache containers, though I have come across one or two where the contents were a bit damp; but usually they seem weatherproof. They hold a lot of stuff and are easy to hide. But where does one get them from?

It's a common assumption that whilst they are excellent at keeping moisture out, logically they also keep moisture IN. So if the box is opened during even light rain fall then dampness can occur. Of course there is also the problem of condensation.

 

How about dropping a couple of those Dry Silica bags in an envelope marked clearly "Do not consume, Do not remove from Cache"?

[JackiePenn]

Landrover shows and LR swap-meets have more ammo boxes of different shapes and sizes than is healthy.

 

MASH (http://www.mashcamping.co.uk/) located in Innsworth (Gloucester) always have something in their walk in store to please (if you are in that area).

 

Vintage / Steam Rallies often have side stores with the odd ammo box in stock.

 

They turn up at boot sales in rural areas.

 

It maybe worth a shot at contacting VASS (http://www.vass.co.uk/) (Terry Demaine - Email: terry@vass.co.uk) and asking if they do ammo boxes. As they do stuff like jerrycans as well as the big stuff. BUT expect to have to buy a whole pallet load not just the 1.

[+lordelph]

Silica Gel has been mentioned before. I did a quick search and found one supplier who can do them in rather large quantities - maybe a good bulk purchase for a group of cachers?

[+dino-irl]

I think the army are using them somewhere else and not so many getting through to civvy street.

Saw them on "I'm a Celebrity..." last week so maybe that's where they've all gone

[markandlynn]

Silica Gel has been mentioned before. I did a quick search and found one supplier who can do them in rather large quantities - maybe a good bulk purchase for a group of cachers?

Id go down the electrical retailer route. Comet dixons pc world must have loads round the back.

I would be interested in a bulk purchase of ammo boxes, never found a source til now.

Anyone know of a manufacturer ?

[+Mr Burns]

I would be interested in a bulk purchase of ammo boxes, never found a source til now.

Anyone know of a manufacturer ?

Don't know about ammo boxes, but as a scout leader i have found that these work just as well

Ebay link

 

group just got some as food lockers for going camping- they are every bit as weather/squirrel proof as an ammo tin.

 

Dan.

[SlytherinAlex]

Don't know about ammo boxes, but as a scout leader i have found that these work just as well

Ebay link

So they should for that price.

[+The Hokesters]

Silica Gel has been mentioned before. I did a quick search and found one supplier who can do them in rather large quantities - maybe a good bulk purchase for a group of cachers?

Oh and there's me thinking it was a new idea!

 

Thanks for the links guys - I hope that helps our fried here.

 

Yay to Ammo Boxes, Nay to tupperware!

[+sTeamTraen]

I expect to see a large number of sand coloured ones on the market soon.

I have a friend who is with the US military in Germany (although not involved in what they term "down-range" operations, ie "the sharp end"), and when I mentioned my ongoing need for ammo boxes, he said he was sure that wouldn't be problem.

 

Well, apparently they don't have any lying around, at least for the moment. Perhaps they aren't considered worth shipping back from Iraq, or maybe they are being regularly refilled.

 

All the ones I get from various sources in Germany/France/Austria are painted in regulation olive drab.

 

For some reason, the ones used by the German army don't always seem to have rubber seals, at least the .30 cal ones I've seen. Perhaps they use special damp-proof ammunition.

[+Haggis Hunter]

How about dropping a couple of those Dry Silica bags in an envelope marked clearly "Do not consume, Do not remove from Cache"?

I seen Lee Evans live last week, and he went on about the do not consume being marked on silica gel packs.

 

His assumption is that if it has to be put on there, then at some time someone must have eaten one?

 

You can just imagine it, "OOh love, these are great but i'm a bit parched now!!"

[+Haggis Hunter]

For some reason, the ones used by the German army don't always seem to have rubber seals, at least the .30 cal ones I've seen.  Perhaps they use special damp-proof ammunition.

From the ammunition being unboxed, distributed and then used, how do you reckon it is kept free from moisture?

 

It isn't, ammunition espescially on Operational Tour is carried around unprotected for months, it is already waterproof, the containers are just extra protection until issued.

 

However with that said, the only ammunition that I have ever used that must be kept dry is bag charges, which are either plastic or cloth explosives that are used for tank and artillery rounds. But their ammunition containers are large tubes, welded together onto large metal crates, not practical for geocaching.

 

The ammunition containers that we generally use are for 5.56mm & 7.62mm ammunition, which are for small arms and are fully waterproof.

[+purple_pineapple]

How about dropping a couple of those Dry Silica bags in an envelope marked clearly "Do not consume, Do not remove from Cache"?

I seen Lee Evans live last week, and he went on about the do not consume being marked on silica gel packs.

 

His assumption is that if it has to be put on there, then at some time someone must have eaten one?

 

You can just imagine it, "OOh love, these are great but i'm a bit parched now!!"

I can confirm through my job that silica gel packs are indeed consumed, fairly regularly, and usually by kids. I suppose they look a little bit like sugar, but since when do kids need an excuse to eat anything! I can also confirm that they are actually harmless, and our advice is simply to wait for it to reappear!

 

Dave

[+sTeamTraen]

How about dropping a couple of those Dry Silica bags in an envelope marked clearly "Do not consume, Do not remove from Cache"?

This is often suggested but it doesn't work - those bags are generally designed to protect a piece of equipment from the normal range of humidity which will occur during shipping. The amount of opening and closing of a cache, combined with the weather, will mean that the gel's capacity to absorb moisture would be very rapidly saturated.

 

Compare the similar devices that you can buy to absorb humidity in your house; every so often you have to dry them out. (Otherwise you could cool your kitchen in summer by leaving the fridge door open...)

[+The Hokesters]

How about dropping a couple of those Dry Silica bags in an envelope marked clearly "Do not consume, Do not remove from Cache"?

This is often suggested but it doesn't work - those bags are generally designed to protect a piece of equipment from the normal range of humidity which will occur during shipping. The amount of opening and closing of a cache, combined with the weather, will mean that the gel's capacity to absorb moisture would be very rapidly saturated.

 

Compare the similar devices that you can buy to absorb humidity in your house; every so often you have to dry them out. (Otherwise you could cool your kitchen in summer by leaving the fridge door open...)

How about a bag of rice then?

[+sTeamTraen]

How about a bag of rice then?

Well, apart from the "no food in caches" rule, that would presumably work about the same as the silica gel (in fact, weight for weight, I presume it would work less well, otherwise the world's electronics manufacturers would be using rice).

 

You could put a 2kg bag of rice in an ammo box but then it would become a "small" cache from the goodies point of view.

[+Alibags]

I think rice would go mouldy and yuk...

 

A while ago somebody suggested making silica cache dryers which comprised of a 35mm film cannister, half filled with the silica stuff (as per those little bags) and then with a bit of foam above this and holes punched in the lid (taped on). You could take these home and dry them out in the oven and then bung them back in the cache.

 

For some reason this idea was shelved. I think it was to do with the fact that this stuff is toxic so small children would be inclined to eat it if they found it in a cache, or something like that?

 

I for one would still seriously consider it as an option. Obviously it would not prevent major floods, but could help where condensation is the problem (such as ammo cans).

 

Some moulds are also not terribly good for you! If you bung a toxic hazard symbol on the 35mm, and also details of contents so proper medical aid could be administered in the case of suicidal kiddy-winks... although as the rules say nothing hazardous at all, this may be why this idea whas shelved? Hmmm

[NickPick]

Well, they say you learn something new every day, and today, after reading Purple pineapple's post (and of course checking it on the internet), I learned that silica gel is non-toxic, so Alibags won't need a safety label on it (That's the white silica gel, the blue stuff is classified as toxic)

[+purple_pineapple]

just about to reply to ali when i noticed nicks post. Just to confirm, should anyone still have any doubts, I don't work for the electrical industry, I work as a specialist toxicologist, so you might say this is something I know about! yes, we knot they say on the packet do not swallow, harmful if swallowed, or even have a skull and crossbones, but silica gel is completely inert and the only hazard from the sachets is a choking one!

 

Hope that will help prevent some parental panic on christmas day this year!

 

Dave

[+Pieman]

Silica gel- taken from its Material Safety Data Sheet:

 

Airborne Exposure Limits:

Silica (synthetic, amorphous):

- OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) -

80/(%SiO2) mg/m3 (TWA) for amorphous silica, including natural diatomaceous earth.

- ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) -

10 mg/m3 (TWA) for amorphous precipitated silica and amorphous silica gel.

Ventilation System:

A system of local and/or general exhaust is recommended to keep employee exposures below the Airborne Exposure Limits. Local exhaust ventilation is generally preferred because it can control the emissions of the contaminant at its source, preventing dispersion of it into the general work area. Please refer to the ACGIH document, Industrial Ventilation, A Manual of Recommended Practices, most recent edition, for details.

Personal Respirators (NIOSH Approved):

If the exposure limit is exceeded and engineering controls are not feasible, a half facepiece particulate respirator (NIOSH type N95 or better filters) may be worn for up to ten times the exposure limit or the maximum use concentration specified by the appropriate regulatory agency or respirator supplier, whichever is lowest.. A full-face piece particulate respirator (NIOSH type N100 filters) may be worn up to 50 times the exposure limit, or the maximum use concentration specified by the appropriate regulatory agency, or respirator supplier, whichever is lowest. If oil particles (e.g. lubricants, cutting fluids, glycerine, etc.) are present, use a NIOSH type R or P filter. For emergencies or instances where the exposure levels are not known, use a full-facepiece positive-pressure, air-supplied respirator. WARNING: Air-purifying respirators do not protect workers in oxygen-deficient atmospheres.

 

Or to put it simply- try not to breath it in as it may cause iritation.

Edited December 8, 2005 by Pieman

[+Rose_Thorn]

Thanks to you all for your replies and the info on silica gel (always wondered what that stuff would taste like, now I know I can try it with impunity ) and to Shakerg for sending details of a supplier who sounds reet handy for a Bury lass!

[JackiePenn]

Anyone know of a manufacturer ?

I sourced a manufacturer last year, not sure if I posted details here. I no longer have details recorded locally.

 

Happened to be a dead end as they where willing to supply but with minimum unit order quantities in the thousands!

 

I still think VASS would be a good lead as they do huge amounts of surplus in bulk, whole landrovers, wheels/tyres, jerrycan, fire fighting clothing etc. I have yet to get a reply from them via email. Not that interested in calling them. I do plan on paying a visit to their location in next 6 months to purchase wheels so will check then unless someone else finds out.