Best Container For Cache?

[wolf_Q]

I'm wanting to place a cache but I'd like to have some tips on what type of container is best to put it in. I live in Utah and I may be putting one in a mountain area so I need something that will be able to withstand the rain/snow/etc. as well as summer heat.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

Ammo can.

[+BlueDeuce]

Ammo can.

 

I prefer Ammocan (no spaces. It keeps the cold and rain out better)

[+Team JSAM]

Ammo cans work great if you cant find any ammo can use a "Lock&Lock" brand container those are the best for outdoor use the are airtight waterproof and weather proof most retail stores like K-mart, Fred Myer, shopko and such sell them stay away form rubermaid they last but after a while the lids get stiff and then people dont put them back on correctly.

[+StarBrand]

Ammo can.

 

ditto

 

I have one at 10,800 feet in Wyoming - been there 4 years and still sealed great.

[+briansnat]

Ammo cans are the best. Inexpensive and extremely durable. See this thread for proof.

 

Lock 'n Locks are a very distant second.

[+hukilaulau]

Here in the Phoenix area breath mint containers, peanut butter jars and coffee cans are quite popular.

I go along with the ammocan crowd, though. I've got a few containers out that are Lock-and-Lock clones from Ocean State Job Lot in CT, MA, and RI (and probably other states.) They are holding up fine so far. I put camo tape all over them, especially the hinge areas, which are probably the weak spot. I just got a set of similar stuff at Costco called "Biokips" which I am pretty sure is Korean for "Geocache"

There are icons on the back for where you can hide them. So far I've figured out that you can hide them in snow, heat, in your dishwasher or under your dinig room table. I'll be trying them out soon in Long Island, New York...

[+Ed & Julie]

Here in the Phoenix area breath mint container <snip>

 

Mint tins are FAR from waterproof!

I have found more wet, soggy, and rusted contents in mint tins than any other container.

Personally, I like altiods tins for micros, but they have to be places where they have no chance of getting wet.

 

Here is a mint tin I found with the contents rusted and the log sheet soaking wet (I added a new log since the old one was unusable):

[RubiconJW]

+1 for Ammo cans.

Usually 4-8 bux at a surplus store.

dadgum near indestructable.

 

JW

[+LDove]

My daughter works at a pharmacy and gets me giant size pill bottles with screw off lids that are awesome for caches. They are watertight and FREE. Just ask your pharmacist to save you some, they get their bulk pills in them. The last one I got was 10x6 (approx) with a 4" opening in the lid.

[+Kealia]

ammo can

[+Renegade Knight]

Ammo Can, but I like the source that lonesomdove just brought up. Never thought of that.

[+ranger-rob]

One more vote for ammo cans, for all the reasons listed. Make sure the seal is still present and pliable though, or it'll leak.

 

Bison tubes, aka nitro tablet holders (and the clones with O-ring seals) are great for micro's as well as waterproof match containers.

 

Use your imagination, be creative, and experiment.

[+Mosaic55]

My daughter works at a pharmacy and gets me giant size pill bottles with screw off lids that are awesome for caches. They are watertight and FREE. Just ask your pharmacist to save you some, they get their bulk pills in them. The last one I got was 10x6 (approx) with a 4" opening in the lid.

 

I have some smaller jars like that, w/ maybe a 3 inch opening. But how do they hold up in winter freeze/thaw cycles? I'd test mine in the freezer, but it will be a while before I use up the original contents.

[medoug]

I'd agree that ammo cans are the best. Unfortunately, if you only want to buy a few, the shipping cost by internet/mail-order can kill you. If you have an Army/Navy surplus store (or similar) nearby, that would be the way to go and save the shipping costs. If not, Lock & Locks are available in many stores, are supposed to be pretty good, and are guaranteed for life. See here:

 

Lock & Lock discussion

 

If your hiding place requires something smaller than an ammo can, there are also military decon containers and Lock & Locks which come in smaller sizes.

 

medoug.

[+badlands]

Ammo Can #1

Lock 'N' Lock #5

Mint Tins #9999

[jook]

Obviously, ammo cans are great. Everyone says so - that makes it true.

 

I've seen a lot of cammo-wrapped tennis ball tubes in my area, though. Granted this is southern california and we don't get a lot of weather.

[+LDove]

The pill bottles have held up great so far, although mine have not been out a year yet. I think part of the reason is that they are made to withstand temperature changes, etc... due to the pills being inside??? They seem thicker. Not sure about that one - just a theory.

 

I have heard the new plastic coffee cans and such are made to degrade in landfills and so those I would think are not as durable over the long haul.

[+Prime Suspect]

Here in the Phoenix area breath mint container <snip>

 

Mint tins are FAR from waterproof!

I have found more wet, soggy, and rusted contents in mint tins than any other container.

Personally, I like altiods tins for micros, but they have to be places where they have no chance of getting wet.

 

Here is a mint tin I found with the contents rusted and the log sheet soaking wet (I added a new log since the old one was unusable):

 

That's nothing. Check out this mess:

 

[+Team Oodi]

Anybody using Nalgene bottles?

 

There is no surplus store within a reasonable distance around here. Purchased some ammocans on eBay but with shipping they cost about $10 each. Add to that some spray paint to make them look less hostile. I've used 4 lock'n'lock containers recently, 2 cheap Dollar store knockoffs and 2 original. Have to wait and see how they stand up. Except for the Dollar store containers, none of these options are cheap. So I thought about Nalgene bottles. They're advertised to be indestructible. How would they fare as cache containers?

[+briansnat]

Anybody using Nalgene bottles?

 

There is no surplus store within a reasonable distance around here. Purchased some ammocans on eBay but with shipping they cost about $10 each. Add to that some spray paint to make them look less hostile. I've used 4 lock'n'lock containers recently, 2 cheap Dollar store knockoffs and 2 original. Have to wait and see how they stand up. Except for the Dollar store containers, none of these options are cheap. So I thought about Nalgene bottles. They're advertised to be indestructible. How would they fare as cache containers?

 

I've used Nalgene bottles, but the problem tends to be that the mouth isn't very wide even in the wide mouth bottles. Its hard getting stuff in and out and the logbook gets ripped to shreds eventually as people try to pull it out. A lot better (and less expensive) are Nalgene Straight Jars.

 

I have had pretty good luck with these. They come in several sizes and the smallest make nice micros and the largest make a good smallish "regular" cache. A little camo tape helps conceal them a bit better. See container on lower left in this photo:

 

Edited May 22, 2006 by briansnat

[+buddles]

I spoke to Nannyogg last year about her ammo can at The Turkey Cache. The person who found it the day before I did reported "I had to forcibly unbury it and then discovered that it weighed about a ton. One side of the ammo box is caved in and it doesn't seal anymore-". She believes a moose stepped on it. Part of the contents were still salvagable. What other container would stand up to such abuse?

[+Renegade Knight]

Anybody using Nalgene bottles?

...

I've seen one used underwater and it held up just fine for the duration of the event. I'd tend to trust them more than most plastic containers.

[+imfrog2002]

I'm in Utah too, and I've seen Altoids cans that make great caches (with EVERYTHING in plastic bags), I used a Ziploc Square Container thing, and I've had a few people say that it's a great cache (and it's my first, too!) They're fairly easy to hide in the mountains, and fairly waterproof. I still put all of it in a single sandwich bag, just in case. If you want to see the cache page for some pics, it's Nice and Cool and the waypoint is GCW3W3.

Edited May 22, 2006 by imfrog2002

[+briansnat]

I used a Ziploc Square Container thing, and I've had a few people say that it's a great cache

 

It might be a great cache, I doubt they were raving about the container. Ziploc and Gladware containers are absolutely terrible. The lids aren't very watertight and they pop off easily. If someone stuffs it with too much swag, or even if there is a sudden temp change they can come off. Not to mention that the lids split in cold weather.

 

I don't think I've ever encountered a Gladware or Ziploc container that was out for any length of time that was still dry inside.

 

I see your cache has only been out there for 4 days. I think you might be singing a different tune in 6 months.

[+imfrog2002]

I used a Ziploc Square Container thing, and I've had a few people say that it's a great cache

 

It might be a great cache, I doubt they were raving about the container. Ziploc and Gladware containers are absolutely terrible. The lids aren't very watertight and they pop off easily. If someone stuffs it with too much swag, or even if there is a sudden temp change they can come off. Not to mention that the lids split in cold weather.

 

I don't think I've ever encountered a Gladware or Ziploc container that was out for any length of time that was still dry inside.

 

I see your cache has only been out there for 4 days. I think you might be singing a different tune in 6 months.

Well, this was the only container that I can find here. I haven't seen ammo cans in the stores, but I'll look again. (I also don't have much money right now.)

[Peanut Butters]

How about micro cache recommendations? Magnet Key cases seem to be popular, but leak like crazy. Match Stick cases work well.

 

Any other ones that people have used or seen that work great?

[+imfrog2002]

Pill Bottles. They work great from what I've heard. They aren't 100% waterproof. (I tested them, and for being completley underwater for a minute, two or three drops isn't that bad) I'm going to test them in my freezer, so I'll let you know what happens.

[+briansnat]

How about micro cache recommendations? Magnet Key cases seem to be popular, but leak like crazy. Match Stick cases work well.

 

Any other ones that people have used or seen that work great?

 

My favorite, if I can find them, are bottle preforms (see lower center in photo in my earlier post). Waterproof match containers work quite well and are only 84 cents at Walmart. Also the 2 oz Nalgene Straight Jars (see link in my earlier post) are watertight. Bison cylinders are also pretty good, but the washer falls apart after about a year in the wild (easily replaced). Lastly, the Nalgene Cryo Tubes are quite good for really small micros.

 

Nalgene Cryo Tubes

 

Waterproof match container

 

Bison Cylinder

 

and slightly larger:

Lock n Locks

 

Lousy micro containers:

Film canisters (leak)

Altoids tins (leak and rust)

Listerine breath strips (leak)

prescription pill bottles (leak, shatter in cold)

Edited May 22, 2006 by briansnat

[+briansnat]

Hey wait, what am I doing giving micro advice to someone form northwest NJ . Forget what I said. There are no good micro containers. No such thing. They all stink. Instead remember this. Ammo box = good. Micro = bad. Repeat it 50 times.

Edited May 22, 2006 by briansnat

[+Team Cotati]

Here in the Phoenix area breath mint containers, peanut butter jars and coffee cans are quite popular.

I go along with the ammocan crowd, though. I've got a few containers out that are Lock-and-Lock clones from Ocean State Job Lot in CT, MA, and RI (and probably other states.) They are holding up fine so far. I put camo tape all over them, especially the hinge areas, which are probably the weak spot. I just got a set of similar stuff at Costco called "Biokips" which I am pretty sure is Korean for "Geocache"

There are icons on the back for where you can hide them. So far I've figured out that you can hide them in snow, heat, in your dishwasher or under your dinig room table. I'll be trying them out soon in Long Island, New York...

 

Korean, right: http://www.morganware.com.au/about.htm

[Peanut Butters]

Hey wait, what am I doing giving micro advice to someone form northwest NJ . Forget what I said. There are no good micro containers. No such thing. They all stink. Instead remember this. Ammo box = good. Micro = bad. Repeat it 50 times.

 

I have an ammo box next to my desk, just waiting to find where to put it. I also spray painted a twist-n-lock ziploc container last night for placement.

 

I'll have to go now and buy a case of match-stick containers and camo tape and place them all around Morris County.

[+briansnat]

'll have to go now and buy a case of match-stick containers and camo tape and place them all around Morris County.

 

Ahhhhhh! No! No! Say it ain't so. BTW match stick containers are known carcinogens and have caused sterility in lab rats and film canisters carry the bird flu.

[+gcslim]

There's a cacher in my area that commonly uses welding rod containers. Based on the condition of those caches, I'd put them right up there with ammo cans.

 

like the one shown at the bottom of this page (googled "welding rod container")

Edited May 23, 2006 by gcslim

[Peanut Butters]

Ahhhhhh! No! No! Say it ain't so. BTW match stick containers are known carcinogens and have caused sterility in lab rats and film canisters carry the bird flu.

 

"What common household item causes the bird flu? You will be shocked at what it is, news at 11."

 

I'm going to have to work on a blade of grass type cache container just for you.

[+talus]

Discovered these boxes while letterboxing. Had survived at least one winter. Superior to the thin walled Ziploc boxes. They are similar to the Snap 'N Lock boxes but less expansive. They have a one piece lid with four flaps and a gasket - should be waterproof. The one below is a 2.1 quart (8" X 6" X 3") for $1.99. The next smaller size is 30 ounce (6.5" X 4" X2") - for $1.29. The smallest available is 13.5 ounce (5" X 3" X 2") for $0.89. I found these at Ocean State Job Lot. No info about manufacturer on label. Bottom of the box is stamped has ZHEN XING (mid sized box has BX670). Have not found these surfing the web.

 

 

[+Team Dromomania]

One more vote for ammo cans, for all the reasons listed. Make sure the seal is still present and pliable though, or it'll leak.

 

Bison tubes, aka nitro tablet holders (and the clones with O-ring seals) are great for micro's as well as waterproof match containers.

 

Use your imagination, be creative, and experiment.

 

For long term nothing beats the Ammo can IMOHO. I have several bison caches and have found that after a year or two the o-rings fall apart: i.e. no longer weather resistant. I've had better luck with the match containers.

[+Team Dromomania]

 

Bison cylinders are also pretty good, but the washer falls apart after about a year in the wild (easily replaced).

 

 

Would you happen to know of a source for replacement bison 0-rings? I've been looking for them.

[+wiseye]

For O rings go to any large hardware store. I go to an ACE hardware. I use o rings to replace the flat washers on matchcases. One has been in the water for almost a year with no leaks, and the finders don't loose them. Lowes, Home Depot also.

Edited May 30, 2006 by wiseye

[NHRunner]

waterproof match containers secured correctly are great for micro caches

[+Trizumi]

I think this really depends on where you live.

 

I have lived in the rainy climate of the Northwest and in the desert climate of the Southwest. A plastic Tupperware container down in Phoenix, outside in our 3 or 4 months of 100+ degree temperature, will not hold up like a metal container. We don't get enough rain down here to rust anything. However, I would not use that same metal breath mint container in the northwest. I would use a heavy duty plastic container like Tupperware.

 

I think a water proof match container or an ammo can are the best for all climates.

[+markp99]

Anybody using Nalgene bottles?

Yup on the Nalgene bottle (small size - ~$5). Makes a great small cache container that fits many small and unique hiding spots.

 

 

This one got muggled a few weeks ago. I replaced it with the same type container.

[70mmkrypto]

in your ammo cans and nalgene jars, you can really knock out the humidity moisture or any cndesation by using a mesh sack of SILICA crystals (petstore kitty litter aisle) . They will absorb even the tiniest molecule of moisture, and keep your logbook BONE DRY .

 

[Katie-did]

I have seen a lot of the large plastic pretzel or animal cracker barrels up here that seem to last quite well in winter. They are quite large, however, so only appropriate for big hiding spots. Also, it is best if these are wrapped or painted in some kind of camoflouge, even if painted all black/green. Otherwise the bright colors of the swag make them too easy to spot.

[+TEAM 360]

I think this really depends on where you live.

 

I have lived in the rainy climate of the Northwest and in the desert climate of the Southwest. A plastic Tupperware container down in Phoenix, outside in our 3 or 4 months of 100+ degree temperature, will not hold up like a metal container. We don't get enough rain down here to rust anything. However, I would not use that same metal breath mint container in the northwest. I would use a heavy duty plastic container like Tupperware.

 

I think a water proof match container or an ammo can are the best for all climates.

 

Agreed...I have a couple of Altoids tins out here in AZ, and although we sometimes DO get rain (we are heading into our 'monsoon' season right now), I place them where they will be out of the weather, and also make sure to spraypaint INSIDE the tin, as well as the outside...that tends to keep the rust away...

[70mmkrypto]

Nalgene bottle cachers take note!

 

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/subca...ategorycode=201