Cache Box

[gobblerhuntr]

Where is the best place to buy cache boxes???

[+back2eight]

Where is the best place to buy cache boxes???

Well I am certainly new to this, but I just bought some regular rubbermaid containers at wal-mart. I was also wondering if a peanut butter jar would be good or if it woud deteriorate over time. I was looking on ebay just today actually, and saw some really neat containers. I put a bid in on some of them. There are pinecones, acorns, rocks, logs, micro containers, fake plants, and even dog poo, among others. I would guess those would be for the 4-5 rating, because I can't imagine ever finding dog poo or the plant. One I saw was just a blade of grass sticking up from the ground, the cache part was a tube that you stick into the ground with the grass coming off of the top. Who would ever find that?!!

[+What rock?]

Where is the best place to buy cache boxes???

 

Military surplus stores often have ammo boxes but I don't know the cost. Cabela's carries them and you can also order them online. They are about $6 apiece for a 30 cal. which is a little high I think. WalMart also carries a box called Lock & Lock which are waterproof, easy to open and durable. You will find them in the same area as the Rubbermaid.

[BRTango]

Where is the best place to buy cache boxes???

Well I am certainly new to this, but I just bought some regular rubbermaid containers at wal-mart. I was also wondering if a peanut butter jar would be good or if it woud deteriorate over time. I was looking on ebay just today actually, and saw some really neat containers. I put a bid in on some of them. There are pinecones, acorns, rocks, logs, micro containers, fake plants, and even dog poo, among others. I would guess those would be for the 4-5 rating, because I can't imagine ever finding dog poo or the plant. One I saw was just a blade of grass sticking up from the ground, the cache part was a tube that you stick into the ground with the grass coming off of the top. Who would ever find that?!!

 

The peanut butter jar is a pretty bad idea. Know matter how much you wash it there will always be a scent which can attract animals. Those little buggers can tear through a PB jar pretty easily.

 

The acorns and stuff are good, but most of those are for micros. Not a bad thing, but if you are hiding micros, just try and make sure its in a more interesting place than a lamp post skirt.

 

Ammo cans, which you can get on ebay or any number of other places, are probably the most durable. They come in many, many sizes... but are generally used for regular to large caches.

 

Lock-n-locks are popular, you can get them at walmart for a few bucks. They've got a decent seal and will last a good while. Even glad ware containers work pretty well, but it'd be advisable to check on them a little more often. They can deteriorate pretty quickly.

 

Use your imagination though... just try and stay away from anything that once had food in it. Oh, and glass jars. I've found a few of them... some hidden among some rocks... if they were dropped they'd break pretty easily and then you'd have to CITO them out.

 

Welcome to the addiction and have a blast with it.

[+briansnat]

As others have mentioned ammo boxes are by far, the best containers. Cheaperthandirt.com and Cabelas.com used to sell them 6 for $20, but I can't find them on either website right now. Big time bummer! You might be able to find them at gun shows and Army & Navy stores at a reasonable price (I wouldn't pay more than $5 for one).

 

Next to ammo boxes, Lock n Locks are a very distant second. You can find them at Target, Walmart, Amazon.com and many other places. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and a little camo duct tape

can help conceal them better see photo here.

 

For $20 you can get a set of 8 Lock n Locks in a variety of sizes. I've seen this set sold at Amazon.com and Target.com as well as some grocery stores.

 

For a slightly smaller container, the 16 oz Nalgene Straight Jar works nicely. Again, some camo duct tape can make it invisible. Its waterproof and durable.

 

Rubbermaid Seal n Savers (the ones with the blue rim on the lid) work fairly well. They will last from a year to two years in the wild, depending on exposure to weather. Their shape makes them kind of hard to camoflage with tape though. Some people have had good luck with spraypaint meant for plastics. These are available nearly anywhere.

 

For micros, waterproof match boxes are great. They are 87 cents at Wal-mart. See picture here.

 

Containers to avoid (unless the cache is totally shielded from the weather):

 

Gladware and similar throwaway containers

Sterlite boxes

Film canisters

Deli/Chinese food containers

Altoids tins

Tackle and tool boxes

AOL tins

CD jewel cases

Ziploc bags

Prescription pill bottles

real Tupperware

dollar store plastic storage containers

Anything that previously held food

Edited June 24, 2006 by briansnat

[+Prime Suspect]

I'd add breath strip containers to the "avoid" list.

 

And if you're going to an army surplus store for ammo boxes, check if they have decon-kit boxes (empty). They can usually be had for a few dollars, and they're ready-made to be hung up somewhere (and they're already a dark green color). It's a good idea to put a sticker in the lid reminding people to snap down all 4 corners. Like the other recommendations, they won't keep out water if they're not closed properly.

[+Team JSAM]

ammo cans are best for regular size, decon containers for smaller caches and waterproof match holders for micros. All at army surpluss and some stores, for me walmart and D&B supply (farm supply store)

[+Prime Suspect]

ammo cans are best for regular size, decon containers for smaller caches and waterproof match holders for micros. All at army surpluss and some stores, for me walmart and D&B supply (farm supply store)

Slightly OT, but a bit funny. Target stores have a couple of aisles called The One Spot, where they have a lot of different knickknacks for $1. The selection changes almost weekly, so you never know what you'll find. It's a great place to find decent trade swag. Recently, they had waterproof match holders packaged with 4 boxes of matches, for $1. The match holders were green, instead of the usual bright orange (no extra camo needed) so I picked up a few.

 

Whoever put together the combo of the match holder and matches didn't understand what they were doing. The match holder had the usual rough metal bar embedded in the bottom to use as a striker. But the matches were safety matches, and could only be lit by striking them against the red phosphorus strip on the side of the box. I feel sorry for anyone who bought one of these, filled them up with the matches, then went camping.

[ccbiggs]

I use my dogs old pill bottles . They work great! and so do metal mint tins like altoids!

[+Prime Suspect]

I use my dogs old pill bottles . They work great! and so do metal mint tins like altoids!

Tins are okay if they're protected from the environment. Otherwise they can end up like this...

[+Team JSAM]

Whoever put together the combo of the match holder and matches didn't understand what they were doing. The match holder had the usual rough metal bar embedded in the bottom to use as a striker. But the matches were safety matches, and could only be lit by striking them against the red phosphorus strip on the side of the box. I feel sorry for anyone who bought one of these, filled them up with the matches, then went camping.

 

Yea I got those to I thought that was pretty dumb but then again I would never rest the fate of my fire in the mountains on a $1 item!

 

Slightly OT, but a bit funny.

 

And how was my post OT?

Edited June 25, 2006 by Team Jsam

[+briansnat]

Whoever put together the combo of the match holder and matches didn't understand what they were doing. The match holder had the usual rough metal bar embedded in the bottom to use as a striker. But the matches were safety matches, and could only be lit by striking them against the red phosphorus strip on the side of the box. I feel sorry for anyone who bought one of these, filled them up with the matches, then went camping.

 

Yea I got those to I thought that was pretty dumb but then again I would never rest the fate of my fire in the mountains on a $1 item!

 

Slightly OT, but a bit funny.

 

And how was my post OT?

 

I think he was referring to his own post.

[+Robespierre]

I buy ammo boxes for $2.79 at a local surplus, or $8 for the larger ones, and that's hard to beat. I found that bacon bits jars painted flat black do very well in the wild for small caches.

[+Prime Suspect]

 

Slightly OT, but a bit funny.

 

And how was my post OT?

 

I was talking about my post. Probably should have used a ":" instead of a "."

[+leppard]

You can get ammo cans at gun shows for a song. too many micros out there..... my hubby and I have a huge one planned for hiding next month.... you can also use old tool boxes.

[+swizzle]

I use the Wally World Lock and Locks and then went to the paint aisle for plastic paint. They have a relatively cheap paint that is made just for plastics. I just use brown and green. A quick coat of green followed by some leafy cover and a blast of brown paint 15 minutes later. Let it dry overnight and you have a nice camo cache. Swizzle