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Container Consensus?


Clan Riffster

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Recently, Briansnat wrote a great article for Today's Cacher magazine practically dripped with wisdom. It's the kind of article I would write were I half as articulate and verbose as he. I would like to explore other folks thoughts, beliefs and/or half baked notions of what containers are suitable as caches and what are not.

 

I'd like to initiate this debate with a couple caveats;

It is my belief that size is irrelevant to container suitability. Obviously those folks who dislike a particular container size altogether, would find any container of that size to be unsuitable, and if that's how you feel, I'd like to hear that as well.

My definition of "suitable" may not be the same as yours. My personal definition of "suitable" as applied to a cache container is one that protects the integrity of it's contents. If you have a different definition, feel free to express it accordingly.

My preferences come from my own personal experiences.

 

My personal preferences, (completely subjective), in order;

1) Ammo cans. For the Riffster Clan, nothing beats an ammo can. Wonderfully resilient and stand up to almost any conditions. I accidental backed my Ford Explorer on one I had "seasoning" in my front yard, and you couldn't tell it from the others that were sitting next to it.

 

2) Bison tubes. Our favorite micro container. Very strong, with a good water resistance rating, provided you replace the O-ring on occasion. They usually come with a split ring for tying off or hanging, and they are magnetic, opening up a whole other realm of hiding possibilities.

 

3) Decon kits. Small enough to fit in most places that wouldn't support an ammo can. Very tough plastic resists rodent gnawings. They come with a clip for hanging or tethering, and provided they are closed properly, are quite water resistant.

 

4) Lock-n-Locks. Comparatively sturdy, very water resistant, until one, (or more), of the tabs break off.

 

5) Tupperware. Fairly sturdy, so long as they are not exposed to excessive periods of direct sunlight. Fairly water resistant.

 

6) Nalgene jars. Very strong plastic, resistant to rodents and very water resistant.

 

7) Waterproof match container. Very strong plastic, good water resistance as long as the O-ring is maintained.

 

8) Rubbermaid. (blue rim) Fairly sturdy, fairly water resistant.

 

------------- It's at this point that my list goes from suitable to unsuitable. This is purely subjective, and your mileage may vary-----------

 

9) Plastic coffee containers. Somewhat sturdy, low water resistance, low rodent resistance, lids tend to crack.

 

10) Gladware. Flimsy, low water resistance, low rodent resistance, becomes brittle kwickly

 

11) Cookie tins. Not rust resistant, which leads kwickly to poor water resistance.

 

12) Hide-a-keys. Very poor water resistance. Something as slight as a humid environment can soak the log.

 

13) Film canisters. Poor water resistance, poor rodent resistance. Possibly the least inspired container of all.

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Recently, Briansnat wrote a great article for Today's Cacher magazine practically dripped with wisdom. It's the kind of article I would write were I half as articulate and verbose as he. I would like to explore other folks thoughts, beliefs and/or half baked notions of what containers are suitable as caches and what are not.

 

I'd like to initiate this debate with a couple caveats;

It is my belief that size is irrelevant to container suitability. Obviously those folks who dislike a particular container size altogether, would find any container of that size to be unsuitable, and if that's how you feel, I'd like to hear that as well.

My definition of "suitable" may not be the same as yours. My personal definition of "suitable" as applied to a cache container is one that protects the integrity of it's contents. If you have a different definition, feel free to express it accordingly.

My preferences come from my own personal experiences.

 

My personal preferences, (completely subjective), in order;

1) Ammo cans. For the Riffster Clan, nothing beats an ammo can. Wonderfully resilient and stand up to almost any conditions. I accidental backed my Ford Explorer on one I had "seasoning" in my front yard, and you couldn't tell it from the others that were sitting next to it.

 

2) Bison tubes. Our favorite micro container. Very strong, with a good water resistance rating, provided you replace the O-ring on occasion. They usually come with a split ring for tying off or hanging, and they are magnetic, opening up a whole other realm of hiding possibilities.

 

3) Decon kits. Small enough to fit in most places that wouldn't support an ammo can. Very tough plastic resists rodent gnawings. They come with a clip for hanging or tethering, and provided they are closed properly, are quite water resistant.

 

4) Lock-n-Locks. Comparatively sturdy, very water resistant, until one, (or more), of the tabs break off.

 

5) Tupperware. Fairly sturdy, so long as they are not exposed to excessive periods of direct sunlight. Fairly water resistant.

 

6) Nalgene jars. Very strong plastic, resistant to rodents and very water resistant.

 

7) Waterproof match container. Very strong plastic, good water resistance as long as the O-ring is maintained.

 

8) Rubbermaid. (blue rim) Fairly sturdy, fairly water resistant.

 

------------- It's at this point that my list goes from suitable to unsuitable. This is purely subjective, and your mileage may vary-----------

 

9) Plastic coffee containers. Somewhat sturdy, low water resistance, low rodent resistance, lids tend to crack.

 

10) Gladware. Flimsy, low water resistance, low rodent resistance, becomes brittle kwickly

 

11) Cookie tins. Not rust resistant, which leads kwickly to poor water resistance.

 

12) Hide-a-keys. Very poor water resistance. Something as slight as a humid environment can soak the log.

 

13) Film canisters. Poor water resistance, poor rodent resistance. Possibly the least inspired container of all.

 

...and half of the descriptions culturally specific to the USA. Can you explain Bison tubes, Decon kits, Nalgene jars, Rubbermaids, Gladware, and tell me what defines a Cookie tin please? Then there's a chance that quite a few more of us can usefully join your discussion.

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I own a bunch of decon hides, but am aware of two issues. They aren't entirely standard, different vendors having manufactured to spec.

at different times.

The last batch I bought is incredibly difficult to open (I usually end up catching a corner in my teeth - yeah, really) and equally difficult to close. So cachers don't actually close them, and then they're all wet. I even found one recently completely opened.

 

In any case, I'm coming to like lock and locks over decons. At least most cachers can close them.

 

I've replaced a decon hide for a friend of mine twice - both times a small rodent had chewed the edge of the lid making a series of tiny holes. Personally, I think it's just lousy placement - the decon must be on the mouse's front porch, and any plastic would suffer, but they can be chewed.

 

I'd put matchsafes higher on the list than you have. They're my micro & stage container of choice. 86 cents and readily available. I ordered a couple hundred replacement O rings recently to service them after a couple of years in the field. (The original O ring lasts a lot longer if you don't subject it to the drying effects of spray paint).

 

In Florida coffee containers aren't cache containers at all. In Texas we found a bunch of them several years old, doing fine. So what's suitable is locally variable.

 

by the way, contrary to popular belief, briansnat is not Jeremy's alterego, and shamelessy sucking up to him will not assure smooth passage of your cache submissions through review or keep the mods off your back - okay, maybe it will have some positive effect v. mods. (On the other hand, he is "paid to post" so maybe I don't really know squat here afterall).

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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...and half of the descriptions culturally specific to the USA. Can you explain Bison tubes, Decon kits, Nalgene jars, Rubbermaids, Gladware, and tell me what defines a Cookie tin please? Then there's a chance that quite a few more of us can usefully join your discussion.

 

G'day

 

Well here is an Australian response ... Bison tubes ... heaps of information on those around the place ... try http://cacheopedia.com/wiki/Cache_Containers .... Nalgene containers ... mmm are you a walker? Try http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/ ... Rubbermaid makes numerous plastic based products, bit like Tupperware I think ... Gladware .... chinese food containers would be my guess .... again Google is your friend .... http://www.glad.com/

 

Hope that helps.

Andrew

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Just a couple thoughts:

 

First, I hate decons. They are difficult to get properly closed and everything inside tends to get wet.

 

Second, there are two basic varieties of film can. The ones with the lid that fits over the container is horrible. They leak almost before the cache is placed. The ones with the lid that snaps into the container tend to stay reasonably dry. Of course, they will still leak on occasion. The simple fact is that anyone who places these should be aware of the issue and be prepared to do frequent maintenance. The fact that micros tend to need more frequent maintenance anyway makes that a non-issue in my mind. I rather doubt that film cans get chewed on any more than any plastic container.

 

Bad:

700-00039.gif

 

Good:

canister.jpg

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Recently, Briansnat wrote a great article for Today's Cacher magazine practically dripped with wisdom. It's the kind of article I would write were I half as articulate and verbose as he. I would like to explore other folks thoughts, beliefs and/or half baked notions of what containers are suitable as caches and what are not.

 

I'd like to initiate this debate with a couple caveats;

It is my belief that size is irrelevant to container suitability. Obviously those folks who dislike a particular container size altogether, would find any container of that size to be unsuitable, and if that's how you feel, I'd like to hear that as well.

My definition of "suitable" may not be the same as yours. My personal definition of "suitable" as applied to a cache container is one that protects the integrity of it's contents. If you have a different definition, feel free to express it accordingly.

My preferences come from my own personal experiences.

 

My personal preferences, (completely subjective), in order;

1) Ammo cans. For the Riffster Clan, nothing beats an ammo can. Wonderfully resilient and stand up to almost any conditions. I accidental backed my Ford Explorer on one I had "seasoning" in my front yard, and you couldn't tell it from the others that were sitting next to it.

It doesn't get any better.

 

2) Bison tubes. Our favorite micro container. Very strong, with a good water resistance rating, provided you replace the O-ring on occasion. They usually come with a split ring for tying off or hanging, and they are magnetic, opening up a whole other realm of hiding possibilities.

For a micro container, it doesn't get any better.

 

3) Decon kits. Small enough to fit in most places that wouldn't support an ammo can. Very tough plastic resists rodent gnawings. They come with a clip for hanging or tethering, and provided they are closed properly, are quite water resistant.

Nice. I like that you can put out a small trading cache, and they can be hung. Apparently closing tightly is way beyond many person's comprehension though. :mad:

 

4) Lock-n-Locks. Comparatively sturdy, very water resistant, until one, (or more), of the tabs break off.

I like them, and have used several, but I'm going to say they're a little over rated. I've seen several water incidents, even where there are no tabs broken off, or visibly apparent gasket failure.

 

6) Nalgene jars. Very strong plastic, resistant to rodents and very water resistant.

Excellent. And I'm going to say most screw-top plastic containers work excellent.

 

8) Rubbermaid. (blue rim) Fairly sturdy, fairly water resistant.

Very nice. Blue Rim Rubbermaid is the best "tupperware type" container out there, in my opinion

 

10) Gladware. Flimsy, low water resistance, low rodent resistance, becomes brittle kwickly

Could we ban Gladware please?

 

13) Film canisters. Poor water resistance, poor rodent resistance. Possibly the least inspired container of all.

uh, no comment. :(

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Generally I agree with Clan Riffster with the container lay out. I found a few caches that used peanut butter jars. About the size of a decon (slightly larger) and with some good plastic spray paint, they had a pretty good camo job. I liked them because they opened and closed easy, pretty water tight, and the opening of the container is the same diameter as the container, so you don't have to fight to get things out (unlike water bottles).

I recently have been playing around with registration holders for trailers (53'). They are designed to be outside year round, in every weather condition possible, and still keep the paperwork dry. Havn't hid one yet, but there is no rush :P

I have also been testing oil sample testing containers. When you change the oil in your tractor, you keep a small amount and send it to the lab for testing. They can tell you how much acid, coolant, copper, metal, etc is in your oil (very good idea owner operators). But anyway, I figured if the oil manufacturer has the confidence to send toxic oil through the mail with these containers, they should be good enough for a log book :D

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I have cached from desert to swamp to mountain top to seaside......The ONLY thing that makes a bad container is the environment it is to be placed in and the thoroughnes of the container's preparation for the environment it is to be placed in.

 

A thorough soaking (a day or two at least.) in 10% bleach solution will render any water resistant food container suitable for a cache.

 

I have several recycled food containers out as caches and nary a chaw mark from a critter on them and dry as can be. (Ummm, for the most part.) :D

 

BTW- Most of my hides are ammo cans. I've got about 50 more in my garage. :P

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Briansnat's article in Today's Cacher pretty much says what's needed on this topic...

 

In Alaska, the ammo can prevails against the worst the environment can mete out. Bison tubes are great for micros, if we could just get folks to quit over-tightening them to the point the O-ring gets destroyed. Nalgene bottles (the lexan-based type, not the cheap plastic imitations) do well too. Decon containers, which I use for small hides fairly successfully, are rigid enough and thick enough to work well summer and winter. Anything else plastic just doesn't hold up to use in subzero temps (flexible at 45 degrees, all plastic becomes inflexible below zero... and cracks, and there goes the neighborhood!), although I'm about to try a batch of Lock'n'Locks to see how long they'll last here in Anchorage. Up north in Fairbanks, I wouldn't use anything but an ammocan, decon, bison or a Nalgene... caching at -20 or lower is brutal on the cacher and sudden death on plastic containers! The other hazard we encounter is snow - 'dry water' that somehow gets into the container while it's open for the find, and goes to its liquid state once the temps warm up... we rely on fellow cachers to be careful while the cache is open.

 

A real plus in any container is the use of 'Rite in the Rain' paper notebooks (with the trademark wire spiral binder and yellow plastic covers) for the log. I buy mine in bulk from the local surveyor supply house - even at a dozen at a time they cost as much as my $3 apiece ammocans, but they're worth every nickel for their waterproof attribute. The smaller size I use (without pre-printed date sections, just preprinted lines) easily folds over to fit in a decon, and is well-suited to an ammocan. Pencils work best on them, but ink pens will write just fine (if the ink's not frozen :P ).

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Briansnat's article in Today's Cacher pretty much says what's needed on this topic...

 

In Alaska, the ammo can prevails against the worst the environment can mete out. Bison tubes are great for micros, if we could just get folks to quit over-tightening them to the point the O-ring gets destroyed. Nalgene bottles (the lexan-based type, not the cheap plastic imitations) do well too. Decon containers, which I use for small hides fairly successfully, are rigid enough and thick enough to work well summer and winter. Anything else plastic just doesn't hold up to use in subzero temps (flexible at 45 degrees, all plastic becomes inflexible below zero... and cracks, and there goes the neighborhood!), although I'm about to try a batch of Lock'n'Locks to see how long they'll last here in Anchorage. Up north in Fairbanks, I wouldn't use anything but an ammocan, decon, bison or a Nalgene... caching at -20 or lower is brutal on the cacher and sudden death on plastic containers! ...

If a nalgene cryotube can stand up to liquid nitrogen (-320°), it can probably stand up to the great white north.

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I favor using thermos jugs:

 

This is Calethix clowing around with my cache 'Cataract Falls Towering Pines' container

 

27b32afa-4dcb-44a8-9bba-fb96aecf5d15.jpg

 

Desigend to be waterproof, wide mouthed, and since I buy them used at the local thrift store, I payless than $2.00 each.

 

Con: Not easily camoflaged, (didn't need to be at this location), but I've used the Krylon plastics psray paint to geed effect.

Edited by 2qwerqE
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Here in the desert, plastic has a short life expectancy around here. Better plastics may last few years, and on rare occasion, longer, but I have never seen an ammo can fall victim to the local environment.

Only you can prevent forest fires.

How tough is an ammo can at protection of its contents?

In a cache area with a flood like New Orleans or a forest fire like California what would be the protection of the contents inside?

Seems like the water would be kept out, but what about heat? Would it char and burn paper contents, melt plastic?

Ammo cans are the container of choice for remote locations. They hold up best in heat/cold/wet.dry.

 

We had a few caches fall victim to fires here in the Las Vegas area this past year. Tupperware was totally gone and the ammo cans remained, chared and the contents melted and the seals were ruined. But you knew it was the cache.

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You have a fairly good summary going.

 

I've learned you can mix and match a bit depending on the location. Gladware generally sucks, but it's viable if the location is dry and rodent free. Though I'd tend to use an altoids tin or decon in that circumstance.

 

One interesting container I found was a paint can complete with the required opening tool attached. Waterproof, durable and viable for it's location but not as elegant as an ammo can.

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One interesting container I found was a paint can complete with the required opening tool attached. Waterproof, durable and viable for it's location but not as elegant as an ammo can.

 

Did one of those once. It was an brand new (unused) 2.5 gallon oyster can. Just like a paint can, but shiney new and no lables. The next finder pulled the cache out by the tether holding the opening tool which promptly broke. They put the tool IN the cache making it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) for the next finder. :P

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All good info, I agree with most of the container evaluations listed.

 

I would only add that with any degree of 'finder error', ANY one of these containers can potentially become an icky mess inside.

When a ziploc inside a cache gets accidentally closed in the gasket, it significantly reduces the function of the watertight seal......

When someone doesn't totally snap a lid on tightly, moisture easily seeps inside.....

When a finder replaces the lid of a Lock-n-Lock container on upside down ( :P ), we're talking trouble here (that's one reason to put camo tape on the outside, eliminates confusion).....

 

We must always take special care to not only replace things as they were hidden when we found them, but also to ensure that the container is closed correctly and completely as possible.

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by the way, contrary to popular belief, briansnat is not Jeremy's alterego, and shamelessy sucking up to him will not assure smooth passage of your cache submissions through review or keep the mods off your back - okay, maybe it will have some positive effect v. mods. (On the other hand, he is "paid to post" so maybe I don't really know squat here afterall).

Are you saying my hundreds of hours spent typing "You Da Man, Briansnat!" was for naught?.......Dern! :P

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Ammo cans are clearly the best full-sized container. The ranking of the also-rans depends on local conditions. Plastics, which probably work well in shady woodlands, deteriorate rapidly in the desert, as Moose Mob pointed out. Cookie tins, if not damaged and if never previously used for cookies, do remarkably well in desert conditions.

 

I've seen a lot of summit registers--some in excess of 40 years old--whose contents were in great shape. One type that provides excellent protection consists of a clean steel can placed open-side-up and covered with a larger steel can placed open-side-down. The overlapping cans protect the contents from rain, but permit ventilation so that condensation isn't a problem. Even ammo cans sometimes end up damp inside because their gasket seal holds in humidity and moisture that can later condense into liquid water.

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Here in the desert, plastic has a short life expectancy around here. Better plastics may last few years, and on rare occasion, longer, but I have never seen an ammo can fall victim to the local environment.

Only you can prevent forest fires.

How tough is an ammo can at protection of its contents?

In a cache area with a flood like New Orleans or a forest fire like California what would be the protection of the contents inside?

Seems like the water would be kept out, but what about heat? Would it char and burn paper contents, melt plastic?

Ammo cans are the container of choice for remote locations. They hold up best in heat/cold/wet.dry.

 

We had a few caches fall victim to fires here in the Las Vegas area this past year. Tupperware was totally gone and the ammo cans remained, chared and the contents melted and the seals were ruined. But you knew it was the cache.

I wouldn't consider fire as part of the environment any more than a bulldozer, shotgun, or a rock slide.

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One interesting container I found was a paint can complete with the required opening tool attached. Waterproof, durable and viable for it's location but not as elegant as an ammo can.

 

Did one of those once. It was an brand new (unused) 2.5 gallon oyster can. Just like a paint can, but shiney new and no lables. The next finder pulled the cache out by the tether holding the opening tool which promptly broke. They put the tool IN the cache making it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) for the next finder. :P

 

I sometimes forget you have to allow for the future finders. Sorry about that Snoogans, I'll try not to break the teather next time. :D

 

That said, any container that requires a special retrieval tool or opener that is stored at that cache location is probably a bad idea.

Edited by Renegade Knight
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Here in the desert, plastic has a short life expectancy around here. Better plastics may last few years, and on rare occasion, longer, but I have never seen an ammo can fall victim to the local environment.
Only you can prevent forest fires.
Ammo cans are the container of choice for remote locations. They hold up best in heat/cold/wet.dry.

 

We had a few caches fall victim to fires here in the Las Vegas area this past year. ... the ammo cans remained, chared and the contents melted and the seals were ruined. But you knew it was the cache.

I wouldn't consider fire as part of the environment any more than a bulldozer, shotgun, or a rock slide.
I would consider both a forest fire and a and rock slide to be environmental.

 

<edited for a thousand reasons>

Edited by sbell111
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One interesting container I found was a paint can complete with the required opening tool attached. Waterproof, durable and viable for it's location but not as elegant as an ammo can.

 

Did one of those once. It was an brand new (unused) 2.5 gallon oyster can. Just like a paint can, but shiney new and no lables. The next finder pulled the cache out by the tether holding the opening tool which promptly broke. They put the tool IN the cache making it a 5 star difficulty (tool required) for the next finder. :P

 

I sometimes forget you have to allow for the future finders. Sorry about that Snoogans, I'll try not to break the teather next time. :D

Some cachers would have just traded for the tool and left a McToy on the leash. :D:D

Edited by sbell111
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Here in the desert, plastic has a short life expectancy around here. Better plastics may last few years, and on rare occasion, longer, but I have never seen an ammo can fall victim to the local environment.
Only you can prevent forest fires.
Ammo cans are the container of choice for remote locations. They hold up best in heat/cold/wet.dry.

 

We had a few caches fall victim to fires here in the Las Vegas area this past year. ... the ammo cans remained, chared and the contents melted and the seals were ruined. But you knew it was the cache.

I wouldn't consider fire as part of the environment any more than a bulldozer, shotgun, or a rock slide.
I would consider both a forest fire and a and rock slide to be environmental.

 

<edited for a thousand reasons>

And I'll add bulldozers and guns to the urban environment. I've found more bulldozed caches (one) and shot up (one) caches than burnt caches so far.

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Finder error does occur all the time. I can easily forgive somebody for not closing the lid properly. But the one thing that really bugs me, is the safety for the logbook, the ziplock back. If the container gets damaged or isn't closed properly, the ziplock back will save the logbook, because that is what it is for. But it will only save it if there are no holes in it. 60% of the caches I have seen have had bags with holes in it. And 90% of those, have holes only because the pencil poked through the bag when the last finder was trying to cram it back in the cache... :P

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Ammo cans are best, but at $12 for the 7.62mm, kind of pricey. The one I placed last weekend was one I brought home from Iraq in '91.

 

Decons are $7 here locally. Again, WAY overpriced , but nice containers, as long as all four corners are snapped down.

 

Matchstick holders are great for micros, and for stages of multis, but there is one I like even better than that. It is slightly larger than a 35MM, AND has a chain to hang it by. It is intended for boating, as it is waterproof/windproof, and they hold up exceedingly well (at least so far). I pick them up at my local Walmart, but here is a similar item . Less than a dollar, and piece of mind. I love 'em. Here is one that has been out in the woods for 9 months:00792110-5251-452d-8b8c-33dd1ca70c65.jpg . A lot of the paint is gone, (my fault), but I love these. That is a regular bison tube next to it for size comparison/scale.

 

If you MUST use a 35mm, as long as the log is in a very small ziplock, it'll last longer. But if you positively enjoy neverending cache maintenance, forgo the ziplock crack baggie and have fun with all of the complaints of moldy, disintegrating logs. :P

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One container I neglected to add to my list was zip lock baggies.

(Huh?)

Yep, I've found three caches where a ziplock had been covered in camo tape and hidden. Judging from the amount of water & insects living inside the defunct baggies, they went south long before I found them. In the Riffster scale, these would fall even lower than the much maligned film canister. I haven't been blessed with a Chinese food container hide yet, but I can't imagine they would be suitable.

Edited by Clan Riffster
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Cryotubes make great micro containers.

994a51f7-6859-4603-a2a2-f50cddb05668.jpg

 

Where do you buy these?? a local cacher hid a series with those containers and I would love to find some!

 

clay

 

They can also be ordered from a laboratory supply company. We use these ones by the hundred in the lab, and occasionally one finds it's way into the wild as a micro :laughing: . The top ones (1.2ml) are the perfect size. I've never dealt with Fisher outside of institutional purchases, though, so I'm not sure if individuals can place orders with them. Wouldn't hurt to call them up and see, though.

 

Oh, and before somebody asks, I'm sorry but I can't order them for anybody. I like my job too much :laughing: .

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The Good:

  • Ammo Cans
  • Lock-n-Locks
  • Match Containers with o ring
  • Rubbermaid - Serve-n-Seal

The Bad:

  • Coffee Cans - plastic or metal
  • used food jars
  • tins - cookie or altoids
  • film cans

The Ugly:

  • film cans - (yes again)
  • gladware
  • most tupperware
  • plastic baggies
  • pencil boxes - cardboard or plastic

 

This is pretty much how I see it also...

 

However, there is a four-year-old cookie tin about three miles from my house (found on my first geocaching expedition!) that is still safely protecting it's contents. So it really does depend on the local climate.

ANYTHING plastic (with the possible exception of decons) will probably be cracked and useless within a year around here (if the rodents don't get to it before then).

 

DON'T get me started on the sadware issue!

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If you have to hide a micro, find someone who is diabetic and uses test strips. The containers are just about the same size as a film canister but are waterproof (because the test strips have to stay dry.) So far the one I've used has held up quite well!

Edited by redhedmary
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Even ammo cans sometimes end up damp inside because their gasket seal holds in humidity and moisture that can later condense into liquid water.

 

This can easily be fixed by tossing in a silica gel packet. I use them in my ammo cans (non-cache) and gun safes. Unless someone opens the can in a downpour, humidity isnt a problem any more.

 

Other great cache containers for weather resistance are mortar cases. Theres a multi-final here that used an old cylinder (rocket or mortar tube) loaded with everything from books to DVD's. Not only are military items great and fairly inexpensive but they are pretty darn resilliant. Heck, if you know someone in the service, particularly transport or artillery, you can pretty well bet that they can put their hands on some amazing containers, but make sure that the items are genuinely being put "out of service" to avoid Loss and Abuse issues. If you live near a military base/post, try to get to the DRMO and see what's for sale (Army is best for this as they actually let civilians on post).

 

Another container that needs mention are home-made PVC tubes. They can be of any size from 1/2" diameter to 12" and virtually any length. Made with every day pvc plumbing pipe (dont use CPVC as its crap in the cold), a cap at one end and a clean-out at the other (properly glued of course) they can handle some pretty amazing circumstances (its water pipe afterall... since its made to keep water - or sewerage - IN, it'll darn well keep it out). If you're worried about UV resistance, upgrade the main tube to PVC electrical conduit (the gray stuff). It stays more flexible in the cold, is UV resistant and all plumbing accessories fit nicely. Hit it with some of that Krylon Fusion paint and you're good to go.

 

One last great cache container I've found here in NC are pill or vitamin bottles (the ones with the SCREW tops like Centrum, etc, not the child-resistant amber perscription ones). Some here have been in use for years and are still in great shape.

 

This is all USA standard stuff, I'm not sure what their equals would be "across the pond"

Edited by RaisedByWolves
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Another container that needs mention are home-made PVC tubes.

I forgot all about PVC pipes. My experience has been somewhat different than yours. It seems that, around these parts, the removable cap, (either screw on or compression fit), was put on loose enough to allow the interior to gather moisture, (lots of that humidity stuff here in Florida :tired: ), or was put on so tight that Hercules couldn't budge it. I saw one listed here in the forums that had a screw on cap and had a cap wrench affixed to the container. I thought that was a pretty good solution.

 

I gotta agree with your thoughts on mortar tubes. I bought one simply cuz I thought it looked kewl, not knowing how well it would hold up. It's hidden as a puzzle, way back in a swamp, and is usually floating in standing water. It's been a year and the contents are still dry. A further benefit to these is that their shape lends themselves to be easily camo'ed as a downed tree branch.

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I've seen welding rod containers mentioned in the forums in the past, but not here so far. Plastic (HDPE I suspect), threaded closure but fitted with a gasket, so you're not relying on the threads to seal. I just brought two from McMaster -Carr, and will try them out for my first caches. If they don't pan out, I'll spring for the ammo cans.

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I agree that the ammocan is the best. A type of container that has not been mentioned in this forum is the gunpowder container. I have found 2 of these in the past year. They seem to have a very good seal. The obvious problem with them is dropping the wingnut and finders not knowing how to properly open/close.

If you have a fairly remote site in a relatively dry climate and don't want to use an ammocam, they are a good choice. Finders have be careful when opening caches when it is raining/snowing. :(

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I can only speak for myself, but I go after caches hoping to see something new each time.

Obviously, that doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it is a pleasure every tiime. I don't care if it's an ammo box or an aspirin bottle, or a boxcar, as long as it is a new or improved hide of its type. The "wow" factor is what keeps ME from coming back.

 

But then... our area is loaded with caches with a high "WOW!" factor, so maybe I've been spoiled. :(

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I favor using thermos jugs:

 

This is Calethix clowing around with my cache 'Cataract Falls Towering Pines' container

 

27b32afa-4dcb-44a8-9bba-fb96aecf5d15.jpg

 

Desigend to be waterproof, wide mouthed, and since I buy them used at the local thrift store, I payless than $2.00 each.

 

Con: Not easily camoflaged, (didn't need to be at this location), but I've used the Krylon plastics psray paint to geed effect.

Well, you would think that anything that was designed to hold liquid would be weather resistant, but I do believe every one of these I have ever found has been wet inside, except one- it was 2/3 full of ice.

 

I think the deal is that they eventually leak where the spout enters.

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I've never dealt with Fisher outside of institutional purchases, though, so I'm not sure if individuals can place orders with them. Wouldn't hurt to call them up and see, though.

 

AFAIK, Fisher is like most businesses, and will take just about anyone's money. You can set up an account on their website, use a credit card for ordering. The only thing you won't get is bulk discount pricing like a big company or institution.

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One thing I've used a few times with good success are small prescription bottles. The orange plastic bottles with the white 'push down and turn' lids. These bottles are designed to keep the moisture & humidity away from the prescription; they do the same for log books. Of course they're VERY well cleaned first and all of the labels have been removed. I also cover mine completely in colored duct tape or camo tape - the default orange is very easy to spot, particularly by non-cachers.

 

...Another container that needs mention are home-made PVC tubes....

 

I've found a few caches constructed in a similar manner, made from white pvc water pipe, black sewer pipe, and metal pipes. The containers seemed to function well as cache containers keeping the contents relatively well protected from the elements, with the plastic pipes functioning a bit better than the metal. The problem I could see with them was their appearance to a non-cacher who might stumble onto one - nearly every one I've found could easily be mistaken for a pipe bomb. Not a really good idea for 'camo', and a sure way to get your cache destroyed by the local bomb squad. If the authorities do figure out the original intent of the container, the repercussions to the cache owner, or the local caching community, could be unpleasant.

 

My two cents.

 

Keep on Caching - Kewaneh

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