Seen Any Good Full-Size Urban Caches?

January 22, 2007

Like most of you, we are getting tired of 35mm film canisters stuck in a shrub outside of K-Mart.

Where we live has several park areas and other public spaces that would be good cache locations. Unfortunately, they don't really lend themselves to a traditional full-size hide. We already have one micro (not a 35mm canister) and we don't want to place another one. Micros are spreading like a rash in our area.

We are trying to figure out a way to place a full-size cache in an area with high visibility or a way to hide it in plain sight. Have you seen any full-size caches or caches hidden in plain sight? If so, which ones were they or what were they like? We are hoping that something sparks our creativity. Thanks!

January 22, 2007

In Raleigh, saw a full-sized ammo can in a storm drain . . . had a large earth magnet (magnet from a computer hard drive, it was) holding it up to the metal drain top. Worked fine, until the city employees saw it and got nervous - authorities removed it. But, it was a lot of fun, while it lasted!

You might use the idea to attach a can or almost any other container almost anywhere, especially if it is painted to match an environ (might have to paint the environ a little, too). Seen this done where the place it was attached & the container were painted together - was almost invisible out-in-the-open.

Edited January 22, 2007 by GRANPA ALEX

January 22, 2007

Here's one

18.9k · January 22, 2007

All it takes is a small area of trees to place a fake or hollowed out tree stump - good for a lot of different sizes.

38.2k · January 22, 2007

I generally don't think full sized caches are a good idea in high traffic areas because of the increased possiblilty that they can generate alarm if accidently discovered.

To me its all about the location rather than the size of the cache anyways. I'm perfectly happy with micros hidden in urban areas as long as there is something of interest near the cache.

January 23, 2007

I did have this large ammo can chained (neg. bouyancy) to a floating wharf in town but I suspect the shiny chain gave it away to locals who used the wharf for fishing.

January 23, 2007

Here are two we found over Christmas Break this past year.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...01-f239703c1439

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...5c-2a2e7efdd6b8

This one is not an Amo Container but it is in a city. It is a rubber maid containter. Lots of fun too and very educational.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...57-59aef9db8f92

I know there are other's you just have to take a lot of time to find them.

1.5k · January 23, 2007

Here's one more reason to get permission for an urban hide: if you can find someone in charge who has a positive impression of geocaching (for example, you could approach a tourism bureau in a small town since they'd be interested in the visitors a cache would bring), they'll sometimes be willing to work with you to find a way to hide a full-sized cache in a seemingly impossible area. As an example, we once helped a visitor's center put together a full-sized cache in a high traffic area (right off their back porch) by placing it inside a fake birdhouse. It gets much more positive feedback than a micro in the parking lot would, and since the staff are aware of it, they even help keep an eye on it.

January 23, 2007

there is actually room under lamp post covers for a decent sized container

2.7k · January 23, 2007

I've got one in my front yard, and its one of the few around here that's not buried in snow.

18.9k · January 23, 2007

there is actually room under lamp post covers for a decent sized container

:rolleyes: :lol: :lol:

:blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:

January 23, 2007

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6b-40d93f2717e1

This cache is full sized and is stuck in a bush near a flag pole in a park along the expressway service drive.

It is big enough for those stuffed animal TB's that surface now & again. There is a bunch of kids type swag & cachers love to find it. After days of micros, and now nano's, it is like a breath of fresh air to find that big plastic bowl!

Happy Caching!

January 23, 2007

Found one that was in a fake air conditioning unit outside a business with the permission of the owner. So it was about 2'x2'x3'. It had a label on it that said "Geo-Aire". The top was hinged and the fan blade mounted with a bracket to make it look real. Inside was a 30 gal trash can. That is the largest in an urban setting I have seen. It helps to carry a clipboard and test meter with you so people think you are just servicing the compressor.

January 23, 2007

Those caches under the street light skirts always make me nervous. I'm convinced that I am going to stick my hand under there, touch an exposed wire, and die a horrible spasming death.

The bird house is a good idea so is the air conditioner. That sounds like a cool cache. I don't think we could do an AC unit but some other type of fake mechanical box might work.

Unfortunately, hiding boxes in the bushes doesn't really work around here. Most of the bushes have been removed from the parks for some reason. Lots of Live Oak trees but very few bushes. These parks are really well maintained too so even though the parks office allows geocaches, they contract out the litter removal and landscape maintainance. It is unlikely that the contractors would realize something was a geocache and leave it alone.

We have a micro that is in plain sight. It is in a hide-a-key container that looks like an inground sprinkler so to non-cachers it doesn't look out of place.

January 23, 2007

I've got one in my front yard, and its one of the few around here that's not buried in snow.

Yard caches (especially in subdivisions) immediately go on my ignore list. Who knows what that suspicious neighbor is thinking when they watch the umpteenth stranger looking for something "just off the sidewalk" across the street? I have more respect for my neighbors than to place a cache in my front yard, and ignore yard caches for similar reasons.

January 23, 2007

we did one called "talk to harry cache" it's in harrys front yard in a sprinkler vavle well, it's cool becouse the man "Harry" i guess he will come out and talk to you if he see's you we missed out on meeting him on a Sunday afternoon but quiet a neat cache anyhow. Als we have found several fake sprinlers around industrial parks that are neat. many small and medium cach's around for a nice mixup.

Greg

7.2k · January 23, 2007

Ummm...

There are butt-load of urban caches that are regular sized and larger. One of the most celebrated, though now archived, is Tube Torcher and it was a larger urban. We have several. One, folks get to ground zero and stand within inches of a SAW can and can't find it.

Sure, hiding a full-sized ammo can in an urban environment where a multitude of muggles past everyday is a challenge. Sadly, few are up to it.

January 23, 2007

Ummm...

There are butt-load of urban caches that are regular sized and larger. One of the most celebrated, though now archived, is Tube Torcher and it was a larger urban. We have several. One, folks get to ground zero and stand within inches of a SAW can and can't find it.

Sure, hiding a full-sized ammo can in an urban environment where a multitude of muggles past everyday is a challenge. Sadly, few are up to it.

most ammo cans in an urban Environment get a visit from the local Bomb Squad even some ABS pipe caches. I will do large or medium but not ARMY Issue containers For urban placement. eventhough i would use a better container for a Bomb the GP thinks anything ARMY is Explosive.

Greg

January 23, 2007

Check this one out.

It is located in Jeffersonville, IN.

Very old ammo-can cache.

GC55E

January 23, 2007

Check this one out.

It is located in Jeffersonville, IN.

Very old ammo-can cache.

GC55E

Falls of the Ohio

6.5k · January 23, 2007

The Federation Must Pay is a classic must do in Jacksonville FL. The gallery on this cache page says it all. :huh:

7.2k · January 24, 2007

most ammo cans in an urban Environment get a visit from the local Bomb Squad even some ABS pipe caches. I will do large or medium but not ARMY Issue containers For urban placement. eventhough i would use a better container for a Bomb the GP thinks anything ARMY is Explosive.

:huh:

January 30, 2007

The Federation Must Pay is a classic must do in Jacksonville FL. The gallery on this cache page says it all.

I think I see the revenge aspect of this cache.

5.9k · January 30, 2007

Sent you a PM.

January 30, 2007

There is a cache in Marquette, MI that is a decent size container hidden with a large magnet under a specially made park bench. City workers moved the bench to a new location and never realized the container was attached. How's that for a good hide?

January 31, 2007

there is one near my house that is a fire hydrant right in front of a fire station, its byy far the coolest cache i've found, so far

9.3k · January 31, 2007

most ammo cans in an urban Environment get a visit from the local Bomb Squad

Statistically inaccurate. "Most" equals between 51 and 99%. Judging from the high number of urban ammo cans out there, compared with the relatively low number of caches blown up, I'd guess the real number was less than 1%.

January 31, 2007

most ammo cans in an urban Environment get a visit from the local Bomb Squad even some ABS pipe caches. I will do large or medium but not ARMY Issue containers For urban placement. eventhough i would use a better container for a Bomb the GP thinks anything ARMY is Explosive.

Greg

I can't help but think some Boston caches might get "discovered" and blown up today.

Check CNN if this doesn't make sense to you.

-WR

January 31, 2007

This is a good one

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...61c2d&log=y

January 31, 2007

This is a good one

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...61c2d&log=y

WOW! That's a clever cache and, judging by the photo, it has the cutest swag I've ever seen. That took some serious effort.

January 31, 2007

snip, snips

We are trying to figure out a way to place a full-size cache in an area with high visibility or a way to hide it in plain sight. Have you seen any full-size caches or caches hidden in plain sight? If so, which ones were they or what were they like? We are hoping that something sparks our creativity. Thanks!

This one nav 101 is in a downtown park without much in the way of cover. Actual cache hide is at the base of a dense growing fir/pine tree. I got FTF and was concerned at the time about high muggle potential do to being seen going after the cache. So far, five months in place.

JohnTee

January 31, 2007

Poet's peak in San Francisco. 15 blocks from our hotel... Straght up the hill. Worth the climb though! My geocacher eyes spotted it from the hotel. But a muggle would have never seen. After finding it I went and lifted weights for 2 hours. I slept for 14 hours that night.

February 2, 2007

Just a little full sized cache, placed in the city, in plain sight, ten>fifteen feet from the curb, 1 year and no one has bothered it yet. The one above is before the final paint, which "aged" it. This one was "Around the Block I", we had some really big fires here a couple of years ago, and it was last seen being used as a wheel chock on a fire Engine, when the FD left, The cache was gone. I still have four of these, but only one in the field. "Around The Block III" http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ce-dad51b4df1d4

Edited February 2, 2007 by Team GeoCan

February 2, 2007

This one is long disassembled, (but I still have it).

It was constructed in three parts A 4" sewer pipe about 5 feet long, painted bright Yellow. A 3" sewer pipe with end caps, slightly shorter. Ans a manufactured cap that looked like a concrete plug. (painted to match)

As you can see it was placed on a small hill right next to the road. and just outside the windows of a Dennys. It was bright yellow because the little road it was on suddenly turned into a cliff,so I placed it there as if it was to warn people that a drop off was there. I was going to make it a multi, by placing a second one ten feet away and hanging a chain between them...

You walked to the top of the hill (about 80 feet high) and popped the top, pulled the inner container out and in plain site of the world, cached.

Strangely a lot of people couldn't find it, several did find it by leaning on it, and some actually chained their bikes to it, and logged a no-find.

The original of this burned up in the fires, it was made to look VERY rusty, and was standing up in the middle of an open field.

Just a pipe sticking out of the ground.

February 2, 2007

I saw on these forums of a cache that was a huge, white mousetrap in the desert and the "bait" was the cache. This thing was about 6 feet long by 2 feet wide, i guess. Sure would like more info on this one.

Seen Any Good Full-Size Urban Caches?

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