Entrepid Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 seriously, what is a bison tube, and what does it look like? I'm going for one today, and I want to know what one looks like before I go. Quote Link to comment
+Knight2000 Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 seriously, what is a bison tube, and what does it look like? I'm going for one today, and I want to know what one looks like before I go. Look here. Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Sometimes they are cammoed by a larger object. I have two hidden in holes I drilled in large pine cones. They are hanging in non-pine trees. . One is hidden in a toy turtle I got at "Party City," and one is in a hole I drilled in a piece of Manzanita burl. The ones that are just hanging in a bush are really, really hard for me to find. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Here is one. It's painted brown. usually they are a metallic color like the one on the left in the lower pic. Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 They're easy to make at home - first, catch a bison... They are great in wet areas as they are waterproof and don't float. If you need to replace the O ring, they take a size 6. Quote Link to comment
lola11 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I'm new to this. Can anyone describe a bison tube to me? Thanks Quote Link to comment
+FamilyDNA Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 former thread on the same subject Quote Link to comment
lola11 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Here is one. It's painted brown. usually they are a metallic color like the one on the left in the lower pic. GREAT PICS. THANKS Quote Link to comment
lola11 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Sometimes they are cammoed by a larger object. I have two hidden in holes I drilled in large pine cones. They are hanging in non-pine trees. . One is hidden in a toy turtle I got at "Party City," and one is in a hole I drilled in a piece of Manzanita burl. The ones that are just hanging in a bush are really, really hard for me to find. That's very helpful. Thanks Quote Link to comment
lola11 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 bison tube That's helpful. Thanks Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I just drilled out a piece of driftwood today in order to put a bison tube inside the hole . . . so, beware of the cammo that might hide the bison tube . . . This cache is a bison tube in a small piece of Manzanita burl. Quote Link to comment
+tabulator32 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Anyone know why its called a bison tube? I ask only because the tube DOES appear slightly SMALLER than the average bison and I question its ability to contain one. Quote Link to comment
Motorcycle_Mama Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 http://geolex.locusprime.net/ Bison Tube – Small, metal, water-tight cylindrical container that can be used for micro-caches. Small enough to fit on a keychain, and normally used to hold pills. The name is derived from the company which manufactures most of these types of tubes, Bison Design. http://www.bisondesigns.com/mm5/merchant.m...Acc_Subcategory Quote Link to comment
+J10fly Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 (edited) [Commercial content deleted by moderator] Edited November 28, 2007 by Quiggle Quote Link to comment
+J10fly Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 (edited) [Commercial content deleted by moderator.] Edited November 28, 2007 by Quiggle Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Anyone know why its called a bison tube? Yes, because they are manufactured by Bison Designs. Some of us merchants buy them in bulk as a service to our fellow cachers. Shipping from Bison Designs can be expensive or non-existent to certain places. Except for a $1.50 handling fee on orders under $10, we used to ship for free on most orders until the USPS changed the rules on us. Now, we have the same prices as Bison Designs but a flat $2 shipping per order except rare circumstances or foreign orders. On a side note, the capsules can be used for more than micros caches. The small capsule is great for stages. Two bucks is cheaper than the $5 for an engraved dog tag from a big-box kiosk. Take an icecream stick cut to length and jam it into the lid. Write your coords or clues on the stick. If your cords ever change, eat another ice cream! I have a SCUBA tube set up for a stage that provides you with a small scroll of clues to take with you to complete the rest of the hunt. You could use one similar to how some folks will use a laminated card in the wild. Another favorite use of the small tube is emergency money. I have a $20 bill rolled in one and keep it on my keyring. This saves me during the times I don't otherwise have cash and the store doesn't take a card. I've used it about 5 times so far. You just have to have the discipline to not use as a wallet for piddly purchases and put the money back at first opportunity. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Here is a Bison tube on the left (to the right are Nalgene cryo vials) Here is a slightly larger one that has been painted (they usually come with a shiny, metallic paint job). Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 (edited) As a side note, many geocachers use generic bison tubes instead of the 'real' ones. They still do a fine job of keeping the log dry and can be found locally for very little cash. Recently, my wife and I were wandering around the Workshop Tools store in a local mall and discovered a huge bin full of these for a dollar each. Edited November 27, 2007 by sbell111 Quote Link to comment
+logonwheeler Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Anyone know why its called a bison tube? On a side note, the capsules can be used for more than micros caches. The small capsule is great for stages. Two bucks is cheaper than the $5 for an engraved dog tag from a big-box kiosk. Take an icecream stick cut to length and jam it into the lid. Write your coords or clues on the stick. If your cords ever change, eat another ice cream! I have to add a note that I completely agree with Coyote's comments concerning the size of the hide when using these capsules. We carry a large assortment of these capsules as well and many times they can be used as coordinate holders for multi-caches. They also can fit inside a larger container that they may sit inside of. There are a few examples of these kind of hides on our website also. All that to be said, a micro doesn't always have to stay a micro!! Quote Link to comment
+Team Cotati Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 And to think, just yesterday a picture was worth a 1,000 words. Quote Link to comment
+Quiggle Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Merged 2 bison tube threads. Quote Link to comment
+mtn-man Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 I like the "leafy" background. Bison tube sitting on a custom ammo box? Camo painting of a bison tube would be interesting I bet! Quote Link to comment
+WebChimp Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Sometimes they are cammoed by a larger object. The ones that are just hanging in a bush are really, really hard for me to find. I agree on the "hanging" bisons being hard to find. One cache in the vicinity was a green bison tube hanging in a ...... you ready for this?......... a holly bush. A BIG holly bush. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 I like the "leafy" background. Bison tube sitting on a custom ammo box? Camo painting of a bison tube would be interesting I bet! You guessed it. The tube is sitting on one of these: Quote Link to comment
+simpjkee Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 This is prolly considered off topic, but I'm curious what the advantages and disadvantages arte between the regular bison and the "Scuba" style bison. Like why would you choose one over the other? Just personal preference? Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 This is prolly considered off topic, but I'm curious what the advantages and disadvantages arte between the regular bison and the "Scuba" style bison. Like why would you choose one over the other? Just personal preference? Size. The SCUBA is much larger. You can fit a larger log, even some tiny trade items. Quote Link to comment
+Night Stalker Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 A bison tube is a sign of the devil. Quote Link to comment
+Anonymous' Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I had a gift card for REI so I bought 2 normal bison tubes and 1 large one. I haven't hidden any of them yet, but I want to do something creative with the large one. Quote Link to comment
+simpjkee Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 This is prolly considered off topic, but I'm curious what the advantages and disadvantages arte between the regular bison and the "Scuba" style bison. Like why would you choose one over the other? Just personal preference? Size. The SCUBA is much larger. You can fit a larger log, even some tiny trade items. Really? In this link they look to be identical except for how they open. One at the top and one at the bottom. Any difference there.Bisons Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 (edited) This is prolly considered off topic, but I'm curious what the advantages and disadvantages arte between the regular bison and the "Scuba" style bison. Like why would you choose one over the other? Just personal preference? Size. The SCUBA is much larger. You can fit a larger log, even some tiny trade items. Really? In this link they look to be identical except for how they open. One at the top and one at the bottom. Any difference there.Bisons That's two different photos. Sorry for any confusion. I've uploaded a comparison photo. EDIT: I need a proofreader. Edited December 2, 2007 by CoyoteRed Quote Link to comment
+simpjkee Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 This is prolly considered off topic, but I'm curious what the advantages and disadvantages arte between the regular bison and the "Scuba" style bison. Like why would you choose one over the other? Just personal preference? Size. The SCUBA is much larger. You can fit a larger log, even some tiny trade items. Really? In this link they look to be identical except for how they open. One at the top and one at the bottom. Any difference there.Bisons That's two difference photos. Sorry for any confusion. I've uploaded a comparison photo. Oh ok, I see the difference now. No need to apologize Quote Link to comment
+nashuan Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I am putting on a demonstration soon and wanted to find out where the name "bison tube" came from. A Google search led me to this forum thread and I was please to find a link to Bison Designs that sounded like the answer I was searching for, but I can find no bison tube product line on their site. This thread is not some 5-years old so I'm guessing that the product MIGHT have originaly been made by this manufacturer but was copied by some outside vendor and is now no longer made by Bison Designs. Anyone know if this is the case or if there is some other origin for the name? Thanks, Nashuan Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) I am putting on a demonstration soon and wanted to find out where the name "bison tube" came from. A Google search led me to this forum thread and I was please to find a link to Bison Designs that sounded like the answer I was searching for, but I can find no bison tube product line on their site. This thread is not some 5-years old so I'm guessing that the product MIGHT have originaly been made by this manufacturer but was copied by some outside vendor and is now no longer made by Bison Designs. Anyone know if this is the case or if there is some other origin for the name? Thanks, Nashuan It definitely comes from Bison Designs. They may not have invented them or been the first company to manufacture them (or maybe they were), but they were the first one to come to the attention of geocachers. BTW they still carry them. Look under miscellaneous key accessories. Edited August 3, 2012 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+Chief301 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Bison Designs is where the name comes from, but by default a "bison tube" has come to be known within the Geocaching community as any container with a similar design, regardless of manufacturer. Sort of like every flying disc toy is called a Frisbee Quote Link to comment
+mrcanoehead224 Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I too was looking for the origin of the name. As an FYI, the new link for Bison Designs is on their new geocaching page. Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 My grandfather had pill fobs identical to the cheaper china copies when I was a kid. AFAIK the company that seems to have the credit for their design as geocaches is Bison Designs. Quote Link to comment
+Robespierre Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 On 5/13/2007 at 10:14 AM, Entrepid said: seriously, what is a bison tube, and what does it look like? I'm going for one today, and I want to know what one looks like before I go. If you lay down under a bison and look UP...... (just sayin') 1 Quote Link to comment
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