Worst cache containers found

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Oh my. Go down to the "Maintenance Log" by the cache owner and check out the link for their "Service"....

(NSFW)

Naturally curiousity compells me to go look but I don't see anything weird.

I had to look about 3 times. Lower right hand corner of photo.

Ok, pretty weird indeed, but funny! Obviously not appropriate for caching though.

Yes, funny, and kinda cute in a kitschy way, but not really appropriate for the mainstream geocaching world.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Vinny & Sue Team

[+The Herd]

There was the one we found in Lafayette, Indiana. That was a large alchol bottle, in a dump site....and the cache page was all about practicing CITO.

[+goldsy]

The worst for me was in a guardrail, logsheet in a ziplock bag, shoved into a bic pen top.

[+vw_k]

I don't see how anyone can have an excuse for some of the terrible containers mentioned in this forum. Most camera shops and places that develop 35mm film will gladly give you 35mm containers for free as they end up with hundreds of them!

Here in the UK you can get watertight plastic containers in superstores in various sizes ranging in price from just 50p up to about £2.00, and a small notebook in the same store won't cost much either. It doesnt take alot of money to build a good quality cache, and if you're too lazy to take a trip to your local store then maybe this sport isn't for you!

[+requiscat]

No container, just a loose, unsealed bag. It was clearly marked with, "please clean up after your pets." The only way I knew it was a cache was that it was written on the bag in black sharpie. I still can't believe I signed the log.

[+wandererrob]

No container, just a loose, unsealed bag. It was clearly marked with, "please clean up after your pets." The only way I knew it was a cache was that it was written on the bag in black sharpie. I still can't believe I signed the log.

 

At that point you've expended the effort to find it, you might as well get your smily for it. I don't usually care about the smily itself, but once in a while it's the only redeeming quality.

[+IDLookout]

I don't see how anyone can have an excuse for some of the terrible containers mentioned in this forum. Most camera shops and places that develop 35mm film will gladly give you 35mm containers for free as they end up with hundreds of them!

Here in the UK you can get watertight plastic containers in superstores in various sizes ranging in price from just 50p up to about £2.00, and a small notebook in the same store won't cost much either. It doesnt take alot of money to build a good quality cache, and if you're too lazy to take a trip to your local store then maybe this sport isn't for you!

 

That says it all.

Edited August 9, 2007 by IDLookout

[+kingsting]

A Bic pen cap with a logsheet stuffed into a hole in a signpost near a suburban neighborhood. Surprisingly, the cache got a lot of visits and was active for some time.

[+msrubble]

A bread bag. In all fairness, though, this wasn't what the owner used; it was an attempt at cache repair.

 

After that, probably the worst I've found was Gladware in a pile of brush near the town dump.

[+Cecilly]

How about a baseball?

Can't imagine that will hold up too well...

 

Oh, goody, I still have a chance at FTF

[+logonwheeler]

My wife and I were out caching last night in search of a couple of caches. One that we came across was right outside a well know pet store chain that had an area on the side of the building for the owner's pets to relieve themselves from all the excitement of the car ride over. Typical pea gravel area with a stand with recycled plastic baggies for cleaning up. The stand was out of clean baggies and stuffed full of used baggies that looked and smelled like it had been ripening in the 90 deg + sunshine for a few days.

 

The cache was located on the backside of the stand contained in a plastic "hide a key" without a lid and a torn up ziplock. The smell was so bad that we allmost didnt retrieve this one. Talk about a "crappy" place to put a cache!

[+requiscat]

No container, just a loose, unsealed bag. It was clearly marked with, "please clean up after your pets." The only way I knew it was a cache was that it was written on the bag in black sharpie. I still can't believe I signed the log.

 

At that point you've expended the effort to find it, you might as well get your smily for it. I don't usually care about the smily itself, but once in a while it's the only redeeming quality.

 

Yeah, it's part of my own personal caching rule: "NO cache will beat me."

[+tracywatson]

Oh my. Go down to the "Maintenance Log" by the cache owner and check out the link for their "Service"....

(NSFW)

Naturally curiousity compells me to go look but I don't see anything weird.

I had to look about 3 times. Lower right hand corner of photo.

Well, yes, the biz cards are indeed one thing, and their content is a bit risque, but there is also the very concept of leaving a handful of business cards as TRADE ITEMS in return for having removed a number of coins (quarters) left as trade items. Amazing!

 

In that vein, I must admit that I LOVED is the ensuing log entry left a month later by a subsequent finder of the cache and the cards, who CITOed the cards, as follows:

August 14, 2005 by Team Encore (260 found)

Well, this one ranks right down there. I really should have just kept driving when I saw the location, but stopped for the thrill of the hunt. Boyd would've gotten a "thrill" from those business cards had I not spotted them first and removed them - I hate to be rude, but you know children cache with their parents and they don't need to see cards such as those. I didn't know they were the owners' cards - I thought I was *helping* the owner by cleaning up the trash in the cache.

 

Uh... if you look in the log where they've performed the annual maintenance... don't go to the picture.. nothing interesting... I think they meant cutting and pasting the web site address they have listed in the log. The web site is NOT acceptable AT ALL, especially for children. I really did not know that there were "services" such as these. Nothing amazes me anymore.

 

Tracy

[+wavector]

How about a pickle jar with a hole in the lid!

We had a cache called a "Good Ol Ammo Can". Sometime in the last few weeks persons unknown stole the ammo can but they were well meaning thieves, they replaced the .50 cal ammo can with a Bicks pickle jar, not just any pickle jar though, this was a pickle jar with a square hole in the lid. The logbook didn't fit in the pickle jar so they just tossed it on the ground near the cache. The rusty assortment of beer bottle caps were well protected though, they were inside the pickle jar.

 

[+Dagwood&Blondie]

How about a pickle jar with a hole in the lid!

We had a cache called a "Good Ol Ammo Can". Sometime in the last few weeks persons unknown stole the ammo can but they were well meaning thieves, they replaced the .50 cal ammo can with a Bicks pickle jar, not just any pickle jar though, this was a pickle jar with a square hole in the lid. The logbook didn't fit in the pickle jar so they just tossed it on the ground near the cache. The rusty assortment of beer bottle caps were well protected though, they were inside the pickle jar.

 

Maybe they weren't replacing the cache, it resemebles a Tip Jar. LOL Maybe they thought they were doing everyone else a favor?

[+greyhoundlawyer]

I guess I am just tired of hide-a-key boxes. Lets get creative.

[+Cow Spots]

 

One of the caches that has impressed me the least was the one I once found:

• In a Wal-Mart parking lot
  
• Under a lamp post skirt
  
• With a magnetic hide-a-key as the container
  
• And using the Wal-Mart receipt for the purchase of said hide-a-key as the log sheet .
  

That's right -- the hider walked into the store, bought a hide-a-key box, walked out to the parking lot, got as far as the nearest lamp post, unwrapped the box from its packaging (this step represented the most effort involved), placed the receipt in the box, placed the box under a lamp post skirt, marked the coords, and drove home to submit his hide.

 

 

I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

[+wavector]

Maybe they weren't replacing the cache, it resemebles a Tip Jar. LOL Maybe they thought they were doing everyone else a favor?

 

If you look closely at the pickle jar they actually printed the words AMO BOX on the attached plastic label. They did that in case others were wondering what a AMO BOX was I guess.

 

The winner so far is definitely the KBI cache where the logbook was the receipt for the hide a key, man that was funny.

 

I found an upgraded container - the first one was a just a ziploc baggie so some kind soul took the zip loc and put that in a plastic parmesan cheese container, the shakeable kind. The only problem was that the little tab that covers the holes where you shake the cheese out was missing. The original logbook was some folded hotel stationery and interestingly enough the parmesan cheese container came from a restaurant int he same hotel.

 

The cache did contain a really beautiful wooden nickel, I still have that.

[+Cryptid]

There was one near me that was a Ziploc bag hidden under a piece of bark, it lasted about a season, but it took the owner over a year to replace it with Tupperware.

 

My Geobuddy took a non-cacher out geocaching to get him interested, he took him to this one, having not found it yet. That non-geocacher still laughs at us over our silly need to find old Ziploc bags.

Edited August 18, 2007 by Cruiserdude

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

There was one near me that was a Ziploc bag hidden under a piece of bark, it lasted about a season, but it took the owner over a year to replace it with Tupperware.

 

My Geobuddy took a non-cacher out geocaching to get him interested, he took him to this one, having not found it yet. That non-geocacher still laughs at us over our silly need to find old Ziploc bags.

Ziplock bags? That sounds extravagant! I use folding sandwich bags as containers for all my caches, because folding sandwich bags are five times cheaper than ziplock bags of the same size! And, I employ USED sandwich bags to save even more money!

 

[+Misha]

An un cleaned margerine container hidden by Jonny.Cache

[+Misha]

Another was a green 74 liter garbage bag under a tree by Cache_Jordan, at least it was muggle free

[+LeoCaptKirk]

Sorry I'm late on this discussion! Worse for me was a used ice cream pint, camoflauged by being stuffed in an extra large trash bag and thrown into the woods. The geo-swag was stuck to the side of the container!

[+GeoScooter1]

computer error

Edited September 9, 2007 by GeoScooter1

[+Confucius' Cat]

2 of the worst that the owners no doubt thought were good were a fruitcake tin and tackle boxes. Nice big containers, they hold a lot of water in which to submerge the swag.

 

They would be cool if listed as underwater caches (after the first rain).

[+Dave_W6DPS]

 

How about a glass Sobe container...

 

Dave_W6DPS

[+Dave_W6DPS]

 

How about a glass Sobe container...

 

Dave_W6DPS

[Suscrofa]

I am a bit suprised about the negative comments regarding platic bags around container. As a matter of fact I came to use this because doing so the container (a proper one of course, Tuper kind of) remains a lot cleaner, no soil, dirt .... Easier and cleaner when you have to battle to open it.

[+webscouter.]

I am a bit suprised about the negative comments regarding platic bags around container. As a matter of fact I came to use this because doing so the container (a proper one of course, Tuper kind of) remains a lot cleaner, no soil, dirt .... Easier and cleaner when you have to battle to open it.

 

What we see here in America is that trash bags get little folds in them that fill with water and get slimy and smell really bad. Also if the top of the bag is even pointed up in the slightest it fills up with water again getting slimy and gross.

[+BlessedBees]

It was in a cemetary and I could NOT find the log book..

I've seen this kind of cache! You were supposed to chisel your entry into a stone tablet (usually above ground in plain sight).

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I am a bit suprised about the negative comments regarding platic bags around container. As a matter of fact I came to use this because doing so the container (a proper one of course, Tuper kind of) remains a lot cleaner, no soil, dirt .... Easier and cleaner when you have to battle to open it.

This practice may work well for you in France, where, if I remember my geography correctly, is a hot, dry and arid desert land (with lots of camels and cactus) located somewhere in Asia which receives only one-half inch of rainfall per year , but it makes for a nightmare cache in a temperate climates -- such as most regions of the USA -- which receive lots of rainfall. The nastiest and foulest caches which I have ever found were invariably flimsy plastic containers which were wrapped in plastic bags.

[+the_alien_spy and aliens_taxi]

how about a computer ram box in the middle of a tree no camo log and pen wet

[+Dianalynnxk]

how about a computer ram box in the middle of a tree no camo log and pen wet

 

I found a coffee can wrapped in a plastic bag under some bark in the woods once, but it seemed ok, and had been there for well over a year.

[+Zop]

Wow.. Great topic!

 

Let's see.

 

1. Pinecone drilled out with a paper log - no container for log - on lawn and no pine trees in sight

2. Hollowed out twig w/paper logwrapped around a nail - again no container for log

3. Snail shell with strip of paper - container for log - would have been cool if used a blinky

4. Uncammo'd pill bottle under cut grass ON LAWN

5. Unfinished utility blank with gasket and log in baggie but no adhesive for gasket or baggie

6. Empty ball-point pen with no extraction method for tattered log

7. Ok, dis myself here, key holder under a lamp skirt

 

I'm sure there are so many more but these are ones that immediately come to mind.

[+Bill Bailey]

The ones that get me are the plastic jugs and bottles with mouths much smaller than the main container. They can be watertight, but not always. BUT they are always filled with squishy, poky, springy, tangly swag and a rolled up notepad for a log. Takes me half an hour sometimes to get all the stuff back in and the top on.

 

-Bill

[+Primitive Person]

I don't see how anyone can have an excuse for some of the terrible containers mentioned in this forum. Most camera shops and places that develop 35mm film will gladly give you 35mm containers for free as they end up with hundreds of them!

Here in the UK you can get watertight plastic containers in superstores in various sizes ranging in price from just 50p up to about £2.00, and a small notebook in the same store won't cost much either. It doesnt take alot of money to build a good quality cache, and if you're too lazy to take a trip to your local store then maybe this sport isn't for you!

 

I fully agree! Given that you actually need to fork out for a GPS unit, a few extra quid on a decent container isn't going to ruin you. My first cache cost me about eight quid to put together - a decent quality box, a disposable camera, a transparent pencil case for the logbook and stash note, and a few little toys. Several people have complimented me on putting a good cache together. If it's worth doing at all, it's worth doing well. Thankfully, almost all the caches I've found have been moderately good and well worth the effort, with perhaps one soggy exception - even there, the location was enough to compensate.

 

Lee

[podgy76]

I found one today in Chilhowie, Virginia, which is probably about 45 minutes from my house. The location was at a local historical landmark that had a very good story on the plaque. The hint said to look behind the marker. I did as I was told and there was a plastic grocery bag on the ground with a bunch of wet McDonald's toys in them. I did find the log and it was inside of a magnetic keyholder. I don't understand why they didn't just make the keyholder the cache and make it a micro. Oh well, everything inside the container was nasty and musty smelling and had bugs crawling all in it. I also don't get how people think the best idea for a cache in a trashy area is to throw out another bag on the ground. There was also a TB that should have been in there but I didn't locate it either. When I got home and logged the cache most of the other smiley's underneath mine were all saying something like find a better container or something like that. Like the above stated replies say it doesn't cost much to make a decent cache.

[+Spunkmeyer]

A clear plastic "bubble" container (from the grocery story toy vending machines) with a couple scraps of paper torn from a larger sheet of notebook paper. This was simply thrown under a bench near a parking lot. No camo. No mention of geocaching on the log or container. I would have thought it was trash if the cache description hadn't described the container.

 

Owner has since switched this one to a camo'ed film container.

 

Interestingly, this is from as relatively new cacher who is hard-core into the game - 400 finds and 60 hides in their first 4 months of caching. Haven't been to any of their other caches, but hope they are in better locations and containers.

[+Miragee]

Okay . . . I am guilty of placing possibly the WORST.CACHE.CONTAINER.EVER . . . but that is what happens when you arrive at a location that is crying out for a cache and you don't have a container with you because you didn't intend to place yet another cache . . .

 

I promise to replace it with something better as soon as the trail is open again and I can get back up there.

[+Team Cotati]

Found a cache one time, had this greenish type liquid in it...it was moving. Thought that I was gonna hurl. So I guess that strickly speaking, it wasn't the container per se but whatever that green stuff that was inside of it. Criminnie, the thought of it to this day makes my stomach jump.

[+Spunkmeyer]

I recently came across a cache whose lid had broken and had filled with water. It was hot out and it was disgusting. Making it worse was the tube of highly perfumed (not scented, but perfumed) lotion inside that had leaked. I've found some caches in gross conditions, but this putrid rotting old lady smell took the cake!

 

FYI - Owner is a well respected cacher and took care of it as soon as I let him know.

[caverspencer]

Can I add a worst location to the list?

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...b5-38ea15621521

 

The part that cracks me up is that Jeremy banned him from caching, then he rejoins as ad0or and has the gull to log the cache as a find...

 

He now has well over 500 hides. You know every lamp skirt and sign post he has been past because it has a film canister or specimen tube stuck in it.

Edited September 24, 2007 by caverspencer

[+SweetBell]

When we were on vacation this summer my son and I found a log (torn piece of paper) tacked under a wooden bench along a river walk. We were stumped and thought it was pretty lame at the time. The weird thing was that when we returned home to log the find it had totally disappeared from the geocaching website. It wasn't archived or disabled... just GONE. Does this happen?

[+anakerose]

For me it has been a rusty skoal can.

 

To me it is leaving garbage around. (It was lying on the ground.) It also isn't doing much to encourage kids to not use tobacco. ("Daddy, what's that for?")

 

Thats just me though. Others probably don't care either way.

 

I totally agree. We found a cemetery cache which was a plastic skoal can. The log was actually a satellite bill that actually had "Official Log" written on the back.

 

It wasn't in a baggie or anything. Soaking wet. It was one of our first few finds and I almost quit geocaching that day. I didn't want to drag my family around searching for garbage!

 

There's one exactly like this at a Home Depot in Vernon, BC (Home Sweet Home). Magnetic key holder under the skirting of a lamp post.

[+gravelshot]

Can I add a worst location to the list?

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...b5-38ea15621521

 

The part that cracks me up is that Jeremy banned him from caching, then he rejoins as ad0or and has the gull to log the cache as a find...

 

He now has well over 500 hides. You know every lamp skirt and sign post he has been past because it has a film canister or specimen tube stuck in it.

 

The Cache reviewers are true angels! Thanks for pulling this crappy one.. no pun.

[BRETTIOP]

Went after my first FTF a few days ago, found it the instant i got to the Gz and it was a plastic skoal tin,sitting in plain view beside a bridge, the label still half on, three follded up strips of paper for the log, wasnt labelled as a geocache or anything at all, there was still a little bit of tabbacco in the bottom, which stunk, and no FTF prize:(

Ill still take the FTF tho

[Mr.Yuck]

Went after my first FTF a few days ago, found it the instant i got to the Gz and it was a plastic skoal tin,sitting in plain view beside a bridge, the label still half on, three follded up strips of paper for the log, wasnt labelled as a geocache or anything at all, there was still a little bit of tabbacco in the bottom, which stunk, and no FTF prize:(

Ill still take the FTF tho

 

That's pretty bad. Was there enough tobacky for you to get a dip?

 

Some things I've come across since this thread last appeared include a glass mayonaise jar (in a cold climate; Southern Ontario). It actually lasted a good year before breaking.

 

A freaking plastic collapsable water cup, such as one would use for camping. When closed, it was a little smaller than a skoal tin. This was especially bizzarre and disappointing, as it was in a nice location out in the woods. It was listed as a "small".

Edited August 12, 2008 by TheWhiteUrkel

[+Mule Ears]

Cookie tins have been mentioned a couple of times now; they actually fare pretty well in the desert. The overlapping lid sheds water pretty well, so as long as they're upright and not immersed, they're OK. I've seen some that are years old now, and other than a patina of rust and dents, they're good to go.

 

Ziploc-bag caches are almost always a disaster, so when I visited this cache I brought a replacement container. Sure enough, it was a freezer bag under a rock. Funny thing was, it was in pretty good shape, and the container I brought would have spoiled the hide/hint/coords, so I left it as-is.

[+Juicepig]

cardboard box. Someone brought CITO gear and attempted to put it in a garbage bag for rudimentary waterproofing.. but that didnt work. Lasted about a month.

[vagabond]

I found a plastic water bottle - the kind you buy in a grocery store with water already in it - that had been cut in half and kind of pushed back together. #1 on my list of worst containers I've found. Zero water protection. Zero insect protection.

 

I think we have a winner!

 

The worst 2 that I've found

 

First 3 legs of a multi, coords were in regular mail envelopes

 

A regular paper soft drink cup with the plastic lid