The birth of a Geocache

[TopangaHiker]

This will be my first hide and it's just about ready to be placed.

I'm pretty happy with how it's going to turn out and I think it will be a great addition to the sport.

I'm not divulging any info on it's location here but I can tell you that it's in the western hemispere and north of the equator.

OK, enough hints already...

As you can see it's made from a 7.62mm ammo can i bought in Utah just for this purpose. For some reason they were a good deal there. I've repainted it a less menacing green. Not that O.D. green is scary but it's less ominous looking now. Also, as you can see I made it pretty obvious that it's a GC, wouldn't you say?

 

OK, for the important part. Some sweet swag awaits the more materialistic of you that go Geocaching. Also, note that a TB awaits the continuation of it's journey!

 

FTF gets a gift certificate for a double latte at an area coffee house!

 

You guys talked me into spending five times as much money as a regular notebook on a Rite as Rain notebook for the log.

 

And of course we see here the obligatory geonote.

 

Well, that's it. Now all I have to do is hide it, log and see if it gets OK'ed. I've scouted the hiding placed already. Thanks for looking and I hope some of you like it.

Edited August 13, 2007 by TopangaHiker

[+Miragee]

Wow!! Good job!

 

I'm sure all the finders will be happy to find your cache. I hope they leave nice, long, complimentary logs for you.

[+fauxSteve]

Looks good. But you might want to repost the image with the travel bug with the tracking number obscured.

 

Will it be in Topanga Canyon?

[+Sioneva]

Ooooh! Is it a boy or a girl?

 

[+Harriet the Spy]

One thing I like to do with my ammo cans is use the micro stash note and then use packing tape and tape the note to the underside of the cans lid. It is the first thing you see when you open the lid. Much easier for a muggle to read and know whats going on.

[TopangaHiker]

Looks good. But you might want to repost the image with the travel bug with the tracking number obscured.

 

Will it be in Topanga Canyon?

 

Like I said, I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait.

Why the concealment?

 

One thing I like to do with my ammo cans is use the micro stash note and then use packing tape and tape the note to the underside of the cans lid. It is the first thing you see when you open the lid. Much easier for a muggle to read and know whats going on.

Great point, Harriet.

I'll take your advice. In fact I'll leave both.

Edited August 13, 2007 by TopangaHiker

[+Miragee]

Looks good. But you might want to repost the image with the travel bug with the tracking number obscured.

 

Will it be in Topanga Canyon?

Like I said, I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait.

Why the concealment?

 

<snip>

Someone can see the number and can log that TB, if they are of a mind to, without ever having seen it in person . . .

[+Team Cotati]

I do believe that that is the most wonderful ammo can cache that I have ever seen. I'm very glad that you re-painted it too, else I would have been very frightened. Thank you.

 

I've got the TB number and will be watching for your activation. Thank you. ;-)

Edited August 13, 2007 by Team Cotati

[TopangaHiker]

Looks good. But you might want to repost the image with the travel bug with the tracking number obscured.

 

Will it be in Topanga Canyon?

Like I said, I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait.

Why the concealment?

 

<snip>

Someone can see the number and can log that TB, if they are of a mind to, without ever having seen it in person . . .

 

Oh, fer crissakes. OK, it's done.

[+Michael]

Very nice, Of course the small knife is not allowed but you knew that. It was a test, right?? Did I pass?

[+nekom]

Looks like a typical quality cache. I think most people will agree that you just can't go wrong with an ammo can. Yeah, you may want to consider losing the knife, sharp things are frowned upon, since they could be dangerous to the young ones. Other than that, looks like a great start to your hiding career.

[+FireRef]

Very nice, Of course the small knife is not allowed but you knew that. It was a test, right?? Did I pass?

 

Yup - I was going to say something too...

[Skylerdragon]

This will be my first hide and it's just about ready to be placed.

 

 

I love your cache. Great paint job, nice lettering, and it looks like you have included some quality contents.

 

I've been reluctant to do the ammo can thing though because I have mixed feelings about them. Ammo cans are good, secure containers. But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting. I guess since I am associating it with ammunnitions, I am thinking its inappropriate. It may very well be quite appropriate.

 

I will say that I have used some crummy cache containers too though so the ammo can is better. I am kinda wondering if there are many cachers out there like me who are reluctant to place ammo cans out?

 

I love finding ammo cans though, buecause they are so big! I get excited about finding so much and being able to place a lot too.

[+Team GeoBlast]

One thing I like to do with my ammo cans is use the micro stash note and then use packing tape and tape the note to the underside of the cans lid. It is the first thing you see when you open the lid. Much easier for a muggle to read and know whats going on.

 

That is a very good suggestion. I'd just add that laminating it will make it last a lot longer. The stash note loose in the container get thrashed in no time and you are absolutely dead on in that this should be the first thing people see when they open it, especially a muggle.

 

Curious, what method do you use to affix your note to the lid?

[+Team GeoBlast]

Pardon the interruption.

Edited August 13, 2007 by Team GeoBlast

[+leeroyboy]

Beautiful cache there. Someday I hope to find it.

 

Question......... Are arrowheads OK to use as swag ?

 

leeroyboy

[+Team GeoBlast]

This will be my first hide and it's just about ready to be placed.

 

 

I love your cache. Great paint job, nice lettering, and it looks like you have included some quality contents.

 

I've been reluctant to do the ammo can thing though because I have mixed feelings about them. Ammo cans are good, secure containers. But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting. I guess since I am associating it with ammunnitions, I am thinking its inappropriate. It may very well be quite appropriate.

 

I will say that I have used some crummy cache containers too though so the ammo can is better. I am kinda wondering if there are many cachers out there like me who are reluctant to place ammo cans out?

 

I love finding ammo cans though, buecause they are so big! I get excited about finding so much and being able to place a lot too.

 

I look at using an ammo can as recycling and hands down one of the best and cheapest containers available.

 

As for family friendly, consider that a nice tupperware container is going to leak and have all kind of slimy things in it in no time at all. What is better for you kids? Kids don't know what an ammo can is anyway and I am not sure of the downside unless you recite them when you find one.

[+9Key]

One thing I like to do with my ammo cans is use the micro stash note and then use packing tape and tape the note to the underside of the cans lid. It is the first thing you see when you open the lid. Much easier for a muggle to read and know whats going on.

 

That is a very good suggestion. I'd just add that laminating it will make it last a lot longer. The stash note loose in the container get thrashed in no time and you are absolutely dead on in that this should be the first thing people see when they open it, especially a muggle.

 

Curious, what method do you use to affix your note to the lid?

I use double sided tape. Works great, but be sure to wipe off any dirt or grime before attaching the note to ensure good adhesion.

[Mushtang]

But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting.

To me, the military is VERY family friendly. If not for the military my family (and yours) would be speaking either German or Russian right now, and we certainly wouldn't have the freedom to play this geocaching game.

 

Ammo cans make excellent cache containers, and I think painting them will make them much less military. You can even paint flowers and peace symbols on them.

[+Team GeoBlast]

This will be my first hide and it's just about ready to be placed.

I'm pretty happy with how it's going to turn out and I think it will be a great addition to the sport.

I'm not divulging any info on it's location here but I can tell you that it's in the western hemispere and north of the equator.

OK, enough hints already...

As you can see it's made from a 7.62mm ammo can i bought in Utah just for this purpose. For some reason they were a good deal there. I've repainted it a less menacing green. Not that O.D. green is scary but it's less ominous looking now. Also, as you can see I made it pretty obvious that it's a GC, wouldn't you say?

 

OK, for the important part. Some sweet swag awaits the more materialistic of you that go Geocaching. Also, note that a TB awaits the continuation of it's journey!

 

FTF gets a gift certificate for a double latte at an area coffee house!

 

You guys talked me into spending five times as much money as a regular notebook on a Rite as Rain notebook for the log.

 

And of course we see here the obligatory geonote.

 

Well, that's it. Now all I have to do is hide it, log and see if it gets OK'ed. I've scouted the hiding placed already. Thanks for looking and I hope some of you like it.

 

You'll be thanking us in about a year when that logbook is still intact and people are not placing "needs maintenance" logs on your cache. Overall, this is an exemplary effort and you should be commended for asking questions and doing it right. I love the fact that you are taking so much pride in your placement and I'm going to hope that this does not go unnoticed in your caching community.

 

Now.. a few last little hurdles. Get those coords right. Take at least 5 readings at the site and average them out. Put out a good cache page. If you get that right, you get an A+.

 

Post the GC# when it gets approved. I'd love to see it.

Edited August 13, 2007 by Team GeoBlast

[+Thrak]

I just knew some folks would point out the knife. Personally, I think if you are too young or too challenged to be able to handle the knife then you either shouldn't be geocaching or you should be doing so with supervision. I've never been a fan of rules or guidelines that seek to protect me from myself.

[+the hermit crabs]

I just knew some folks would point out the knife. Personally, I think if you are too young or too challenged to be able to handle the knife then you either shouldn't be geocaching or you should be doing so with supervision. I've never been a fan of rules or guidelines that seek to protect me from myself.

The best argument I've heard against putting knives in caches is to prevent land managers who know next to nothing about geocaching (and yet who have the authority to decide whether to allow cache placement or not) from saying "You want to put a box full of weapons out here? I don't think so!" (Especially in areas where work-release prisoners do cleanup work.)

 

But my opinion (and yours) doesn't really matter in this instance; the guidelines say that in order to be listed, no knives are allowed. So no knives it is, if it's going to be listed on this site.

[+uxorious]

Ammo cans are good, secure containers. But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting.

 

That "military background" is what gives us the freedom to have family friendly parks, and a hobby such as Geocaching.

[TopangaHiker]

I just knew some folks would point out the knife. Personally, I think if you are too young or too challenged to be able to handle the knife then you either shouldn't be geocaching or you should be doing so with supervision. I've never been a fan of rules or guidelines that seek to protect me from myself.

 

I really appreciate all the positive feedback.

 

It's funny about the "knife". I don't really consider it a knife in the sense that I would use it as a cutting tool.

It's a true piece of 'swag" as it came as a giveaway item.

Also, the blade is an inch long and it isn't really sharp. There's a nail file and scissors though. It even has those tiny tweezers too. When you press the shiny round button looking thing on it's side it makes a tiny flash light come on some of the time. It is a great back-up key chain for those extra house keys or car keys people have laying around the house or stuffed in a drawer.

 

Jeez, you're even allowed to bring scissors and nail files on board a plane nowadays which could inflict more damage than this little thing.

Still, I'll delete it from the cache.

 

I'll just say one more thing: I'll echo Thrak's point. If your GCing you're probably outside doing outdoor types of activities that would include and emphasize hiking. I never leave on a hike without my 10 essentials. Of course, that's how I've been brought up and how I'm raising my kids as well. A knife is on that list of 10 essentials. The first thing I taught and teach kids about knives is this: A knife is a tool, not a weapon.

[+x_Marks_the_spot]

Ammo cans are good, secure containers. But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting.

 

That "military background" is what gives us the freedom to have family friendly parks, and a hobby such as Geocaching.

 

"Military background"?? Just who do you suppose developed GPS in the first place? What about Jeeps? How silly! If we're going to strike everything that has anything to do with the military, we're going to have a pretty bland sport. If they don't have actual belts of 7.62mm rounds in them, I say their "military background" is totally irrelevant.

[TopangaHiker]

Ammo cans are good, secure containers. But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting.

 

That "military background" is what gives us the freedom to have family friendly parks, and a hobby such as Geocaching.

 

"Military background"?? Just who do you suppose developed GPS in the first place? What about Jeeps? How silly! If we're going to strike everything that has anything to do with the military, we're going to have a pretty bland sport. If they don't have actual belts of 7.62mm rounds in them, I say their "military background" is totally irrelevant.

 

True 'dat.

[mtbikernate]

I'll just say one more thing: I'll echo Thrak's point. If your GCing you're probably outside doing outdoor types of activities that would include and emphasize hiking. I never leave on a hike without my 10 essentials. Of course, that's how I've been brought up and how I'm raising my kids as well. A knife is on that list of 10 essentials. The first thing I taught and teach kids about knives is this: A knife is a tool, not a weapon.

 

I tend to lean towards this view, also, but I do understand Groundspeak's position on the matter. Still...I carry knives around pretty regularly. In fact, more often than not, I've got a leatherman on my person. Many places I go, I'll probably end up getting in trouble for it (when someone eventually notices and complains about it). But really, I don't view it as a weapon so it never occurs to me that I might ought to leave it at home or in the car. In all reality, you can use nearly anything as a weapon if you hit, stab, or cut someone with it. I could poke someone's eye out with the arm of my sunglasses. Does that mean I can't carry them on an airplane or put a cheap pair of sunglasses in a cache? Meh...rules.

[TopangaHiker]

I'll just say one more thing: I'll echo Thrak's point. If your GCing you're probably outside doing outdoor types of activities that would include and emphasize hiking. I never leave on a hike without my 10 essentials. Of course, that's how I've been brought up and how I'm raising my kids as well. A knife is on that list of 10 essentials. The first thing I taught and teach kids about knives is this: A knife is a tool, not a weapon.

 

I tend to lean towards this view, also, but I do understand Groundspeak's position on the matter. Still...I carry knives around pretty regularly. In fact, more often than not, I've got a leatherman on my person. Many places I go, I'll probably end up getting in trouble for it (when someone eventually notices and complains about it). But really, I don't view it as a weapon so it never occurs to me that I might ought to leave it at home or in the car. In all reality, you can use nearly anything as a weapon if you hit, stab, or cut someone with it. I could poke someone's eye out with the arm of my sunglasses. Does that mean I can't carry them on an airplane or put a cheap pair of sunglasses in a cache? Meh...rules.

 

All good points. Obviously you get it.

Here's a great example of what I'm talking about: Everyone knows you don't bring a knife on a plane. But according to the TSA you can bring a 7" screwdriver!

TSA Permitted and Prohibited Items

[yatesDELTA]

nice

 

much better than my first (and only) cache lol

 

just about to set up a multi though

 

shame that yours is probably many miles from my home lol

[TopangaHiker]

So we got up early this morning and went back to the spot I had previously chosen to hide the cache. It's good that I had already picked the spot because I was able to verify that the coords were correct. And guess what? They were.

Anyway, I hope I've clicked on the right links and have successfully sent it to the reviewers. It seems like every time I went to edit the listing it created a new entry. Oh well, lets see what happens.

 

I have a question: Is there a bricks 'n morter retailers down in Los Angeles that sells all the CG gear, like TB's, etc? There are several online sellers of GCing.com gear but I'd like to support a more local economy before I send away for stuff.

Edited August 14, 2007 by TopangaHiker

[TopangaHiker]

Come and get it!

[+tozainamboku]

Come and get it!

Nice spot. I really liked the other cache that is already in this park. I won't be able to go before the weekend. So who will be FTF? .mitch.? Don_j?, seashock?, Sr. Hikers?, tom4props?, Robb_dog?, Big Eagle?

Edited August 14, 2007 by tozainamboku

[+Driver Carries Cache]

This will be my first hide and it's just about ready to be placed.

 

 

I love your cache. Great paint job, nice lettering, and it looks like you have included some quality contents.

 

I've been reluctant to do the ammo can thing though because I have mixed feelings about them. Ammo cans are good, secure containers. But they come from a military background. To me, having those in family friendly parks is a little off-putting. I guess since I am associating it with ammunnitions, I am thinking its inappropriate. It may very well be quite appropriate.

 

I will say that I have used some crummy cache containers too though so the ammo can is better. I am kinda wondering if there are many cachers out there like me who are reluctant to place ammo cans out?

 

I love finding ammo cans though, buecause they are so big! I get excited about finding so much and being able to place a lot too.

 

Your pattern of thought is very valid... but don't fear the can! If I'm placing a geocache in a regional park and you're gonna have to park the car and walk a mile or more into the hills, I have no qualms about ye olde ammo canne! Now for my more urban, near a park bench in a well traveled area between two businesses... ammo can baaadddd! Instead you get a transparent "lock-n-lock" container maybe camo painted on it's more exposed side but the rest still clear so anyone who finds it can see inside without opening. An ammo can under a log in the back country is one of the most joyous things you'll ever find, not so in an urban setting.

 

Or you could take another route, I saw some pics somewhere (could have been these forums) where some folks were letting the kids paint the ammo cans with bright primary colors! Awww, looook... it's an ammo can with bright blue sky and a smiling sun painted on it. Not so intimidating, but possibly more difficult to hide!

 

And to the OP... Awesome job for your first hide!

 

DCC

[+tozainamboku]

Come and get it!

Nice spot. I really liked the other cache that is already in this park. I won't be able to go before the weekend. So who will be FTF? .mitch.? Don_j?, seashock?, Sr. Hikers?, tom4props?, Robb_dog?, Big Eagle?

 

Congratultions to Seashock on the FTF. Glad it was someone on my list.

 

I was planning to go for this today, but I was involved in a traffic accident on my way home yesterday so I'm lacking a car. I'm OK however, just a few cuts and scrapes. Nothing more than I would get Geocaching