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Cache cantainer: Good idea or bad?


Lacomo

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What do you guys think. Would people like this cantainer or not. The actual cantainer is a 35 mm filn cantainer glued to the trip lever on a leg hold steel trap. Of course I have the trap welded open so there's no way it would snap shut on someone's hand but they wouldn't know this. What do you think? Good or Bad?

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Edited by lacomo
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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

 

Natural selection :D Seriously though, I like it. Makes he think about how badly you want that find.

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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

 

So how would either this cache existing or not either endanger or protect those children who play in the woods without a parent around?

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Oooh, make a really big one out of a bear trap with an ammo can welded in the center!

 

Seriously, though, I think it's pretty funny. But the only way I would consider hiding it would be as a PMO cache way, way, WAY off the beaten path to keep the muggles away and reduce the chance of being found by cachers with kids.

 

If I made a mile-or-two hike into the deepest woods and found that, I'd laugh my a** off.

 

FWIW.

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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

 

So how would either this cache existing or not either endanger or protect those children who play in the woods without a parent around?

That is not the question, the question is do we like it. I said no, for the reasons I stated.

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What do you guys think. Would people like this cantainer or not. The actual cantainer is a 35 mm filn cantainer glued to the trip lever on a leg hold steel trap. Of course I have the trap welded open so there's no way it would snap shut on someone's hand but they wouldn't know this. What do you think? Good or Bad?

cc.jpg

 

Edit spelling

 

What do I think? woohoo, another micro. :D

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What do you guys think. Would people like this cantainer or not. The actual cantainer is a 35 mm filn cantainer glued to the trip lever on a leg hold steel trap. Of course I have the trap welded open so there's no way it would snap shut on someone's hand but they wouldn't know this. What do you think? Good or Bad?

cc.jpg

 

Edit spelling

 

My only issue is the leaky 35mm canister. The concept is cool, but I would be very selective as to where I hid a cache like that. A remote area would be your best bet.

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Film cans leak. You should always use something with a good seal/o-ring. Wal Mart sells a match holder in camping supplies that work great as a cache.

 

Oh - and the trap........depending on the location of the hide - seems ok - I would make it a bit more apparent that it isn't going to harm you though. Weld something in there that is obvious.

 

I wouldn't place it on any public managed lands as it would be bound to upset a land manager.

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Cardinal Red hit the nail on the head. The only opinion that matters is that of land managers - and, I would like to add, the opinion of the public.

 

This type of cache container needs without a doubt concurrence from a land manager (I always get permission, but I know that many cache placers, even checking the boxes at the bottom of the submission page, do not do this - e.g. in the case of "public places").

 

This kind of container could cause a terrible public opinion of Geocaching - not only are we a bunch of dirt-digging treasure hunters, but critter hunters as well who set traps in the woods. Hence, the importance of a land manager approving the cache. This being said, I doubt many public land managers would approve of the container.

 

All that being said, accolades on an original idea! This brings me to the second voting opinion-

 

From the guidelines - "For all physical caches and waypoints, think carefully about how your container and the actions of geocachers will be perceived by the public. "

 

I think the cache is a great idea and I kind of like it.

 

However, I am not the "public." Unfortunately, depending upon the geographic area this cache is placed, public opinion could vary from appreciating the container, finding humor in the container to finding immediate horror and disgust in the container and finding some sympathy in the media with said horror.

 

In the case of public opinion, I would think the reviewer for that area would best be in tune with public perception.

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What do you guys think. Would people like this cantainer or not. The actual cantainer is a 35 mm filn cantainer glued to the trip lever on a leg hold steel trap. Of course I have the trap welded open so there's no way it would snap shut on someone's hand but they wouldn't know this. What do you think? Good or Bad?

cc.jpg

 

Edit spelling

 

Frankly the idea is neat however, I worry that someone else might mimick you without ensuring all the safeguards are in place and may actually cause someone harm. But then again, someone already has mentioned the term "Natural Selection."

Edited by eagletrek
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If you do place it, with the permissions all set from landowners of course.

I would break the spring with your torch/arcwelder first. so that no matter what it's inactive. Spot welds can do funny things in the elements. I've watched a piece of metal get launched about 100ft at very high speed because my friend had welded something that was under tension as "art", well his art couldn't handle the -5 degree mark, and turned into a weapon.

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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

 

So how would either this cache existing or not either endanger or protect those children who play in the woods without a parent around?

That is not the question, the question is do we like it. I said no, for the reasons I stated.

 

Well. That certainly clears that up... :D

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Maybe it is my ignorance, but what happens if the welds should fail?

 

I know the welds wont fail because I welded them. Maybe you worry too much.

What would happen if the welds failed on the front end of your car going down the Interstate at 70 MPH.

That's about as likely to happen as the welds failing on my cache.

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Keep them coming guys. This is exactly what I wanted, your opinion. Good or bad. I havn't got anything in the cache but a very little bit of labor, it's an old trap I got in a box of stuff at an auction. I have NOT decided yet if I will use this container. I appreciate your input, and I will make up my mind based on your replies to this thread.

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Happy Hikers here,

 

My first impression is very negative. This is the sort of thing we stay away from, as well as grand kids .

 

While I applaud the fact you disabled the mechanism, it still just dosen't belong here. It is something that can cause extreme physical harm in it's working state. Aside from this, should someone else come accross this, can you imagine the negative press it could get?

 

There are numerous ideas to bring about a scary cache without the negative impression of this one. Let the imagination roll.....

 

Carl & Sharon

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Regarding the kids, BAD idea. A more better-er way would be to weld it to a ammo box as if it was caught by the trap. Just thinking about the kids. Personally I find the cache to be funny, but not something I would bring my kids to. We usually don't view cache pages unless we can not find said cache.

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I keep finding those super-dangerous golf pencils in many caches. Do you know what happens if you jam one of those in your eye! They should be banned!

 

I think it's hilarious... just don't put it out in the woods... it's too dangerous out there. Maybe a nice safe wal-mart parking lot.

 

BTW... I'm looking for investors in nanny-caching.com if anyone's interested. :D

 

Harmless

 

DCC

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Regarding the kids, BAD idea. A more better-er way would be to weld it to a ammo box as if it was caught by the trap. Just thinking about the kids. Personally I find the cache to be funny, but not something I would bring my kids to. We usually don't view cache pages unless we can not find said cache.

 

I'm just looking for clarification here - are you saying you just get the co-ords and go? Or just don't look at the hint?

 

I would never take my kids to caches that I hadn't fully looked at before going on a hunt. The purpose of the description (more so than the difficulty and terrain ratings - which is subjective at the best of times) and the attributes is so that people can make up there mind as to whether or not the cache is within their own limits.

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I see no harm in it, but you might want to run it by the local DNR first. Game and trapping laws are pretty strange sometimes. You might run afoul even though it is disabled.

 

I think it would be funnier in an urban environment where traps would be extremely out of place, perhaps hidden under a step or something like that where the hapless and inexperienced seeker might reach without looking.

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Upgrade that little dude with a WW2 hand grenade! Defused of course! :rolleyes:

 

Attach the micro to a spring loaded switch that "buzzes" when messed with!

 

SHAZZZAMMMM!! :rolleyes:

 

You will endear yourself to all fellow cachers with this idea! Be sure to leave instructions

on how to get in contact with you.....up close and personal!! LOL! :D

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Regarding the kids, BAD idea. A more better-er way would be to weld it to a ammo box as if it was caught by the trap. Just thinking about the kids. Personally I find the cache to be funny, but not something I would bring my kids to. We usually don't view cache pages unless we can not find said cache.

 

(Emphasis mine.) I love this idea and think it would be even funnier than the OP idea. It would be absurd.

 

I liked the giant mousetrap because it was absurd, and therefore absurdly funny. I'm not too keen on the leg trap because it is not absurd. Rather, it is mean. I do think it's funny, but in a mean kind of way. Not that this is a reason not to do it, mind you; it's just that I don't think that comparing the two is entirely valid.

 

I'm not entirely sure I buy the "for the kids" argument against, tho. It's impossible to turn the world into a softly padded place with no sharp edges, nor should we. If parents are taking their children caching, it is vitally important that they (the parents) be talking to their kids along the way, such as "oh, what a clever idea for a cache container! Of course, we have to be very careful to make sure that it really /is/ a cache container and not a real electrical box/leg trap/acid pit..." and so forth. The question is, do they? Who's responsible if they don't? What's more important to the kid who's just lost four fingers to a live trap?

 

Alas, it's hard to find the right balance between "safety is the cache-placer's responsibility" and "safety is the cache-finder's responsibility", especially when kids are involved, but I don't think that the proper response is to require that everything be kid-safe. After all, there are caches out there that are pretty dangerous to get to, and it's not beyond the realm of reason to imagine an irresponsible parent dragging his or her child along to a cache like that.

 

I think there's a "reasonable parent" line -- that is, if a reasonable caching parent is thought to teach "x" about safety to their children (or do take children to "x" type caches), and your cache is deliberately pushing the boundaries of that line, then it's probably a bad idea. If that makes any sense.

 

So, ultimately, and assuming the land owner has no problem with it, I'd also recommend that this one be put at the end of a lengthy hike. Perhaps in a cave, with fake cacher bones scattered around the trap and a big sign pointing to the bottle that says "<--- CACHER FUD".

 

(Edited: clarity)

Edited by Jackalgirl
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I like it. I'd also assume that it was either inert or I was FTF as the last person would not have reset the trap and there were no severed fingers on the ground. My kids must be smarter than some others kids as they can distinguish a cache from a working trap that seem to be so over prevailant around here. Had to step over so many of them on my last geocaching trip. I'm more fearfull of encountering a "Deliverance" moment than a trap in the woods. (cue banjo music)

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Happy Hikers here,

 

My first impression is very negative. This is the sort of thing we stay away from, as well as grand kids .

 

While I applaud the fact you disabled the mechanism, it still just dosen't belong here. It is something that can cause extreme physical harm in it's working state. Aside from this, should someone else come accross this, can you imagine the negative press it could get?

 

There are numerous ideas to bring about a scary cache without the negative impression of this one. Let the imagination roll.....

 

Carl & Sharon

Nope, i really can't imagine it getting much, if any, press. It's a gag that people (cachers and non cachers)would figure out quickly and have fun with.

 

As far as the welds are concerned, it's good that the OP is confident in them. I'm not a welder and don't know alot about metals but just to play it safe, might it be possible to also take the tension out of the steel, maybe with heat?

 

I'm not fond of 35mm containers but i'm thinking this one would come off better using one since they are so well known in the geocaching world. It's a neat and fun little idea if you ask me!

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A cache is a cache. Place it and I will find it. Though, if you want a cache to test how much you want to find it, I'm not sure the obvious threat of serious bodily injury is the way to go. Either way, any person with a tad bit of common sense would test it with a stick before they grabbed it so place. I don't care. I'll find and would log the find.

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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

If traps are a common problem in your area you should have already taught them about them. If they come home and talk about the cache, that's a good time to talk about traps. If they already knew about traps they would poke the middle with a stick before they tried for the cache.

 

To the OP

I think it's an interesting variation, but unless I saw the welds I'd beat the middle with a stick before I tried for the cache. You can expect your container to have a rough life.

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Maybe it is my ignorance, but what happens if the welds should fail?

 

That was my first thought. My second thought was that it was hilarious.

 

I know the welds wont fail because I welded them. Maybe you worry too much.

What would happen if the welds failed on the front end of your car going down the Interstate at 70 MPH.

That's about as likely to happen as the welds failing on my cache.

 

That's great for you, but from my perspective you're a complete stranger. You may have done an excellent job, but if I found this cache I'd still open the container with my knee firmly planted on the spring. Hopefully your welds can take the abuse of countless cachers as time wears on.

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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

I could see what you are saying if this was a fake electrical box or something like that but it is not. I would be safe in saying I have been in the woods more than 95% of the people geoching, I have logged and cut firewood and hunted most of my life and I have never saw a steel trap like this set in the woods. I know they are out there but I am just saying I have never saw one and I am 64 years old.

 

It is very very unlikely a kid will come upon one of these traps. If kids are old enough to be playing in the woods unsupervised they should be smart enough to not go around sticking their fingers in something like this.

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Maybe it is my ignorance, but what happens if the welds should fail?

 

I know the welds wont fail because I welded them. Maybe you worry too much.

What would happen if the welds failed on the front end of your car going down the Interstate at 70 MPH.

That's about as likely to happen as the welds failing on my cache.

 

If you cut the springs it doesn't matter if the welds fail.

While you are asking about failing welds on cars. Things do fail on cars at 70mph driving down the interstate...Welds do fail. It happens. I'd say the typical weld on a car is better than what you can do on a trap. I'd say that even if you are a welder by trade becuse at a minimum you don't have as much control over the condtions as you would for the weld on a new car.

 

Maybe the probablity of a failed weld is low. But it's not zero.

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Don't like it. Kids see that, stick their hand in it. Next time, could be a real trap and they would not know the difference. I know, parents should watch their kids, blah blah, but kids do play in the woods, etc... not always with parent around.

I could see what you are saying if this was a fake electrical box or something like that but it is not. I would be safe in saying I have been in the woods more than 95% of the people geoching, I have logged and cut firewood and hunted most of my life and I have never saw a steel trap like this set in the woods. I know they are out there but I am just saying I have never saw one and I am 64 years old.

 

It is very very unlikely a kid will come upon one of these traps. If kids are old enough to be playing in the woods unsupervised they should be smart enough to not go around sticking their fingers in something like this.

People will argue about the fake electrical boxes too, oh and also about putting out a fake sharps container as a cache ;) whatever.

 

Your thread topic was "cache idea good or bad". You asked for opinions on what we thought. Mine was that it was a bad idea for the reasons that I stated - I am sure not everyone feels the same way and that is cool. If you disagree, why ask? Just go ahead and put it out there then. ;)

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