Bottle Water in Cache

[+Adventure.AS]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

[J'nK]

Go for it. I wouldn't personally take it but someone might.

[+Team Cotati]

Go for it. I wouldn't personally take it but someone might.

 

That's a really great idea. If there is even the slightest possibility that someone on planet earth might

be interested in an item...............put it in a cache container.

[+Too Tall John]

Don't put it where it'll freeze.

 

Be sure the bottle has a tamper-proof cap. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole otherwise.

 

Do I sense a bit of sarcasm from the half-naked-man?

Edited March 29, 2008 by Too Tall John

[+DanOCan]

Personally, I wouldn't. I put this in the "if you have to ask if it is a good idea then it likely isn't" category. I also think a bottle of water would count as food. As also mentioned, in a climate where it could freeze it is a really bad idea.

[Motorcycle_Mama]

I think that there's too much possibility for it to be tampered with to make it be something that someone (well I) would want to take from a cache. But since the food prohibition seems to mostly be about not attracting wildlife to the cache, it's probably not a violation of that. But I don't think it's a good idea if you are asking for opinions.

[+BlueDeuce]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

[+softball29]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

Where in the heck can you find things like that? Those actually look interesting.

[+BarbVA]

Another thing we've found in caches and don't touch are whistles, balloons, or anything that is intended to have a mouth put on it. The first cache we found with a whistle, my dd picked it up and put it to her mouth before I realized what she had. I took it from her, and swagged for it, but actually threw it away because I didn't know how many other kids/people had done the same thing before we got there, yuck.

[+root1657]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

Very neat! How do those work? do they have like a juice box straw, or you just rip the corner off and hope for the best or what?

[J'nK]

Go for it. I wouldn't personally take it but someone might.

 

That's a really great idea. If there is even the slightest possibility that someone on planet earth might

be interested in an item...............put it in a cache container.

 

[+briansnat]

Go for it. I wouldn't personally take it but someone might.

 

That's a really great idea. If there is even the slightest possibility that someone on planet earth might

be interested in an item...............put it in a cache container.

 

There is a local geocacher who has always left a small bottle of water in, or next to each cache as his signature item.T hey often sit there for quite some time.

 

I recall last summer another geocacher headed out for a long cache hike on a hot summer day and ran out of water. He started looking forward to each cache find so he could drink the bottle of water that invariably sat next to nearly every cache in the area. They kept him going all afternoon.

 

If putting bottles of water next to caches can save even one life, then I'm all for it.

Edited March 29, 2008 by briansnat

[+PhxChem]

I took it from her, and swagged for it, but actually threw it away because I didn't know how many other kids/people had done the same thing before we got there, yuck.

 

You could have washed it.

 

 

When I put a whistle type item in the cache, I make sure it's in its packaging.

 

 

I would not place, nor would I drink from a bottle of water in a cache. Too easily tampered with....

[+MaplessInSeattle]

Glad someone posed this topic.

I've been out geocaching, and ended up a bit far from water sources and thought, man, if I could only find an unopened water bottle, I'd drink it.

I do see the problems with that type of swag item, but I have definitely wished for one on some of the more remote caches.

[+RoyalRed]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

Very neat! How do those work? do they have like a juice box straw, or you just rip the corner off and hope for the best or what?

 

I've placed bags similar ro these in caches before. These are emergency supply water bags and are usually packaged in heat-sealed bags that are puncture resistant and will not rupture if the contents totally freeze. The water is usually sterile as well. You can find these by looking for emergency water on the net.

[Motorcycle_Mama]

Here are some that came up on a Google search.

 

http://www.preparedness.com/sospurdrinwa.html

 

http://www.safetycentral.com/waterrations.html

 

http://www.cpr-savers.com/emergency/drinkingwa.html

 

http://www.edisastersystems.com/store/datr...pply-pr-32.html

[+Adventure.AS]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

 

I like the idea of the bags. However, I am surprised that a bottle that is safety sealed would be of concern. They certainly aren't a worry when they are purchased in a store ... what's the difference if the seal is intact?

[Motorcycle_Mama]

At least in a store, you have some assurance that the bottles have been under at least some sort of watchful eye. Out in the wild ... who knows.

 

Perhaps I read too many murder mystery novels. There was one where the criminal carefully heated the end of a syringe enough so that it would melt the plastic of the bottle ever so slightly enough to be able to inject something into the bottle. And he did it in a location that was relatively undetectable to the naked eye.

 

I'm not saying that the placer would tamper with the bottle, but the next person might and you just never know these days.

[+linuxxpert]

I did a string of caches on the appalachian trail that contained water bottles left by a cacher named "waterboy". Eventhough I brought my own water, after mile 7 or 8 out of 10 I ran out.... rookie mistake, I sure was glad that this left a bottle of water in the next cache we found!

[+sTeamTraen]

At least in a store, you have some assurance that the bottles have been under at least some sort of watchful eye.

 

Dream on... bottled water often sits around goods delivery bays for weeks.

 

I'm not saying that the placer would tamper with the bottle, but the next person might and you just never know these days.

 

If I were looking to harm people, I probably wouldn't do it anonymously through sabotaging geocaches. But if I did, I'd find some more productive way than trying to find a cache which had water in it and then sabotaging it.

 

The "no food" rule is there to keep animals away from the cache (and to stop them coming to harm when they eat Twinkies or some other Western staple). So I reckon water should be exempt.

 

All that said, it seems to me that placing liquids in a cache is a bad idea, mainly because of the more mundane reason that containers fail and then the cache contents will end up very wet. This would appear to be even more the case for those admittedly handy-looking but soft patches.

[+Kit Fox]

 

The "no food" rule is there to keep animals away from the cache (and to stop them coming to harm when they eat Twinkies or some other Western staple). So I reckon water should be exempt.

 

All that said, it seems to me that placing liquids in a cache is a bad idea, mainly because of the more mundane reason that containers fail and then the cache contents will end up very wet. This would appear to be even more the case for those admittedly handy-looking but soft patches.

 

I know of one cache that was raided by a bear during the dry season. His cans of (Budweiser) survival water were clearly punctured by bear canine teeth.

[+infiniteMPG]

Good topic. We have a series of caches here in Florida in a large preserve, much of which is open space and can be brutal in the Florida summer sun. We have found that not only had we seen (and added to) bottles of water in the caches, but people have started leaving unopened bottles of water and critical passage points (gates and stuff like that). Might sounds like opening to door to tampering, but trust me, there are times out there in the summer when you'd climb a ten foot barbed wire fence to get to an orange on the ground and fight the fruit flies for one drop of juice! Go for it (we do)!

[+root1657]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

Very neat! How do those work? do they have like a juice box straw, or you just rip the corner off and hope for the best or what?

 

I've placed bags similar ro these in caches before. These are emergency supply water bags and are usually packaged in heat-sealed bags that are puncture resistant and will not rupture if the contents totally freeze. The water is usually sterile as well. You can find these by looking for emergency water on the net.

 

Yeah, I'm with you on all of that, and did some searches, but I dont see, with the water bags shown, the method for getting the water out 'neatly'. Would be great if it had a drink box straw, or a corner that was made to be removed without spilling it everywhere...

[+Phil&Phil2008]

Go for it, tell others to make sure the seal isn't broken

[+coggins]

 

The "no food" rule is there to keep animals away from the cache (and to stop them coming to harm when they eat Twinkies or some other Western staple). So I reckon water should be exempt.

 

All that said, it seems to me that placing liquids in a cache is a bad idea, mainly because of the more mundane reason that containers fail and then the cache contents will end up very wet. This would appear to be even more the case for those admittedly handy-looking but soft patches.

 

I know of one cache that was raided by a bear during the dry season. His cans of (Budweiser) survival water were clearly punctured by bear canine teeth.

Cans and bottles:

[+MarshMonsters]

 

I like the idea of the bags. However, I am surprised that a bottle that is safety sealed would be of concern. They certainly aren't a worry when they are purchased in a store ... what's the difference if the seal is intact?

 

My Father in Law often travels overseas for business. One of the things he is warned not to buy from vendors on the street is bottled water. The vendors will take the bottle cap seal and all off, use the water and refill with their own water. They put the cap seal intact back on and sell it as new. People who don't know any better buy the water and get sick from bacteria and parasites in the water.

 

I have managed to open bottles without breaking the seal. I like the water bag idea. If you have a multi tool or a swiss army knife you can snip the corner off and sip.

[+TotemLake]

At least in a store, you have some assurance that the bottles have been under at least some sort of watchful eye. Out in the wild ... who knows.

 

Perhaps I read too many murder mystery novels. There was one where the criminal carefully heated the end of a syringe enough so that it would melt the plastic of the bottle ever so slightly enough to be able to inject something into the bottle. And he did it in a location that was relatively undetectable to the naked eye.

 

I'm not saying that the placer would tamper with the bottle, but the next person might and you just never know these days.

Assurances of safety is an illusion. The clerks don't watch for tampering anymore than the customers do.

[Motorcycle_Mama]

Well, I agree and that's why I said SOME.

 

At least it's not out in the wild completely unsupervised. And if I get sick from some water that I purchased at a store, at least it can be traced back to the store.

 

I'm not saying not to put it in the cache. I'm just saying that I personally wouldn't pick it up anymore than I would pick up and drink from an unopened bottle that might be found on the street. Just not worth the risk.

 

If I'm going somewhere where I will need water, I'm bringing it with me.

[+trekmiss]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

Very neat! How do those work? do they have like a juice box straw, or you just rip the corner off and hope for the best or what?

 

I've placed bags similar ro these in caches before. These are emergency supply water bags and are usually packaged in heat-sealed bags that are puncture resistant and will not rupture if the contents totally freeze. The water is usually sterile as well. You can find these by looking for emergency water on the net.

 

Yeah, I'm with you on all of that, and did some searches, but I dont see, with the water bags shown, the method for getting the water out 'neatly'. Would be great if it had a drink box straw, or a corner that was made to be removed without spilling it everywhere...

Water, milk and drinkable yogurt are commonly found in bags like this here in Bolivia. Mostly people just bite off the corner and suck the contents out. It's not unusual to see someone walking down the street with one of these bags hanging out of their mouth. No hands needed!

 

Here are a couple photos of Bolivian children drinking their milk out of small bags like these...

Edited March 30, 2008 by trekmiss

[Mr.Yuck]

Go for it. I wouldn't personally take it but someone might.

 

That's a really great idea. If there is even the slightest possibility that someone on planet earth might

be interested in an item...............put it in a cache container.

 

There is a local geocacher who has always left a small bottle of water in, or next to each cache as his signature item.T hey often sit there for quite some time.

 

I was wondering if someone would bring that up!! I once found a cache in the highlands of Joisey that was tampered with by critters, was out in the open 10-15 feet away, and that water bottle allowed me to determine what the hiding spot was.

 

I'd never be able to find it, but I'm sure I've seen at least one rant against that user using bottles of water as as their signature item.

 

 

I recall last summer another geocacher headed out for a long cache hike on a hot summer day and ran out of water. He started looking forward to each cache find so he could drink the bottle of water that invariably sat next to nearly every cache in the area. They kept him going all afternoon.

 

If putting bottles of water next to caches can save even one life, then I'm all for it.

 

It didn't save my life or anything, but I can remember once drinking a small bottle of Poland Spring I found in a cache. I was thirsty. I'd really think these things should be in tamper proof packaging though, as many others have said.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Several people have mentioned not leaving water in caches where it might freeze. I've also seen the seal fail on bottled water where temps are hot, here in Florida. I'd suggest that bottled or bagged water be left outside the cache container, if it's left at all.

[+gof1]

If you are wondering how easy it would be to tamper with a bottle of water the answer is very. I just got an order of soda bottle preforms and they came with brand new caps. These are the standard screw off plastic bottle caps with the tamper resistant band in tact. I could take the original cap off a bottle, replace it with one of these, and you would never be able to tell. Not that I would do that.

[+Team LaLonde]

I would like to leave a sealed bottle of water as a trade item in larger caches. What do you think?

 

I probably wouldn't trade for a bottle since I couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't tampered before or after a cacher left it. I have seen those sealed plastic water baggies, that would be okay for me.

 

 

Where in the heck can you find things like that? Those actually look interesting.

 

I believe these are available from Gordon Food Service (GFS Marketplace). They have a sharp straw and you puncture the bag with a quick motion. They are similar to Capri Sun drinks. We saw them at a professional food show in Novi, MI earlier this month.

[Dinoprophet]

It's probably best to just not do it.

 

However, I freeze my bottles all the time, on purpose. I've even heard they're *designed* to be frozen. But I won't swear to that.

 

As for tampering, it seems to me you're MUCH more likely to get a tampered bottle off the shelf of Quik-E-Mart than in a cache. Hasn't stopped me from buying one yet.

[+Jedi Cacher]

I once found a bag of military issue emergency water in a cache. Everybody was quite intrigued by the bag of emergency water and wondered if it was still good. I could see placing one of these in a cache that was in the backcountry for emergency purposes.

[+briansnat]

I bought a case of these and was putting them in my caches for a while. I was concerned that they would expand and break when they froze in the winter, but that didn't happen.

 

Unlike bottled water, it's really tough to tamper with these. There is even an expiration date on it. Does water really go bad?

 

 

If it saves even one life then its worth it

Edited March 31, 2008 by briansnat

[+gof1]

If it saves even one life then its worth it

 

Darn you to heck Briansnat! Why do you have to be like all logical and stuff?

[+martinell]

It's probably best to just not do it.

 

However, I freeze my bottles all the time, on purpose. I've even heard they're *designed* to be frozen. But I won't swear to that.

 

As for tampering, it seems to me you're MUCH more likely to get a tampered bottle off the shelf of Quik-E-Mart than in a cache. Hasn't stopped me from buying one yet.

 

Yes, only one kind of weirdo typically visits a cache. All kinds of weirdo's goto in the gas station. I'm not sure I would drink it however... Interesting questions.

[+briansnat]

If it saves even one life then its worth it

 

Darn you to heck Briansnat! Why do you have to be like all logical and stuff?

 

I left off the

[cowcreekgeeks]

When I was in Bosnia, we had a recall on some of our bottled water. Water can go bad! It can sit in the sun and algae or other cysts can become a problem. I'd say it's okay to put in a cache but to take one and drink it...I'd be checking the dates printed on the bottle.

My two cents.

[+coggins]

When I was in Bosnia, we had a recall on some of our bottled water. Water can go bad! It can sit in the sun and algae or other cysts can become a problem. I'd say it's okay to put in a cache but to take one and drink it...I'd be checking the dates printed on the bottle.

My two cents.

Also this depends where you are. See: SODUS.

[+DrgnTrappr]

Sounds like a soggy logbook to me

[+OReviewer]

I've done a bunch of caches after someone who leaves water bottles attached to the caches he's found. I've found a number of them emptied but still tied to the container. Some froze and cracked, others were chewed. Plus his method means caches are harder to hide and a number of times I've found his water bottle which led me to the well hidden cache.

[+simpjkee]

I don't think it violates the guidelines since I think food is barred since it will smell and atract animals. I wouldn't the smell of water? would attract animals so it should violate it.

 

There are some caches in the desert here in AZ with water just in case someone runs out near the cache and their hiking in the heat.

[+Chuy!]

I bought a case of these and was putting them in my caches for a while. I was concerned that they would expand and break when they froze in the winter, but that didn't happen.

 

Unlike bottled water, it's really tough to tamper with these. There is even an expiration date on it. Does water really go bad?

 

 

If it saves even one life then its worth it

 

Those look similar to what I've seen at the local Army surplus store, although I didn't notice expiration dates. Out here in the California desert, I've seen water bottles and the occasional water bag in caches - seemed appropriate under 110+ weather!