Making your own cache

[+Nick_L]

How do you make your own cache without ordering anything online

[+StevenWill]

How do you make your own cache without ordering anything online

 

Nick it depends what type of cache you want to place - basically any water tight container will do.

For small caches try key holder (magnetic) available at your local lock smith or even false rocks that you can also get there or you can make your own, some people really get inventive. For a first cache I owuld stick to the basics - strong water proof container. After that the choices are endless.

 

Be inventive and have fun

 

Regards

Steve

[+SixDogTeam]

1. buy a plastic jar of crunchy peanut butter.

2. Eat the contents.

3. Wash out the container with hot water and soap and bleach.

4. Spray paint it black, then some brown and green.

5. Put a strip of paper in a ziplock bag into jar.

6. Snap a pencil in half, put sharpened mini pencil in jar.

7. Print out a stash note and put that in.

8. Put any trinkets you like in it--marbles, twenty dollar gold coins, plastic soldiers etc.

9. Twist top on very tight.

 

[+briansnat]

You have to be careful with containers that previously held food, because if any odor at all remains, it is likely to get chewed apart by some animal.

 

You can pick up a Lock n Lock at Walmart for under $3. Good containers. You can get a small memo pad for your logbook at Walmart or Staples for under a buck (spiral bound is better than glue bound, which tends to fall apart after a while).

 

You can purchase swag nearly anywhere. Walmart, the dollar section of Target, the supermarket, toy stores, outdoors stores, hardware stores, you name it. Just choose inexpensive, but useful items. You can usually stock a cache real well for under $10.

Edited May 22, 2008 by briansnat

[+briansnat]

Here is a how-to on placing caches that I put together. Hope it helps.

[+Mushroom finder]

I'm new to caching myself and spent some time thinking about what to put in my first hides. I figured I would find a few first and get ideas about what to put in based on what I found. I've only found a few so far but mostly I've only gotten ideas on what I don't want to put in a cache So far I've found nothing in a cache that I wanted to trade for (broken McToys, trash, etc.), but that doesn't mean they didn't start out with good swag. So unless you are finding fairly new or freshly stocked caches, just looking at their contents may not be the best idea getter. I noticed that some log books and some cache descriptions list the original contents and that has been a help. It's been mentioned before that if it's something you would be happy to find in a cache then it's probably something worth placing in one.

 

Like you I wanted to put together a nice cache without spending a lot of $$ but I didn't want to put out junk. I found that the travel items section at WalMart has great "cache size" items that are actually useful for very little $$. I just hid my first one (not published yet) a couple of days ago and have another one ready to go. Heres a list of some of the things I put in and what they cost, hope it helps.

 

Lock & Lock container....................................$2.38 @ WalMart

Pocket size poison ivy spray pen.....................$1.88 @ WalMart

Pocket size insect repellent.............................$2.00 @ WalMart

Pocket size sun screen...................................$1.38 @ WalMart

Water bottle lanyard with carabiner.................$.97 @ WalMart

Pocket size hand sanitizer...............................$.50 @ WalMart

Small first aid kit............................................$.97 @ WalMart

Pocket size composition book (log book)..........$.77 $ WalMart

Large refreshment towelette ( big wet-nap)......Freebie from my work

Bass Pro Shops disposable camera..................Freebie from promo

Pencil ................................................Free since there is about 100 of them at home that nobody uses.

 

Grand total $10.85 all useful items and nothing that I wouldn't be happy to find in another cache. So putting out a decent cache with good swag is easy and cheap ta-boot. Another thing I did (and I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it) was to cut my pencil in half and then sharpen both ends of the pieces. It's like having 4 pencils in the cache instead of one.

 

Another idea is to include a couple of ready made micro caches as trade items. You probably have everything needed at home already - film canister, mini pencil and a few log pages. Cheap, easy swag item and maybe a newbie finds it and is inspired to place his own cache.

[+Nick_L]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

[+The Pathman]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

It will work but I like using the largest I can fit so we don't have to replace them so often.

[+Nick_L]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

It will work but I like using the largest I can fit so we don't have to replace them so often.

No... I Mean You take like 10 index cards staple them together And cut them to size

[+briansnat]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

 

If you can figure out how to fit an index card in a film canister sure.

 

A word regarding film canisters though. They are generally not waterproof so consider using something else.

 

Waterproof match containers sell for 97 cents at Walmart and are waterproof and very durable.

[+briansnat]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

It will work but I like using the largest I can fit so we don't have to replace them so often.

No... I Mean You take like 10 index cards staple them together And cut them to size

 

You're probably better off doing that with paper. Index cards are thick so you won't get many pages.

[+Sparticus06]

I made a couple out of PVC pipe and end caps. Somewhat water tight but can hold a bit. Hardware store is a great place to get ideas

[+briansnat]

I made a couple out of PVC pipe and end caps. Somewhat water tight but can hold a bit. Hardware store is a great place to get ideas

 

I've found probably a dozen caches using PCV pipe. Not one was dry. The problem is that if you tighten it enough to keep the contents dry, it can't be opened by hand. If you only tighten it enough so it can be opened by hand then water gets in.

 

Also, unless you have the parts laying around, they can be pretty expensive. I once considered making until I priced all the parts and it came to almost $15.

[+Nick_L]

I will test the film container to see if it is water proof

[+briansnat]

I will test the film container to see if it is water proof

 

I can assure you that the black film canisters with the gray lid are not waterproof. I've found many and maybe one or two were dry. The clear Fuji film ones are better but still not perfect.

 

If you are hiding it where it won't be exposed to the weather then you can get away with nearly anything, but if it will be exposed to weather you are best off choosing a better container, unless you want to visit it every few weeks to dry it out.

[+briansnat]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

 

For caches like film canisters, waterproof match boxes and similar containers people usually just use a long sheet of paper rolled up inside.

 

Here are a few that you can download, print and cut:

 

From Techblazer

 

From LilDevil

 

From geocaching.com

 

From Arkansas Geocachers

 

From Texas Geocaching

 

from geocacher-u

[+Sparticus06]

My one is down in side a pipe. I sealed the up end with silicone, the other end (open end faces down. I have found that they condensate inside too. I know that one is pretty much waterproof and still all the contents get wet because of it sweating inside.

[+blb9556]

Is it okay for a film canister logbook just to be a few index cards

It will work but I like using the largest I can fit so we don't have to replace them so often.

No... I Mean You take like 10 index cards staple them together And cut them to size

 

You're probably better off doing that with paper. Index cards are thick so you won't get many pages.

 

Do paper. Heres the log I use (Visit Link For Great Log) I delete the farthest right column and print the remaining amount.

[+Nick_L]

Thanks

Is there anything else i need to know?

[+briansnat]

Thanks

Is there anything else i need to know?

 

Well most important of all, read the Guidelines. I mean really read them, don't just skim.

 

The 5 minutes it takes to read them may save you hours of work later if you have to move or re-work your cache because you didn't conform to the guidelines.

Edited May 23, 2008 by briansnat