Rain, rain... leave my dang cache alone! :O)

[+infiniteMPG]

Being in west central Florida, we go thru really, REALLY dry spells, but we also go thru really, REALLY wet spells. Yesterday upon returning home from work I found my rain gauge was sitting on 4-1/4" of rain (and I had just emptied it the day before). And it was the horizontal kind that comes sideways (with massive wind gusts) and soaks everything not indoors (and even some things that are indoors, not the day to leave your fireplace damper open).

 

This is when the hiding skills and techniques get tested. I have found several caches in the last couple months that were hidden as in a 35mm film canister laying at the bottom of a tree on the ground, or delicately balanced on the crook of a tree limb, or on the ground covered with pine needles. We're about to get slammed again this evening. Try to warn people, but......

 

I have some hides that even need upgrading like in hollow tree trunks that have no drainage and after big storms the decon container is literally floating (aren't decon's supposed to be water tight????).

 

Anyone have issues with people hiding things not robust enough to handle your local area's bouts with Mother Nature? Maybe it's a learning curve but would be nice to offer HIDING 101 classes...

[+Moose Mob]

Are you wanting your local cachers to hide thier film canisters on hilltops?

[+Moore9KSUcats]

Speaking of rain, etc...

 

I hope the CACHERS in Iowa, and those in places affected by the rains and tornadoes are doing fine!

 

Once things dry out... and they get their property taken care of.... then they may go check on their caches... until then... I hope they take care of themselves first!

[Cache Whisperer]

Ammocan!

[+J10fly]

Just use all-weather paper logs. I use it myself and it is great. Use a ball point pen and you can write on it even if it is wet, doesnt smear or anything. I swear by the stuff and will not put a cache out without using it.

[+Adium]

Just use all-weather paper logs. I use it myself and it is great. Use a ball point pen and you can write on it even if it is wet, doesnt smear or anything. I swear by the stuff and will not put a cache out without using it.

 

I have my own personal stamp that I use to log everything and I HATE that write in rain stuff. My stamps smear right off before I can even close the book.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Speaking of rain, etc...

 

I hope the CACHERS in Iowa, and those in places affected by the rains and tornadoes are doing fine!

 

Once things dry out... and they get their property taken care of.... then they may go check on their caches... until then... I hope they take care of themselves first!

LOL, I was wondering about that! I leave Alabama on Sunday for Cedar Rapids Iowa as part of a Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief team taking a mobile kitchen and emergency communications trailer to aid and support victims.

 

I was loading a PQ for the area so I can cache during my off hours over the next few weeks and it got me to wondering if I can log caches that float by or if they will be considered moving caches!?

[+briansnat]

(aren't decon's supposed to be water tight????).

 

Many aren't. I've purchased a lot of of these over the years and found the lid usually doesn't seal very well. Maybe 1 in 5 have a lid that fits snugly. I stopped using them long ago because I was tired of drying out wet decons.

[Clan Riffster]

Maybe it's a learning curve but would be nice to offer HIDING 101 classes...

The problem with a class is that they need receptive students. I can't quite grasp the mentality of someone looking at a film canister, thinking, "This would make a great cache!", but judging from the sheer volume of them, I'd guess these people do exist. Would someone capable of having such a thought be a receptive student?

[+PJPeters]

We (Michiganders) have had this problem a bit this past week. With some areas of the state receiving more than a foot of rain over the last week, there are several caches that usually hold up well, but suddenly have some 'moisture issues.' Many (if not all) are not the greatest containers (medicine bottles, film cans, nanos, etc.), so that tells you to look toward lock-n-locks or ammo cans for cache containers. I get notifications for caches that need maintenance, so I've seen several this week. I'll probably get more today, since it's finally a beautiful day.

I will say that I've had an ammo can get wet. It's in a pretty sheltered area (hollow tree), but in a harsh winter or rainy season, water will get in them. And since they're watertight to begin with, you can bet water that gets in won't be getting out.

[+Ambrosia]

(aren't decon's supposed to be water tight????).

 

Many aren't. I've purchased a lot of of these over the years and found the lid usually doesn't seal very well. Maybe 1 in 5 have a lid that fits snugly. I stopped using them long ago because I was tired of drying out wet decons.

I think that every decon I've found has been warped or broken in some way, so I've lost respect for them. I won't ever use one for a cache container.

[Neos2]

Just use all-weather paper logs. I use it myself and it is great. Use a ball point pen and you can write on it even if it is wet, doesnt smear or anything. I swear by the stuff and will not put a cache out without using it.

 

I have my own personal stamp that I use to log everything and I HATE that write in rain stuff. My stamps smear right off before I can even close the book.

How big is that stamp? Does it take up a lot of space in logbooks?

[+WRASTRO]

Just use all-weather paper logs. I use it myself and it is great. Use a ball point pen and you can write on it even if it is wet, doesnt smear or anything. I swear by the stuff and will not put a cache out without using it.

 

I have my own personal stamp that I use to log everything and I HATE that write in rain stuff. My stamps smear right off before I can even close the book.

How big is that stamp? Does it take up a lot of space in logbooks?

You might want to think about carrying a pen or pencil so you can deal with the logs that aren't friendly to/for your stamp.

[+Totem Clan]

(aren't decon's supposed to be water tight????).

 

Many aren't. I've purchased a lot of of these over the years and found the lid usually doesn't seal very well. Maybe 1 in 5 have a lid that fits snugly. I stopped using them long ago because I was tired of drying out wet decons.

I think that every decon I've found has been warped or broken in some way, so I've lost respect for them. I won't ever use one for a cache container.

No, the box for the M258A1 Skin Decontamination Kit was never designed to be watertight. They were meant to be a convenient way for a solider to carry the six individually vacuum sealed packets that make up the original contents of said kit into the field. They will and do leak. They will and do warp. They were made from the beginning to be shelf stable, field sturdy, disposable item.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Totem Clan

[+Ambrosia]

(aren't decon's supposed to be water tight????).

 

Many aren't. I've purchased a lot of of these over the years and found the lid usually doesn't seal very well. Maybe 1 in 5 have a lid that fits snugly. I stopped using them long ago because I was tired of drying out wet decons.

I think that every decon I've found has been warped or broken in some way, so I've lost respect for them. I won't ever use one for a cache container.

No, the box for the M258A1 Skin Decontamination Kit was never designed to be watertight. They were meant to be a convenient way for a solider to carry the six individually vacuum sealed packets that make up the original contents of said kit into the field. The will and do leak. The will and do warp. The were made from the beginning to be shelf stable, field sturdy, disposable item.

Interesting info. I wonder why it became so popular for geocaching.

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

No, the box for the M258A1 Skin Decontamination Kit was never designed to be watertight. They were meant to be a convenient way for a solider to carry the six individually vacuum sealed packets that make up the original contents of said kit into the field. The will and do leak. The will and do warp. The were made from the beginning to be shelf stable, field sturdy, disposable item.

Interesting info. I wonder why it became so popular for geocaching.

 

Because they are small and you could buy them at a surplus store... therefore they MUST be ok, right?

 

I dislike them heartily (aside from the always-wet/always-stinky factor) because that top is a b*tch to get off and then back on.

 

 

michelle

[+Totem Clan]

No, the box for the M258A1 Skin Decontamination Kit was never designed to be watertight. They were meant to be a convenient way for a solider to carry the six individually vacuum sealed packets that make up the original contents of said kit into the field. The will and do leak. The will and do warp. The were made from the beginning to be shelf stable, field sturdy, disposable item.

Interesting info. I wonder why it became so popular for geocaching.

 

Because they are small and you could buy them at a surplus store... therefore they MUST be ok, right?

 

I dislike them heartily (aside from the always-wet/always-stinky factor) because that top is a b*tch to get off and then back on.

 

michelle

 

Try doing it in a gas mask while wearing a chem suit complete with unweildly one-size-fits-all rubber gloves!