+Headhardhat Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 We had so many great responses for Where Not to hide a geocache I would like to continue the GeoSnippits series. I would like to concentrate on What Not to hide this time. Meaning what types of geocache containers are bad ideas in your particular environment? For example, Altoids containers are terrible where they can get wet. They rust and become hazards. Yet in the desert climates they work better than lock 'n lock boxes that can crack in the heat. Ammo boxes are a fave where we live but in the jungle and heavy rain areas they disintigrate over time from being to wet. What works in your environment and what doesn't? How Wet/Dry is your area and how Hot/Cold? Really appreciate your input as always. -HHH Quote
+gof1 Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Plastic bags. I've seen a couple, not many, caches that are just some form of plastic bag. Ziplocks, trash bags, old grocery bags. Every one of them was horrible. Wet, moldy, stink bombs. Some times they are wrapped around another container in an apparent attempt to protect a wet cache from the weather. Other times they are the container. Either way they suck. Ziplocks make a fine second line of defense inside a decent cache container but please people, don't use them for the container. Quote
+WatchDog2020 Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Plastic bags. I've seen a couple, not many, caches that are just some form of plastic bag. Ziplocks, trash bags, old grocery bags. Every one of them was horrible. Wet, moldy, stink bombs. Some times they are wrapped around another container in an apparent attempt to protect a wet cache from the weather. Other times they are the container. Either way they suck. Ziplocks make a fine second line of defense inside a decent cache container but please people, don't use them for the container. Tic-Tac container Hide-A-Key WITHOUT a baggie for the log Altoid box Quote
Clan Riffster Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) One of my all time favorite rants! Whoo Hoo!! What I like to preach, to anyone who asks, is a cache should protect its contents. Period. It doesn't matter if the contents are high end electronics, or a scrap of paper. If the cache doesn't protect the contents, it sucks. I like to apply the ziplock litmus test: We all know that ziplocks don't last. Paper, (such as cache logs), cuts flesh pretty easily. It cuts baggies even easier. Many items found inside a cache have pokey bits. Pens & pencils come to mind. These can kwickly render a baggie non-waterproof. If a container requires a baggie to keep the log dry, it sucks. (Note: This isn't a call to ban baggies. Baggies are a good preventative measure, as they will offer some modicum of protection should the container fail unexpectedly.) Back to the geographic portion of this post: I live in Central Florida. Picture lots of sunlight & humidity. Containers that almost always lead to soggy logs here include, but are not limited to, black & grey film cans, altoid containers of any size, cookie tins, M&M tubes, plastic coffee tubs, metal coffee tubs, tackle boxes, paintball tubes, Gladware, hide-a-keys and baggies covered in camo tape. Post script: This rant is entirely biased, and should not be taken as anything other than one ole fat crippled guy's opinion. Edited April 17, 2009 by Clan Riffster Quote
+Coyote's Girl Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Admitedly, I've only been dong this for less than a year and I've only cached through the late fall, winter and early spring. Our area may be particularly difficult for finding that "Just right" container. In the summer the temps get up close to, if not over 100. The winter brings snow, or worse.. Ice. It's nearly always wet. Any plastic container would be tested by these conditions on a long-term basis though lock-n-locks I've found are rarely damaged terrible bad. Altoid-type containers seem to rust quickly if left in the open, though they also seem to last in the typical LPC setup. I enjoy finding ammo cans, personally but these are few and far between. And the army surplus store in the next town closed its doors some time ago. Unfortunately, the ones that seem to be best suited to our environment are the dreaded film canisters and bison tubes. Which is OK for me since I get a little thrill and a feeling of power from knowing something is there that other people don't have a clue about, but my son wants to trade toys and you just can't put anything cool in a film canister. Quote
+Too Tall John Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Tic-Tac containerHide-A-Key WITHOUT a baggie for the log Altoid box Sorry, but I have to agree with CR, Hide-A-Keys get no exemption from suckage just because they have a baggie.I like to apply the ziplock litmus test:We all know that ziplocks don't last. Paper, (such as cache logs), cuts flesh pretty easily. It cuts baggies even easier. Many items found inside a cache have pokey bits. Pens & pencils come to mind. These can kwickly render a baggie non-waterproof. If a container requires a baggie to keep the log dry, it sucks. In my observations, even the corner of the baggie can be enough to poke a hole in the darned thing, and when you're trying to get one with a log inside it back into one of those dinky Hide-A-Keys, you can just forget it being waterproof. Quote
+team moxiepup Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Here in Maine, we have pretty tough winters. Cache containers that seem to hold up the best are ammo cans for regular size caches, and bison tubes or match containers for micros. Lock n' locks are ok, provided they - a. Are not placed on the ground or in a spot where someone is likely to poke through the lid with a snow shoe pole. When the snow is deep, people tend to poke around to find the cache. Lock n' locks get pretty brittle in the cold and don't hold up to much poking! b. Are not placed inan area which collects ice. It's hard to know this when placing a cache in nice weather, but many hiding spots - stumps, hollow trees, etc, collect water/snow and then freeze solid, entombing most if not all of the cache in ice. An ammo box will hold up to folks trying to chip away ice. A brittle lock n' lock will not. That being said, if the lock n' lock is placed in an area with good drainage and has some protection from poking, they can hold up to the winters just fine. Not a big fan of film canisters, hide a keys, or any plastic container without an O ring, such as cheap Gladware or Rubbermaid. Quote
+StarBrand Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Fim Cans. - leak Most tupperware without a seal. - Leak, poor UV resistance makes them brittle after a year or less. Disposable type tupperware. - leaks, UV, not tough, lids don't fit well, etc Plastic Coffee Cans. - get chewed on by animals, don't seal well, uv problem Plastic bags, No matter how they are reinforced. - leak, fall apart Altoids containers - Rust, leak, ick PVC pipe - leaks, looks like a bomb, hard to open and reclose Quote
+gof1 Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 A few other things not to use. An old egg shell. A paper bag. A cored apple. An empty tissue box. A dead skunk. StarBrand's left shoe. Quote
J.A.R.S. Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Meaning what types of geocache containers are bad ideas in your particular environment? Knock-off/dollar store lock & locks. The tabs break off. Use the real thing, it may cost more but will last years compared to a few months. Quote
+Team Brantley Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Hey Headhardhat, Well, if your going to use a small container, such as a pill bottle, key holder, film canister, i suggest you always put your log book in a little baggy no matter how tight the cache is, even if its a ammo box. Water can still get in. You can put your goodies in a bag too if you want, but really only the log book. I remember my first cache, a pill bottle with no baggie just the log book. One day after it poured down rain. I checked on my cache and it was soaked. I know now always put log in a baggie. - Cody from Team Brantley Quote
Penguin_ar Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 I remember my first cache, a pill bottle with no baggie just the log book. One day after it poured down rain. I checked on my cache and it was soaked. I know now always put log in a baggie. I agree with this! Here in NW Arkansas, we can have really bad rain storms. I found a film canister hung in a tree, the inside was quite wet, but fortunately, the log was in a baggie so was ok. Maybe not quite what you are looking for in comments, but choose containers where the log can be easily gotten (unless puzzle cache or something!). I heard a story at a cache meeting I went to of a plastic soda bottle being used, and the log was a rolled up paper, which was very difficult to get out of the cache and got torn into pieces. Also, if a muggle finds a bottle with a piece of paper in it, they may dispose of it, thinking it is trash. Quote
+BrrrMo Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 cache and it was soaked. I know now always put log in a baggie. I agree with this! Here in NW Arkansas, we can have really bad rain storms. I found a film canister hung in a tree, the inside was quite wet, but fortunately, the log was in a baggie so was ok. Maybe not quite what you are looking for in comments, but choose containers where the log can be easily gotten (unless puzzle cache or something!). I heard a story at a cache meeting I went to of a plastic soda bottle being used, and the log was a rolled up paper, which was very difficult to get out of the cache and got torn into pieces. Also, if a muggle finds a bottle with a piece of paper in it, they may dispose of it, thinking it is trash. Would that Cache been in Murfreesboro, AR? If so I told the CO about it when I visted Muffler Man and she said they had not been able to find it. I told her where it was and she was very thankful. Quote
+StarBrand Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Hey Headhardhat, Well, if your going to use a small container, such as a pill bottle, key holder, film canister, i suggest you always put your log book in a little baggy no matter how tight the cache is, even if its a ammo box. Water can still get in. You can put your goodies in a bag too if you want, but really only the log book. I remember my first cache, a pill bottle with no baggie just the log book. One day after it poured down rain. I checked on my cache and it was soaked. I know now always put log in a baggie. - Cody from Team Brantley Or don't use a pill bottle as those too are leaky. Always try the sink test with a new container - put some kleenex in the container with lid closed. Take it to your sink and place it on its side. Turn on a steady drip and walk away for a couple of hours. When you come back - you will know if it is a decent container or not. 1 Quote
+StarBrand Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 .... StarBrand's left shoe. Well the right one's not so watertight either..... but at a size 11 6E width - you would have to classify them as a regular size........... I do have some water proof hiking boots but their's that pesky foot hole again...... Quote
+Too Tall John Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 ....StarBrand's left shoe. Well the right one's not so watertight either..... but at a size 11 6E width - you would have to classify them as a regular size........... I do have some water proof hiking boots but there's that pesky foot hole again...... Yes, that foot hole is a problem, isn't it? I haven't tried using my shoes (size 15, would that be a regular? ) as a cache container, but I have noticed that when the depth of the water exceeds the height of the boot, the foot hole is a huge weakness of my waterproof boots. Quote
+Renegade Knight Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 ...What works in your environment and what doesn't?... High Mountain Desert. We have good luck with Decon Containers. Folks here though seem to know how to close them so they remain dry. Ammo can's of course are the magic just works everwhere container. They only thing they haven't held up to was a bulldozer. Coffee cans can work, or not. It's more a matter of critters gnawwing the plastic on those. Mostly they don't. Rodents love coffee. Altoids can work but normally don't. Tupperware type containers is a function of the quality. Better quality is a better seal. Eventually the cheap ones warp. Except when they are in cooler spots then they don't warp, but you still have the seal issues. Quote
Clan Riffster Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 HHH, I'm really glad you started this thread. I find it fascinating to hear how different environments handle various containers. In reading the thread, I see I forgot a few for the "These Suck In Florida" post: Pill bottles. They work great at storing medicine, so long as they stay in your cabinet. Put 'em outside and it's goodbye logsheet. PVC pipe. Even without the whole pipe bomb angle, I've only found one, out of a couple dozen, that wasn't damp inside. The notion that, if it keeps water in, they must be good at keeping water out, just doesn't hold up in practice. Quote
+gof1 Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 HHH, I'm really glad you started this thread. I find it fascinating to hear how different environments handle various containers. In reading the thread, I see I forgot a few for the "These Suck In Florida" post: Pill bottles. They work great at storing medicine, so long as they stay in your cabinet. Put 'em outside and it's goodbye logsheet. PVC pipe. Even without the whole pipe bomb angle, I've only found one, out of a couple dozen, that wasn't damp inside. The notion that, if it keeps water in, they must be good at keeping water out, just doesn't hold up in practice. Yeah, PVC is not a good idea. In order to make 'em water tight the joints need to be glued and threads need to have a sealant applied and be tightened (you ready for this?) WITH A WRENCH! And I agree about pill bottles. Please people, stop going through your garbage for cache containers. Quote
+Cache O'Plenty Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 Add the following to the NOT A GOOD CONTAINER list: Electrical boxes/conduit in electrical settings! Bad idea. Quote
+Ike 13 Posted April 17, 2009 Posted April 17, 2009 I live in the South Carolina Midlands. I second the following: Altoid tins are always bad I've only found 2 film canisters with a dry log so those are bad. Hide a keys only work if they are on the bottom of something (no dripping and no puddles) And add these: Any nano around a live, unlocked electrical box (In this case a magnetic light switch plate) Small wood boxes in zip-lock bags. (A small lock-n-lock takes up the same footprint has more volume and the contents are never wet.) Quote
+smilealot Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 Just like to add a little hint to add to small containers even large ones. I am sure everyone knows about those little moisture bags in things like bacon bits or jerky..... Sew up a few bags to size of container that have rice and salt in them that will absorb the sweating moisture that many tightly sealed containers have troubles with. Depending on the climate you may have to change them now and again but that is a part of maintaining your hides right? Quote
+Harry Dolphin Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 Or don't use a pill bottle as those too are leaky. Never say never. I've got a pill bottle that's been out more than four years, and never had a moisture problem. Of course, it is hanging under a fence post cap, so that helps. And, lest anyone ask, the fence post cap was missing, so I bought one, and replaced it! My favorite 'What NOT to use as a geocache' was a take out food container hidden under a twenty pound rock. I dubbed it "The Smashed Cache". Quote
+Team Shiney Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 Plastic Coffee Cans. Never seen one with dry contents here in the Florida Panhandle. Want something the same size? Use a ammo can. Add a cable so it will not wash away in a hurricane. Quote
+briansnat Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) <<<< personal attack, profanity and graphic violence deleted >>>>>>> Edited April 18, 2009 by briansnat Quote
+briansnat Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) Ammo boxes are a fave where we live but in the jungle and heavy rain areas they disintigrate over time from being to wet. Nearly every container will disintegrate over time, it's just a matter of how much time. I found an ammo box that had been sitting in, or under water for 5 years and it was still dry inside, albeit quite rusty outside. It finally failed about a year and a half later and had to be replaced. Pretty good for any cache container, never mind one that spend a good number of years in water. Good in any environment. I have a few that have been out in the wild for a long time. Some for as many as 7 years , in all kinds of weather, snow, rain, below zero temps and above 100 temps. They are still going strong, though a few could use a bit of a paint job touch up. As far the 16 worstest, baddest containers.... #15. Decon boxes. They look like the perfect container, but there is a wide variation as far as how well they seal. Even when they seal well, many geoachers seem to have a problem with closing them correctly. #14. Tupperware. That's the brand name stuff. Expensive, and it works for about a year but it doesn't seem to take weather well. I've found many a soaked cache in genuine Tupperware #13. Dollar store plastic containers. Same problem as Tupperware only they don't last nearly as long. Only reason they are ranked ahead is that they are about 1/5 the price #12. Rubbermaid Serve n Savers. Save them to serve your chili and leftover spaghetti, but don't use one for a geocache (not to be confused with the Rubbermaid containers with the blue rim, now called Flex & Seal, which are pretty good) #11. PVC pipe. I don't ever think I found a dry cache made out of PVC pipe. If you tighten it enough to seal out water, people can't open it. If you make it so it's easy to open then rain gets in. Nevermid that the general public may mistake them for pipe bombs. #10. Plastic coffee cans. They don't seal out water well and are specifically designed to degrade #9. Cookie tins and Altoid tins (different sizes but same deal). They rust and are hard to open once rusted. Also tend to leak . A lot. #8. Metal coffee cans. They rust and the lids split after a few openings and closings #7. Paint cans. They work for the first half dozen or so finders as long as they are equipped with something to open them. After that they don't seal very well #6. Tackle and tool boxes. They simply don't seal out water. 'nuff said #5. Film canisters. I've found dozens. Maybe one or two were dry inside #4. Sterlite boxes. Cheap and widely available. See tackle and tool boxes. #3. prescription pill bottles. They stink, plain and simple. Your cache will get wet. If not yet, soon. #2. Chinese/deli food containers. Designed for a single use. Lids split quickly and it's difficult to get the food smell out. #1st runner up. Gladware. The tops don't fit securely and can pop off with simple temperature changes And drum roll please...the champion... Ziploc bags. Even if you reinforce them with duct tape, the "zipper" is only designed to last for a few openings and closings. Note that any of these containers may work fine for certain applications. I'm sure many geoachers have had good experiences with them. If totally protected from the elements nearly any container will work well, but it is rare a geocache can be totally protected from the elements. And if you don't mind heading out every few weeks or months to tend to a soaked cache they may also work. But if you want a cache will last and not require much maintenance stay away from these containers. Edited April 18, 2009 by briansnat Quote
CoyoteRed Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) On second thought, never mind. Edited April 18, 2009 by CoyoteRed Quote
+Jamie Z Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 Ammo boxes are a fave where we live but in the jungle and heavy rain areas they disintigrate over time from being to wet. I've never seen nor heard of an ammo box disintegrating. There's an ammo box cache near me which is located in a creek bed which probably floods a few times a year. the cache has been out since 2002. It's fine. Another cache near here, placed in 2001. It's at the base of a tree in the woods. Fine. Jamie Quote
CoyoteRed Posted April 18, 2009 Posted April 18, 2009 Ammo boxes are a fave where we live but in the jungle and heavy rain areas they disintigrate over time from being to wet. I've never seen nor heard of an ammo box disintegrating. Me either. There's a lot of information that comes from the same author that is news to me. Quote
+Headhardhat Posted April 21, 2009 Author Posted April 21, 2009 Thanks for all the great suggestions and so please keep them coming because we will be making a part two for the more important and/or creative ones we missed. Thanks again! - HHH Quote
+joukkusisu Posted April 22, 2009 Posted April 22, 2009 A bad container not mentioned yet is oleo tubs. An old-timer around these parts have used them and they were all cracked and leaky. Not good. We too have found ammo cans submerged under water that have held up. One was hidden 3.5 years ago in a creek under a ledge was still dry despite the constant wet and Minnesota ice. Quote
Andronicus Posted April 23, 2009 Posted April 23, 2009 I have seen some ammo cans in the spring with wet contents from condensation. So even in an ammo can, you should think of putting the log in a ziplock bag. Or you can try that rice salt trick smilealot mentioned. Quote
+TeamZebra Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 GLASS JARS! Not only are they dangerous to people and animals, but they hold heat and cold too long causing more condensation. We actually had a whole series of caches in this area for a while that were in glass jars. They have since been archived, but even after the owner archived them, I'd found one... makes me wonder what happened to the rest of them. I've also found cists hidden in glass jars. **On a side note: I've considered adding little desiccant packs from pill bottles and food packages to caches to help with moisture, but always wondered if the smell would be a problem. Doesn't the rice and salt attract critters? Quote
CoyoteRed Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 I have seen some ammo cans in the spring with wet contents from condensation. So even in an ammo can, you should think of putting the log in a ziplock bag. Or you can try that rice salt trick smilealot mentioned. The condensation is because of the environment. Any watertight container would do the same thing. BTW, he's already made the video. Quote
+KBI Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 One of my all time favorite rants! Whoo Hoo!! What I like to preach, to anyone who asks, is a cache should protect its contents. Period. It doesn't matter if the contents are high end electronics, or a scrap of paper. If the cache doesn't protect the contents, it sucks. I like to apply the ziplock litmus test: We all know that ziplocks don't last. Paper, (such as cache logs), cuts flesh pretty easily. It cuts baggies even easier. Many items found inside a cache have pokey bits. Pens & pencils come to mind. These can kwickly render a baggie non-waterproof. If a container requires a baggie to keep the log dry, it sucks. (Note: This isn't a call to ban baggies. Baggies are a good preventative measure, as they will offer some modicum of protection should the container fail unexpectedly.) Back to the geographic portion of this post: I live in Central Florida. Picture lots of sunlight & humidity. Containers that almost always lead to soggy logs here include, but are not limited to, black & grey film cans, altoid containers of any size, cookie tins, M&M tubes, plastic coffee tubs, metal coffee tubs, tackle boxes, paintball tubes, Gladware, hide-a-keys and baggies covered in camo tape. Post script: This rant is entirely biased, and should not be taken as anything other than one ole fat crippled guy's opinion. <raises hand> Here is one more old fat guy who happens to agree with your rant 100%. Excellent summation of bad containers. Ziplocks make a fine second line of defense inside a decent cache container but please people, don't use them for the container. I agree – almost. I’m a big fan of ammo cans and Lock&Locks. They protect against the elements, they're durable, and they seem to work very well everywhere I’ve cached. I'm also a big fan of ziplock baggies as a secondary protection for the logbook. Nothing, however, can protect against the bumbling cacher who closes the lid with a corner of a baggie sticking out, creating a leak. And even if you choose to forego the baggie for your logbook someone will eventually drop a baggie-covered Travel Bug into the container, and then you’re back to the problem. Quote
CoyoteRed Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 I like baggies inside a decent container just to protect the logbook from the other contents if nothing else. Folks don't always take the logbook out before rummaging through the contents. The logbook gets opened and pages mangled, etc. If you use stubby capped pens then the baggie keeps the logbook and pens together. Unprotected pencils and pointy pens can tear up a baggie in short order though. Still, it's better than nothing. Certain trinkets do better in baggies, too. Hard to clean items like fluffy animals, even if these items are trackables, do better in a baggie. I always found a good rule of thumbs for a container is it should be sturdy and protect the cache contents from the elements. Using this rule and depending on where one is planning on putting the cache, just about any container will do. Even containers which most people wouldn't dream of using will work just fine in certain circumstances. Altoid tins will work in dry climates or not-so-humid climates when the container itself is protected from the elements--yet are not a good idea in many other places. Any container should hold up to the abuses of the hobby and keep the contents safe. The containers I've used to good success: ammo cans (various sizes including 105mm mortar tubes), loc-n-loc, properly cleaned plastic peanut butter jars. Quote
+Sol seaker Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 Here in the pacific northwest we deal with a lot of WET. pill bottles, film cans, altoid containers (although used a lot in protected places), etc. just don't hold up. Ammo cans and lock and lock boxes are the best here by far. Although I've seen an ammo can with a bad seal I found in the snow. I literally dumped the water out of it. About half a cup or more. That's been the only bad one. Like all containers, they need to be maintained. ALL containers need maintenance. Groundspeak sent out a newsletter for everyone to check on their caches now that winter is letting up yet at least 90% of the caches I find are wet. I think people must not read the newsletter or think it doesn't mean them or something. Sterilite boxes are awful. I've seen some hard plastic screw-cap containers, such as cashew containers that have held up really well. They have to be put through the dishwasher and then set out for a while to make sure all smells are out. The one's I've found have been very dry, and closed well. Not everyone knows how to close a bison correctly or an ammo can, but it seems everyone seems capable of screwing on a lid. I've got some waterproof paper I like, but pencils don't write well on it, and pens freeze in the winter. We all know to bring a pen anyway, with all the micros these days. Quote
+Sol seaker Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 Here in the pacific northwest we deal with a lot of WET. pill bottles, film cans, altoid containers (although used a lot in protected places), etc. just don't hold up. Ammo cans and lock and lock boxes are the best here by far. Although I've seen an ammo can with a bad seal I found in the snow. I literally dumped the water out of it. About half a cup or more. That's been the only bad one. Like all containers, they need to be maintained. ALL containers need maintenance. Groundspeak sent out a newsletter for everyone to check on their caches now that winter is letting up yet at least 90% of the caches I find are wet. I think people must not read the newsletter or think it doesn't mean them or something. Sterilite boxes are awful. I've seen some hard plastic screw-cap containers, such as cashew containers that have held up really well. They have to be put through the dishwasher and then set out for a while to make sure all smells are out. The one's I've found have been very dry, and closed well. Not everyone knows how to close a bison correctly or an ammo can, but it seems everyone seems capable of screwing on a lid. I've got some waterproof paper I like, but pencils don't write well on it, and pens freeze in the winter. We all know to bring a pen anyway, with all the micros these days. Quote
+gof1 Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 One of my all time favorite rants! Whoo Hoo!! What I like to preach, to anyone who asks, is a cache should protect its contents. Period. It doesn't matter if the contents are high end electronics, or a scrap of paper. If the cache doesn't protect the contents, it sucks. I like to apply the ziplock litmus test: We all know that ziplocks don't last. Paper, (such as cache logs), cuts flesh pretty easily. It cuts baggies even easier. Many items found inside a cache have pokey bits. Pens & pencils come to mind. These can kwickly render a baggie non-waterproof. If a container requires a baggie to keep the log dry, it sucks. (Note: This isn't a call to ban baggies. Baggies are a good preventative measure, as they will offer some modicum of protection should the container fail unexpectedly.) Back to the geographic portion of this post: I live in Central Florida. Picture lots of sunlight & humidity. Containers that almost always lead to soggy logs here include, but are not limited to, black & grey film cans, altoid containers of any size, cookie tins, M&M tubes, plastic coffee tubs, metal coffee tubs, tackle boxes, paintball tubes, Gladware, hide-a-keys and baggies covered in camo tape. Post script: This rant is entirely biased, and should not be taken as anything other than one ole fat crippled guy's opinion. <raises hand> Here is one more old fat guy who happens to agree with your rant 100%. Excellent summation of bad containers. Ziplocks make a fine second line of defense inside a decent cache container but please people, don't use them for the container. I agree – almost. I’m a big fan of ammo cans and Lock&Locks. They protect against the elements, they're durable, and they seem to work very well everywhere I’ve cached. I'm also a big fan of ziplock baggies as a secondary protection for the logbook. Nothing, however, can protect against the bumbling cacher who closes the lid with a corner of a baggie sticking out, creating a leak. And even if you choose to forego the baggie for your logbook someone will eventually drop a baggie-covered Travel Bug into the container, and then you’re back to the problem. KBI Funny thing is as I was clicking on this topic to see how it had progressed I was thinking i should have mentioned the leaks cause by stuff left hanging out of the cache. If anyone thinks an ammo can won't leak with the corner of a baggie hanging out of it test it for yourself. Place a brick or two in a can with some paper and close the lid on the corner of a baggie. Place the whole thing in a tub of water. Let it sit overnight and check the contents. 99 times out of 100 you'll find the can leaked. Rifster "If a container requires a baggie to keep the log dry, it sucks." Well stated. I didn't mean to suggest that a baggie was an acceptable way to make a bad container work. Quote
+zachh1020 Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I do not agree with the use of Pill Bottles They are brittle, they usually leak, and most of all, they can cause serious alarm in urban areas and to muggles to see someone messing with a hidden pill bottle or if a non-cacher finds a pill bottle by accident. If you want a micro, at least go to WalMart, K-Mart, Target, some place like that and get a matchstick holder for $1. They are made to be durable and waterproof. Bison tubes make good micros as well. A container I have found that works GREAT, is a shatterproof polycarbonate watertight box. Its made for storing cell phones, camera, GPS, etc... on camping, rafting trips. If they trust it to protect electronics, then I think it will protect a piece of paper. Its a little pricey, but you are not going to have to keep replacing broken containers or waste time to maintain them. Here is a link to one: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...uct_id=10928126 It lists the price as almost $10.00, but at my WalMart it was only $6.48. My 2 cents. Zach Edited April 24, 2009 by zachh1020 Quote
+KBI Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 If you want a micro, at least go to WalMart, K-Mart, Target, some place like that and get a matchstick holder for $1. They are made to be durable and waterproof. I wish you were right about the durable and waterproof part, but my experience says otherwise. The rubber o-rings in those things tend to break down rather rapidly outdoors, and the cap leaks badly once the o-ring decays. Quote
+DavidMac Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 GLASS JARS! Not only are they dangerous to people and animals, but they hold heat and cold too long causing more condensation. We actually had a whole series of caches in this area for a while that were in glass jars. They have since been archived, but even after the owner archived them, I'd found one... makes me wonder what happened to the rest of them. I've also found cists hidden in glass jars. Those were my caches that you found, and some of the first ones that I hid before I knew any better. When I moved I archived them, but otherwise I would have upgraded to better containers. Because of time constraints there were two that I didn't remove right away, one of which you and several other people found. Quote
Clan Riffster Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) If you want a micro, at least go to WalMart, K-Mart, Target, some place like that and get a matchstick holder for $1. They are made to be durable and waterproof. I wish you were right about the durable and waterproof part, but my experience says otherwise. The rubber o-rings in those things tend to break down rather rapidly outdoors, and the cap leaks badly once the o-ring decays. Gotta agree with KBI on this one. The Wally World match containers are great, if you swap out the cheap O ring. Ace will sell you a good one for just a few pennies. As far as the clear plastic box goes, I bought one thinking they would make great containers, offering a variation in sizes. It bounced around in the bed of my truck for a couple months and now has 1/4 of standing water in it. The container shows no visible failure points. Edited April 24, 2009 by Clan Riffster Quote
+KBI Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 As far as the clear plastic box goes, I bought one thinking they would make great containers, offering a variation in sizes.It bounced around in the bed of my truck for a couple months and now has 1/4 of standing water in it. The container shows no visible failure points. (Note to self: Dig up list of potentially great hide locations. Cross off "the bed of Clan Riffster's pickup.") Quote
GOF and Bacall Posted April 24, 2009 Posted April 24, 2009 If you want a micro, at least go to WalMart, K-Mart, Target, some place like that and get a matchstick holder for $1. They are made to be durable and waterproof. I wish you were right about the durable and waterproof part, but my experience says otherwise. The rubber o-rings in those things tend to break down rather rapidly outdoors, and the cap leaks badly once the o-ring decays. Gotta agree with KBI on this one. The Wally World match containers are great, if you swap out the cheap O ring. Ace will sell you a good one for just a few pennies. As far as the clear plastic box goes, I bought one thinking they would make great containers, offering a variation in sizes. It bounced around in the bed of my truck for a couple months and now has 1/4 of standing water in it. The container shows no visible failure points. Write yourself a geoticket for an unsecured, leaky, moving cache. Quote
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