how if at all do you mark the outside of your traditional caches?

[+helix149]

found a cache a few weeks ago that was an ammo can and the owner had stenciled with paint on the outside of the can "Official Geocache GCXXXX". With the recent and past news reports of bomb squads and police units "archiving" our caches for us this made great sense to me as it would remove most doubt of the container being a bomb. It also would give law enforcement a tool to at least try to quickly contact the owner to verify its contents or possibly even have them report to the scene to open the container instead of having to destroy it.

 

 

Thoughts?

[+nelson crew]

I think (well, hope) it's generally understood that the bare minimum involves covering up the military markings. A sticker or stencil clearly identifying the container as a geocache (at least one one side) is a must, in my purview.

 

Between container identification and not placing caches in places they just don't belong, the vast majority of these incidents are completely avoidable.

[+remo713]

found a cache a few weeks ago that was an ammo can and the owner had stenciled with paint on the outside of the can "Official Geocache GCXXXX". With the recent and past news reports of bomb squads and police units "archiving" our caches for us this made great sense to me as it would remove most doubt of the container being a bomb. It also would give law enforcement a tool to at least try to quickly contact the owner to verify its contents or possibly even have them report to the scene to open the container instead of having to destroy it.

 

 

Thoughts?

 

I have several unplaced ammo cans waiting for me to find the right spot to deploy them. They have all been cleaned and completely repainted with a matte black grill paint that completely covers the military markings and has a very large Geocaching sticker on one side. A metal box found by a LEO is one thing, a metal box marked with caliber and US military markings is something else entirely.

[GOF and Bacall]

[+Sol seaker]

A cop actually came on the forums this summer and asked us all that we clearly mark our cache containers.

 

I've been noticing since then how many people do not.

 

I have to admit, I marked the one myself, that I found at a major electrical station. That one should not have been there at all, and at least should have been marked. It even looked a bit like a pipe bomb.

 

Sounds like the cache you ran across that said geocaching and even the geo-number, really had it down!!

[+helix149]

Yep they had it down it looked great almost looked professional. Actually after thinking about it more I am thinking it was actually a terracache but really its the same thing they use the same type of cache coding. Either way I just don't want to have my cache be a practice run for police or bomb squad and was wondering what others had done that worked well for them. I am pretty sure we are going to use stenciling and flat black paint on ours it will be clear if found but wont stick out if someone isn't looking for it, also it should survive the elements well. I figure I will prep with official geocache and place container then once cache code is issued I will add code with spray can at or near location at later date. This would allow law enforcement to research cache legitimacy as well as possibly contact me short notice if necessary.

[+briansnat]

I use a stencil for ammo boxes and stickers for many other caches. Sometimes I just write on the container with a sharpie if I'm lazy.

 

Edited November 17, 2009 by briansnat

[+helix149]

I use a stencil for ammo boxes and stickers for many other caches. Sometimes I just write on the container with a sharpie if I'm lazy.

 

 

Where did you get your stencil or did you cut up a sticker to make it? That is exactly what I was thinking of trying to do with our 3 cans I picked up today just different colors.

[+GeoGeeBee]

I use these:

 

http://www.nightengale.name/geocache/MAGC/GeocacheLabel.pdf

 

I print them using a color laser printer on plain paper, glue them to the container with 3M Spray Adhesive, and cover with three coats of clear, flat, Krylon spray paint.

 

BUT I just put the first ones in the field a week ago, so I don't know how well that's going to hold up.

[+flask]

 

oddly, people have a hard time finding it.

 

in the description i call it painstakingly camouflaged.

[+rob3k]

For Lock & Locks, I print a Geocaching label on normal paper and tape it to the inside of the container (usually the lid) using packing tape. Should work well for any clear container.

 

For ammo cans, I've just used a sharpie to write "Official Geocache" on the outside, if they aren't already labeled for me.

[+ngrrfan]

I use these:

 

http://www.nightengale.name/geocache/MAGC/GeocacheLabel.pdf

 

I print them using a color laser printer on plain paper, glue them to the container with 3M Spray Adhesive, and cover with three coats of clear, flat, Krylon spray paint.

BUT I just put the first ones in the field a week ago, so I don't know how well that's going to hold up.

Emphasis mine.

 

Hate to tell you but Krylon has a tendency to absorb water. The company I worked for was using it to coat circuit cards and we found out the hard way, and confirmed by an independent lab, that it isn't waterproof.

[Mr.Yuck]

I rarely stencil or use stickers as I can get Industrial Paint Markers such as one would use to write on steel from work. Not exactly your everyday item you could walk into Wal-Mart and purchase, but they do work awesome, and only a couple of dollars apiece from an industrial supply store.

[+ki4byz]

I haven’t used any yet but I got some blank bumper sticker sheets to print my next labels on.

[CoyoteRed]

Where did you get your stencil or did you cut up a sticker to make it? That is exactly what I was thinking of trying to do with our 3 cans I picked up today just different colors.

Here.

[Clan Riffster]

Here.

That's where I got mine. Several years and many, many dozens of applications, and it is still holding up fine.

[+Kit Fox]

I hide ammo cans camoed like this in areas so remote that any possibility of them being discovered by accident is remote at best. The flat side uses the same stencil shown by Briansnat.

 

[Clan Riffster]

I hide ammo cans camoed like this in areas so remote that any possibility of them being discovered by accident is remote at best.

Of course, that helps too.