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containers for new geocaches


DiSiGot

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In setting up new geocaches (not micros) I'm looking for containers that are not too expensive or heavy but that are water tight and durable. Any suggestions? ;)

Lock-n-locks. For example, this set.

Costco sells a set of Lock-n-Lock clones called "Snap Ware" that I've had pretty good luck with. Some have been in the field for more than three years and are doing fine.

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Up here in Canada I see mostly lock'n'locks. I've also seen a fair number of peanut butter jars used.

 

Most other containers I've seen (mostly tupperware style containers) tend to leak and result in wet caches.

 

Whatever container you use please make sure its watertight on its own and don't depend on a ziplock bag to keep the moisture out.

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Up here in Canada I see mostly lock'n'locks. I've also seen a fair number of peanut butter jars used.

 

Most other containers I've seen (mostly tupperware style containers) tend to leak and result in wet caches.

 

Whatever container you use please make sure its watertight on its own and don't depend on a ziplock bag to keep the moisture out.

 

I agree with lock n locks and peanut butter/mayonaisse (plastic not glass jars).

 

Real lock n locks though, not the dollar store knock offs. The tabs on the dollar store knock offs break off quickly and compromise the seal.

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In setting up new geocaches (not micros) I'm looking for containers that are not too expensive or heavy but that are water tight and durable. Any suggestions? :)

Lock-n-locks. For example, this set.

Costco sells a set of Lock-n-Lock clones called "Snap Ware" that I've had pretty good luck with. Some have been in the field for more than three years and are doing fine.

 

I guess it depends on what "field" they are placed in. Last Sunday, I found about six of these that had been placed in the Mojave Desert, last January. All had lost their snaps and a few of them were shattered. All suffered leakage because of the broken snaps. They seem to become very brittle when exposed to the desert sun for a single summer.

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Look at Nalgene bottles, a 1L bottle is only about $5, and they are very durable and watertight. How do I know that, you ask? Because I have one that's spent about 1 year about 10 feet underwater off the side of a dock, and last I checked, it was still dry inside. To camo one, scuff up the outside with sandpaper and spraypaint it, no worries.

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With Geocaching, as with any other container oriented activity, the "What" is entirely dependent upon the "Where".

 

What works well in one environment utterly fails in another.

 

I see you have some hides in Utah. I'm not familiar with that part of the country, so I'll have to defer to the locals for specific data. The most durable container I've seen, aside from ammo cans, were Otterboxes and Pelican cases, which can get pricey. Lock & Locks make a great cache because they are waterproof, durable and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Nalgene containers are great, so long as you stick to the ones with wide openings. Getting swag through a narrow neck is a PITA.

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With Geocaching, as with any other container oriented activity, the "What" is entirely dependent upon the "Where".

 

What works well in one environment utterly fails in another.

 

I see you have some hides in Utah. I'm not familiar with that part of the country, so I'll have to defer to the locals for specific data. The most durable container I've seen, aside from ammo cans, were Otterboxes and Pelican cases, which can get pricey. Lock & Locks make a great cache because they are waterproof, durable and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Nalgene containers are great, so long as you stick to the ones with wide openings. Getting swag through a narrow neck is a PITA.

 

What environments are Nalgene containers best suited for?

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not from my experiance caching but pack hiking for a month or so at a time the nalgene bottles hold up really well even when opened and closed about 100 times a day and crushed by a 75 pound pack around 10 times a day or so with no leakages. since i was hiking it was kind of a reverse of caching (keeping water in instead of out).

none of my gear ever got wet from the bottles so if they keep water in so well im pretty sure they can keep it out as well in some pretty extreme conditions. however after about 75 or so pounds on it it can pop the top off from the flex of the bottle, sat on one of mine once and ended up very cool from the rear down on a hot day..

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With Geocaching, as with any other container oriented activity, the "What" is entirely dependent upon the "Where".

 

What works well in one environment utterly fails in another.

 

I see you have some hides in Utah. I'm not familiar with that part of the country, so I'll have to defer to the locals for specific data. The most durable container I've seen, aside from ammo cans, were Otterboxes and Pelican cases, which can get pricey. Lock & Locks make a great cache because they are waterproof, durable and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Nalgene containers are great, so long as you stick to the ones with wide openings. Getting swag through a narrow neck is a PITA.

 

What environments are Nalgene containers best suited for?

 

All

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In setting up new geocaches (not micros) I'm looking for containers that are not too expensive or heavy but that are water tight and durable. Any suggestions? :rolleyes:

Lock-n-locks. For example, this set.

Costco sells a set of Lock-n-Lock clones called "Snap Ware" that I've had pretty good luck with. Some have been in the field for more than three years and are doing fine.

 

I guess it depends on what "field" they are placed in. Last Sunday, I found about six of these that had been placed in the Mojave Desert, last January. All had lost their snaps and a few of them were shattered. All suffered leakage because of the broken snaps. They seem to become very brittle when exposed to the desert sun for a single summer.

Why would anyone place or replace one in the open with no cover or camo? UV kills plastic, almost all of it.

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One type of contanier I like using are paintball ball holders. For like $2 you can get long, slender ones from Wal-mart or Target. They are watertight and their unique shape allows for placment of odd swag and in different places that normal boxes cant fit into. I have maybe....6 caches of this type and all have held up.

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Costco sells a set of Lock-n-Lock clones called "Snap Ware" that I've had pretty good luck with. Some have been in the field for more than three years and are doing fine.

 

I guess it depends on what "field" they are placed in. Last Sunday, I found about six of these that had been placed in the Mojave Desert, last January. All had lost their snaps and a few of them were shattered. All suffered leakage because of the broken snaps. They seem to become very brittle when exposed to the desert sun for a single summer.

 

That mirrors my experience also. Plastic containers in hot locations haven't been holding up well for me. The worst combination is a hot location with a camo of a pile of rocks that just shatter brittle plastic. If I'm going to cover a cache with a pile of rocks I'm only going to use an ammo can from now on.

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I'll add a vote for genuine LnLs. The only ones I've had problems with in the field are where someone has dropped heavy rocks on them and cracked the lids.

 

I've also used plastic peanut butter and mayonnaise jars, but those only remain water tight as long as everyone takes the time to really twist the lid on tightly. They're good for caches where it is easy to get out and do maintenance.

 

And, as your thread description implies, if I am hiding a cache somewhere where I know I won't want to have to do many maintenance runs, nothing beats an ammo can.

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I work in a medical laboratory so my supply is right at hand, but if you ask a Dr.s office or hospital lab they will probably save urine dipstick (test strip) containers for you (Clinistix or Multistix). I have a top with a label on it that says "save for Pete". When one is empty we move the top to the next new container and put the empty container and new lid in a box. We have a small lab and empty about one a week.

 

They are black plastic cylinders (1.5 X 4 inches) water tight and easy to hide. The surface is slick so the label comes off easy. A little scuffing should enable paint to stick. They aren't big enough to pass as a regular cache, but they sure beat film cans.

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Hi!

Have not put a lot of them out there, but do have a lot of experience with toting and banging in the great out of doors.

One of the best for weather lock AND ease of hiding because of it's size and weight: a plastic, watertight lockbox that is sold in summer to carry your id, chapstick, first aid kit. They come on a lanyard, or key fob - about 4 x 6.

They come in assorted colors making the cammo a bit easier, easy to open and easy to lock.

You can get them on sale as first aid kits; or in summer the Dollar stores carry them.

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I tried my hand at using custom built containers using PVC plumbing parts. While it seemed like a great idea at the time, they also failed - moisture wise. We all thought it was a great idea and that it would hold back moisture, but they always leaked. I'm thinking about addressing this again with some new geocaches. I'm going to test several that I made a while back in my back yard to see how they do. I'm thinking liberal usage of teflon tape, and maybe even a cheap, camoed wrench at the gz to tighten the lid back on. It seems that this was the biggest problem was either getting the lid hand-tightened on enough that it would not leak, or to get it off once it was tightened.

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I'll echo the many who have suggested Lock & Locks. They seem to hold up very well. Mainly they seem to fail when a finder neglects to seal up all 4 clasps or doesn't notice a bit of plastic baggie caught in the seal.

 

Off brand Lock & Lock type containers are a mixed bag.

Edited by rob3k
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For a "small" container, I like WWII German Butter Dishes.

 

So that's what that thing is called! There's a cache near to my home that uses one of those containers. The contents were a soggy mess when I found it back in September. And judging from the logs, it's been that way for a while.

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For a "small" container, I like WWII German Butter Dishes.

 

So that's what that thing is called! There's a cache near to my home that uses one of those containers. The contents were a soggy mess when I found it back in September. And judging from the logs, it's been that way for a while.

They do lose the rubber seal. I will glue them in place. The other possibility is that someone didn't close it right. When that happens, it doesn't matter what container you have.

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I just rescued a 50 cal ammo box that I had put out in 2004. It was on USACE that had been closed to the public since 2006. The last log entry was Sept. 25, 2006. It had not been opened till today. I had to pull really hard on it to get it to open. The lid made a loud sucking sound - it was under a partial vacuum. Contents were very dry. I even had a disposable camera that was in good shape. I don't know of any other substitute that can claim this kind of seal to the environment.

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