Photos/Images of bad cache containers

[+L0ne.R]

I thought it might be fun to visually demonstrate examples of bad cache containers. It has to be container types that you've actually found. I'll start.....

 

The classic bad container, the black and grey film canister:

 

 

I actually found this type of container a couple of times in the wild......the airline travel pouch:

 

Edited March 22, 2010 by Lone R

[+WatchDog2020]

[+L0ne.R]

BTW, I'm envisioning this as a learning tool. A place we can point newbies, to visually show what would be considered a poor choice in containers.

[+missionMode]

BTW, I'm envisioning this as a learning tool. A place we can point newbies, to visually show what would be considered a poor choice in containers.

 

Of course, I'll point out as politely as I can that your first image is one of the (lately) more common cache containers, which some even prefer... hence WatchDog's popcorn.

 

Now I personally don't have a strong opinion either way so I am just pointing out the potential direction of the thread.

[+StarBrand]

I once found a cache that was a black 13 gallon trash bag.

It was wet, moldy, smelly and falling apart. - That's a bad container.

 

Filmcans - as pictured above - are almost always wet on the inside - or were once wet.

 

Classic magnetic keyholders leak unless hidden in a water resistant place. As with Altoids tins.

 

etc............

[+Casting Crowns]

BTW, I'm envisioning this as a learning tool. A place we can point newbies, to visually show what would be considered a poor choice in containers.

 

Noobs? We have "experienced" cachers 'round these parts that almost ALWAYS use altoids tins....

[+L0ne.R]

I once found a cache that was a black 13 gallon trash bag.

It was wet, moldy, smelly and falling apart. - That's a bad container.

 

Filmcans - as pictured above - are almost always wet on the inside - or were once wet.

 

Classic magnetic keyholders leak unless hidden in a water resistant place. As with Altoids tins.

 

etc............

 

Thanks. I'll add some images:

 

Magnetic keyholder:

 

 

Altoid tins:

 

 

Addendum: leaky containers can work in environments that are always dry (which is quite rare outdoors)

[+briansnat]

I don't have a photo but I found one last November that was a small womens purse. I was the 2nd TF and mentioned in my log that I didn't think that the container would last long. It didn't. I see it was archived recently after multiple complaints about wet or frozen contents.

 

Some other poor choices that I've encountered:

 

a tackle box

a briefcase

a CD jewel case

Listerine breath strip container

cookie tin

Edited March 22, 2010 by briansnat

[GPS-Hermit]

To me the most often seen is just a clear plastic zip bag under a rock - ready to dissentigrate at any moment!

[+Viajero Perdido]

Dollar-store containers:

 

This is my own cache, in a location which tends to be underwater several months of the year. I placed it on impulse and I only had a cheapie $1 container with me - a lapse of judgment I'll never repeat.

 

I've since re-engineered the hide to be much more submersible.

[+TheBeanTeam]

A cardboard Tootsie Roll Bank with the coin slot duct taped closed.

 

Located in bushes right next to a mill race pond.

 

[+Shaner316]

Dollar-store containers:

 

This is my own cache, in a location which tends to be underwater several months of the year. I placed it on impulse and I only had a cheapie $1 container with me - a lapse of judgment I'll never repeat.

 

I've since re-engineered the hide to be much more submersible.

 

Gee I sure hope you took the lighter out too LOL

[Mr.Yuck]

BTW, I'm envisioning this as a learning tool. A place we can point newbies, to visually show what would be considered a poor choice in containers.

 

Of course, I'll point out as politely as I can that your first image is one of the (lately) more common cache containers, which some even prefer... hence WatchDog's popcorn.

 

Now I personally don't have a strong opinion either way so I am just pointing out the potential direction of the thread.

 

What potential direction? What does that have to do with the fact they are poor containers?

 

Well, I could live to be, and cache until 100 and never see one again, but I did see someone use a collapsible water cup as a cache once:

 

 

Funny thing is, it was in an absolutely outstanding location. One of the nicest locations I ever found a cache in, as a matter of fact.

 

Other than that, I've seen lots of disposable gladware. Bad stuff. And people who wrap the entire cache (no matter what it is) in plastic garbage or store shopping bags. Which actually collect moisture, not repel it.

[+simpjkee]

Originally, when I started, I'd take pictures of wet logs because I thought it was really rare nd I wanted to alert the cache owners. After a while, I stopped. I think I'll start again so I can post them to this thread.

 

Soggy log and an Altoids Tin

 

 

 

Soggy log from an Altoids tin:

 

[+L0ne.R]

Other than that, I've seen lots of disposable gladware. Bad stuff.

 

Here's are a couple of pictures of gladware, in case newbies don't know what gladware looks like:

 

 

[+brslk]

Dollar-store containers:

 

This is my own cache, in a location which tends to be underwater several months of the year. I placed it on impulse and I only had a cheapie $1 container with me - a lapse of judgment I'll never repeat.

 

I've since re-engineered the hide to be much more submersible.

 

This isn't the one off Roper road is it? I recently DNF'd that one due to melting.

[GOF and Bacall]

Dollar-store containers:

 

This is my own cache, in a location which tends to be underwater several months of the year. I placed it on impulse and I only had a cheapie $1 container with me - a lapse of judgment I'll never repeat.

 

I've since re-engineered the hide to be much more submersible.

 

Gee I sure hope you took the lighter out too LOL

Why? It isn't likely to be at all hazardous anymore.

[+pamlicojack]

I found one at the coast that was literally a cardboard box. It was mostly frozen and the log was too. I could possibly see something like this in a desert, but not near the beach where seasonal rains and the occasional hurricane are very real dangers...

[+Jackalgirl]

Without risking starting a flame war, I'd like to note that I encountered a cache that was a film can and which was perfectly fine. It had a magnet hot-glued to the bottom of it and was hidden inside a locomotive in a park, so it was sheltered from the elements. It was perfectly dry (and the log was almost full). So I think that film cans can work -- in the right location.

 

I'll try to get pictures of the next cache I encounter that runs into the problem of moisture wicking up the threads on its screw-on top. I've run into that a couple of times -- it seems like the cache should be perfectly fine, but gets soggy anyway, because the cap really wasn't designed to be moisture-proof in the long-term, just for short periods of time.

 

Thanks for the thread, btw -- it's good to know what not to do, too! : )

Edited March 24, 2010 by Jackalgirl

[+t4e]

I thought it might be fun to visually demonstrate examples of bad cache containers. It has to be container types that you've actually found. I'll start.....

 

The classic bad container, the black and grey film canister:

 

 

 

what is wrong with that container?

[k_statealan]

Found one that was a plastic grocery bag lying on the ground. It had a ziploc in it to "protect" the contents.

[+briansnat]

I thought it might be fun to visually demonstrate examples of bad cache containers. It has to be container types that you've actually found. I'll start.....

 

The classic bad container, the black and grey film canister:

 

 

 

what is wrong with that container?

 

They tend to leak. I've found dozens and probably can count the ones with dry contents on one hand.

[Trader Rick & Rosie]

Ah, the classic black and grey 35mm film can--the standard of excellence in micros and a timeless classic--that and the ammo can--icons of geocaching. love them both!!

[+rob3k]

To me the most often seen is just a clear plastic zip bag under a rock - ready to dissentigrate at any moment!

 

Thankfully I've only found hides like this (bare ziploc baggie) a few times in my area.

 

I can't believe any hider could possibly think that is going to hold up as an outdoor container. They generally don't last very long without getting poked full of holes inside a decent cache container for crying out loud.

[+GeePa]

Other than that, I've seen lots of disposable gladware. Bad stuff.

 

Here's are a couple of pictures of gladware, in case newbies don't know what gladware looks like:

 

 

 

Hmmm, what kind of 'herb' you got in that container...

[+L0ne.R]

Other than that, I've seen lots of disposable gladware. Bad stuff.

 

Here's are a couple of pictures of gladware, in case newbies don't know what gladware looks like:

 

 

 

Hmmm, what kind of 'herb' you got in that container...

 

Tea. Honest to goodness tea.

[+t4e]

 

They tend to leak. I've found dozens and probably can count the ones with dry contents on one hand.

 

haven't found one yet that leaked, if they are placed with care they make great micros and have a good seal too

[+GeoTrailGuy]

 

They tend to leak. I've found dozens and probably can count the ones with dry contents on one hand.

 

haven't found one yet that leaked, if they are placed with care they make great micros and have a good seal too

 

Do the back ones as in the photo provide a better seal than the clear white ones with a different lid?

[+WHO-DEY]

this is a good thread.

[+L0ne.R]

 

They tend to leak. I've found dozens and probably can count the ones with dry contents on one hand.

 

haven't found one yet that leaked, if they are placed with care they make great micros and have a good seal too

 

Do the back ones as in the photo provide a better seal than the clear white ones with a different lid?

 

It's been my experience that the clear film canisters

 

 

seal better then the grey and black canisters. The lid on the grey and black canisters warps when pried open a few times.

 

But if you're going to place a micro, your logsheet is going to stay dry in a matchstick waterproof container or a bison tube (but they're not free, so many micro hiders shy away from the expense).

[+sbell111]

 

They tend to leak. I've found dozens and probably can count the ones with dry contents on one hand.

 

haven't found one yet that leaked, if they are placed with care they make great micros and have a good seal too

 

Do the black ones as in the photo provide a better seal than the clear white ones with a different lid?

You'd think they would be better because the lid snaps over the container, but the white ones actually do a much, much better job of keeping water out.

 

Like every cache container, either of these can be fine if matched with the right location.

[+briansnat]

 

They tend to leak. I've found dozens and probably can count the ones with dry contents on one hand.

 

haven't found one yet that leaked, if they are placed with care they make great micros and have a good seal too

 

Any container will work if care is taken to place them where they won't get wet.

[+beamscout]

I once found a container that was, literally, a Gatorade bottle. Trash really, not to mention it had mud and hair (??not sure why??) in it. The whole experience inspired me to put some latex gloves in my caching kit.

[+L0ne.R]

Aspirin bottles --- or bottles with narrow necks

 

 

Why? Because it's really hard to get the logsheet out through the neck. You roll up the logsheet nice and tight, slip it into the bottle, then the logsheet loosens up and becomes wider then the neck opening.

[+kortag]

Here's one I found. Unfortunately it has been in need of maintenance for a while from the looks of the comments on the log and the cache owner is just ignoring it. I think it is a pencil box, obviously not very water proof. Its hard to tell in this image but the log book is completely soaked, I didn't even attempt to take it out of the bag it was so wet.

 

 

[Dinoprophet]

I once found one that I think was a case for a typewriter. It was big and held a lot of swag, all of which was encased in a large block of ice when I found it.

[+42at42]

I thought it might be fun to visually demonstrate examples of bad cache containers. It has to be container types that you've actually found. I'll start.....

 

The classic bad container, the black and grey film canister:

 

 

 

My first hide was IS a film cannister. It made it through a Canadian winter on the ground. I was thinking of swapping it out for a matchstick container but that may get noticed. The hide is in plain view. I will think about a new container is the log gets wet.

[+dfx]

one cache around here is a pringles can. it hasn't been out for long yet and when we found it, it was still in good shape, but i think it's a disaster waiting to happen...

[+Don_J]

Here's one I found. Unfortunately it has been in need of maintenance for a while from the looks of the comments on the log and the cache owner is just ignoring it. I think it is a pencil box, obviously not very water proof. Its hard to tell in this image but the log book is completely soaked, I didn't even attempt to take it out of the bag it was so wet.

 

 

 

I bought two of these at Walmart just to check them out. 88 cents total. They have been sitting in my backyard all winter. One was upside down. It was full of water. The other was right side up. Not a drop of moisture inside. Of course, I wont use them for a cache because the FTF will probably replace it upside down

[+L0ne.R]

Other than that, I've seen lots of disposable gladware. Bad stuff.

 

Here's are a couple of pictures of gladware, in case newbies don't know what gladware looks like:

 

 

 

Update:

 

Here's an actual gladware container that I found, a few days ago, in the field:

 

 

Note the cracked lid. Also note that the gladware container was in a plastic shopping bag. New COs will sometimes do this when the container is not water resistant. There's an assumption that the shopping bag will protect the contents. More often bags wrapped around a container causes moisture damage and results in moldy, slimy conditions.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Lone R

[+sbell111]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

Edited April 7, 2010 by sbell111

[+DeepButi]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

That's quite right. Around my area 99% of them are .

 

And I hate it when someone logs on my hides "... there was no plastic bag, so I used one to protect the container ..." aaaaaaggggggggg

[+L0ne.R]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

 

Still...the disposable, thin plastic containers (gladware, ziploc, etc) and plastic bags are not good choices to protect the contents of a cache, whether used by newbies or oldies.

[+Casting Crowns]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

That's quite right. Around my area 99% of them are .

 

And I hate it when someone logs on my hides "... there was no plastic bag, so I used one to protect the container ..." aaaaaaggggggggg

 

Are you SERIOUS? That's too funny but sad at the same time.

[+ADTCacheur]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

That's quite right. Around my area 99% of them are .

 

And I hate it when someone logs on my hides "... there was no plastic bag, so I used one to protect the container ..." aaaaaaggggggggg

 

well, you get a free plastic bag out of it...

[+Titus1919]

I found a plastic Easter egg hide the log was dry but it was in the weather on the coast. So I do not think it will last long.

[Mr.Yuck]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

That's quite right. Around my area 99% of them are .

 

And I hate it when someone logs on my hides "... there was no plastic bag, so I used one to protect the container ..." aaaaaaggggggggg

 

Double AAAAAGGGGGGGG!!!!! Plastic bags attract moisture to the container, not "protect" it. Try it yourself, leave one outside on your sidewalk some night. They are also a perfect breeding ground for slugs, snails, worms, and all sorts of other icky, slimy creatures. They are the second worst idea in the history of Geocaching. The first being writing DRR on the outside of containers without opening them.

 

Good thing you're in Spain, DeepButi. However, I have noticed this practice of putting caches in plastic bags regionally in the U.S. I won't mention any names, but a certain City in Northeastern Pa, that has a T.V. Show called "The Office" set there comes to mind. I remember over half the regulars (even ammo boxes) I found there during extended stays in 2004 and 2005 were in plastic bags. Hopefully, this practice has died out there.

 

And Sbell111, the one and only time I've seen a cache wrapped in a plastic bag within 50 miles of my home coordinates, it was by a teenaged newb. I'm just sayin'.

Edited April 7, 2010 by TheWhiteUrkel

[+LEGO]

Double AAAAAGGGGGGGG!!!!! Plastic bags attract moisture to the container, not "protect" it. Try it yourself, leave one outside on your sidewalk some night. They are also a perfect breeding ground for slugs, snails, worms, and all sorts of other icky, slimy creatures. They are the second worst idea in the history of Geocaching. The first being writing DRR on the outside of containers without opening them.

 

Okay, I gotta ask: what is "DRR" supposed to mean?

[+DeepButi]

That wasn't gladware. It should also be noted that placing the cache into a plastic bag isn't a new phenomenon or one that is limited to new players.

That's quite right. Around my area 99% of them are .

 

And I hate it when someone logs on my hides "... there was no plastic bag, so I used one to protect the container ..." aaaaaaggggggggg

 

Are you SERIOUS? That's too funny but sad at the same time.

100% serious: GC1XZ8W.

 

I will translate it for you:

 

[CAT] "L'he ficat dintre d'una bossa de plàstic perqué no agafi la grip A."

[ENG] "I put it inside a plastic bag so it doesn't get A flu"

 

(unsure of how do you call the last flu "epidemy" ...)

 

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

 

Some of us started several anti-bag threads on our local forums ... with no success at all. With the exception of micros I would say only three or four of my 150 finds were bag-free

 

Any possibility an anti-bag rule is added to guidelines ?

[+wolfslady]

Seems to me that leaving a bag is the same as leaving trash as there are so many instances where it could become trash. Blown away in the wind. Cache muggled and they leave the bag. Break down over time and someone replaces it without taking it... those are just a few. It just seems crazy to me. I think I'd start gathing bags as I cached, because yuck. If someone ever left one on one of my hides I'd ask them to go back and remove it. Then I would use that as an excuse to take every bag I found on the assumption that no one who actually hid one would put it in a bag.

 

Bad containers.

 

A magnitic strip with a wet log on the back.

Plastic togo cup.