Would this type of cache container hold up?

[+TheGrey]

Has anyone tried a cache container made out of wood? I'm wondering how it would hold up to rain and snow. I'd put a large ziplock inside to hold everything, but I'm don't know if the container itself would start to rot quickly. What if I get some water sealer to paint on it?

 

[+plumbrokeacres]

Has anyone tried a cache container made out of wood? I'm wondering how it would hold up to rain and snow. I'd put a large ziplock inside to hold everything, but I'm don't know if the container itself would start to rot quickly. What if I get some water sealer to paint on it?

 

 

Looks like its a cedar box so it should hold up better than most. I would defiantly put a sealer on it to help protect it. My concern is that even with a Ziploc it will fill up with water and the Ziploc seal is only as good as the last person to seal it

[+Redfist]

It'll definitely fill with water and since it looks well made will hold onto that water for a while. If you wanted to use that container, I'd probably drill a few small holes into the bottom to let water escape. If possible, place it on a bed of rocks to allow for better drainage and hopefully avoid standing water to enter through those holes as much. Don't place it where water will puddle easily.

[+pppingme]

I don't know that much about this particular container as I never found it, but here's one: GC15E5K

[+Sol seaker]

Nice box, would really get ruined pretty quickly, even sealed.

The other problem, as people have mentioned is that the box itself doesn't seal, so the log would get wet, even if put in a plastic bag. Plastic bags just don't last, and to paraphrase someone from another thread, "if you're depending on a plastic bag to keep things dry, it won't stay dry."

 

If I really wanted to hide a nice box like that really badly, I would put it somewhere where it stays out of the weather.

It needs to have a spot where it stays dry, where moisture is not an issue.

I've seen caches in wooden structures outdoors, such as an information sign at a large park, where the caches have been tucked up in the inside of the roof of the structure, or something like that.

I've also seen parks with historical structures that wouldn't be bothered by sticking a box into them somewhere. (like old trains on display, etc.)

The problem is, in such places they are more likely to be muggled, and a nice box like that would stand a high chance of getting taken.

You could try for a tree with a really good hole in it in the woods.

I'm just saying, to use this box would require the ideal spot.

Might want to go with something more waterproof.

 

PS. if left out in the elements, the inside would get wet and get slimy and rot and be really gross for the finders.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Sol seaker

[+nekom]

Get a big enough ammo can to put it inside of and you'll be good to go!

[+Ecylram]

If you use it, put it in a place that won't get wet. It's not something that you'll want to use someplace fully exposed to the elements.

[+Chief301]

Get a big enough ammo can to put it inside of and you'll be good to go!

 

Or put a small Lock-N-Lock inside of it....

Edited April 4, 2011 by Chief301

[+captnemo]

Has anyone tried a cache container made out of wood? I'm wondering how it would hold up to rain and snow. I'd put a large ziplock inside to hold everything, but I'm don't know if the container itself would start to rot quickly. What if I get some water sealer to paint on it?

 

It would hold up in my area, but I live in the middle of the Mojave Dessert! In most areas it wouldn't work all that well.

[+nekom]

Get a big enough ammo can to put it inside of and you'll be good to go!

 

Or put a small Lock-N-Lock inside of it....

 

That would protect the contents within the lock-n-lock, but the wood container would probably still rot. Even if it is cedar, wood just isn't the greatest material to put out in the elements.

[+rockhoundbmw]

A cache near me started out as some type of wooden container, but by the time I found it (only about a week since it was published), it was already smashed into pieces either by a muggle or by the rocks that were used to cover the cache. (The log book was still there, so I signed it and logged a find and NM online.) So easy breakage should be considered in addition to the weatherproofing.

[+t4e]

Get a big enough ammo can to put it inside of and you'll be good to go!

 

what exactly is the point of that?

[+va griz]

If you start with a well made contaier it should not fall apart from the weather, but in the best case wood will still weather. Look at a wooden deck or something else that sits outside all year. Even sealed it slowly turns grey and the finish will eventually need to be redone. You can make a wooden container work, but it will not look like well finished furniture for long.

 

Nice box by the way, hope you can find a way.

Edited April 4, 2011 by va griz

[+nekom]

Get a big enough ammo can to put it inside of and you'll be good to go!

 

what exactly is the point of that?

 

To protect the contents, of course!

[+Ralfcoder]

Even if you apply multiple layers of a marine grade finish inside and outside, it will eventually degrade. Ask anyone who has a boat with wood trim, or look at a wood deck, as someone else suggested. Moisture will find its way into the box. So will bugs. I'd say save the box for keepsakes, and use an ammo can or a lock-n-lock.

[+niraD]

I once found a cache that used a wooden puzzle box as the container. The puzzle box was inside a heavy plastic bag inside a waterproof container placed in a sheltered location. Still, the weather had taken its toll on the puzzle box. The puzzle mechanisms still worked, but it was no longer an example of craftsmanship that someone would be glad to own.

 

Unless there is a reason why it has to be that particular container, I'd use something else. If there is a reason why it has to be that particular container, then you can put it inside a waterproof container in a sheltered location, but you should also accept that the wooden box will be ruined by being used this way.

[+kunarion]

don't know if the container itself would start to rot quickly.

If this is allowed to get wet, it will rot, but also warp, stressing the hinges. Which will corrode. It will be in two loose separate halves sooner than you'd expect. It will look pretty bad after the first winter. Snow is no good.

 

That would be a great indoor cache box. If it's in a covered outdoor area such as a porch or a cave, it would work much better. It's unlikely that you can get a cache inside a business anymore, but check on some non-profit places where it may be allowed, or a public library. There's a "wildlife sanctuary" near where I live, which has an indoor "discovery center" like a museum, that I've thought would be a fun place for a nice-looking wooden container.

 

As for water-sealing -- I have a small unique piece of "doll house" furniture, made of soft wood, which will be the perfect theme for some cache or a Travel Bug. I've completely covered it with a thick layer of clear epoxy resin, intending it to be part of an outdoor cache. I've never tried it before. Wish me luck.

Edited April 4, 2011 by kunarion

[+briansnat]

I've seen wooden containers with a Lock n Lock or other waterproof container inside.

[+Corfman Clan]

The cacher, Puz-Zel hid several caches in wood boxes. His boxes have weathered fairly well and have been out there for years. I think a good wood box will hold up much better than a lock-n-lock. The tops of his boxes have a lip that fits over the box and have no hinges. He also hand made some coins. I have the coin PUZ-ZEL Theme 1 "Silver" that I've been taking to all his caches. There are several pictures of the coin with his wooden boxes.

[AZcachemeister]

The cacher, Puz-Zel hid several caches in wood boxes. His boxes have weathered fairly well and have been out there for years. I think a good wood box will hold up much better than a lock-n-lock. The tops of his boxes have a lip that fits over the box and have no hinges. He also hand made some coins. I have the coin PUZ-ZEL Theme 1 "Silver" that I've been taking to all his caches. There are several pictures of the coin with his wooden boxes.

 

These boxes were constructed 'shoebox-style', meaning the lid completely overlaps the bottom section, unlike the example in the OP.

 

The AZ climate is unforgiving, and these containers have (in every case I have seen) held up amazingly well.

[Clan Riffster]

I'd put a large ziplock inside

An old Geocaching axiom: "If you must use a baggie to protect your log, your container has already failed at a very basic level".

In this case, you want to use a box with no gasket, made out of a material that soaks up water.

Do you really need to ask if this will be a fail? The only way to make that thing waterproof is to put it in an ammo can.

[+A & J Tooling]

If sealed properly and regularly maintained, wood will outlive you. You can always place a seal around the opening. Just get some gasket material and some gasket goop and it'll keep the water out.