Creative Pill Bottle Hides

July 1, 2011

I have seen plenty of threads about creative geocache containers and hides but I am specifically looking for a creative location or idea for using pill bottles. The area I live in they are always under a skirt, or between two trees, all boring things and so I am looking for good ideas to do something different and unusual. Thanks in advance for any help / advice!

10.2k · July 1, 2011

I have seen plenty of threads about creative geocache containers and hides but I am specifically looking for a creative location or idea for using pill bottles. The area I live in they are always under a skirt, or between two trees, all boring things and so I am looking for good ideas to do something different and unusual. Thanks in advance for any help / advice!

Put them inside an ammo can. Hey, we might as well have gotten that one out of the way right off the bat. :lol:

Pill bottles are not waterproof of course. I'd prefer the round waterproof match containers with an o-ring. I'd have to say the most creative thing I've personally seen done with them is extra artificial Christmas tree parts to camo them in a hanging in a Conifer type situation.

1.7k · July 1, 2011

I have seen plenty of threads about creative geocache containers and hides but I am specifically looking for a creative location or idea for using pill bottles. The area I live in they are always under a skirt, or between two trees, all boring things and so I am looking for good ideas to do something different and unusual. Thanks in advance for any help / advice!

Put them inside an ammo can.

According to OP's definition, boring is something that is not different or unusual. Quite honestly? I've seen more ammo boxes then pill bottles, so ammo cans are more boring.

Not much you can do with pill bottles to make them creative. The most creative caches are made by scratch, or turning an everyday object into a cache, E.G. drilling into a screw and putting a log inside.

7.7k · July 1, 2011

What do you mean by pill bottle?

The tylenol / advil type containers seems fairly waterproof.

The prescription containers are really bad.

The bison tube type (also called pill containers - in fact, that's what they're meant for) are waterproof and (for the aluminum ones) very tough.

I do not like the first two for numerous reasons : possible residue from medicine, childproof caps, wet logs.

July 2, 2011

Let me be clear about the "pill bottles" they are neither the over the counter Tylenol / Advil types nor the prescription type. They are similar in look to a 35mm but taller and they are waterproof. In fact I am in love with them because they last pretty long periods. These bottles are fantastic because I don't have wet logs and they aren't childproof.

I did hide one in the limb of a downed tree that I saved from the mulch yard but I don't have anymore trees to save, and I hate doing the same thing. I have a few other ideas but I have a lot of bottles currently and while I am holding some back for maintenance for worn out of missing caches I still have plenty left over and more on the way.

Coldgears: I need to move where you are. There are way to many pill bottles and magnetic key cases here and very very few ammo cans :( but I am in the process of fixing the ammo can situation in the near future.

22k · July 2, 2011

I have seen plenty of threads about creative geocache containers and hides but I am specifically looking for a creative location or idea for using pill bottles. The area I live in they are always under a skirt, or between two trees, all boring things and so I am looking for good ideas to do something different and unusual. Thanks in advance for any help / advice!

Pill bottles by themselves offer no creativity whatsoever. Now you could certainly construct a fake rock, or hide a cache under a fence post cover, or make a fake bird house. I just think if you can hide those kinda caches why would you limit yourself to pill bottles?

The fact that you asked means to me that you're up to something better. Fake rock ammocan!

July 2, 2011

I put one in the crack of a wall after spray painting it the color of that wall. It's not unique enough to win any favorite points, but I think it's pretty slick.

3.2k · July 2, 2011

Find a tree with a relatively deep knothole that is a bit larger in diameter than your bottle. Find a dead limb that fits snuggly onto the knothole. Make a clean cut across the base of the limb to give you a good surface, then drill a hole the diameter of the bottle into the base of the limb. Super or gorilla glue the pill bottle into the limb. Add a log and insert the dead limb into the knothole. Looks like a tree with a dead limb.

Edited July 2, 2011 by edscott

July 2, 2011

Pill bottles by themselves offer no creativity whatsoever. Now you could certainly construct a fake rock, or hide a cache under a fence post cover, or make a fake bird house. I just think if you can hide those kinda caches why would you limit yourself to pill bottles?

The fact that you asked means to me that you're up to something better. Fake rock ammocan!

If Ammo Cans and materials were free you would see plenty of very nice well hidden ammo cans around my house! :lol:

The reason I am looking for a good idea for pill bottles is because I can get them free from the hospital. They don't go through these types of pill bottles but once every couple of weeks but when they do they come my way!

7.7k · July 2, 2011

Let me be clear about the "pill bottles" they are neither the over the counter Tylenol / Advil types nor the prescription type. They are similar in look to a 35mm but taller and they are waterproof.

Do you have a photo or a link to one? Just curious about what they look like. I have few hides, but I seem to have acquired a side hobby of collecting cache containers....

22k · July 2, 2011

Pill bottles by themselves offer no creativity whatsoever. Now you could certainly construct a fake rock, or hide a cache under a fence post cover, or make a fake bird house. I just think if you can hide those kinda caches why would you limit yourself to pill bottles?

The fact that you asked means to me that you're up to something better. Fake rock ammocan!

If Ammo Cans and materials were free you would see plenty of very nice well hidden ammo cans around my house!

The reason I am looking for a good idea for pill bottles is because I can get them free from the hospital. They don't go through these types of pill bottles but once every couple of weeks but when they do they come my way!

I understand. You are looking to place a cache with the supplies you have on-hand. hmmmm, I'm thinking Paper Mache hornets nest. :anibad:

Really if you don't want to simply place a bottle under a log you need to think about presentation. Could you do something like a birdhouse or rock or something along those lines?

July 2, 2011

In SC there's a big pill bottle shoved up inside a mannequin's head & sealed to stay there. It's a fun find, especially at night. Think about what can contain the pill bottle instead of where to hide it. That will get your creative juices pumping.

7.5k · July 2, 2011

I have seen plenty of threads about creative geocache containers and hides but I am specifically looking for a creative location or idea for using pill bottles. The area I live in they are always under a skirt, or between two trees, all boring things and so I am looking for good ideas to do something different and unusual. Thanks in advance for any help / advice!

Pill bottles by themselves offer no creativity whatsoever. Now you could certainly construct a fake rock, or hide a cache under a fence post cover, or make a fake bird house. I just think if you can hide those kinda caches why would you limit yourself to pill bottles?

The fact that you asked means to me that you're up to something better. Fake rock ammocan!

+1

I understand that it's tempting to use free micro containers but a creative larger container will make for a better caching experience.

July 2, 2011

Let me be clear about the "pill bottles" they are neither the over the counter Tylenol / Advil types nor the prescription type. They are similar in look to a 35mm but taller and they are waterproof.

Do you have a photo or a link to one? Just curious about what they look like. I have few hides, but I seem to have acquired a side hobby of collecting cache containers....

19k · July 2, 2011

Very interesting. I have never seen one of those before!

7.7k · July 2, 2011

Very interesting. I have never seen one of those before!

Me neither. Looks like a film can on growth hormones. Looks useful. Thanks for the photo.

July 2, 2011

Very interesting. I have never seen one of those before!

Me neither. Looks like a film can on growth hormones. Looks useful. Thanks for the photo.

I agree. I had never seen them before either. I asked my mom ( a nurse at the hospital) if she ever had any empty bottles that the hospital would allow her to bring home to me, I even asked about containers for blood test strips (like those used for people with diabetes because they are often come in waterproof containers) and this is what she found and got permission to bring home to me. The are great and stand up well to the weather

Between this thread and some ideas from friends I am getting some creative ways to hide these things, its just a matter of getting them done and continuing to come up with new ideas.

7.5k · July 3, 2011

Very interesting. I have never seen one of those before!

Me neither. Looks like a film can on growth hormones. Looks useful. Thanks for the photo.

I agree. I had never seen them before either. I asked my mom ( a nurse at the hospital) if she ever had any empty bottles that the hospital would allow her to bring home to me, I even asked about containers for blood test strips (like those used for people with diabetes because they are often come in waterproof containers) and this is what she found and got permission to bring home to me. The are great and stand up well to the weather

Between this thread and some ideas from friends I am getting some creative ways to hide these things, its just a matter of getting them done and continuing to come up with new ideas.

They certainly are interesting. Maybe you can dress them up a bit. How about painting them or using an indelible marker then applying a couple of coats of mod podge outdoor sealer.

Maybe create a series called "Geocaches have feelings too" and paint an expression on each container like this:

Or something similar to these egg expressions:

July 3, 2011

This is the type of bottle that "airborne" comes in.

July 3, 2011

This is the type of bottle that "airborne" comes in.

Never heard of it. My source ( my mom who brings them home and sends them my way ) says they use them for a couple of different medicines which is why she can get them to me atleast once a week.

I like the idea of putting faces on them to give people a good smile! Around here everyone seems to use camo tape!

1.9k · July 3, 2011

Very interesting. I have never seen one of those before!

Me neither. Looks like a film can on growth hormones. Looks useful. Thanks for the photo.

70mm film cannister

July 4, 2011

I am a type II diabetic, and my "Accu-Check Comfort Curve" test strips come in exactly this container. I have checked them for waterproofness by putting some paper inside and then putting them in a pot of water with a weight on top to hold them down, and not a drop of water entered after 3 days. I would say they'd stand up to rain for several centuries.

I have covered some with camo tape and affixed a hanger wire to them, I have painted them black and used JB Weld to cement magnets to them. They even have dissicant granules inside the cap.

July 4, 2011

I am a type II diabetic, and my "Accu-Check Comfort Curve" test strips come in exactly this container. I have checked them for waterproofness by putting some paper inside and then putting them in a pot of water with a weight on top to hold them down, and not a drop of water entered after 3 days. I would say they'd stand up to rain for several centuries.

I have covered some with camo tape and affixed a hanger wire to them, I have painted them black and used JB Weld to cement magnets to them. They even have dissicant granules inside the cap.

So glad to hear they are holding up for you so well over time! I have been testing them by leaving one in my backyard in an area that constantly gets hit by a sprinkler and they are doing fantastic.

Thanks to everyone who has given me ideas so far, it looks like I will be hiding lots of geocaches this week with those ideas!

2.4k · July 4, 2011

I am a type II diabetic, and my "Accu-Check Comfort Curve" test strips come in exactly this container. I have checked them for waterproofness by putting some paper inside and then putting them in a pot of water with a weight on top to hold them down, and not a drop of water entered after 3 days. I would say they'd stand up to rain for several centuries.

I have covered some with camo tape and affixed a hanger wire to them, I have painted them black and used JB Weld to cement magnets to them. They even have dissicant granules inside the cap.

This is generally the accepted method of checking to see if a container is watertight with one exception:

don't put a weight on top of it. The weight holds the top shut tighter than it will be in the field.

Most people put weights inside of the bottle (rocks or fishing weights)

I suggest the thread owner try this out with his containers.

Also, kleenex is good to put inside because it absorbs even small amounts of water, so you can tell if it is leaking.

I'd be really curious to know if these pill bottles pass this test.

July 4, 2011

you can always drill in a stone and hide it there

11.6k · July 4, 2011

I am a type II diabetic, and my "Accu-Check Comfort Curve" test strips come in exactly this container. I have checked them for waterproofness by putting some paper inside and then putting them in a pot of water with a weight on top to hold them down, and not a drop of water entered after 3 days. I would say they'd stand up to rain for several centuries.

I have covered some with camo tape and affixed a hanger wire to them, I have painted them black and used JB Weld to cement magnets to them. They even have dissicant granules inside the cap.

Also, kleenex is good to put inside because it absorbs even small amounts of water, so you can tell if it is leaking.

I'd be really curious to know if these pill bottles pass this test.

I think these would hold up about as well as a 35mm film canister. Depends on how roughly it gets handled, temperature, UV exposure, and luck. But if you have lots of them and they're free, just plan to swap them out when they lose their seal.

July 4, 2011

That container actually looks like a perfect alternative to a film can. Those white film cans are similar and they are pretty good. If you are getting them for free, makes sense to use them IMO.

I think (READ: GUESSING) a little Krylon would help with UV.

I don't have a lot of good ideas. There is always something like this... which I've never actually seen in the wild:

Honestly though, if I found one, I would be kinda' interested to just find a container I'd never seen, but mostly it would just come back to where you took me.

GOOD LUCK!!!

July 4, 2011

don't put a weight on top of it. The weight holds the top shut tighter than it will be in the field.

I didn't. The bottle was laying on its side with a weight on the side holding it down. Nothing is holding the cap on there except the normal tension it has.

Most people put weights inside of the bottle (rocks or fishing weights)

I have also put a magnet inside the container, then put the container in an empty soup can and it stuck to the can by the magnet. Then filled the can with water.

Also, kleenex is good to put inside because it absorbs even small amounts of water, so you can tell if it is leaking.

I used torn-up paper towel pieces.

July 4, 2011

Actually I think leaving it outside in the backyard where sprinklers and rain will get on it is a more realistic test. I have no intention of hiding any of mine under water, and water intrusion is far more likely when the test takes place under water. If it doesn't leak then you can count on it not leaking in the field, but if it does leak that doesn't necessarily mean it would leak under the assault of rain and dew and the like.

2.8k · July 4, 2011

Let me be clear about the "pill bottles" they are neither the over the counter Tylenol / Advil types nor the prescription type. They are similar in look to a 35mm but taller and they are waterproof.

Do you have a photo or a link to one? Just curious about what they look like. I have few hides, but I seem to have acquired a side hobby of collecting cache containers....

Looks like the bottles used for the Airborne Supplement. I've got a couple of those i've been playing around with to see how well they will do as a cache container.

http://airbornehealth.com/

I pained mine olive drab. The bottle holds the paint well but the top flexes too much while being put on and off for the paint flaked off. It was also impossible for me to sand it well and prep for paint. But its more of a rubbery plastic. I've put it through hell the past 4 or 5 months and it still holds water. Just haven't tested it in cold weather. Guess i could fill it with some water and pop it in the freezer, let it thaw and see if it leaks.

BTW the bottom of the top is a piece of cardboard with silicone beads in the chamber behind it. Its a good idea to get rid of them before placing it as a cache. Though they can help if some moisture gets into the container.

Edited July 5, 2011 by mpilchfamily

July 4, 2011

Honestly though, if I found one, I would be kinda' interested to just find a container I'd never seen, but mostly it would just come back to where you took me.

That guy in the video used about twenty or thirty bucks worth of materials to make that "anthill" that if I saw it around here would be the first thing I would check.

July 4, 2011

I would think that if you did it more like sand casting, ie: take a flowerpot, fill it with dirt and pebbles, dig out a shape in it that is the reverse image of what you want the finished product to be, pour in the bondo, stick the container in it and let it harden.

After it hardens, knock off the excess dirt and stones and the thing you made will have dirt and pebbles stuck all over it. If you took the time to gather the dirt & pebbles (maybe leaf debris too) from the area you intend to hide it, it would probably blend in pretty well. You could probably do it with plaster of paris instead of bondo and save a bunch of money on bondo and primer and spray paint.

15.3k · July 4, 2011

Nothing is holding the cap on there except the normal tension it has.

Not quite. Submerging the container subjects it to water pressure in a way that is different from the normal exposure to rain, dew, runoff, etc. The water pressure from submerging the container can actually seal it better than it would normally be sealed. Also, containers are normally exposed to hot-cold cycles that are not replicated when you merely submerge the container to test it.

Other approaches to testing containers include: running them through the dishwasher, keeping them in the shower (where they'll get sprayed, but not where you'll trip over them) for a week or two, or placing them outside in an area that is sprayed by an irrigation system regularly.

July 4, 2011

Come on, it's about 1" under the surface. It's not like I'm testing it 100 feet down. Not much pressure differential there. But when you try to argue with geeks on the internet, it never ends.

But I agree, and as previously stated, I think just leaving one out in your back yard for a few weeks and then checking it is the most realistic.

My part in this absurd p*ssing contest is now over.

9.3k · July 5, 2011

...so I am looking for good ideas to do something different and unusual.

Hi Cyndaria!

Are you talking about prescription medicine bottles? Kinda amber looking bodies with white lids? Often childproof? If so, my advice would be to recycle them and save your geocaching friends from having to deal with the imminent wet, moldy logs for which these containers are notorious. The average prescription medicine bottle is not even remotely waterproof. Many folks think they can ignore the fact that their container of choice is not waterproof, so long as they put a baggie inside to keep the log dry, but I would argue that is faulty logic. Baggies are fairly fragile critters, prone to tearing. Also, pointy things like golf pencils and ink pens tend to poke holes in them.

I haven't read this thread, but if it follows the typical pattern, you'll get some good advice on hide techniques and camouflage, perhaps with some humour tossed in hear and there. If you'll apply that same advice to a container that has a good track record, you'll accomplish your goal of having a hide unique enough for others to appreciate, and you'll save your friends from having to treat your cache like a Petri dish.

Good luck!

July 5, 2011

I haven't read this thread

It probably would have been a good idea, prior to posting in it.

9.3k · July 5, 2011

I haven't read this thread

It probably would have been a good idea, prior to posting in it.

I took your advice and read it, in its entirety, just in case I missed something. I'm not feeling particularly enlightened by the task, though it was somewhat entertaining, as most forum threads are, (loved your "absurd p*sing contest" comment), and I learned that the pill bottles in question were not the prescription type I had envisioned. Rather, it is another container which has, time and again, failed to protect its contents from moisture. As such, the relevant point of my post still applies:

"If you must use a baggie to keep your log dry, your container has already failed at a very basic level"

When a time tested container of similar size can be purchased for less than a dollar, I simply can't grasp why anyone would willingly hide a problematic container. In talking to a couple friends who regularly hide crappy containers, they blamed economics, saying they couldn't afford to spend that much when placing gobs of caches. I offered to donate a whole bunch of non crappy containers, so our other friends wouldn't have to deal with wet, moldy logs, but they weren't interested.

Proof that, for some, quantity is more important than quality. :unsure:

Creative Pill Bottle Hides

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation