The M258A1 Decon Container

[+Paychekk]

I have looked for these online and having a hard time finding them. Does anyone have a link as to where I can get these at a reasonable price. I have found geocacing stores that putt logs and tradables in them and sell them for like $10 to $12 each. I was looking for a site to sell just the container for $5 or $6 each. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mikey

[+5g]

http://shop.geocaching.com/default/cito-collection/what-s-new/mini-decon-cache-container-1.html

[+John in Valley Forge]

I bought a bunch of them at a gun show for about $3 each.

My opinion of them as cache containers is "they suck".

Very strong yes.

Watertight? No.

Just too hard to close properly.

 

There is at least one on the SRT, full of water and mud after Irene blew through.

I;ve got one placed on the other back and it is soaked inside too.

 

MAybe they would work in a skirt lifter, but not in the woods.

 

If you want, I can leave one for you by the Linc when I go to the next Phils game. You can try it and see if you like it.

[+Don_J]

I bought a bunch of them at a gun show for about $3 each.

My opinion of them as cache containers is "they suck".

Very strong yes.

Watertight? No.

Just too hard to close properly.

 

There is at least one on the SRT, full of water and mud after Irene blew through.

I;ve got one placed on the other back and it is soaked inside too.

 

MAybe they would work in a skirt lifter, but not in the woods.

 

If you want, I can leave one for you by the Linc when I go to the next Phils game. You can try it and see if you like it.

 

Which are you talking about? The old M258A1 Decon Containers or the newer ones linked to in post #2? I'm always surprised by the bad experiences related on this forum for the old ones. When they were easily available, there were probably a couple of hundred placed in our area and they were never perceived to be a problem, unless one certain cacher found them and left a corner unsnapped.

 

One of my oldest and most found, (still active), cache is an old style decon. It's been hanging, exposed to the elements, in a tree for almost five years and is doing just fine. In fact, I have a box of ten in my trunk that I bought for $1.86 each, a few years back. I plan on using them for maintenance, but now I wonder if I shouldn't dump them on eBay. It's hard to believe that they are going for over $10. You simply can no longer find them in bulk from the Army surplus sites. We used to buy boxes of 30 and split the shipping three ways. Most of them were hidden on mountain trails where I guess the finders had the time to actually re-seal all four corners.

[+Isonzo Karst]

I read here that decons were a contract item, different makers at different times, some better then others for geocaches.

 

I used to buy 'em at $1 each in '03 and'04. Those containers were fine in field (until someone failed to close them, or, sometimes, the edges got chewed by rodents)

 

The decons I bought later for $3 are useless, wet even if properly sealed.

 

One of my most found caches is one of those $1 decons; on the ground since '04, and it's still dry.

 

I no longer hide them, as I don't have any of the original decons left.

[+Road Rabbit]

Try here.

 

I use a label maker to put proper closing instructions on the inside of the lid.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Road Rabbit

[+Ambrosia]

It's nice to hear that some decon containers are better than others, but every single one that I have found was broken.

[+briansnat]

Save your money, they are crappy containers. I went heavy into decon containers early in my cache hiding career. I thought they were perfect - cheap ($1.50 at the time), apparently durable and already camouflaged. I soon learned that they leaked like sieves even when people remembered to close them properly, which they often didn't.

 

After getting sick of frequent maint runs to dry out my caches I eventually swapped out most of my decons for Lock n Locks. I think 2 of my active caches still use decons but they are both in places where they are protected from the weather.

Edited September 8, 2011 by briansnat

[+Coldgears]

After getting sick of frequent maint runs to dry out my caches I eventually swapped out most of my decons for Lock n Locks. I think 2 of my active caches still use decons but they are both in places where they are protected from the weather.

I prefer decons to lock and locks. If you have to go all out, use an ammo box.

[+briansnat]

After getting sick of frequent maint runs to dry out my caches I eventually swapped out most of my decons for Lock n Locks. I think 2 of my active caches still use decons but they are both in places where they are protected from the weather.

I prefer decons to lock and locks. If you have to go all out, use an ammo box.

 

That's fine if you don't mind having to make frequent maint trips. With the number of hides I have active I like to cut down on the need for maint runs so I try to use watertight containers.

[+John in Valley Forge]

After getting sick of frequent maint runs to dry out my caches I eventually swapped out most of my decons for Lock n Locks. I think 2 of my active caches still use decons but they are both in places where they are protected from the weather.

I prefer decons to lock and locks. If you have to go all out, use an ammo box.

 

Do you see that many of them out there? I've only so far seen two plus the one I placed.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Do you see that many of them out there?

 

There were a lot in my part of the world at one time...a local prolific hider was referred to as "dripping decons", you could count on them to leave a hide or two along a trail, any time they went out on a hike. The local army surplus had them for $1, so naturally they were all over the place. A good container if people closed the back corners.

 

Some of the decons from that period are still out. I had 23 decon caches by end '06, 11 of those are still out (one needs to be replaced now, according to the last log. That decon has been out 6 years - pretty good run for any container, only an ammo can would outdo that )