+ruralseeker Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I just recently moved to a location with a Wegmans grocery store (Yay!) I was wandering around and taking in the Wegmans experience when I discovered they have a large array of Sistema containers, both cutesy lunch and snack containers and legitimate plastic storage containers. They all seem to have a clip action similar to the idea of a Lock & Lock, but definitely their own style. Some have four clips. See link: Container #1. Some have two clips. See link: Container #2. Has anyone ever tried these for a cache container long term out in the elements? If so, how did they hold up to moisture, cold, heat, etc? Also, can I assume that four clips is better than two, or are the two clip containers just as good? I'm a die-hard Lock & Lock fan. How do they compare to genuine Lock & Lock containers? It's possible I may never get any, but in the event I feel like giving one a try if they run a good sale on them, I'd like to hear what folks have to say. Feedback from people in wet and cold climates is definitely a plus. Quote Link to comment
+T.D.M.22 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Never used one, or seen one before, but they appear to have a gasket/seal/ whatever you call it, like the LnL's have, so they may work. And for what it's worth I've seen LnL's with broken tabs and they've been fine. But remember with 4 tabs, you can have 2 opposites break and be fine. With only 2 tabs, if one breaks, it need replacing. Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 They're commonly used in Australia and stand up very well from what I've found. I've yet to come across one that's failed to keep the elements out. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 They're commonly used in Australia and stand up very well from what I've found. I've yet to come across one that's failed to keep the elements out. Ditto to that. We have quite a few of them among our caches. From what I've read about the lock'n'locks they would be on par. Still have the same problems if they're not closed properly or end up with a bit of baggie caught in the seal. Systema with a Y not I. Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 They're commonly used in Australia and stand up very well from what I've found. I've yet to come across one that's failed to keep the elements out. Ditto to that. We have quite a few of them among our caches. From what I've read about the lock'n'locks they would be on par. Still have the same problems if they're not closed properly or end up with a bit of baggie caught in the seal. Systema with a Y not I. The manufacturers spell it with an I here... Quote Link to comment
+Stinky.Cheese Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 They're commonly used in Australia and stand up very well from what I've found. I've yet to come across one that's failed to keep the elements out. Ditto to that. We have quite a few of them among our caches. From what I've read about the lock'n'locks they would be on par. Still have the same problems if they're not closed properly or end up with a bit of baggie caught in the seal. Systema with a Y not I. The manufacturers spell it with an I here... It is also spelled with an 'I' in Australia too. They are OK in regular environments. They, don't hold up too well in the tropics. The seals fail fairly quickly. However most containers fail when the average temp is 30C all year & the monsoon brings months of rain & 95% humidity. Quote Link to comment
+FourFunKiwis Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Very common in New Zealand, We've got one on the ground and two set to go. When I read 'snap 'n' lock in the forums I auto translate to sistema now Haven't seen a sistema cache fail yet, but I'm a relative newbie. Quote Link to comment
+Tassie_Boy Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'd say at least 50%, if not more, of caches I've found have been sistema containers and they have all been in very good condition. The trouble they do have is with their watertightness, they keep water IN very well. Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 They're commonly used in Australia and stand up very well from what I've found. I've yet to come across one that's failed to keep the elements out. Ditto to that. We have quite a few of them among our caches. From what I've read about the lock'n'locks they would be on par. Still have the same problems if they're not closed properly or end up with a bit of baggie caught in the seal. Systema with a Y not I. The manufacturers spell it with an I here... It is also spelled with an 'I' in Australia too. They are OK in regular environments. They, don't hold up too well in the tropics. The seals fail fairly quickly. However most containers fail when the average temp is 30C all year & the monsoon brings months of rain & 95% humidity. It is too. Doh. Beat me 'bout the head with a 2 x 4 and call me stupid. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) Systema with a Y not I. Systema with a y is Russian martial arts Edited February 4, 2015 by Chrysalides Quote Link to comment
+WarNinjas Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 When we hid our earth sandwich we were trying to make them the same on both sides. Here in California and the other in Australia. Mine was a Lock N' Lock and his was I believe a sistema container. He said it was there version of Lock N' Lock. It has been fine from the logs I have read. Quote Link to comment
+Rainbow Spirit Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Sistemas are made in NZ, and as others have noted are the most common type of clip lid plastic cache container here in Australia and NZ. On a par with Lock N' Locks which are harder to find here. Sistemas are available in Australia in most supermarkets. Quote Link to comment
+biggles1024 Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Sistema's aren't necessarily waterproof when submerged but from my observations, much of the water inside Sistema's is from condensation rather than direct entry. They seem to be the best available especially when used inside an ammo tin. Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Sistemas are made in NZ, and as others have noted are the most common type of clip lid plastic cache container here in Australia and NZ. On a par with Lock N' Locks which are harder to find here. Sistemas are available in Australia in most supermarkets. The OP mentions Wegmans, which is only in 6 States, with over half the stores in New York. I could be wrong, but that is the ONLY place I've ever seen them in the U.S., although I would imagine they are going to be, or already are more widely distributed over here. I have not placed a cache since 2012, but I have bought several of these things for home use. They are by far the thickest plastic of any food storage container I have ever seen. They are gasketed, and the locking mechanism is well engineered and fabricated, and I'd say it's way better than the standard lock-n-lock mechanism. I'm sure they would make outstanding cache containers. P.S. Despite their availability in my area, I can't recall seeing one in the field. Of course we've only had like 10 new caches published in the last year. Quote Link to comment
+JohnCNA Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 They are carried by "The Container Store" http://www.containerstore.com/category/sistema?mr=sistema&breadcrumbPageTitle=Search If you go to the Sistema web site, they list many sellers. First one I tried was The Container Store because there's one close to me here. Quote Link to comment
+BlackRose67 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 We use them for their original purpose...carrying our sandwiches to work There is a cache in the area that uses one of the really large ones. It's been out in the wild for quite a few years (really hot summers, crazy cold winters) and is still going strong. Quote Link to comment
+GilkerscleughCachers Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I've used one or two of these containers. One at http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC58NAK_windmill-panorama?guid=f0529479-8603-412f-bf87-000296c7d5d8 but I can't remember where I put the other one. No maintenance visits as yet though after 8 months. Will check them soon as we have had a harsh winter with quite a bit of snow that has stuck around for a while so will keep you posted. Quote Link to comment
+BikeBill Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 We have a Wegman's in the general area so I stopped today to check out these containers. The good is that they look well made and the flaps are on plastic hinges. As you know, L&L's have the flaps cast as part of the lid and after a lot of use they break off. The bad it that most of them are two-flap (latch) models. The plastic of the body is pretty flexible and when I would squeeze it the top of the body would separate from the seal on the lid. Nearby them on the shelf were OXO Locktop containers with green lids. They also looked promising. They had a stiffer body than the Sistemas and an interesting double lid. When you push the outer lid down the integral inner lid locks in four places. They also are gasketed and looked like they'd seal well. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-20-Piece-LockTop-Container/dp/B0051T92WC/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1423447868&sr=1-10&keywords=oxo+containers OXO also make something called a 'Pop' container with a vacuum button. I don't think they would work well for Geocaching, plus they are more expensive. Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 We have a Wegman's in the general area so I stopped today to check out these containers. The good is that they look well made and the flaps are on plastic hinges. As you know, L&L's have the flaps cast as part of the lid and after a lot of use they break off. The bad it that most of them are two-flap (latch) models. The plastic of the body is pretty flexible and when I would squeeze it the top of the body would separate from the seal on the lid. Nearby them on the shelf were OXO Locktop containers with green lids. They also looked promising. They had a stiffer body than the Sistemas and an interesting double lid. When you push the outer lid down the integral inner lid locks in four places. They also are gasketed and looked like they'd seal well. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-20-Piece-LockTop-Container/dp/B0051T92WC/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1423447868&sr=1-10&keywords=oxo+containers OXO also make something called a 'Pop' container with a vacuum button. I don't think they would work well for Geocaching, plus they are more expensive. Hmm. I have a round one, "bowl of soup sized" which has 3 latches. All I can tell you is, it's been used hundreds of times, and still works great. I don't go out of my way to look at these things at Wegmans, but I haven't noticed any that were lacking in the latch department. Quote Link to comment
+mar1sa Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 a lot of my caches are these types, I find them great and cheap to replace if needed, but yet to do that Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Good think they are BPA free! You wouldn't want those 'harmfull' chemicals migrating into your logbook!... Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 ... The bad it that most of them are two-flap (latch) models. The plastic of the body is pretty flexible and when I would squeeze it the top of the body would separate from the seal on the lid. ... Not sure if that matters for a geocache? I thing a factor for brittlness when frozen would be much more important than the seal separating from the body when squeezed. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Good think they are BPA free! You wouldn't want those 'harmfull' chemicals migrating into your logbook!... Apparently BPA can be absorbed through the skin. I don't know about you, but I'm not stepping out of the house without being in full biohazard suit. Made of BPA free, lead free, aluminum free, nickle free, organic, sustainably harvested and free range material without artificial coloring, preservatives, flavoring and additives, of course. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Good think they are BPA free! You wouldn't want those 'harmfull' chemicals migrating into your logbook!... Apparently BPA can be absorbed through the skin. I don't know about you, but I'm not stepping out of the house without being in full biohazard suit. Made of BPA free, lead free, aluminum free, nickle free, organic, sustainably harvested and free range material without artificial coloring, preservatives, flavoring and additives, of course. AKA air. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Good think they are BPA free! You wouldn't want those 'harmfull' chemicals migrating into your logbook!... Apparently BPA can be absorbed through the skin. I don't know about you, but I'm not stepping out of the house without being in full biohazard suit. Made of BPA free, lead free, aluminum free, nickle free, organic, sustainably harvested and free range material without artificial coloring, preservatives, flavoring and additives, of course. AKA air. No, I think my city has decency laws against that... Quote Link to comment
+biggles1024 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 We have a Wegman's in the general area so I stopped today to check out these containers. The good is that they look well made and the flaps are on plastic hinges. As you know, L&L's have the flaps cast as part of the lid and after a lot of use they break off. The bad it that most of them are two-flap (latch) models. The plastic of the body is pretty flexible and when I would squeeze it the top of the body would separate from the seal on the lid. The number of latches or flaps as you've called them increases as the container size increases. There is a cylindrical one, I can't recall the volume but it is a 'small' in geocaching terms that, owing to its shape has three latches. Quote Link to comment
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