...make a 'slim jim' cache?

[+j0ckser]

I think I'm using the correct term - refers to a cache that will fit in a crack. The crack in this case isn't really a crack at all, but a slim space between a sign and one of the posts holding the sign. It will be exposed to weather on the edges.

Any thoughts or pictures would be appreciated.

[+pingurus]

Any watertight magnetic box would make the work, on the other hand that's not too interesting and really obvious.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

6 hours ago, j0ckser said:

I think I'm using the correct term - refers to a cache that will fit in a crack. The crack in this case isn't really a crack at all, but a slim space between a sign and one of the posts holding the sign. It will be exposed to weather on the edges.

Any thoughts or pictures would be appreciated.

I've seen duct tape "wallets" used for spots like this but they're not very water resistant. 

[+hal-an-tow]

1 hour ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

I've seen duct tape "wallets" used for spots like this but they're not very water resistant. 

Yep, seem a few press-seal bags wrapped in duct  tape (apart from the top, obviously) used this way, but they rely on the finder re sealing the bag carefully after signing the log, not tearing the bag in the process of opening, and being thoughtful enough to replace the bag seal side downwards so water is less likely to sneak in as it sits there.

Consequently they are usually short lived containers !

I've found a few clever caches where the CO has taken a thin slice of wood and cut or drilled a recess for a nano tube, then placed the slice of wood in an existing gap in a wooden post  (one pre cut for a horizontal rail for instance) with the nano to the inside and out of sight until you realise it's loose and pull the slice of wood out .Mayvbe something similar could be done, disguising the wood (or plastic or whatever) with paint to match the post/back of sign colour ?

[+kunarion]

10 hours ago, j0ckser said:

I think I'm using the correct term - refers to a cache that will fit in a crack. The crack in this case isn't really a crack at all, but a slim space between a sign and one of the posts holding the sign. It will be exposed to weather on the edges.

Any thoughts or pictures would be appreciated.

 

As mentioned, ziplock bags lose their “zip” pretty quick. When I find the duct tape wallet “slim jims”, they hardly even hold a log anymore, destroyed. I find them as a wad of duct tape, unmaintained by the Cache Owner, placed once and done.  The logs are all about how bad the container is.  A ziplock may function a couple of times outdoors, and that's it. They tend to allow water inside, holding water better than blocking water.

But how about something like this. Two pieces of magnet sheets, glued on one edge, trimmed so they stick together and form a packet. Cover with a suitable color of Gorilla Duct Tape. The log sheet goes inside. The paper will become soaked with most any plan, so use waterproof paper and have a plan to swap log sheets. You probably can't make such a thing waterproof, but at least it will sometimes be found dry.

 

 

 

 

That's the thinnest version. You might glue a bag inside without the “zip” part of a ziplock, just as a place to tuck the log sheet into. You might add a central layer of magnet sheet with a square cut out of it to form a kind of compartment. Glue a piece of that magnet onto the finished packet, and it will stick to most any metal object.  It seems to me more like a “container” than a single piece of magnet sheet is.

I don't know if that will always receive Reviewer approval. But it makes a slim jim style cache that fits into cracks, which may endure for months or years.

If it's a cool spot for a cache, consider ways to place a nice, big container instead.  I've placed ammo box hides where nobody else could, even making them challenging to find.  A "slim jim" seems at first to be a cheap, simple way to make a diabolical hide, but it will likely require a lot of work to keep it viable.

 

Edited December 22, 2017 by kunarion

[+L0ne.R]

16 minutes ago, kunarion said:

If it's a cool spot for a cache, consider ways to place a nice, big container instead.  I've placed ammo box hides where nobody else could, even making them challenging to find.  A "slim jim" seems at first to be a cheap, simple way to make a diabolical hide, but it will likely require a lot of work to keep it viable.

This ^^

Maybe make the "slim jim" stage 1 of a 2-stage multi with a nice watertight swag size cache at the end.

[+kunarion]

36 minutes ago, L0ne.R said:

Maybe make the "slim jim" stage 1 of a 2-stage multi with a nice watertight swag size cache at the end.

 

Yes! I forgot to mention that a little engraved tag or plate of plastic or metal will tuck away most anywhere.  As a stage for a bigger container, it's a better, and often much cooler plan.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2017 by kunarion

[+niraD]

I've seen a few "slim jim" caches made from ziplock bags and duct tape. Some of the heavier ziplock bags (designed for pill storage I think) hold up better than the lighter ziplock bags available at craft stores. But they still need to be replaced fairly often. And weatherproof logs will hold up better to the inevitable cycle of getting wet and then drying out.

For log-only caches, that approach can work. The container isn't waterproof, the log is something that is okay when it gets wet, and the cache is placed somewhere sheltered. Yes, it gets wet sometimes, but then it dries out fairly quickly.

[+cerberus1]

First off, I'd ask what would happen to that "cache" if maintenance is done (by the people who erected it's spot) and it's now found.  We have seen "attachments" to signs though, most without any permission.  Some folks do like to find them...

We've yet to find a wallet, baggie, (whatever you care to call 'em)  "cache" exposed to the outdoors in our area, that was dry when we found it. May be different for the first couple to find. Probably a more arid environment might work well...

I like the idea of maybe a dog tag or similar, used as a stage for a better spot.  

[+j0ckser]

Thank you all for your thoughts. It is, perhaps, a brain wave that has become a brain fart. I'll keep looking and asking.

[+wmpastor]

On 12/22/2017 at 10:42 AM, kunarion said:

As mentioned, ziplock bags lose their “zip” pretty quick.  ...

 They also lose their "lock" pretty quick.

No "zip" and no "lock" equals no cache!

Your photos of the magnetic pouch or sandwich with waterproof paper is a good idea, and the dogtag/multicache idea is good also.

Another idea is to build a container attached by magnet or wire (not nails or screws, obviously) that "hides in plain sight" because it uses the same material (e.g., old wood) and is behind the sign.

 

[+SeattleWayne]

I found one of those once. It was in between one of those containers that holds doggy bags and a wooden post at a dog park. They used duct tape to hold it all together and it seemed to work just fine.

[+NCFran]

The best I've seen was a log rolled up and slipped into a soda straw. It was then pressed into the gap in a boardwalk.