Looking for Extreme Geocache Maintainers!

[+thebruce0]

1 hour ago, coachstahly said:

They're hit and miss.  I've found quite a few of them and some are dry as a bone inside, despite evidence of high water in the area that would have covered it, and I've found some that are full of water, even in areas where the only possible explanation is from rain coming down from above.  However, the trend I've noticed is that the more recent ones I've found are more likely to have water in them than not.

 

I think whether there's decent cover is the actually the biggest factor. Assuming it doesn't get washed away in flooding, I think the bigger factor is rain getting in while it's being found, open to the elements. (assuming it's closed again properly afterwards). There could be any number of factors, but all things being equal, a cache under some amount of canopy probably stands less chance of getting water in it from those rainy geocaching days.

[+barefootjeff]

On 2/10/2020 at 7:35 PM, barefootjeff said:

After receiving about a quarter of our annual rainfall in just a couple of days, this afternoon I went to check on a couple of caches that are close to watercourses. This one is in a wet cave here and was designed to survive this sort of flood without washing away, although it usually moves a bit, but I'll have to wait until the water subsides a bit more before I can get in to check.

 

 

 

After the water subsided, I was able to get in and check on the cache, which hadn't washed away although the interior of the log container was slightly damp.

 

 

Disabling the listing and taking it home for a clean-up and some immersion testing, I discovered a couple of water entry points which I've now sealed so hopefully in the next big wet its insides will stay dry. I also replaced the logbook's rusted steel staples with copper ones.

 

This morning I took it back into its underworld abode:

 

 

The hiding place is in a dark nook higher up in the cave and normally out of the water, but it's good to have its moat back.

 

[+Ry Dawg]

I hide mostly remote caches to highlight unique features. I try to make my caches need as little maintenance as possible.
 

First I start with a log book, which I usually make in an old school, leather journal style with plenty of room. It goes inside a waterproof phone pouch, with a pencil. I will only hide with pencils, as cachers can sharpen them with pocket knives if needed. 

 

I usually opt for a vacuum sealed stainless steel “food container”. The Insulated type with the screw on lid for taking soups camping. If I don’t have a current budget for that and need to hide a cache, I will opt for a metal ammo can. Plastic just doesn’t last in the desert heat. It’s becomes really brittle and eventually leaks. 
 

I also do a water test by sinking my cache in the shallow end of the pool for a day before I will even bother placing it. If it leaks, it doesn’t get placed. 
 

I don’t mind doing maintenance, I just like my caches to last and stay pristine for my finders. I frequent them at a minimum thrice a year, usually more. It’s fun to find your own cache. That’s when I will compare signatures to online logs and contact suspects of armchair logging. 

Edited February 21, 2020 by Ry Dawg