What Containers make the Best Geocache?

[+DARKSIDEDAN]

Question - What containers make the Best Geocache?

 

Ammo cans, old food jars (clean of course), Preform Test Tubes, Tupperware, something from a Geocaching store, Bison Tubes, Film Canisters???

 

What type of containers do you use?

 

 

 

 

[+CCFwasG]

I'm randomly answering due to some finds today. I'm in the Northeastern US and there are loads of different containers. I don't have a preference, I like variety HOWEVER I will say that two containers found lately were "better" than others. In the winter here caches get snow covered and freeze and then thaw. Even the best bison tube with a good o-ring seems to get wet inside, and even a log in baggie can be soaked for no "apparent" reason. But this winter amongst all the damp logs I found two that hold up REALLY well, and it's either the material or the thickness or ?? mystery. One is a 3D printed bison tube. I found several that were totally dry inside the same day the good bisons were wet. And today I found some homemade PVC (pipe) containers, and some had no baggie inside but the logs were bone dry! Yet same day I found preforms and a bison and all were damp in varying degrees. 

So that's my 2 cents (or 2 pence). :-) 

Edited February 13, 2023 by CCFwasG
typo. add photos.

[+barefootjeff]

8 hours ago, DARKSIDEDAN said:

Question - What containers make the Best Geocache?

 

Ammo cans, old food jars (clean of course), Preform Test Tubes, Tupperware, something from a Geocaching store, Bison Tubes, Film Canisters???

 

What type of containers do you use?

 

 

It's horses for courses. Plastics don't like direct sun, steel (e.g. ammo cans) doesn't like sea spray. Eclipse mint tins and film canisters are the absolute worst, closely followed by plastic food containers with press-fit lids that don't keep any moisture out.

 

A lot of my hides are placed in dry dark places like sandstone caves or deep under rock ledges, which gives me a lot more latitude than for something exposed to the weather, although a few times I've been caught out by such a hiding place turning into a subterranean watercourse during heavy rain and have had to switch to a more waterproof container. About eight months ago, after all the torrential rain last autumn, I started trialling the Duratech ABS instrument boxes sold by Jaycar, like this one:

 

 

So far, with the four I've put out, I haven't had so much as a drop of water get inside in spite of all the torrential rain in September and October.

 

The Sistema Klip-It range is generally a pretty good long-life option as long as they're kept out of the sun and don't get fully submerged. This is one I placed in 2014, just tucked in under a rock ledge at ground level on top of a hill:

 

 

I've used steel cash boxes on caches with a monetary theme, although I'm finding rust can be a problem after a few years even when they're in a dry place, probably due to the slightly salty air here when the wind is on-shore. Even one that's in the roof of a dry cave is starting to show a bit of superficial rust after four years.

Edited February 13, 2023 by barefootjeff

[Hopetimist]

I've been experimenting with threaded pipe fittings, looks promising.

[+kunarion]

46 minutes ago, Hopetimist said:

I've been experimenting with threaded pipe fittings, looks promising.

 

Whether metal or plastic, pipe thread caches I've found are always soaking wet inside.  As if the threads pull water in.  I think that's because these things are not made to be opened and closed every day.  They're designed to have a few wraps of pipe tape on the threads, or other sealing method, and then get torqued on, to stay put and stay sealed.  They evidently are a challenge to use as cache containers.

If you fully secure and seal one end, and have an O-ring on the loose end, maybe that would help.  Good luck! 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

On 2/12/2023 at 7:44 PM, DARKSIDEDAN said:

Question - What containers make the Best Geocache?

 

Ammo cans, old food jars (clean of course), Preform Test Tubes, Tupperware, something from a Geocaching store, Bison Tubes, Film Canisters???

 

What type of containers do you use?

 

 

 

 

 

For Regular size, I use Ammo cans.  They hold up very well, they're durable. 

For Small, I use a few sizes of Lock-N-Lock (name brand and knock-off), and replace them as they get broken or leaky, maybe every couple of years for the ones in sunlight. 

And for Micros, I greatly prefer my 50ml centrifuge vials, from a box of 1000 that I got a great deal on, years ago.  These have a plastic ridge inside the cap that seals like some plastic jars do, and therefore stay pretty dry.  And since I have so many, I can swap out the vial with a fresh one whenever I like.  The only added expense is the themed sticker or tape placed over the gradations so it doesn't look so much like a urine sample tube.

 

 

But I also keep on hand a few $1.00 orange match tubes from Walmart.  Those have O-rings, and are pretty sturdy.  I've thought the cap may be too easy to cross-thread, but so far, they're not bad.  I just swap out a soaking wet log sheet when it's needed, and of course when one of those fails, it's done.  Match tubes, bison tubes, and other tubes with O-rings tend to develop wet logs, likely because if each Find adds even one or two drops of water, that's a lot in such a tiny space.  Plus, people seem to not be able to close them.  I only have one bison tube cache now, and it's placed where it can remain dry.

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by kunarion

[+____akluger]

I like hiding camo caches and find tiny plastic centrifuge vials, bisons and nanos to be most useful. Otherwise, the preform has to be my favourit to hide. I also love finding ammo cans.

[+colleda]

Is it ground hog day?

[+Calypso62]

I really like using 90mm PVC pipe with screw top lids that have a sealing ring, in varying lengths. They're strong, durable and weather resistant.

[+barefootjeff]

On 2/13/2023 at 1:07 PM, barefootjeff said:

About eight months ago, after all the torrential rain last autumn, I started trialling the Duratech ABS instrument boxes sold by Jaycar

 

Just an update on what I said in February. I now have eight of these in the field, four on new caches and four as upgrades to Sistemas that didn't fare as well as I'd like during the la Nina floods, and all are going great with not a skerrick of water getting into any of them.

[+Goldenwattle]

1 hour ago, Calypso62 said:

I really like using 90mm PVC pipe with screw top lids that have a sealing ring, in varying lengths. They're strong, durable and weather resistant.

These are difficult to open for those with small hands. I haven't got the smallest hands but still struggle at times. Don't like them. Only good for males with big hands.

 

[+kunarion]

2 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

I really like using 90mm PVC pipe with screw top lids that have a sealing ring, in varying lengths. They're strong, durable and weather resistant.

 

Aren't those expensive, compared to a similar capacity lock-n-lock?  Or is there a cheap source?

Edited August 15, 2023 by kunarion

[+Calypso62]

1 hour ago, kunarion said:

Aren't those expensive, compared to a similar capacity lock-n-lock?  Or is there a cheap source?

 

It costs around $A10 ($US6.50) for each one.

[+kunarion]

9 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

 

It costs around $A10 ($US6.50) for each one.

 

Wow, you're getting a great deal.  Do you buy them wholesale?  I've looked at plumbing tubes and caps occasionally, and they're so expensive, I typically stick with cheap lock-n-lock knock-offs.

[+cerberus1]

14 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

I really like using 90mm PVC pipe with screw top lids that have a sealing ring, in varying lengths. They're strong, durable and weather resistant.

 

Yep, the gasket is important. During testing, we found those without a gasket (using the threads alone...) pulled water inside by capillary action.  

Nice camo.  

[+Calypso62]

This is retail pricing. We have a chain of hardware warehouses in Australia called Bunnings which is where I buy the bits and pieces. A visit to Bunnings is an institution Down Under especially on a Saturday for the sausage sizzle, a charity/sports club/Scouts/etc fundraiser.

[+Calypso62]

20 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

Duratech ABS instrument boxes

 

Which one specifically barefootjeff?

[+barefootjeff]

11 minutes ago, Calypso62 said:

 

Which one specifically barefootjeff?

 

They come in three sizes (Jaycar catalogue numbers HB6421, HB6423 and HB6425).

[+kunarion]

50 minutes ago, Calypso62 said:

This is retail pricing. We have a chain of hardware warehouses in Australia called Bunnings which is where I buy the bits and pieces. A visit to Bunnings is an institution Down Under especially on a Saturday for the sausage sizzle, a charity/sports club/Scouts/etc fundraiser.

 

Are they electrical wiring tubes?  I've never seen sealing rings in PVC plumbing fittings.  Anyway, it looks promising.  I'll ask around at hardware stores if they know what kind of tube that is.  Though I'm not sure if I should show them that photo as an example of what I want to build. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by kunarion

[+Calypso62]

It's just a standard 90mm PVC screw cap that comes with a rubber gasket that slots into a groove around the top of the cap. They didn't always come with a gasket. I used to put a bead of silicon in the groove as the gasket. It sells for $A3.40 ($US2.20) at Bunnings.

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Calypso62

[+Calypso62]

On 8/16/2023 at 10:10 AM, barefootjeff said:

 

They come in three sizes (Jaycar catalogue numbers HB6421, HB6423 and HB6425).

 

These look good but certainly more expensive.

[+colleda]

I have found that Sistema have redisgned their gasket. It is now an interference seal instead of a nylon(?) O ring and works very well. Only problem I have found so far, after doing some recent maintence for damp logs, is that finders are not closing them properly. They need a bit of pressure on the lid and the sealing clips give loud "clicks" if they have been closed properly.

[+barefootjeff]

9 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

 

These look good but certainly more expensive.

 

Yep, they're a bit pricey but, for the caches I've used them on, I think they're a good investment.