My pet peeve: soggy boxes!

[+LarsThorwald]

It seems a shame that so many caches are destroyed by the elements due to their being placed in non-watertight/non-airtight containers. Now that the rains have begun again, we're constantly coming across caches sadly ruined by seepage. The fact that the golf balls are wet doesn't bother me, but once all the pages of a logbook are stuck together, it's a goner. The 12x6 or so Rubbermaid containers seem to be the worst offenders: they offer no seal at all. Hey, maybe it's just me, but if you're going to all the trouble to place a cache - and I appreciate that - why not make one that will last?

 

Charlie

"One should never begin a journey by heading in the wrong direction."

[umc]

Well I think you said it best when you said "you went through all that trouble to place it"

 

Thats where you went wrong in the first place thinking that someone put thought into the cache that is water logged. I would almost bet that the caches that you are talking about are also placed in a poor location. I wish I could have replied by saying to use a ammo can but I think the bigger problem here is that these caches are placed by people who don't give a $h1TT or those that are too new to know any better. I have encountered those types of caches more often than not unfortunately and I can also say that the two caches that I placed are in waterproof containers and on is a virt. I'm new to this also as I'm sure you know. So I think that is what it comes down to, someone wants to contribute so bad that they don't take into consideration what they are contributing.

 

Sorry for all spelling errors.

 

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So far so good, somewhat new owner of a second/new Garmin GPS V 20 plus finds so far with little to no problem. We'll see what happens when there are leaves on the trees again.

[+briansnat]

Of course ammo boxes are the ideal (and one of the cheapest) containers. I've yet to find one where the contents weren't perfectly dry (including one I found floating lid down in a foot of water recently).

 

If cache hiders can't use an ammo box for whatever reason, then they should make sure they place the contents in a Ziploc bag. I find the best setup is to place the logbook and a pencil in it's own, small Ziploc and put the trade items in another, larger one.

 

I agree that it's pretty disappointing (and kind of gross) to find a cache filled with wet, algae covered contents.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" - Abraham Lincoln

[+LarsThorwald]

I agree with both of your comments. Somewhere there must be a great deal on Rubbermaid, though. I'd say that a quarter of the caches I've found - and that's a lot - have been in these less than satisfactory containers...

 

Charlie

"One should never begin a journey by heading in the wrong direction."

[+Navdog]

I am suprised that Tupperware doesn't advertise on this site . There is a big difference between real Tupperware and the cheap plastic containers that seem to leak and are prevelant in caches. A softer, more pliable lid, makes a big difference in the ability of the container to keep a tight seal.

 

The adventures of Navdog, Justdog, and Otterpup

[+georgeandmary]

I need to get my eyes checked because I was sure the title said "soggy boxers". On that note, the recent west coast rains have really tested the worthiness of local caches.

 

Micro's are taking the biggest hit. Film cannisters just aren't water tight. A smart California cachers has been putting 'rite-in-rain' logs in all his micros. At least the log still works.

 

george

 

Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more.

[magellan315]

In Florida we have daily torrential thnuderstirms every day in the summer and even as we speak its been raining off and on all day long. I have come across more than my share of soggy caches.

To help extend the life of a cache I carry extra zip lock bags and log books. I'll even take several of the more water logged cache treasures and replace them with extra stuff from my pack.

There are a few caches in my area where the original owner has long stopped Geocaching. I have replaced contents, log books, and in some cases containers to extend the life span of the cache.

If you know of a cache in your area that needs a little TLC take an extra moment to help the rest of the Geocaching community to enjoy it.