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Waterproof Containers


Mr Smiles

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You can try a Dry Box from a surf shop or an Otterbox, though they are more expensive. 

 

I was able to find a small Otterbox (just slightly larger inside than an Altoids tin) fairly cheap on ebay.

 

Bret

I used one of those dry boxes and it lasted barely 2 months before the hinge broke. I had purchased a bunch and put the rest in caches as trade items because I didn't want to chance another one breaking.

 

Another possibility are Lock 'n Lock containers. I've had good luck with them over the short term. They haven't been through a winter yet though. Widemouth Nalgene bottles are waterproof, though it's hard fitting trade items and log books in the not so wide (despite its name) mouth.

 

One more possiblitity are Nalgene straight jars. They are totally waterproof as long as the lid is screwed on firmly. They come in several sizes and are cheap too!

Edited by briansnat
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I used one of those dry boxes and it lasted barely 2 months before the hinge broke. I had purchased a bunch and put the rest in caches as trade items because I didn't want to chance another one breaking.

Bummer....I've had one under a small piece of concrete for a year now and it's holding up pretty good.

 

If I had known how well it was going to go over I would have bought more...or just come out east and found a bunch of your caches. :o

 

Bret

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PVC pipe can be made to be waterproof. Cut the appropriate diameter pipe to length, glue on a cap on one end and threads on the other, and add a screw-on cap, and it's pretty waterproof. Add some teflon tape to the threads if you like, and you can also put a rubber or silicone seal in the cap. PVC is durable, and takes paint pretty well. It's fairly easy to camouflage, especially if you use something like the flash camo the Brits used on ships in WWII. You'd think that paint scheme would be easy to spot, but it's not - you don't see any particular outline that looks familiar.

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PVC pipe can be made to be waterproof. Cut the appropriate diameter pipe to length, glue on a cap on one end and threads on the other, and add a screw-on cap, and it's pretty waterproof. Add some teflon tape to the threads if you like, and you can also put a rubber or silicone seal in the cap. PVC is durable, and takes paint pretty well. It's fairly easy to camouflage, especially if you use something like the flash camo the Brits used on ships in WWII. You'd think that paint scheme would be easy to spot, but it's not - you don't see any particular outline that looks familiar.

It also tends to "lock-up". Read these logs here.

 

Teflon tape is pretty useless, as it will be completely destroyed by the second or third time the container is opened.

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I've both visited and hidden caches in screw-top rubbermade food canisters.... You know, go to the kitchen container section, get a large screwtop rubbermade for $2-3, it holds really well... They are designed to keep moisture out (that's how they keep pasta and cereal and crackers not stale)....

 

Not had any problems!

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I've both visited and hidden caches in screw-top rubbermade food canisters.... a large screwtop rubbermade for $2-3, it holds really well... They are designed to keep moisture out (that's how they keep pasta and cereal and crackers not stale)....

I immediately thought of those when this topic was first posted, but the poster indicated he’d had trouble with Rubbermaid containers. I’ve seen three caches that used the Rubbermaid containers I think you’re talking (clear, wide-mouth with white screw-on lid), about half maybe full gallon size. All of them were dry inside and a couple had been in place between 18 months and two years. I was considering using one for a cache.

 

Has anybody else had bad experiences with these containers? I tried to find a picture on the web but no luck so far.

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I've noticed tennis ball containers seem to hold up well. We haven't placed that kind of container ourselves, but have found several caches with them in use and they seem to hold up.

I've used a tennis ball container around here for one of my caches. Besides the fact that people didn't want to put the lid back on (for some reason), the lid kept popping off every time the heat changed in the area. I much prefer an ammo box with a nice seal if it's going to be anywhere near the weather.

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PVC pipe can be made to be waterproof. Cut the appropriate diameter pipe to length, glue on a cap on one end and threads on the other, and add a screw-on cap, and it's pretty waterproof. Add some teflon tape to the threads if you like, and you can also put a rubber or silicone seal in the cap. PVC is durable, and takes paint pretty well. It's fairly easy to camouflage, especially if you use something like the flash camo the Brits used on ships in WWII. You'd think that paint scheme would be easy to spot, but it's not - you don't see any particular outline that looks familiar.

Another way to seal up a PVC pipe and make it waterproof is to get a round rubber cap that will fit over the end and then you use a hose clamp (like for a car) to tighten the ends. You could get a cheap $1 screwdriver and put it next to/under the cache so people can get it open since most people don't carry a screwdriver.

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A totally waterproof container we've used successfully is a Fido storage jar purchased from the Cost Plus import store. This is a very heavy duty glass jar with a rubber seal and a latching lid. The seal is so good that when you open the cache you get a whoosh of air due to changes in air temperature and pressure since the last visit. And glass doesn't necessarily mean fragile. Just dropping the jar wouldn't break it--you'd have to hurl it against a rock.

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PVC pipe can be made to be waterproof.  Cut the appropriate diameter pipe to length, glue on a cap on one end and threads on the other, and add a screw-on cap, and it's pretty waterproof.  Add some teflon tape to the threads if you like, and you can also put a rubber or silicone seal in the cap.  PVC is durable, and takes paint pretty well.  It's fairly easy to camouflage, especially if you use something like the flash camo the Brits used on ships in WWII.  You'd think that paint scheme would be easy to spot, but it's not - you don't see any particular outline that looks familiar.

Another way to seal up a PVC pipe and make it waterproof is to get a round rubber cap that will fit over the end and then you use a hose clamp (like for a car) to tighten the ends. You could get a cheap $1 screwdriver and put it next to/under the cache so people can get it open since most people don't carry a screwdriver.

That might work. The PVC pipe caches that I've found were all soaked. To make it waterproof it has to be tightend too tight for someone to get the cap off with their bare hands and since most people don't carry wrenches with them, they are only hand tightened when closed.

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Trying to make a complete list, here's a tiiiiiiiiny one.

 

I found a cash with one of these today. The ad says they're 1.9 x 0.6 inches, but I don't think they're that big. I would have said more like 1 1/8" x 3/8 to 1/2"

 

Using these things is vicious. They could be attached to the underside of a medium sized leaf. If the owner hadn’t given away the location in the cache description I don’t think I’d have ever found the thing.

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I found some promising containers this weekend. At Bed, Bath and Beyond actually. They are round acryllic canisters. They are the type that have a rubber gasket around the lid. The lid is hinged and clams shut with a... uhm - claping thing. Metal hinge, spring open. You've all seen them, they are usually ceramic, but these ones were clear acryllic.

 

Looked pretty indestructible and very waterproof to me. $5 per canister for the medium sized round ones. One nice thing about this as a round container compared to most rubbermain I've seen is that the mouth of the container is the same width as the rest of the container. I find that round containers with screw tops seem to be more narrow at the mouth than the actual container and log books, zip loc bags, etc. get chewed up when pulled through the more narrow opening.

 

For $5 I thought these would be good options.

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You can also try one of these http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/life_capsule_beta.htm

 

or any of these

 

http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/dry_...oof_storage.htm

 

I have been using the Pelican cases for a while now, they are almost indestructible.

Plus they're waterproof, airtight and dust free. Are they hiring for a sales associate? lol

Edited by Yogi The Bear
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I found some promising containers this weekend.  At Bed, Bath and Beyond actually.  They are round acryllic canisters.  They are the type that have a rubber gasket around the lid.  The lid is hinged and clams shut with a... uhm - claping thing.  Metal hinge, spring open. 

 

For $5 I thought these would be good options.

That sounds like exactly the sort of container I’ve been looking for. If I understand what you’re describing it’s like this one except acrylic instead of stainless steel. Is that right? BB&B don’t seem to have them on their website, but if it’s what I think it is I’ll go by the local store tomorrow.

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I've visited several PVC caches, and the only one that was wet was one that has been shot with a pellet gun a few times, and has holes in it. Used with care, and especially hanging with the threads down, it's waterproof and opens easily enough. Teflon tape will eventually wear out, but it will last for a long time. You can put a rod or something through the cap if you like, to give more leverage. Anything can be troublesome if it's poorly implemented. The wettest caches I've seen are Tupperware - practically every Tupperware cache I've seen that has been out for more than a month has been wet. Tupperware is basically useless, IMO, as is almost any other form of soft plastic.

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The Gatorade containers that look like a water cooler have served me well.

They have a screw on lid and are just right for the cache hide where an ammo box is just a little to much. Also like the new Folgers coffee containers!

 

I have found a couple of those - paint them flat black and when they get a little scratched and th orange shows through and they are hard to see in the right places.

 

nice medium size cache -

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Here is a surplus army container, heavy gage aluminum, same volume as a decon container, rubber gasket-water proof, twist-on-bayonet style lugs, strong enough to stand on, and costs only $9.95 for 6 of them.  I just got 6 of these containers and they are great.

Major Surplus-German Army containers

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for giving this link!

 

I'm not interested in the boxes though. What I found that is of major importance to my family is the disaster kits.

 

After having just lived through 3 Hurricanes, and being a relocated Hurricane Andrew survivor, these kits are now on list to give as Christmas presents.

 

So...again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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PVC pipe can be made to be waterproof. Cut the appropriate diameter pipe to length, glue on a cap on one end and threads on the other, and add a screw-on cap, and it's pretty waterproof. Add some teflon tape to the threads if you like, and you can also put a rubber or silicone seal in the cap. PVC is durable, and takes paint pretty well. It's fairly easy to camouflage, especially if you use something like the flash camo the Brits used on ships in WWII. You'd think that paint scheme would be easy to spot, but it's not - you don't see any particular outline that looks familiar.

Unfortunately in this day and age, I would stay as far away from using PVC in this fashion. You described the classic "pipe bomb".

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The Gatorade containers that look like a water cooler have served me well.

They have a screw on lid and are just right for the cache hide where an ammo box is just a little to much. Also like the new Folgers coffee containers!

The Folgers containers are not very good. They are very thin plastic and the lid does not seal well. I guess they're OK if you can keep them out of the elements, but the one I tested on my deck did not fare well. And I wonder if the coffee odor might be attractive to wildlife.

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Has anybody used these ? If so, how long and what was your experience?

 

They have both a soft seal and a over-center cam-like lock similar to ammo cans.

 

You can get them a Linens and Things and Bed Bath and Beyond. We’re always getting $5 & $10 off coupons for these places, so I could get a $13 set of three at $1-$3 per container.

 

They look like they’d be good, but I’ve never seen anybody report using them.

Edited by Thot
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Has anybody used these ?  If so, how long and what was your experience?

 

They have both a soft seal and a over-center cam-like lock similar to ammo cans.

 

You can get them a Linens and Things and Bed Bath and Beyond.  We’re always getting $5 & $10 off coupons for these places, so I could get a $13 set of three at $1-$3 per container. 

 

They look like they’d be good, but I’ve never seen anybody report using them.

I bought a bunch of them a few months ago. A liquor store near my house was selling them for a buck each as cigar humidors.

 

I haven't put one out yet, but from looking at them, I'm not sure how well the metal latch will stand up to the weather. They obviously aren't made with outdoor use in mind. I may try one soon on a nearby cache so I can keep an eye on it.

Edited by briansnat
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Thot Posted on Nov 5 2004, 08:48 AM

  Has anybody used these ?

I've used this type and it worked great for a while. After being opened a few times the rubber gasket came loose from the lid. It seemed nearly impossible for some cachers to figure out how to seal it back up properly. Wet logs soon followed.

 

I think that real Lock & Lock containers provide the best seal for the buck value in plastic boxes.

Edited by Kfam
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I've used this type and it worked great for a while. After being opened a few times the rubber gasket came loose from the lid.

Thanks for your reply.

 

That's one of two problems I foresaw. The other was, the hinge allows the lid to move side to side and I wondered if people would seat the lid properly properly on the gasket/seal. As for the problem you saw, it happened on containers I opened in the store. I’d decided I would try to glue the gasket in place with hot glue, or silicone caulk or maybe superglue.

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I posted to a smiliar thread a long while ago- but Here are my examples

 

"Quickcrete" sells a 6lb bucket(?)- the quickcrete comes in a plastic bag, so the bucket is new & clean. The lid has perforations about every 3 inches - so when snapping it back on, each 3' peice (when properly snapped shut) has its own seal. And, it won't come open until most every one has been loosened. I have tested them underwater- they hold out the water, unless crunched. They also have a handle on them- which helps with hanging hides.... As for cold- they held up OK - and dont crack unless really bent in, crushed, etc

 

Sheetrock Compound - Sheetrock compound is sold in a variety of sizes- My favorite being the 1 gallon bucket. They also come with a handle (metal) and resemble the typical handle on a 5 gallon bucket- So they are basically Junior 5 gallons/

You need to use all the compound, then clean the container - but since its water soluable- its not to hard to clean it out. The lids snap air tight, since the product inside will dry out if exposed to air - so they too are waterproof. In cold weather they are durable, and are less likely to crack then the quickcrete containers.

 

"Spackle" containers- the small 1/2 gallon size, and 1 gallon size- (The 2 painted ones in the pic) Great for a small regular size container. Lid snaps tight - air & waterproof - again because the product itself will dry out unless sealed airtight. As for cold weather - OK in most cold, but below zero can cause problems. The least durable of these 3, but still FAR more sturdy than any tupper/gladware.

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