How Do You Hide Your Buckets?

[+TroutGuy78]

So what's the trick for hiding/placing large caches like 2.5 or 5 gallon buckets? Did I read the geocaching rules right in that no digging is allowed either to place or find a cache? Does it all rely on camo and good coverage? I'm curious to know any tips or hints. Thanks. -TroutGuy78

[+BooBooBee]

So what's the trick for hiding/placing large caches like 2.5 or 5 gallon buckets? Did I read the geocaching rules right in that no digging is allowed either to place or find a cache? Does it all rely on camo and good coverage? I'm curious to know any tips or hints. Thanks. -TroutGuy78

Check out this thread...it includes caches of various sizes and, if not JUST what you're looking for, certainly will spark your imagination!

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=62421

[+planetrobert]

in a dead rotten stump, between boulders... wrapped with bark to leek like wood...

[+briansnat]

Did I read the geocaching rules right in that no digging is allowed either to place or find a cache?

 

That is correct. The cache can be placed in an existing hole in the ground; perhaps one that was created when a tree fell over, but no digging is allowed.

 

That being said, I don't think there are a lot of bucket caches out there. At least I've yet to find one. Probably because they are far from the best containers available, due both to the difficulty of concealing them and the difficulty involved with making them both waterproof and easy to open.

 

I guess the best way to hide one would be either to make sure its so far off the beaten path that nobody is likely to accidently encounter it, or to use some "hidden in plain sight" camo like Ralaan mentioned, with bark glued to the container to make it look like a stump.

Edited September 3, 2004 by briansnat

[+nfa]

Hi,

 

I've got two 5-gallon caches hidden not too far from me (one & two).

• I spray-painted the buckets with $ store paint in brown, green, and black to start
  
• I looked for a hiding spot where hunters wouldn't be likely to wander while looking for deer
  
• I tried to find a natural depression big enough to swallow the bucket
  
• I cover the bucket with leaf litter and sticks
  

nfa

[+OzGuff]

5-gallon fish food bucket (acquired from a hatchery), checked for waterproof-ness, camouflage spray-painted various forest colors, placed at base of very thick rhododendron. Everyone who has found it has commented that it is amazing that such a large cache is so well hidden.

[+Robespierre]

The one 1gal. bucket I've seen (GC3AC8 ) is set in an existing hole, and piles with sticks, but the location is quite remote for Ohio.

[+Jamie Z]

I've found a handful of 5-gallon caches. Only one (if I remember) made any attempt to be concealed. It was painted camo and attached to a tree.

 

The other couple were still white and simply sitting out in the (relative) open. Heh, still took me about ten minutes to find one of them.

 

These caches were in seldom traveled areas, so a 1-star hiding technique was appropriate. YMMV.

 

Jamie

[+geo-jedi]

I've seen a few. One idea - think camou rope and bear proof.

 

Team Geo-Jedi

[+Renegade Knight]

One thing we have in Idaho is Rock Piles.

 

You can hide a car in some of them. They are good for a 5 gallon bucket. A 50 cal. ammo can becomes a hard find.

[+carleenp]

It wasn't pretty, but I camoflaged a large cache once by using brown duct tape to tape Christmas tree branches to it. It served it's purpose for the winter when there was not much natural vegitation around.

Edited September 3, 2004 by carleenp

[+Pyewacket]

The camo-pattern burlap made for hunting could easily be draped over a large bucket, followed by a few twigs and leaves, and it would virtually disappear in the right environment. Here's what it looks like, new in the package:

 

 

That's from Amazon.com, but I've seen it in WalMart. I just never seem to have the $16 to buy it.

[+9Key]

I've only placed one 5 gallon bucket because I've not found a good place to hide one until recently.

Huge hollow trees just aren't common in my area.

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

So what's the trick for hiding/placing large caches like 2.5 or 5 gallon buckets?

We found this Large Size Cache about a week ago. It's a very large ammo box that was painted and then hidden out of sight behind a stick. Hope this helps

 

[+nfa]

I bought some camo cordura on ebay recently pretty cheaply, and it would probably work as an effective drape over the bucket.

 

nfa

[+9Key]

hidden out of sight behind a stick

Geez - that's not much of a stick! I cansee the ammo can quite easily!

[+nfa]

hidden out of sight behind a stick

Geez - that's not much of a stick! I cansee the ammo can quite easily!

oh sure, once you were told where it was, anyone can see it!

 

nfa

[virgo91967]

hidden out of sight behind a stick

Geez - that's not much of a stick! I cansee the ammo can quite easily!

Ya just don't get it , do you ... the can is just a big ole red herring! the actual cache is a micro hidden in a hole drilled in the BASE of the stick!

 

Actually, I hid mine rather well for being right out in the open ..sorta... invisible from 30 feet. Sorry, best photo I could get at the time LOL...

 

 

Then again, i didn't want it to be too difficult for cachers to find.. Just sooo full of such good stuff!. As far as fear of muggles... believe me, muggles do NOT go randomly bushwackin' in this area. just deer and cachers

Virgo's Mega-cache (gcjwnh)

Edited September 3, 2004 by virgo91967

[+Bjorn74]

My Travel Bug Timeshare is cleverly hidden under a stick...

 

Well, until the landscapers come by. Then they mulch the stick and I have to find another one. It's a tedious process, but one I am happy to continue. I'll try to get a picture.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I found a five-gallon one wedged between two rocks with some sticks in front. Effective enough for the location. There are some big ol' gaps between naturally leaning rocks.

 

Of course, a very large cache has a tendency to look sad and empty once it starts to get low.

 

On the other hand...hmmm...I'm starting to drown in paperback books...

[jdoe]

Although I've never hidden a 5 gallon container, one cache of mine comes close (a LARGE Christmas popcorn tin). I spray painted the whole thing dark brown and hid it in a big pile of dead trees. I'm pretty proud of that cache. So far only 5 people have found it. <evil grin>

 

One other cache showed me a pic where he stripped the bark off of a trunk and fastened the bark around the container. That was a real work of art.

 

One suggestion is to find a "natural hole" and place the container there. Once the cache settles in, fill the sides up with dirt and rocks leaving an inch or two of the top of the container above ground. This way the lid can be covered with leaves. When the cache finder comes across the cache all they would have to do is remove the lid, sign log, and make trades.

[lowracer]

I hung a 5-gallon bucket up in a tree, using heavy gage black-insulated copper wire. It was a very difficult find. It was one of those cammo green buckets from Wal-Mart and I draped a bit of green mosquito netting over it. The wire was tied off to a tree a couple dozen feet away. You had to un-do the wire then lower the bucket to get the goodies. I went out with a few folks when they tried to find it. You wouldn't believe people still look under tiny rock piles. I had to keep saying "It's a FIVE GALLON Bucket!" I have a couple 5-gallon bucket caches out there. They're waterproof hold lots of swag and yes they're difficult to open, but you just leave an old screwdriver nearby and no problem. I like big caches.

[+nfa]

I found a five-gallon one wedged between two rocks with some sticks in front. Effective enough for the location. There are some big ol' gaps between naturally leaning rocks.

 

Of course, a very large cache has a tendency to look sad and empty once it starts to get low.

 

On the other hand...hmmm...I'm starting to drown in paperback books...

Hi Auntie,

 

Check out this cache of mine...it is a 5 gallon book cache, and people have so far loved it.

 

nfa

[+AuntieWeasel]

You wouldn't believe people still look under tiny rock piles.  I had to keep saying "It's a FIVE GALLON Bucket!" 

You're thinking like the hider! Reference the post above yours. If someone had found a sizable natural hole in the ground, put your great big bucket in it, and covered it with a tiny pile of rocks...well, there you have it.

 

I can think of two caches I've found in natural holes, flush to the surface with stuff over them. They both totally confounded me for a while. Put a rock over it, and it has none of the tell-tale signs...

[+Bear_Left]

One of New Zealand's early cachers established a reputation for placing large containers, and most of them are still around.

 

His method of hiding them was to put them in places where nobody who _wasn't_ following a little GPSr arrow would dream of going. We've scratched our heads a couple of times, wondering why this 20 litre white bucket was still sitting undisturbed with nothing more than a bit of bush to hide it!

 

In fact, I've heard local cachers call any large container "a Donovan" in his honour!