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Things To Not Use


Torry

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A few things I learned that are bad ideas... Some are from the forums , some from the field....

 

POST-IT NOTEPAD as a log book. .... I'm sure it looked cool at the start but after a few entries the thing was falling apart.

 

COOKIE TINS as a cache container. .... Those thin metal cookie and popcorn tins tend to rust out quickly .... the containers get bent and deformed and the lids won't fit .... Maybe they work in areas that get no rain, but not anywhere else.

 

COUGH DROPS as swag. .... I'm amazed at the number of times I've opened a cache to discover a layer of mentholated goo stuck to the bottom and the contents. The cough drops tend to sweat and melt over time and are useless to later cachers.

 

MARKERS AS CACHE PENS. .... In Northern climes they tend to freeze up. Everywhere the "bleed" through the log pages.

 

NOT 'BAGGING' THE PAPER and other porous items. ... There are a lot of humidity changes inside a cache and there tends to be some condensation no matter what you do and items get damp and musty. Also, some cachers work in the rain.

 

NOT ANCHORING caches placed near water. ... Just look at all the DNF's and archived caches after the spring and winter floods.

 

More?.....

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"MARKERS AS CACHE PENS. .... In Northern climes they tend to freeze up. Everywhere the "bleed" through the log pages."

 

Im suprized by this, because I've found one or two permanet markers on COLD days that I would have thought would frozen up actually working. Maybe differen't brands/styles are affected differenly? (I wouldn't leave one because they could bleed threw the pages anyways) Ball point pens freeze up for sure though!

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"MARKERS AS CACHE PENS. .... In Northern climes they tend to freeze up. Everywhere the "bleed" through the log pages."

 

Im suprized by this, because I've found one or two permanet markers on COLD days that I would have thought would frozen up actually working. Maybe differen't brands/styles are affected differenly? (I wouldn't leave one because they could bleed threw the pages anyways) Ball point pens freeze up for sure though!

True, not ALL freeze up ... but the water-based, discount store variety do .. and the ink runs miserably on them as well.

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POST-IT NOTEPAD  as a log book. .... I'm sure it looked cool at the start but after a few entries the thing was falling apart.

 

It can work if you staple it together. In fact if stapled they do make a handy, inexensive logbook.

 

COOKIE TINS as a cache container. ....

 

Agreed. OK in the desert, or if the hiding place is protected from the elements, but otherwise a poor choice.

 

COUGH DROPS as swag. .... .

 

And any food type item.

 

MARKERS AS CACHE PENS. .... In Northern climes they tend to freeze up. Everywhere the "bleed" through the log pages.

 

Yep - Sometimes.

 

NOT 'BAGGING' THE PAPER and other porous items. ... There are a lot of humidity changes inside a cache and there tends to be some condensation no matter what you do and items get damp and musty.

 

Agreed. Even in an ammo box there may be some condensation. Any trade items and travel bugs that might be affected by damp or water should be placed in its own Ziploc.

 

NOT ANCHORING caches placed near water. ... Just look at all the DNF's and archived caches after the spring and winter floods.

 

That gentle little brook in August might become a roaring torrent in April. Stake them down, or better yet, place them above high water. Trees work great for this.

 

Some more:

Gladware and Chinese/deli food containers make poor containers. Gladware doesn't seal particuarly well. The Chinese food contaier's lids split after a few finds. Also, food odors attract animals no matter how much you try to wash them.

 

Paper logs in a cache container that is likely to leak. If you find you must use leaky containers like film canisters, Gladware, etc... Use a waterproof paper like National Geographic Adventure Paper.

Edited by briansnat
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I visited a cache that a nice cacher thoughtfully left a tiny bottle of DEET. Which proceeded to leak and literally greased the entire inside of an ammo can. Yecchhh. Nice idea, bad execution.

I've left such things... in a SEPARATE baggie ... they were well-received... and cheap since I picked them up during the winter for 25 cents each for some full-sized bottles of repellant.

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oh yeah .....

 

CHILD-PROOF LIDS on pill bottles can get old and not work. ... I was exteremely frustrated by a micro that had a "wore-out" lid ... you could see all the damage from previous cachers using tools to try and open it ... the "press-down to open types" DO wear out or get damaged after a while.

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PLAIN COFFEE CANS with the clear snap-on lid. ... They rust out quickly and don't seal well at all. Thanks for reminding me.

 

PLAIN MASKING TAPE as a covering or for later painting. ... The tape absorbs water and rots out quickly.

Edited by Torry
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almost forgot ...

 

GLASS CACHE containers are a bad idea, period. ... accidents happen and cachers RARELY carry extra ammo boxes. ... the same goes for ceramic containers.

Now here is something that I have never seen. Do people really use glass containers for a cache? :grin: That would seem to be a disaster waiting to happen.

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I've seen a one gallon glass jar stuffed in the heavy vines on a tree. Cache is nearly 3 years old and doing fine. Not that I'm advocating the use of large glass jars, but there is one.

 

I've seen bottled water and gatorade left in ammo can caches. The bottles eventually leaked and made real messes. The gatorade was worse, enough sugar to draw ants, and then they moved in. Both those caches would have been fine to leave the bottles alongside the caches.

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almost forgot ...

 

GLASS CACHE containers are a bad idea, period. ... accidents happen and cachers RARELY carry extra ammo boxes. ... the same goes for ceramic containers.

Now here is something that I have never seen. Do people really use glass containers for a cache? :D That would seem to be a disaster waiting to happen.

I've seen one glass container in the 350 that I've found. It was a quart jar and had been there for awhile. It seemed to work fine, although I can see who that could be a bad idea.

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almost forgot ...

 

GLASS CACHE containers are a bad idea, period. ... accidents happen and cachers RARELY carry extra ammo boxes. ... the same goes for ceramic containers.

Now here is something that I have never seen. Do people really use glass containers for a cache? :D That would seem to be a disaster waiting to happen.

Oh yes, there's several in the Maryville area. A series of them in fact. They are basically placed underwater from what I can tell (haven't had a chance to actually hunt them yet)... and tied to trees, and other things to make them retrievable. At least one has been found broken however.

 

GCGWEB, GCGWEC, GCGXCX & GCGXCY (The Riparian Zone series) features mason jars as cache containers.

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I used to have one in a glass storage jar. The jar held up wonderfully, but the rubber seal failed because someone didn't close it properly.

 

Whether glass is OK just comes down to matching the container to the location. There are lots of spots that glass would do fine, or would be preferable because the stuff inside can be easily seen.

Edited by sbell111
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Although many people use 35mm film canisters for micros, I don't think they do the best job. I have found that the orange match cases (round cylinder) that you can buy at Wally World are a much better choice. Waterproof gasket and screw on top. Just slightly larger than the film canister.

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I used to have one in a glass storage jar. The jar held up wonderfully, but the rubber seal failed because someone didn't close it properly.

 

Whether glass is OK just comes down to matching the container to the location. There are lots of spots that glass would do fine, or would be preferable because the stuff inside can be easily seen.

One thing I learned about glass containers is the seal on the lid .... Some folks were using old peanut butter jars and the like that had the plastic-coated paper seal on a thin metal screw-on lid ... the seal would give out, the lid would rust, etc.

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I've seen some of the match cases that are cammo green.

 

Anybody know where these can be found? ;)

Store or Online? :(

 

Now that spring is on the way, I figured stores would be putting them out with their camping displays, but checks so far with Wally World, K-mart, Target, & Dicks are a no go.

 

D-man :(

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I've seen some of the match cases that are cammo green.

 

Anybody know where these can be found? :tired:

Store or Online? ;)

 

Now that spring is on the way, I figured stores would be putting them out with their camping displays, but checks so far with Wally World, K-mart, Target, & Dicks are a no go.

 

D-man ;)

Cheaper Than Dirt has them. They are a pretty good company, often with good prices on ammo cans as well.

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