Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by Damo. » 23 August 10 5:06 pm

Big Matt and Shell wrote:
Dik: wrote:I have a waterproof raincoat.

If I wear it in the bath I get wet #-o .
LMAO!
+1 :lol: =D>

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by Dvixen » 23 August 10 8:01 pm

Dik: wrote:I have a waterproof raincoat.

If I wear it in the bath I get wet #-o .
:!: :lol:

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by Zytheran » 24 August 10 10:31 pm

Systemas leak like a sieve when submerged. Been there and done that with testing. Old Ammo cans are not always much better.
Solution: 100mm PVC waterpipe, one fixed end and one watertight screw fitting. Mostly full of concrete. Seals down to 3m underwater.
Pipe is usually free and fittings are about $12. Sand, prime and seal joints using correct PVC adhesive.

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by blossom* » 26 August 10 8:13 pm

I recently bought 6 ammo cans for the B&W caches. They all had dates stamped on them from the 1980's and looked as if they hadn't been used much since then! When I opened them, you could smell the old air from 20 or more years ago! (air smelled different back then you know!) and it seemed pretty obvious that the seals were totally airtight.

I also found they were watertight becasue one of them had an inch of water in the bottom! :shock: There was a small bit of rust inside but not very much becasue the oxygen had run out. I could tell that this water had been there a very long time, the seal was totally tight and the whole thing had travelled around like that since the rainy day it had last been used. Through the post and all.

I'm convinced that a good ammo can is a really good watertight option. But I like to put a sistema inside too as it keeps things cleaner and easier to look through etc.

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by penguin » 22 October 10 12:34 pm

I know a lot of people like them, but I personally am not a big fan. Sistema containers (IMHO) are fantastic in areas that are always dry, but are horrible in areas prone to wetness. Below are some photos of the recently archived cache (http://coord.info/GC1GRA2) that is just down the road from me.

Image

Image

Image

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by the farmers 5 » 23 October 10 7:36 am

penguin wrote:I know a lot of people like them, but I personally am not a big fan. Sistema containers (IMHO) are fantastic in areas that are always dry, but are horrible in areas prone to wetness. Below are some photos of the recently archived cache (http://coord.info/GC1GRA2) that is just down the road from me.

Image



]
Yes, the Sistema's are great in areas of dryness , but are horrible in areas of wetness. When we investigate a bit further to where the cache was placed.......what a surprise !!!! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
February 21 by penguiny (163 found)



This cache really should be archived. Located at the outflow to a stormwater drain, this leaking cache becomes a wet mess after rain.
The owner has not logged on since December 2008 and has not responded to any of the listed maintenance requests. As I live nearby, I'll be happy to dispose of the cache if archived.

One of the many reviews....Sistema Klip It

Rate product:
12345
User Rating:
4.33
4.3
based on 15 reviews Facebook:Official Site: Sistema
See all Sistema Kitchenware Model:Klip It
Ideal for your Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry, the KLIP IT food storage container incorporates a rubberised seal and easy access locking clips.

The unique KLIP IT integrated stacking system ensures the most efficient use of space in your kitchen.



I am sure the Management at Sistema would have been in awe if their container had survived beening placed amongst rocks in a low lying area of a stormwater outlet. What were the original cache owners thinking ??? When Sistema's product description reads " ideal for flooded stormwater outlets," he will be all good to replace it with the new model. :) :) :)

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by gmj3191 » 23 October 10 9:05 am

Dik: wrote:I have a waterproof raincoat.

If I wear it in the bath I get wet #-o .
Eccentricities aside, it's a bit like watches. There's a big difference between water resistant and waterproof.
If you can use something else to bear the brunt of the water, then the Sistema can provide a fair amount of resistance.
An ammo can is great, but under rocky shelves, or steps, or some physical barrier which prevents direct contact with bulk water and keeps them out of the weather is usually enough.
I have found that sometimes people leave a bit of zip lock bag hanging out of the "seal" which doesn't help.
Those Pelican boxes look pretty waterproof but they're also expensive.
There was a fairly exposed cache down at Norman Bay at the Prom in a preserving jar which coped with the extreme weather very well.
Before Covert jumps in about cutting little children's fingers, :-" those things were really tough and hard to break and sealed in botulism for years.

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by Cached » 25 October 10 10:29 am

I'm actually against zip lock bags in caches. Although they can possibly stop a log book from getting wet in the first place, if condensation creeps in, there is no way for it to be able to dry out again as the bag holds it all in!

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by Zytheran » 25 October 10 3:58 pm

Cached wrote:I'm actually against zip lock bags in caches. Although they can possibly stop a log book from getting wet in the first place, if condensation creeps in, there is no way for it to be able to dry out again as the bag holds it all in!
Hmmm, I'm thinking Mythbuster time. Someone want to test this?
Get some Systema caches, say 3 of a couple of sizes each, put in log books with and without zippy bags with holes in them. Hose them off once a week for a month (or longer) in a suitable cache like place in the garden and get back to us? Maybe write in the log books with some different pens and see what spreads the most due to dampness? Then open them up and see which log books are drier.

And then video the results and YouTube it.

Anyone's kids need to do a science experiment? Us adults want to know the answer. =D>

BTW, I'm having doubts about plastic bags for this reason.

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by kennythe1st » 26 February 11 10:07 am

caughtatwork wrote:A sistema in an ammo can can't be beat.
A bit more expensive, but some of mine in the wild have been in all sorts of weather and still no leaks.
Even if the ammo can leaks, you still get one more layer of protection.
Resurrecting this thread because I now have another solution in addition to C@W's above and MtnbikerOZ's great Tupperware experience.

In Auckland recently and heading out for a bush walk with a few caches along the way, I mentioned the leaky Sistema issue to my bro-in-law, a marine electronics consultant. So I find out there are standards for ranges of water proofness, under pressure and not, of containers in the marine environment. Fairly technical but then my sister simplifies the quest by hauling out a food container that she reckons is waterproof. I tested it in the sink submerged for some time and not a drop entered it =D>

The brand is '4 side Locked'. Google it and you'll find it is made in China. At a glance it looks similar to a Sistema but a closer look reveals key differences. The four clear clips have a downward action and the blue seal in the lid has a slight groove which looks like it fits better with the projecting 'mate' in the box part.

In the shaky isles it is available in The Warehouse but I can't find any online reference to it being available here in OZ. If anyone does come across it, I am sure others as well as myself would love to hear where from (I don't trust the online alibaba type stores). Until I visit NZ again soon I am gradually replacing my exposed Sistemas with Tupperwares. Despite MtnbikerOZ's fortunate experience, I feel that people are more likely to close down down clips securely than fit a lid securely. But then, I have been known to be wrong :oops:

Kenny

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by budgietas » 26 February 11 10:28 am

Sistema and not 100% water proof but pretty close. I found an underwater cache just off the rocks in Kingston. It was a system cache totally submerged. I had been there probably 3 days (I jumpedvatbit when I cam up). And it onl had 3 or 4 drops of water in it. There of course were multiple protections from water after that but they were not needed

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Dryness is Next to Godliness

Post by pjmpjm » 26 February 11 10:41 am

kennythe1st wrote:I feel that people are more likely to close down down clips securely than fit a lid securely. But then, I have been known to be wrong :oops: Kenny
I've really enjoyed reviewing this discussion thread!

Above I've quoted the fatal flaw in all these 'waterproof' systems -- the human element!

No matter what we set up in our caches, no matter how clever we are, a certain number of geocachers (or even muggles) won't put the cache container back together again properly. The same goes for the protective baggies. Placing the whole container in an out-of-the-way and permanently dry hiding place is a partial solution -- if you can find such a place! Otherwise, 'constant maintenance is the price of dryness,' as the old saying goes.

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by gmj3191 » 26 February 11 11:27 am

kennythe1st wrote:
caughtatwork wrote:A sistema in an ammo can can't be beat.
A bit more expensive, but some of mine in the wild have been in all sorts of weather and still no leaks.
Even if the ammo can leaks, you still get one more layer of protection.
Resurrecting this thread because I now have another solution in addition to C@W's above and MtnbikerOZ's great Tupperware experience.

In Auckland recently and heading out for a bush walk with a few caches along the way, I mentioned the leaky Sistema issue to my bro-in-law, a marine electronics consultant. So I find out there are standards for ranges of water proofness, under pressure and not, of containers in the marine environment. Fairly technical but then my sister simplifies the quest by hauling out a food container that she reckons is waterproof. I tested it in the sink submerged for some time and not a drop entered it =D>

The brand is '4 side Locked'. Google it and you'll find it is made in China. At a glance it looks similar to a Sistema but a closer look reveals key differences. The four clear clips have a downward action and the blue seal in the lid has a slight groove which looks like it fits better with the projecting 'mate' in the box part.

In the shaky isles it is available in The Warehouse but I can't find any online reference to it being available here in OZ. If anyone does come across it, I am sure others as well as myself would love to hear where from (I don't trust the online alibaba type stores). Until I visit NZ again soon I am gradually replacing my exposed Sistemas with Tupperwares. Despite MtnbikerOZ's fortunate experience, I feel that people are more likely to close down down clips securely than fit a lid securely. But then, I have been known to be wrong :oops:

Kenny
http://www.directbuy.com.au/product_inf ... cts_id=324

I think these are what you're talking about. Also see this thread http://forum.geocaching.com.au/viewtopi ... of#p172987

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by kennythe1st » 26 February 11 3:02 pm

gmj3191 wrote: http://www.directbuy.com.au/product_inf ... cts_id=324

I think these are what you're talking about. Also see this thread http://forum.geocaching.com.au/viewtopi ... of#p172987
Certainly look very similar as far as I can tell from the pic. http://styongtai.en.alibaba.com/product ... astic.html is what I got in NZ. I see they also have vacuum versions! And thanks for the link to the other thread.

And as I've too slowly found out, pjmpjm's tips for deciding on cache locations are a worthwhile problem avoidance measure.

Thx, Kenny :)

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Re: Waterproof Sistema? Doesn't look likely

Post by gmj3191 » 26 February 11 4:24 pm

Certainly look very similar as far as I can tell from the pic. http://styongtai.en.alibaba.com/product ... astic.html is what I got in NZ. I see they also have vacuum versions!
Hmmmm .... unfortunately they can only supply 1,200,000 units per month

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