Matter of Choice

Bronze · Post by **Bronze** » 06 October 05 9:24 am

Cache Consensus

Hey guys. Quick poll and comment on opinion please. (Yes i know we have done this before).

What sort of cache container do you prefer to use when hiding? I'm coming across a lot of damaged and moisture filled caches. Some are of course mine which I routinely check after the rains. I just wanted to spark some interesting discussion and possibly even debate along with the sharing of ideas for the newbies who have joined us.

Here is what I have learnt from a little experience. Because if cost and size choice Plastic is by far the most common with two main drawbacks. UV stability if exposed and can be eaten by critters if a swap like coffee, spice, sweets or incense is hidden in the cache. Light metal tins are good but atmospheric changes cause them to suck moisture, especially after rain and if the lip fills. Ammo containers are by far the best but are expensive, must be clearly marked and come in limited sizes.

I know I have missed the assortment of micros, magnetic, hoisted and blended caches but I just wanted to get some discussion going on cache containers and what other areas are preferring for climate, cost and durability.

If possible post pics of your caches or favorite caches you have found / hidden.

The Bronze

Post by **CraigRat** » 06 October 05 9:52 am

I'm a big fan of those Sistema containers... thick plastic, clip locks, rubber seals and lids that DONT WARP like cheaper lunchboxes.

Never had one fail me yet

I spray them w/ spray glue before I paint them.

They rock my proverbial socks.....

ideology · Post by **ideology** » 06 October 05 10:00 am

our favourite cache container was for i!6: quay, not least because it had a habit of exploding when people tried to open it!

this was really solid - almost indestructible. and it needed to be, placed where it was.

our second favourite was for i!5: achilles:

this wasn't as durable, but we really liked it because it looked the part. the story of its creation is at http://ideology.geocaching.com.au/achilles-orders/

both these caches were created by gizmo dave in exchange for boxes of tim-tams! good one, gizmo dave!

Mix · Post by **Mix** » 06 October 05 10:23 am

with almost 100 hides, I've used everything from <br>

<br>
And everything in between, food tins, ammunition tins of three sizes, mini-M&M containers, Xmas edition extra long Mini-M&M containers, jars, plastic containers both round and square, big & small, continental chicken stock powder containers, home made PVC containers... the works. And I can categorically say that there is no such thing as a perfect cache container. What works in one spot will not work someplace else. Two caches that appear exactly the same can have two completely different life cycles. The best guide is to think carefully about the conditions the cache is likely to face, use the best cache container you can get for those conditions and accept that water is probably inevitable should be planned for, fire a probability and should be calculated for and muggles a possibility that should be minimised.

team_diesel · Post by **team_diesel** » 06 October 05 11:13 am

For our non-micros we use Sistima boxes and, apart from one that was muggled by stomping, they are all going strong.

We have also used Dick Smith peanut butter jars.

They are cheap and durable and so far no problems. It does take a bit of time to prepare them by removing the label and washing them out and I may one day find the critters have taken a liking to peanut butter but so far so good.

Papa Bear_Left · Post by **Papa Bear_Left** » 06 October 05 5:56 pm

Sistemas are OK, but they don't like immersion. Lock'n'Lock are great, with clips on all four sides to make sure there's no weak points.
If you can fit it, though, there's nothing as tough as an ammo box.

I'm too lazy to paint camo patterns, so I found a roll of camo cloth tape that's as sticky and tough as any good gaffa tape (stickier than most) in an Army Disposals store in Christchurch. I also use plain black tape for darker holes. A couple of them have been out in the weather for a couple of years now and still look great.

Map Monkey · Post by **Map Monkey** » 06 October 05 6:26 pm

In Qld, i would assume due to the temperatures, it seems to be the good old metal ammunition box as the preferred container for a lot of caches. Though i do prefer this container:

The container seals with half a twist on the top (unable to see in the photo), the rubber seal does not spin when closing/opening, nice colour, and is a good size for a somewhat large cache.

If someone knows where to get them from (Apart from the Army

), i would be very interested

Agsmky

Lt. Sniper · Post by **Lt. Sniper** » 06 October 05 6:42 pm

With agsmky on that one, Ammo boxes are the most common cache in QLD.

foxbat · Post by **foxbat** » 07 October 05 4:58 pm

I have taken to using empty Sard/Napisan/Neon containers. Just cammo them up by roughing the surface with sand paper and spray paint. Seem to be water tight and holding up quite well in the wild.

Udderchaos · Post by **Udderchaos** » 07 October 05 10:40 pm

seen quite a few caches in SA made from poly pipe and plumbing fittings.

Have proper seals and look like part of the furniture

VWNuts · Post by **VWNuts** » 08 October 05 4:28 pm

I like the ammo boxes, already painted for the bush, tough & weatherproof. I also found a disposals store in Strathpine that is currently selling the .30Cal Ammo boxes for 5 for $22. So for $4 each you can't complain.
Graham

Bronze · Post by **Bronze** » 09 October 05 12:16 pm

Thats an excellent price for Ammo containers. I wouldn't be haggling on that.

Looking throught the shopping centre on Thursday I found 1.5 litre glass pasta containers with an aluminium lid and rubber seal. Three turns to seal and the glass is very thick. I painted two thirds and left one third unpainted so people can see the contents without emptying the entire cache out.

Keen to see hoe it goes. It is my newest cache - RANSOM.

The Bronze.
"The answer is 48, or was it 49?"

Geocaching Australia

Matter of Choice

What cache container do you prefer?

Matter of Choice