Cache Mania

I’ve been geocaching for a few years now and as with anything over time we all have the tendency to find that certain things irk us for our own reasons. When something is a pet peeve it’s called that because it may not be a universally shared sentiment. I’ve recently been giving some thought to my geocaching pet peeves. The list below is a few of my own personal annoyances. Feel free to disagree or even to add your own. Who knows maybe something I do will be on your pet peeve list.

1. Log length disproportionate to the effort put into the creation of a geocache.  This last weekend I found a little more than 15 geocaches.  Many were very typical in their execution.  there were however a couple that demonstrated a desire by the creator to give the geocacher something interesting.   When I find one of these kinds of geocaches I like to make sure that my log entry recognizes the effort put forth in the creation or placement of the cache.  There is nothing that bothers me more than seeing  just those four little letters TFTC.   Yes it is appreciative, that’s nice, but what about letting the geocacher that spent time on the cache know how you felt about their work.  I think it’s  small price to pay for that added enjoyment of finding a well executed geocache.
2. Geocaches that use an inappropriate container for the setting.  The number one issue is water damage.  Not only can a poor choice of cache container lead to mouldy or otherwise yucky contents it also means a larger time commitment for cache maintenance.  The lock n lock in all it’s sizes and the trusty ammo can are some of the best containers for geocaches.  The bison tube is a nice container also.  Invest a little in the container and you’ll have to invest less of your time maintaining the cache.
3. Lack of environmental sensitivity to the placement of a geocache.  I just cringe at the site of some of the geotrails I’ve seen.  Yes we need to put the geocache far enough away from the trail that is not going to be discovered but does that mean we need to do 100m of bushwhacking to get to the cache?  How is it that a well executed urban geocache in a densely populated area can exist for years but people feel the need to hide a cache through metres and metres of bushwhacking?  It just doesn’t make sense to me.

Maybe these things bug me because I’m getting older.  Maybe they bug you, no matter what your age.  Did I miss anything?  Let me know in the comments.

Tags: ammo can, annoyances, lock-n-lock, pet peeves
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I recently made a series of geocaches from various containers I had lying around the house.  I was trying to decided what is the best container for a geocache.   I used a round lock-n-lock and a square lock-n-lock.  I painted both using camouflage paint.  I looked at the cost of these containers, about $3ea when you buy brand name and about $2ea when you buy the dollar store variety.  I’d never used an ammo can before so I went hunting for one of those as well.

The ammo can was a bit more expensive at about $7ea but I could tell right away that the ammo can was far more robust than the plastic containers.

One complaint about ammo can goecahes is that they can be hard to open.  This is certainly true but you can make it easier to open using a simple technique.  Open the ammo can.  Find the biggest adjustable wrench you have and close it down until it slips over the lip of the ammo can lid.  Gently bend the lip away from the ammo can.  Be careful not to go too crazy with this.  You must need it a little looser.

The ammo can comes in the typical army green but I like to spray on a bit of a camouflage patter using camouflage paint.  I recommend you use camouflage paint as it produces a mat finish.  Put the ammo can geocache in a shady part of the forest and it will be very hard to see, unless you have good coordinates.

An ammo can geocache is also larger than your typical plastic container.  This means it can hold more swag.  The swag helps keep the kids excited.  It’s still a treasure hunt for them.  It’s for this reason that I’ll be trying to place more ammo can geocaches.

Ammo Can Geocache with some swag

Tags: ammo can, container, lock-n-lock, swag, tupperware
Posted in Camouflage, Geocaches, help | No Comments »