Geocaching: Ideas for Cache Containers

Geocaching is a quickly growing sport that is sweeping the world by storm. The hunt of the treasure is fun in itself but the sport offers even more than that: meet and greets, the cache run, and geo-races where people compete to find as many caches as possible in a given time. These are just to name a few. There is much fun to be had in this sport and a lot of new experiences to be had. So, once you've dipped your toe in the water and discovered how appealing this sport is, you decide you have decided that you want to move to the next step and hide your own cache. In order to do this you need to find a location making sure to stay within geocaching.com's guidelines and decide if you want to hide a mirco cache or a traditional cache. The next step is the truly fun part: choosing the right cache container.

Te three most common cache containers are bison tubes for micro caches, and ammo boxes and plastic containers with lids for traditional caches. You can purchase bison tubes online through geocaching.com and Ebay. Ammo boxes can be found at army surplus stores. One important thing to consider when using an ammo box is to tape over any writing or numbers. Sometimes people who are not familiar with geocaching come across these boxes and if there is strange lettering on the box that looks suspicious it can be thought to be an explosive. It has happened before. You want your cache to look and be as benign as possible.

Plastic containers can be found just about anywhere. The most important thing to consider when choosing a plastic container is that the lid shuts tightly when closed to keep the elements out. Thicker plastics work best because they don't crack as easily and hold up better through changing temperatures.

Though these are the most popular containers they are not the only ones used. I have seen some ingenious ideas used as containers. Empty perfume sample bottles, unused pill bottles, plastic gum containers, old lipstick tubes, bird houses, magnetic key holders (which seem to be growing in popularity), pipes (sealed with corks), hollow bolts, and small animal statuettes are just to name a few. I have even heard of one cacher using the cab of an old truck as his cache container.

Be creative in your thinking if you are wanting to make your hide a hard one to find. You'll want it to be secure in its home, well hidden, and safe from moisture. Check the surroundings of your hide location. Make your container blend in with those surroundings as much as possible. Sometimes this can be done with placement, with tape or paint on the container, magnets, or by simply covering your cache with sticks.

In essence, your cache container can be traditional, or as creative as the person who is hiding the cache. Explore your options. Keep safety first, and have fun.