Rash of cache thefts

[WStemple]

Time to get the heavy cables out and strap these puppies down! I have access to some nice 1/4 inch stranded cable. 😆

[LDove]

Several of my ammo cans from the bash got taken I hate to say and I can’t get out there and replace them. What a shame… 😕

[grandpa_r]

[Northwoods Tom]

Recently I was at a big box store checking out PVC. For some stage caches I’m going to create a container with these materials. 8″ segment of pipe, end cap, and a threaded cap on the other end. The materials are cheaper than everything but the cheapest ammo cans. At the same time I was looking at bulk chain. Lightweight is very cheap when you buy it in 10′-20 foot prepackaged lengths.

Using this chain and doing a simple fasten to a non-movable fixture with a bolt and washers would protect from all but the most serious thief. In locations that would be acceptable, this might be the route to go. Additionally, the PVC containers may be less desirable than ammo cans.

[Mister Greenthumb]

@Northwoods Tom wrote:

Recently I was at a big box store checking out PVC. For some stage caches I’m going to create a container with these materials. 8″ segment of pipe, end cap, and a threaded cap on the other end. The materials are cheaper than everything but the cheapest ammo cans. At the same time I was looking at bulk chain. Lightweight is very cheap when you buy it in 10′-20 foot prepackaged lengths.

Using this chain and doing a simple fasten to a non-movable fixture with a bolt and washers would protect from all but the most serious thief. In locations that would be acceptable, this might be the route to go. Additionally, the PVC containers may be less desirable than ammo cans.

Every container that I have found made from PVC pipe either could not be easily opened or it leaked. They also look like pipe bombs. Not saying you shouldn’t try it, just offering what I have seen.

[Northwoods Tom]

@Mister Greenthumb wrote:

Every container that I have found made from PVC pipe either could not be easily opened or it leaked. They also look like pipe bombs. Not saying you shouldn’t try it, just offering what I have seen.

That’s interesting. Every container out of PVC I’ve encountered was watertight. In fact that is what got the idea brewing in my mind. Lucky I guess. I can understand the pipe bomb concern. Might be more appropriate for the National Forest where I will be placing them over an urban cache placement. In fact the chain addition came from the idea of hanging them opening end down from a tree branch.

Darn, there’s always some new wrinkle in an idea…

[huffinpuffin2]

Found one a few months back in Nicolet Nat’l Forest near Three Lakes, that was hanging upside down, and when we opened it up…..you guessed it, water poured out…..and pretty sure the top side was a glued cap. Look at the third picture in the cache’s Image Gallery to get an idea of what the container looks like. Not the norm, and never could figure out how the water got in there. Seems to be getting wet over the winter…… June 2008 logs by Sagasu and seldom|seen also reported water, so not just a single event. You might want to check this container out sometime, if you’re back in the area. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC108MF 🙂 🙂

[Northwoods Tom]

@huffinpuffin2 wrote:

Not the norm, and never could figure out how the water got in there. Seems to be getting wet over the winter……

Thanks! Similar to what I’m thinking of in so many ways. It’s about 40 miles from the cottage so I’m going to figure it out. Looks like duct tape on the glued cap end. That still shouldn’t be the problem though if it’s hanging. Lack of visits by the cache owner to the site is a clue. It’s moving location another? A non puzzle puzzle to solve. Either that or look for the receipt for the PVC fittings.

[sandlanders]

I have found that condensation is a problem in PVC pipe caches. Never found actual water, but lots of damp stuff inside.

[Northwoods Tom]

@sandlanders wrote:

I have found that condensation is a problem in PVC pipe caches. Never found actual water, but lots of damp stuff inside.

I knew someday someone would find a use for those little moisture packs/pills that come in so many products 🙂

[WStemple]

@Northwoods Tom wrote:

@sandlanders wrote:

I have found that condensation is a problem in PVC pipe caches. Never found actual water, but lots of damp stuff inside.

I knew someday someone would find a use for those little moisture packs/pills that come in so many products 🙂

I will have to get mine together and post them on ebay/craigs list. 🙂

[CodeJunkie]

@Northwoods Tom wrote:

@sandlanders wrote:

I have found that condensation is a problem in PVC pipe caches. Never found actual water, but lots of damp stuff inside.

I knew someday someone would find a use for those little moisture packs/pills that come in so many products 🙂

Ping Muggle B about these. A while ago he showed me some really nice ones they get at his place of employment. They were plastic capsules instead of the bag kind and I’m assuming would be a great option.

[bartrod]

Arghhh! Still another one of my caches was recently muggled. Luckily I had replaced the ammo box with a lock n lock container after the last round. This time they left the container…scattered the contents all over creation though. I’ve made a few of my hides ‘Premium only’ caches but am hesitant to do it with this one…it’s one of my Oconto Co. History series at Copper Culture State Park. It’s intent is to bring the cacher to an interesting place and inform them of its history…am going to move it though since the site has been twice compromised. Deep sigh 😥

Oconto...the birthplace of western civilization:)

[gotta run]

Yeah this thread is depressing. Of course ammo box thefts are not new but they seem to be much more frequent. It’s just to be expected unfortunately as financial barriers to the game become lower. In other words you used to have to invest in a GPSr and usually had more than a passing appreciation for the hobby.

Now anyone with a phone can go and there are countless people with no skin in the game. As in other areas of life that leads to people who just take.

Regarding PVC tubes, it is also our experience that they are more prone to leakage than other types of containers and more finicky to seal. Of course any container will leak given the right conditions or enough time to deteriorate. Placement decisions are half the battle.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[BeccaDay]

Good to know about the PVC pipe, I have a cache where one of the waypoints is in one. It was kind of the perfect shape because inside I sewed a flag that’s on a dowel. Next time I get one of those moisture thingys I’ll run it on out to the PVC pipe. I have worried that someone will call the bomb squad on it though.

Not all who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

[Author]

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