When I first heard about letterboxing, my initial thought was of ammo
cans. I was actually surprised by the first one we found ("oh, cool,
Rubbermaid!" followed by "oh, cool, an eraser!!").

Ammo cans are not as inexpensive as the plastic containers, though, at
least around here. A lot of the ones in army surplus stores no longer
maintain enough integrity to be assuredly waterproof (gaskets missing,
rusty, etc.). Also, I haven't seen ammo cans as small as a sandwich
box, and stashing a can meant to hold 105 cal. .50 rounds is no easy
task.

If you find such suitable cans, and can afford them, go for it!!

~ Aili

Try one quart paint cans from Home depot. They work great dry and they dont
cost alot.

WhtWolf Phx Az.

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., WhtW01f@a... wrote:
> Try one quart paint cans from Home depot. They work great dry and
they dont
> cost alot.
>
> WhtWolf Phx Az.

All this talk about metal ... isn't rust a factor to consider? I
would think so, at least here in New England.

But then again, I don't know what these new fangled metals are made
of .... could they be rustproof?

Warrior Woman

So far the cans we have placed up north in the cold weather have done well.
Sorry I did forget that you all are up in the snow and ice.
I have only been here a year and I forget.
I wish I knew about all of this when I lived in Methuen Mass..

Well I'm working on a series to get things jumping down here. I hope to
have them out soon.

WhtWolf

I've had an ammo box out in the woods for over a year, including a Seattle
winter, with no rust, mold, or signs of leakage. Ammo boxes were built to
keep ammunition dry in all sorts of adverse conditions. Tupperware keeps
lettuce crisp. Just make sure the metal is well painted and the seals are
tight.

Not to say tupperware isn't bad. For some reason the scientists at
Tupperware decided that not only should lettuce remain crisp, but also be
able to be crisp under adverse conditions :).

(note: With 9/11, however, I would deter people from using ammo boxes for
letterboxing. Transparent tupperware makes it much easier to acertain the
contents of the container if you are a non-letterboxer. Whatever the
decision, make sure it is well-marked, and place your contact info on the
side of it so folks can get in touch with you.)

Regardless of how watertight the container is, the container itself will be
opened up during all sorts of weather. And moisture does horrible things to
paper products. Although selecting a container is important, you might also
consider purchasing a better logbook that is waterproof.

Rite in the Rain paper is excellent waterproof paper
(www.riteintherain.com). I was worried about whether stamp ink would work on
it but it seems to work fine with dye based ink pads. You'd have to test on
other ink types. The cool thing about these logbooks is they can be
submersed in water for long periods of time, and afterwards you can dry them
off and they're good as new. Of course people won't be submersing logbooks,
but even small moisture can damage paper products.

I don't work for these guys or anything. It's just a cool product. We had
some custom made for geocaching and have had some good results.

Jeremy Irish
Webmaster, Geocaching.com

-----Original Message-----
All this talk about metal ... isn't rust a factor to consider? I
would think so, at least here in New England.

But then again, I don't know what these new fangled metals are made
of .... could they be rustproof?

I correspond in several different communities. I understand the
advantages of the clear plastic in helping people know that the
contents are safe. The same sort of safety can usually be
accomplished (As pointed out by Jeremy Irish) by clearly putting your
name and phone number on the outside of a box.

Just to be contrarian, my buddies in Trout Fishing would be concerned
about all of us putting plastic out in the woods. Most of these
plastics, if not out in UV sunlight, may last for well over a
thousand years. Metal paint cans and ammo boxes will likely be gone
in a hundred years or less. So the metal boxes will clean themselves
up if abandoned in a much shorter time period. Gives one pause to
think about what sort of box one should leave if on vacation or a
trip and the letterboxer has no real intent to ever go back and
remove the box.

Flyfisher

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "Jeremy Irish" wrote:
> I've had an ammo box out in the woods for over a year, including a
Seattle
> winter, with no rust, mold, or signs of leakage. Ammo boxes were
built to
> keep ammunition dry in all sorts of adverse conditions. Tupperware
keeps
> lettuce crisp. Just make sure the metal is well painted and the
seals are
> tight.
>
> Not to say tupperware isn't bad. For some reason the scientists at
> Tupperware decided that not only should lettuce remain crisp, but
also be
> able to be crisp under adverse conditions :).
>
> (note: With 9/11, however, I would deter people from using ammo
boxes for
> letterboxing. Transparent tupperware makes it much easier to
acertain the
> contents of the container if you are a non-letterboxer. Whatever the
> decision, make sure it is well-marked, and place your contact info
on the
> side of it so folks can get in touch with you.)
>
> Regardless of how watertight the container is, the container itself
will be
> opened up during all sorts of weather. And moisture does horrible
things to
> paper products. Although selecting a container is important, you
might also
> consider purchasing a better logbook that is waterproof.
>
> Rite in the Rain paper is excellent waterproof paper
> (www.riteintherain.com). I was worried about whether stamp ink
would work on
> it but it seems to work fine with dye based ink pads. You'd have to
test on
> other ink types. The cool thing about these logbooks is they can be
> submersed in water for long periods of time, and afterwards you can
dry them
> off and they're good as new. Of course people won't be submersing
logbooks,
> but even small moisture can damage paper products.
>
> I don't work for these guys or anything. It's just a cool product.
We had
> some custom made for geocaching and have had some good results.
>
> Jeremy Irish
> Webmaster, Geocaching.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> All this talk about metal ... isn't rust a factor to consider? I
> would think so, at least here in New England.
>
> But then again, I don't know what these new fangled metals are made
> of .... could they be rustproof?

I know of an ammo box on a rock exposed to elements
for 19 years now with no appreciable rust. It may
well be older than that, but the first time I saw it
was 1981.
This is in Virginia, hardly an arid climate.

When I camped in Joshua Tree, we found all sorts of
random plastic items chewed and scattered out in the
sage brush, some that had no association to food at
all. Apparently the coyotes just found them
interesting toys. I don't know how other animals
feel.

I hate to think of ontributing to litter. Seems like
a metal box is either there serving it's purpose, or
is removed. Hate to think of torn tupperware,
notebook, inked stamp pad all becoming remote litter.


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals
http://personals.yahoo.com

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "Jeremy Irish" wrote:
> Although selecting a container is important, you might also
> consider purchasing a better logbook that is waterproof.
>

I use: Oxford spiral bound index card deck for log book. I seal the
pages where I stamp the letterbox stamp and the introductory page
with my own stamped image with adhesive mylar tape. Tupperware for
the container. One small ziplock bag for the log book and pen only.
One small ziplock bag for the stamp and ink pad only. Put both in
one huge ziplock bag, then insert into letterbox. Works great, even
in rain and snow.

I always carry with me a supermarket plastic bag for trash pickup
around the site, as well as a small supply of small/large ziplock
bags for letterboxes that I find that are protected only by a
tupperware container. (Is this acceptable protocol?)

FWIW.

Warrior Woman (careful and considerate letterboxer)

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "Jeremy Irish" wrote:
> I've had an ammo box out in the woods for over a year, including a
Seattle
> winter, with no rust, mold, or signs of leakage. Ammo boxes were
built to
> keep ammunition dry in all sorts of adverse conditions. Tupperware
keeps
> lettuce crisp. Just make sure the metal is well painted and the
seals are
> tight.
>
> Not to say tupperware isn't bad. For some reason the scientists at
> Tupperware decided that not only should lettuce remain crisp, but
also be
> able to be crisp under adverse conditions :).
>
> (note: With 9/11, however, I would deter people from using ammo
boxes for
> letterboxing. Transparent tupperware makes it much easier to
acertain the
> contents of the container if you are a non-letterboxer. Whatever the
> decision, make sure it is well-marked, and place your contact info
on the
> side of it so folks can get in touch with you.)
>
> Regardless of how watertight the container is, the container itself
will be
> opened up during all sorts of weather. And moisture does horrible
things to
> paper products. Although selecting a container is important, you
might also
> consider purchasing a better logbook that is waterproof.
>
> Rite in the Rain paper is excellent waterproof paper
> (www.riteintherain.com). I was worried about whether stamp ink
would work on
> it but it seems to work fine with dye based ink pads. You'd have to
test on
> other ink types. The cool thing about these logbooks is they can be
> submersed in water for long periods of time, and afterwards you can
dry them
> off and they're good as new. Of course people won't be submersing
logbooks,
> but even small moisture can damage paper products.
>
> I don't work for these guys or anything. It's just a cool product.
We had
> some custom made for geocaching and have had some good results.
>
> Jeremy Irish
> Webmaster, Geocaching.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> All this talk about metal ... isn't rust a factor to consider? I
> would think so, at least here in New England.
>
> But then again, I don't know what these new fangled metals are made
> of .... could they be rustproof?

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., Ben Pike wrote:
>

> I hate to think of ontributing to litter. Seems like
> a metal box is either there serving it's purpose, or
> is removed. Hate to think of torn tupperware,
> notebook, inked stamp pad all becoming remote litter.
>

Precisely the reason why I check on the letterboxes I plant every few
months.

Warrior Woman (practicing safe letterboxing)

In my letterbox experience, (less than one year) I have found that
regardless of the outside container, the key to dry is individual
ziplock bags for each item in the container. I carry extra bags so I
can replace bags that no longer seal well. The bag containing the log
book seems to be the most vulnerable to damage since they
usually 'just fit'.
I have come across a Rubbermaid container immersed in water, with
water inside the container, but the contents were dry due to the
ziplock bags.
-- My 2 cents --
(leaves me broke tho')

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "Ben Pike" wrote:
> Hearing about problems with animals and in some cases weather, I
cant
> help wonder why alternatives to plastic boxes aren't mentioned.
>
> Rock climbers who leave registers on summits tend to favor tubes or
> ammunition cases. Tubes I realize would not be practical for
> maintaining neat notebooks, but rectangular ammunition cases are
> weatherproof, animal proof, and usually have a way for potentially
> being anchored in place.
>
> I have priced them but I thingk they're pretty cheap at army
> surplus stores. Just buying one and knowing I wasn't contributing
to
> chewed up tupperware being scattered in the woods makes it seem
> worthwhile to me.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> --Ben