It's Spring! Working On Some New Geocaches

Yes indeedy, with the temps climbing and the warm weather finally here (okay, down in Raleigh anyways). The geocaching bug is really starting to bite. Time to get those geocaches ready to go out and be deployed into the wild. For me personally I have been working on three different geocaches in the past few days and wanted to share with you how they are going. Check them out...

Military Grade Geocache

First off is a really easy and yet slightly unusual geocache. It is a military powder container. Made of a cast aluminum (I think). This very waterproof container is the size of a very large canning jar with screw down butterfly latches to help keep things in place. I would imagine since it was made for holding different military grade powders that it should be able to keep all the trinkets inside nice and safe.

Here you can see it with the primer paint already in place and I am just starting to figure how I want to camouflage  it up a bit. The final product will be something that will blend in well with a wooded area.

I have a sneeky suspicion that this one will be hidden up in a tree somewhere. It is heavy enough for easy movement and will make a fun hide depending how I hide the rope.

A Work In Progress

Next is an even more unusual geocache that is not yet completed but will soon be. It also is made of something that I found in an Army Surplus Store.

I am not going to tell everything about this one because I am going to make a rather cool GeoSnippits video out of it and don't want to give away the big twist and final result. What I can say is it is going to be very unique and would make a great project for the kids as well. So stay tuned.


Well that's all for now.. what?  Oh my third project that I mentioned... right. That one is really top secret and will blow your mind. I was given the challenge of coming up with a good camouflage idea for a regular sized geocache. I actually have two ideas I am working on. I am sure you are going to love them once I actually complete them that is. Will definitely be future GeoSnippits videos for sure.. So keep checking in. They will be out soon - promise.

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
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Working With Geocaching Camouflage Ideas

While I am waiting to get on the road to start filming Treasure Cache TV (there has been an unexpected delay) I have been passing the time working on different ways to camouflage a geocache.

Sure there are tons of geocaches out there where the geocache is hidden inside an object like a tree stump, pvc pipe or other clever technique. My challenge was to hide a geocache in plain site or at least close to plain site and still hide it enough for muggles to miss it. If I was able to create a hide that was more difficult for a geocacher to find as well then all the better.

One of the techniques I have been working on is the use of camouflage netting for larger geocaches. The issue that comes to mind for a larger geocache is how good can a camouflaged geocache really be to fool the average geocacher? We are giving the coords to where this larger hide is and unless the cover is flawless it will get found. I guess the best we can hope for is that the geocache stays out of site of the muggles and is a bit of a thrill for the geocacher. So how can we hide it good enough to present a challenge?

Above you see a basic example of camouflage netting utilizing pine needles and leaves for cover. Below this mask of brown is a medium bright green ammo box laying on a 4'x8' netting which has been folded over top and covered with the nearby terrain. The nice thing about the netting is that the leaves and needles easily trap in the netting itself and stays there even with heavy wind. From a distance of 10 feet this is almost impossible spot so the geocacher would have to basically kick the geocache to find it.

If you read my blog post: HeadHardHat's Resin Clup O' Dirt Nano Geocache you will see how the use of resin can create creative camouflage covers for small geocaches like nanos. This can no doubt create even more challenging hides to infuriate the masses. To prove it if you look at the first photo of this post and see if you can find the nano geocache hide. Draw a circle around where you think it is and send it in to me via email ( headhardhat@gmail.com). The first five people to correctly do so will win a GeoSnippits path tag... It's right there... Really.

Good Luck!

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
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Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
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HeadHardHat's Resin Clump O' Dirt Nano Geocache

I want to thank Seth Jones who sent in a photograph a few weeks ago of a modified version of my bondo Evil Ant Hill geocache. You can see it here: ClickMe where you will note that instead of bondo, a resin was used to create the geocache.

Over the weekend I wanted to see if I could make a geocache that was thinner than my ant hill geocache and use something really small like a nano. Below are the steps I took to make it.

As usual I fully expect my readers to come up with a zillion versions of this and add their own twists. I say go for it but before you do check out my version. FYI - You can get resin at many craft stores near you.

I started out by taking some Styrofoam and scraping out an area that would have a very rocky or dirt clod look to it. About two and a half to three inches in diameter.

When it comes to using resin there are many different ways of making a mold including plastics, Styrofoam and plaster of paris. Try different ways and see what works best for you.

Next, make a small portion of the resin and fill just enough of the very bottom to create a base for the nano to sit upon and yet not fill up the entire mold.

Let the resin harden over night or until it is not tacky to the touch.

Set the nano on the hardened resin base and then fill to just under the lid of the nano with more resin.

Let harden again over night.

Carefully remove the hardened resin from the Styrofoam and pick as much of the mold away from the resin as you would like.

Personally I wasn't sure if I liked how it was looking at this point but the longer I played with it the more it really started looking like a rock, bark, a stone, etc.

Use your favorite combination of base spray paints and stone textured paints to colorize this geocache. I used a green and brown base with grey stone to give it a mold or bark look to it.

Note the bottom of this geocache and the nano cap is sticking out for easy access.

After playing with several different camouflage combinations of paint colors and the nice texture of the Styrofoam for the top section I was amazed how quickly I could closely duplicate a look of tree bark, moss, mold, even old asphalt.

This is a great addition to my Evil Ant Hill collection of geocaches and I hope it inspires you to make all sorts of variations for your geocaching enjoyment.

Have fun!

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?

http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
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HHH's Lunchtime GotD- Vitamin Bottle

Todays Lunchtime Geocache of the Day takes me to a rather swampy wet area not too far off the beaten path. My find is a cammi pill bottle just big enough for a plastic baggie and a log book. A nice quick find on a 60 degree blustery winters day.

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The Art of a Geocache Hiding is Camouflage

Why did my geocache get muggled? This question can bring grief to both the cache owner and all the finders that try to seek the missing container. One of the secrets to a good hide is to understand camouflage.

Not all geocaches need to be as well cammied as the little guy in our photo but the greater the possibility of muggles around the more likely you may need camouflage.

There are a few things to consider and here is a helpful quick list:

- Environment colors. Where is your cache going to be hid. In a plant or bush? Between some rocks? Near brick, wood or concrete? Then ask what colors would blend best?

- Textures. There are all sorts of textured paints to simulate concrete, stone, wood, etc. Be sure to verify you choices before you hide your cache.

- Size. A large factor with hiding a geocache is placement size. Let's face it, in a highly populated area a smaller geocache would be much harder to be discovered by a muggle then the 300 pound gorilla that everybody would notice. In wide open wooded space you can open up the size.

So keep in mind before you decide to just drop that Glad container with it's bright blue top in a shallow bush. Be sure to think who is around the hide and how protected it needs to be. You are not only safe guarding your geocache but other cacher's travel bugs and geocoins as well.

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