The History of the Bison Tube, why is it called a bison tube?

A Bison Capsule?

I was recently asked by one of our GeoSnippits Reboot Podcast viewers a rather interesting question.

"Why is a bison tube called a bison tube?"

Personally I have been using the pinky sized geocaches since for me the very beginning and never really put too much thought into it before. What surprised me when doing my research was the lack of information out on the World Wide Web. Oh sure there are tons of companies out there that sell them but where did they originate? Were they originally geocaches or made for something else? The answers were very difficult to find. In fact, I ended up talking with the company that designed the original bison tubes, though back then they were not known as bison tubes, read on.

When I found out the company that originated the bison tube concept was called "Bison Designs" a bit of the DOH! factor hit me but it was "Pixie" one of Bison Designs employees that filled in all the details.

Apparently back in 2001, the people at Bison Designs created a product known as a "Bison Capsule". It was designed to carry and keep safe different types of heart medicine. It looks very much like the bison tubes of today with a key ring attachment hooked to a cap, an O-ring for a seal and a screw-able base.

It was the ingenuity of a geocacher that realized that it would make a fine container for a geocache that really brought it to the spotlight in popularity. In fact according to Pixie when the orders started piling in for the bison tube they decided to increase the product line with different available sizes.

You can still buy "capsules" from Bison Designs. Just go to www.bisondesigns.com and put the word "capsule" in their search field.  They have quite a selection. I think I am going to try the Hook Capsule. Never seen a design like that before. Cool!

So now you know!

-Andy HeadHardHat Smith

www.geosnippitsreboot.com

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Geocache Maintenance: Bison Tube O-Ring Replacement

Geocaching Bison Tubes

Many geocachers know that geocache maintenance is extremely important when it comes to the continual fun and overall satisfaction of the geocaching experience.

Why you may ask?

Debate-ably if a geocache owner takes responsibility for their geocache hides and checks on them on a regular basis then this can improve the chances that a geocache is in the best condition possible. For example, bison tubes. Those crafty micro geocaches have been a staple and bane of geocachers for many years. The biggest complaint is usually a soggy log book and we know what the main cause is. Bad o-rings.

Bison Tube O-Rings

The one part of a bison tube that requires maintenance is the o-ring which helps seal the cap from the body. Because of age and the influence of the outside elements, the o-rings become brittle and fail. This then allows a better chance for moisture to enter and play havoc on the log.

So it is highly recommended as part of your geocaching maintenance to check and if necessary replace the bison tube o-rings. This will help in avoiding a log book of goo and keep our fellow geocachers happy.

By the way this is a random website I found that sells bison tube o-ring replacements:
http://www.drivescachecloset.com/o-ringsforbisontubes.aspx

-Enjoy!

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HHH's GotD: Bison, Bison, Who's Got The Bison

Red Bison Tube Attached To
Magnet

Today's Geocache of the Day deals with an oldie but a goodie - bison tubes.

Bison tubes and their pill holding cozens have come a long way over the past few years. When first introduced it looked like these log only micros would only be one size and black, silver or green in color. Now they have multiple sizes and every color you can think of. With all their size, shape and color combinations the principle behind them is still the same. Being so small they are easy to hide and not so easy to find. Especially if the color selection and placement are matched up correctly. Then they can be a real pain for a geocacher.

Bison tubes usually have three main parts. The base, which is the larger part of the bison tube, the cap and the ring. Inside is a very small log book which usually gives the geocacher enough room to put the date and their name and that's about it. Always remember to wind up the log book as tight as possible and put in the CAP first before putting the rest of the log into the tube. This ensures the log will fit correctly.

When it comes to finding bison tubes for me personally they are very tough. The example shown today was a simple placement of a bison tube in a street sign. Not too hard but put one of these micros on a fence in a field, in a pine tree or for the absolute worst in a grape vine. They literally seem to disappear and are only visible when they want to be. This of course is never when I am trying to find one.

A bison tube can fit in a huge assortment of nooks and crannies. So if ground zero has a lot of places to look for a geocache a real challenge can be made. They are really one of those geocaches we love to hate.

Until tomorrows next geocaching adventure...

-HHH



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HeadHardHat't GotD - Walking The Greenways

Beautiful day on the greenway.

Today's Geocache of the Day had me huffing and puffing whilst enjoying some amazing springtime hiking. The sky was blue, sun was shining and I saw more wildlife on this mile long walk. We saw robins, bluebirds, cardinals and even squirrels. Their were a couple of really good hills to get over but I managed. There is no time to get back in shape (round is no longer acceptable) than the present.

Keeping the log dry.

What I found was the typical bison tube in a bush but what I really liked was the use of that plastic container that comes inside the bison when it is shipped. It makes a great protector for the logs within the bison tube. Kudos for the usage.

Welp, because of the amount of time for the walk today I had to go through the drive through and back to work.

Till tomorrow's geocaching adventure...

-HHH





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HHH's Lunchtime GotD - Sweet Little Bison Tube

There is just so much going on. I left for my normal geocaching stomping grounds and then realized I missed the exit two times over - doh.

Thinking way to much about Treasure Cache TV. It is very possible that I will be on the road full time in just a few weeks. That means my Lunchtime GotD is going to be spread over a rather vast area, like the whole US of A.

Stay tuned and be sure to check out the website and sign up to our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Now for a chicken wrap.

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HHH's Lunchtime GotD - Seeing Double - Again...

Nope, this is not a copy of my Friday Lunchtime Geocache of the Day find. There are actually more of these Upstairs, Downstairs speed limit signs.

This one had a magnetic bison tube to greet me. Signed the log and hurried back to my car for a nice ride to a chicken wrap with spicy sauce - yum.

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HHH's Lunchtime GotD - Giving You The Finger

This was such a cute and fun Lunchtime Geocache of the Day.

What you see me holding is a Halloween based geocache which is actually a rubber finger with a bison tube glued in the end. It's all bloody, dirty and everything you would expect of a well placed geocache.

There were several cool things that I really liked about this simple hide. One, it was wheelchair accessible. Right next to a well used walking path and placed so someone in a wheelchair could get it with little effort.

Two, the use of a toothpick for the bison tube log. This such an inexpensive way of making a geocachers life so much easier. How many times have you found a micro and spent the next five to ten minutes trying to get the log book to be small enough to fit back in the cap? For me, plenty of times. The solution is a piece of a toothpick glued to the base of the log.

Look at the example here. My signing was almost at the very end of the log but a great placement to show you what I mean. The toothpick is glued to the base of the log. Now to wind the whole log back up all the geocacher has to do is grip the toothpick and twist. In a matter of a few seconds the entire log is wound tight and easily put back into the bison tube cap. This really is a great gesture on the hiders part and I highly recommend everybody to do this if you can.

To sum up I really appreciate when a geocacher puts that little extra effort in a geocache hide. Anyone can just shove a bison tube in a tree. Yet to make a wheelchair accessible hide that is out of the ordinary and easy to sign and go... This geocaching hide was a real pleasure to find. Kudos.

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HHH's Lunchtime GotD - The Elusive Bison Tube

Bison tubes are a real love'm/hate'm type of geocache. Many like how they have an almost mystical capability to blend in with their environment. Ever try to find a bison tube in a grape vine before? Others dislike them because of the apparent lite weight o-rings that dry out and break over a very short amount of time. This allows moisture into the bison tube and you end up with a soggy log book.

Well regardless of how you feel about bison tubes there are tons of them out there waiting for you to find them. So grab that GPS unit and do some serious micro hunting! Good Luck.

Hey do you know the proper way to put a log book back into the bison tube?

Here's a tip from the HeadHardHat to you...

Always roll the log book as tight as you can. Usually a toothpick or needle can be a good base to wrap the log book around for starts. Then when you have the log book as tight as possible put the logbook into the cap (not the base) first. The cap is a little smaller than the base and it will slide right in place. Otherwise you are trying to jam the cap onto the logbook and that never works. You end up having to rewrap the log book all over again.

See you out on the trails,

HHH

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Lunchtime GotD: Search From Different Directions

Todays Lunchtime Geocache of the Day took me in a rather thickly brushed out woods. A lot thicker than the 1.5 Terrain would have me believe. I did this during the winter so I would hazard the guess what it would be like during the summer.

Anyways, the find took me longer than expected but I prevailed. The key was to attack ground zero from several different directions. Because of the density of the vegetation I didn't spot it until the third pass. Fun but a bit more of a challenge. -HHH
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HHH's Lunchtime GotD - Pill Container / Bison Tube

This was a really nice park and grab lunchtime geocaching treat. It's a pill holder, just a little bigger than your standard bison tube.

What I really liked about this find was the very scenic pine woods you go thru to get to it. With the sun shining just so it was beautiful to just be there. Took some extra photos to remember it by. Bonus - Found a Quiznos on the way there. Love good sub shops.

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Cold Outside Geocaching Fun

Yeah my fingers are numb but I just had to get one lunchtime geocache before getting back to work. Brrr, coffee comes to mind.
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WWGD (What Would Geocachers Do?) Question.

Just recently I put out a GeoSnippits tutorial video called GeoSnippits How To Make Your Own PVC Water Main Geocache and the response has been very good.

The biggest conversation that has come from it is how the best way would be to get the bison tube back into the central mechanism of the geocache itself. Several viewers have sent in suggestions but now I would like to post as many ideas to solve this back into the original posting.

So if you did not see the video you can go here and then come back and send me your suggestions. If we use it on the post you could win a GeoSnippits pathtag!

Comment below to this post.

Thanks,

- HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
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Taking WRAL's Richard Adkins Geocaching

Here's a quick news flash! I had a great time today taking Richard Adkins from WRAL out geocaching. He is doing a special interest piece about our great game, sport and obsession and I had the pleasure of showing him some of the local finds.

We spent the late morning going to several geocaching sites and I answered all his questions about what geocaching is and how it makes a fine family activity. By the time we were finished he had seen a bison tube, 35mm, cameoed regular and a well stocked medium ammo box.

The segment airs Friday at 5:55pm! If you miss the actual airing, do not fret. I will will have all the links so you can see it online. Be sure to check in regularly to get all the geocaching goodness.

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at http://www.geosnippits.com

Stuck Between A Rock and a Soft Place

It's always the easy ones that drive me nutz. Here I am at a 2/2 geocache park and grab just a cuss'n and a swear'n. It started easy enough. A new geocache popped up on my radar just a few miles from where I work. Somebody had already picked up the FTF over the weekend so I wasn't in a major rush this time. This would be a terrific lunch break grab or so I thought.

The drive to the cache site area was quick and as I stepped out of the car the cooler air let me know that a cold front was making it's way into the Piedmont. Not a problem, though I almost had to zipper my coat, almost. Firing up my phone I went into Geocaching Navigator and started towards ground zero. I was at a treeline with the median of the road next to it. The cache appeared to be slightly to the left which meant walking into the woods instead of the nice cut grass. No problem it was only sprinkled with waist high briers. How bad could it be? By sixty feet in and within 10 feet of the cache my legs felt like I was the loser of a fourway bobcat fight. Either way I was near ground zero and THAT was when I did my fatal mistake. I saw a logical spot for the cache instead of verifying the coords on the GPS. Needless to say I spent the next 15 minutes swallowed by a huge holly tree (more tree than bush) getting scratched and torn up all over the place. Did I mention I was looking for a bison tube? Oh the fun of it all.

When I reached the 15 minute mark which meant I was no longer having any "fun". I decided to come in from another angle. This time I was out of the woods and onto the grass. Sure enough the GPS pointed this time more towards a huge boulder. Naw, couldn't be. I walk closer towards it with that sinking feeling that the brier patch drag through may not have been necessary. Sure enough... @!$%^!@^!@!!! Right smack in the upper middle of the boulder was a stone painted bison tube wedged in a hole. The whole thing should have taken a couple of minutes and have been a lot less painful. What can I say all part of the adventure of geocaching...

Oh and if you are wondering about what the soft place that was mentioned in the title? Have you looked at a photo of me lately?