Glass And Caches?

[inventorjg]

Do you think it is ok to use glass jars as caches??

 

Breakable??

 

-inventorjg

[+TeamK-9]

It's possible, but not very durable...

[+Geo Ho]

Glass caches seem like trouble waiting to happen. Broken glass would not be a pleasant find.

 

Just my opinion, such as it is.

 

Happy caching and stuff!

[+Renegade Knight]

Glass is ok depending on where and how you use it. In a boulder field, probably not a good idea. In a glade in a stump sure why not. You can see inside, it's waterproof and would work fine.

 

When this topic came up last time glass pretty much got the thumbs down.

[+Criminal]

Glass is ok depending on where and how you use it.  In a boulder field, probably not a good idea.  In a glade in a stump sure why not.  You can see inside, it's waterproof and would work fine.

 

When this topic came up last time glass pretty much got the thumbs down.

Not from me it didn't. I like them. If you're so inept that you cannot open and close a glass container, stay home.

Edited January 12, 2004 by Criminal

[+Johnnie Stalkers]

Few months ago I was searching for a micro in a park. The theme of the cache was pennies from the 60's and 70's. The cache description indicated that the container was a glass Grey Poupon jar. I arrive at the coords and there is a large tree. I search the trunk area and find nothing. The lowest branch on the tree was hollow, but to reach it required standing on the roots and reaching blindly into the opening. Being fall the hollow was full of leaves so I had to search around with my hand. Luckily I didn't get cut, the jar was broken but still in its location. No sign of the pennies or log. Cleaned up as best as I could and notified the owner who archived the cache. Apparently the work of a pirate or very creative squirrels. As I left the cache site I remember thinking how bad a broken glass container could go for someone. A mile from the car, rough terrain. Blindly reaching into a questionable, glass filled crevice. The cache I speak of was probably the worst of the worst given the actual placement. Several times I have been dumbfounded by how little some cachers think through their hides. IF you use glass, do it wisely. It can work and be a viable container given the right situation and placement. I believe 99.9% of the time a viable unbreakable container can and should be used.

 

Stepping down form soapbox.

[+IV_Warrior]

There are enough other choices out there for cache containers, I wouldn't even consider using glass.

[+radioscout]

I found many caches which are glass jars and I never had any problems nor found a broken one. If you put one or two plastik bags around it it is secured very well against breaking.

[+Criminal]

Cammo duct tape works great too.

 

BTW, don't stick your hand into any hole you cannot see into first. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't pet a burning dog. Don't put your tongue on a frozen light post. Don't balance your TV on the edge of the tub while bathing.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Don't put your tongue on a frozen light post...

Crap...almost had a perfect score...

Edited January 12, 2004 by Renegade Knight

[+Bjorn74]

The only glass container I've found was hidden along a steam in a hole beneath a large (15lb) rock. Seemed like a bad choice. When I was there, the rock was slimey from a summer of rain and then the rain that day. Just a bad combination.

[+briansnat]

I'll second IV Warrior's post. Heck, yesterday, I was worried about damaging an ammo box as I tried to chip it out of the frozen ground. A glass container would't have lasted past the first blow of my heel.

[+nincehelser]

GC559A is a half-gallon glass jar in a very rocky area. I'm suprised it has held up as well as it has.

 

George

[+Runaround]

The only cache I found in a glass jar was broken. I think that crappy Gladware might be more durable.

[+wildearth2001]

I think glass is fine, it just depends on the area. If it is low to the ground, on level ground (where it can't roll away), there are no rocks or other hard objects in the area, the area has soft soil or leaves, their is no chance of the area freezing, their is no chance of somthing hard hitting the cache (like a rock rolling down the hill), no children expected in area (parks are not a good place) and it is in a spot where a finder can see it before reaching. These are a lot of circumstances so plastic or metal is always better but if plastic or metal is not available and the location conforms to the above restraints I see no problem with it

[ju66l3r]

Regular glass does not handle the cold very well. Someone placed a cache here in Boston in a waist-high hedge planter (with hedge) and just the act of opening the jar (rubber-sealed hinged lid) was enough to crack the side.

 

IF you are going to use glass, find a nice pyrex container. It will handle the elements better (heat and cold and cycling temps) and may come with a plastic lid of sorts to avoid any potential problems and keep the interior nice and dry.

[+JMBella]

On the next episode of "Storage Jars" Using glass jars for caches. Good idea or looking for trouble?

[+briansnat]

I think glass is fine, it just depends on the area. If it is low to the ground, on level ground (where it can't roll away), there are no rocks or other hard objects in the area, the area has soft soil or leaves, their is no chance of the area freezing, their is no chance of somthing hard hitting the cache (like a rock rolling down the hill), no children expected in area (parks are not a good place) and it is in a spot where a finder can see it before reaching.

 

You just listed many of the reasons why glass is a bad idea. Kind of like saying "I think mixing chlorine and amonia is fine, except when...."

Edited January 12, 2004 by briansnat

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Glass is fine unless you are a spaz. Plastic jars seem to escape breakage a tiny bit better.

 

I've visited lots of glass caches.

[+nincehelser]

You just listed many of the reasons why glass is a bad idea.  Kind of like saying "I think mixing chlorine and amonia is fine, except when...."

...cleaning your mildewed deck.

 

I got one of those big metal pump spray cans, and filled it with a gallon of bleach.

 

I was going to dilute it down with water and liquid dishwashing detergent, but I instead found a bottle of ammonia under the kitchen sink. "Super Cleaner!" I was thinking.

 

A split second after I poured in the ammonia, the chemistry of the situation dawned on me. One of those "uh-oh" moments in your life you never will forget.

 

I leaped off my deck as a 30 foot geyser erupted from the can.

 

The liquid came back down without major damage, but the wood for a 10-foot radius around the can turned so white, no further amount of cleaning could hide that "clean spot".

 

George

Edited January 12, 2004 by nincehelser

[+Johnnie Stalkers]

snip...don't stick your hand into any hole you cannot see into first....snip

OK Criminal, you are mocking me. Thats cool, I understand. Let me say that this was the way the cache was planted. The branch I reached into was 7.5 feet off the ground. To high for our average cacher to see into. I realize I will never play for the Lakers, I don't have a penchant for mascara or rape. But I was THERE. The cache location was obvious. I wasn't worried about a rabid badger or snake nearly as much as I was a DNF. My point was that glass is OK (merely) if placed wisely.

[+Sparky-Watts]

My only cache was an old pickle jar (with holes punched in the lid because my neices used it to catch fireflies last summer) tucked into a nice hidey hole away from rain and snow, and up off the ground a couple of feet. Never had any problem with it getting wet inside or breaking. Just switched it out this week with a tupperware container, because my only worry was water condensation from the holes in the lid and the extremes in temps we've been having. If used wisely, glass containers are not a problem.

[+fizzymagic]

It's possible, but not very durable...

That is pretty funny given that the CD sent on the Mars rover (mentioned in another thread) is made of glass (NOT plastic) because the glass will last so much longer.

 

In general, the glass geocaching containers I have found have tended to have drier contents than the plastic ones. Covering the outside of a glass container with camo duct tape effectively eliminates any safety problem.

 

Of course, I have never placed a glass container, so don't take my word for it. But I think all the safety concerns are overstated.

[+9Key]

While I don't have any experience placing glass container caches, I would caution against using papier-mâché.

[+Criminal]

snip...don't stick your hand into any hole you cannot see into first....snip

OK Criminal, you are mocking me. Thats cool, I understand. Let me say that this was the way the cache was planted. The branch I reached into was 7.5 feet off the ground. To high for our average cacher to see into. I realize I will never play for the Lakers, I don't have a penchant for mascara or rape. But I was THERE. The cache location was obvious. I wasn't worried about a rabid badger or snake nearly as much as I was a DNF. My point was that glass is OK (merely) if placed wisely.

Sorry, I’m not mocking you.

 

This topic came up a few months back and got very heated. I’m mocking the handwringers who want to apply absolutes. Some were saying that there should be a rule against glass for any cache. I pointed out that there have been glass jars in my home since I was born, and yet I continue to breathe.

 

My point is, there are cases where glass might not be a good idea, and in those cases we don’t use them. Some cases it may be questionable, in those cases we cover them with tape.

 

You cannot make rules (or blanket statements) to prevent an injury. They are going to happen due to either chance or stupidity. The hider should employ some risk management and the finder should as well. That will prevent 99% of the non-idiot related injuries.

 

Again, it wasn’t an attack on you, after all, you said pretty much the same thing.

 

EDIT: Typo

Edited January 12, 2004 by Criminal

[+woodsters]

Personally I wouldn't use glass containers. I have found some. I think it also depends on the tops that are used on them. Some of the metal tops can rust and get hard to open. Along with glass breakage, I imagine that in some parts of the country that the sunlight going through one (not hidden well) could start a fire. They say broken glass and bottles do it all the time. I keep thinking of when I was a kid with a magnifying glass and burning holes in leaves and torturing ants. lol

 

They may work better with the plastic tops and covered with duct tape. At least there is some protection and if it is broken then the duct tape would act like a safety barrier from many of the pieces. We buy peanut butter in these big plastic jars and was wondering about those. But I worried about the smell that might be left that might attract an animal. Any ideas on that?