Burying a cache

[scott2820]

Not sure if this is the right thread but Im burying my first cache soon and have a question. It seems everywhere I research they say to bury it vertically. Just wondering if there is a specific reason for this or just what most people prefer? It seems like it would be easier to bury it horizontally because of less digging and because of recovering it easier from frozen ground.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Alot of caches, especially the plastic kind, can "float" up during heavy rains and find their way to the surface and even a partial exposure runs the risk of being spotted (and looted). By lessening the floatable surface area with vertical burying you reduce the risk. This has also happened during recent earthquakes where the ground shifted and some things were partially exposed in rocky and sandy areas.
Also by burying it vertical you lessen the surface area that is detectable with metal detectors, x rays, radar penetrators etc. Kinda like what stealth aircraft do.
It does make it harder to find at times but weigh out the risks then decide for yourself whats best for you as the frozen ground thing makes sense for your AO
Just my 2 cents on the reasons, dunno if that helps or not

[scott2820]

Thanks I appreciate the response.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I once lived in a place that was real sandy and things would shift over time and a motor tube cache that should have been easy to find became very hard as it had moved about a foot over a 5 yr time span and was buried vertical giving it about a 6inch surface. Get as specific with markers and measurements as possible and use technology like gps and range finders if feasible.

[1Admin]

Having retreived a few also, I can tell you a horizontally placed cache pipe is easier to remove than a vertical pipe- or so I heard ;) The shovel can be placed under the pipe once enough earth is removed and it can be cantilevered up.

Also, another thing I "heard" wink wink is that it's easy to LOSE caches. Yep, happens to the best of us. WHEN not if, that happens to you, having a 3 foot long MARGIN OF ERROR in finding it when your probing is easier than a 4 to 6 INCH margin of error. Course this works to your disadvantage if something is sweeping for your goods. Gotta weighs the pros and cons of everything. I've never fully "lost" one, but I did have to buy a metal detector one time to go a treasure hunting...

Do NOT use threaded caps even with teflon tape. Another horror story I "heard" about. Well maybe in the high desert, not in an environment that gets a decent amount of moisture.

PLAN for the contents of the tube to get wet. Chances are likely it's gonna happen.

PLAN for the easy removal and carrying off of the contents. One time I got a good deal on ammo, so I bought a bunch. Sitting around with it I thought heck I'll put some in the ground. So, while watching Red Dawn (where all good ideas like this come from LOL) I emptied a high 3 digit number of ammo into 6" PVC, put in dessicant and sealed the tube. One of these days I will retrieve those and repack them into USABLE amounts that can be MOVED easily.

You may be wounded when you retrieve your cache. It will likely be dark, you will probably be tired, hungry and thirsty. The ultimate "hidden from da man" cache might be next to impossible to retrieve in this condition. An important consideration

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Ok, thanks, glad i wasnt first to post for mess ups. I'll admit to loosing one with mags n ammo, never recovered and to gluing a threaded motar tube as well as some extra sealing that, well when I opened it it took me sawing the thing in half because i slightly overachieved. Had it been dark, cold and me tired i would have been hosed. mangled a mag with the hacksaw blade. It was still usable but beat up kinda like my tier one ego. sigh, learning curves
Good luck with the venture

[blankstare]

locate off of obvious landmarks....like three big trees that stand out....you might have to tell a friend how to find it
glue the tube, paint the tube, buy bigger than you think you need
wrap items inside a heavy (5 mils is good) trash bag....heat sealing is your friends
put not hurt to lose items the first couple of times
don't forget a couple small bottles of everclear, hydrogen peroxide (great mouthwash), tooth brush (bad teeth is a bad thing), asperin, and matches (can't have enough)

plastic barrels are also good for food, clothing, ammo....even 5 gallon bucket is good
repeat the above