So I know a big favorite of Planters is the Lock N Lock box, which is extremely useful and perfect for this hobby! Being the super creative person I am, I like to go above and beyond the norm. So I was curious what are some other boxes, tins, cans, jars, etc... that are good for letterboxing, aside from Lock N Lock? Boxes that will hold up against the elements?

I always see really awesome coffee and cookie tins at yard sales that would look great, but I can't imagine them doing well outdoors for years at a time. What have you seen/done?

Thanks!

Don't use tins... They rust almost immediately.....

Ammo cans are super.......

Plastic jars like peanut butter jars work very well. Make sure it is sturdy plastic.

Used waterproof containers, painted with camoflage paint, work well.. plastic thermoses are very sturdy and have a gasket to keep them watertight....

A hanging container, called a Decon container is waterproof and has a plastic loop you can hang it from a tree. You can order them online, or get at army surplus stores.

Plastic Matchstick containers and waterproof containers used by boaters work great.

I've seen wooden containers, hand made, work well, generally with a plastic container inside.

I geocache and have seen amazing containers.... Even with levers and magnets and locking mechanisms. I've even seen one that was made of foam and looked like a real log Leprachaun house. The inner container was a five gallon plastic bucket.

Thank you so much for all of your help, this is all very informative!!!

Silvio

You could use many things. Be creative. Start simple and expand your ideas. I don't think many people would complain about finding something unique, different, or interesting. Waterproof/resistant and able to take temperature changes are the key:

Here's a few simple ideas:
A Bag
An altered box
A Seat Cushion transformed
Other than what others have mentioned here, I have also seen converted birdhouses, magnetic hide-a-key boxes, hollowed out logs and stumps, and handmade containers installed in site specific locations.

3 Blind Mice

A hanging container, called a Decon container is waterproof and has a plastic loop you can hang it from a tree. You can order them online, or get at army surplus stores.

I love decon containers, but they seem to have become nearly extinct. Haven't found them in a surplus store in two years and found them on only one website that announced they found some hiding in a warehouse.

And I believe you are holding back on some ideas : D

And I believe you are holding back on some ideas : D

A few....but life should have some mysteries....and surprises....right?

3 Blind Mice

All great ideas! And that Rock Box! Amazing!

that Rock Box

It started off as a way to hold a box down underwater....it has evolved a bit....

3 Blind Mice

So I was curious what are some other boxes, tins, cans, jars, etc... that are good for letterboxing

One caution though: Don't hide something that could be misinterpreted as a bomb near any populated places. You need to use common sense though. When hiding in a place with a lot of traffic you'll want to leave it so that people can see inside to see that there is nothing dangerous inside.

Especially avoid planting near government buildings and hospitals. How close should be up to your judgment. I've hidden one in a park about 300 feet from a police station, but it is in a clear lock-n-lock. I fact, all of my letterboxes have been in lock-n-lock containers.

Don't hide something that could be misinterpreted as a bomb near any populated places.

A student a my wife's school, Cooper Union in NYC, once strapped a tupperware container to the fence directly outside the building with the words "This is not a Bomb" written in large letters across the front. The secret service who was visiting with the president of the U.S. that day did not find it funny, nor did they appreciate watching their own reactions which were video taped by the student as part of a Dada Art project.

Don't hide something that could be misinterpreted as a bomb near any populated places.

And don't forget your laptop charger.

I haven't been boxing long, but I've found film canisters, Emerald Nut containers, waterproof card holders (the kind they sell at water parks to hold a key and credit cards, painted to blend in), and Altoid tins covered in duct tape.

I have also found a few "dollar store" containers that have been painted to blend in with surroundings that contain small stamps with no log books. :)

The geocaching website has them on several of their links.

these are apparently a new product that is being released for caching as opposed to the military boxes. The are also $6 compared to the $2.50 the old decon boxes were a few years ago (and are now around $5 if found). That doesn't make them a lesser product; in fact according to the review they are easier to open and close and are still water tight. The size described seems smaller. I'll have to measure an old one to compare. The new improved mini decon boxes still have hanging capability.

i like planters pouches

I liked them until I found a ton of them not fully sealed, dirt in the seal, soggy disintegrating log books, mold, etc. If you are going to do a series with a log book only in the last box and the rest stamp only, they are fine but put the last one in a box not a bag.

I have a really selfish reason for liking Lock & Locks over planters pouches -- when you find a really old or rarely found box, you can poke into deep holes / vegetation and "tap" a box and know it's there.

[._.]

"tap" a box and know it's there.

Except that hollow trees sound an awful lot like plastic!

Sure, there's bound to be false positives, but pouches don't sound like anything.

[._.]

True.

Sure, there's bound to be false positives, but pouches don't sound like anything.

I like that, too! It's a very gratifying sound, and I always envision that movie moment when they're digging for buried treasure, everyone craning their necks, until there's a scrape, or thunk when the shovel hits. Always a thrill. We're rich, we're rich!

I think really old boxes tend not to be Lock N Lock--they tend to be Rubbermaid or Douggerware. :) Same sound though.

I think really old boxes tend not to be Lock N Lock--they tend to be Rubbermaid or Douggerware. :)

Sure, but I still prefer to plant with Lock & Locks (or their equivalents).

[._.]