Selecting a container to hide the cache

First things first. You need something to house your cache in. The only real requirement for the container is that it needs to be waterproof, although sometimes cachers use plastic bags inside a nonwaterproof container. The size of the container determines where you’ll be able to hide the cache and how full you’ll be able to fill it with trading trinkets. Any container that you can think of has probably been used for geocaching, including plastic buckets with lids, breath mint tins, margarine tubs, 35mm film canisters, pill bottles, plastic Army decontamination kit boxes, and PVC piping. You’ve probably got a suitable geocaching container lying around the house or garage. Just for the record, the two most popular types of cache containers are

• Ammo cans: Made of military surplus steel, ammunition (ammo) cans work great because they’re sturdy and waterproof. (The narrow cans tend to fill up with trinkets quicker.) Depending on the terrain and vegetation, the olive-drab color makes ammo cans difficult to spot. You can typically get ammo cans for around five dollars or less from local or online Army surplus stores.They typically come in two sizes, based on the machine gun ammunition they once held:
• 50 caliber: 11 inches long, 5.5 inches wide, and 7–5 inches deep.
• 30 caliber: 10 inches long, 3.5 inches wide, and 6.75 inches deep.

• Tupperware: Rectangular Tupperware or other plastic storage containers are also a popular choice but aren’t quite as rugged as an ammo can. Sometimes a geocacher won’t reseal the lid very well. Plastic containers are cheaper and more available than ammo cans, and you can easily match a size to go with any cache. Some cache hiders spray paint the containers to make them blend better with the surroundings.