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Greetings.
You guys are a wealth of expertise on float tubes. Looking to bounce off some ideas with you. Seeing as how it's kind of quiet here, I wonder if anyone has done this kind of concealment, even if it was with something else.
There are several remote and distant locations from my home base which I alternately visit about once a year. I have some extra Creek 420 float tubes which haven't been used for awhile and were bought at very low cost. So I am wondering all that would be involved if I wanted to bury/conceal them and fins/bulky stuff off a pack trail. Some locations are within 100 feet of salt water and others are in rocky areas. The idea is to reduce the home packing/air transport and carry load each time I make the trip.
-Would PVC tarp material/duct tape be waterproof enough to survive for at least 2 years?
-I am thinking of using a stud finder as fine a location device, and a GPS to get the general area since the terrain may change somewhat over that time.
-The areas are remote enough so that I would not be observed, but I am not concerned about loss. Don't know if animals would be drawn to dig it up, bears, etc.
-What is best way to conceal the top covering after everything is covered?
Thanks,
Pon
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My thought is that Duct Tape would not be the ideal thing. I don't think it would hold up well. I would think that maybe a heavy duty leave and lawn bag, maybe even double bagged would hold up fine.
Just my opinion!!
Good luck.
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What about those vacuum seal storage bags you see advertised on TV for clothing and bedding storage, they are heavy duty and reusable.
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What about Burying a rubbermaid type container, with a lid. No moisture for mold, no bugs.
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[#0000FF][cool]I'm assuming you know about dry storage bags used for river running. Don't know that I would trust anything less...especially in an area of heavy rainfall and constant soil moisture.
Packing some mothballs inside should help discourage intrusion by rodents...but not the inquisitive human kind that might accidentally find it.
I have created caches of goodies before but never float tubes. But the basic principal would be the same. Leave your hidden treasures beneath a natural looking cover...and not under a pile of freshly disturbed earth that mounds up above it.
I generally look for a place with grassy growth. Then I carefully cut out and roll up the sod before digging the hole. Pile the dirt on a tarp so that you can remove whatever you don't need to fill in the hole. Dig the hole as deep as needed and then cover with an extra layer or two of water-proof plastic. Finish by covering with dirt and rolling the sod back in place. An alternative would be to gather dry soil and rocks from surrounding areas. Anything to hide the fresh dig.
The last step is to use a can of eco-friendly spray paint to mark a couple of trees nearby. Then use a compass and step off the distance and note the direction from the marked tree. Then take a direct and noted path to the main trail or road and make another mark or two for future reference.
In this day and age of geocacheing there are lots of folks out looking for hidden goodies...with and without metal detectors. Be prepared to come back and find that your carefully hidden tube has been "donated" to some low life scrounger. Unless you hide food or other attractive scented stuff with your tube it is not likely to be unearthed by critters.
And be on the lookout for Jimmy Hoffa.
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Wow. Sounds like TD knows how to hide cadavers! Former Mafia man? ...just kidding...
[#0000ff]"I generally look for a place with grassy growth. Then I carefully cut out and roll up the sod before digging the hole. Pile the dirt on a tarp so that you can remove whatever you don't need to fill in the hole. Dig the hole as deep as needed and then cover with an extra layer or two of water-proof plastic. Finish by covering with dirt and rolling the sod back in place. An alternative would be to gather dry soil and rocks from surrounding areas. Anything to hide the fresh dig."
[/#0000ff]But seriously...you may want to check local, state and federal regulations for the area where you want to cache. Some places prohibit it and some don't. I like your idea as it seems to be a solution to your enjoyment of nature. The balancing question is whether your particular cache will "ruin" it for someone else - whatever "it" is. I'm of the general philosophy of acting first and begging forgiveness later. Like who's going to find your cache and wait for you to come back to it and then confront you? Probably no one - especially if you can bury like TD can bury! Years ago, I read a spy novel where the protagonist was always caching for the future. His advice was to always make sure that the elements or bugs or microbes had to break through at least two barriers before being able to ruin your cache. That protects you more than 99% of the time. He believed in plastics and good seals.
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Every waterproof duffle/storage bag I have bought and that is many, are not air tight. If submerged at all, the inside has got wet and I am not talking the opening, but more the stitching. They are only water resistant. Dropped in water is usually safe enough, but sitting in a pool or puddle, not so much. Newspaper will also detour bugs.
I wonder how the space bags would hold up? I am thinking the elements would destroy them.
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Great ideas and comments, Thanks all.
Damage from mold, mildew and decay would seem to be the greatest threat, then. I was thinking of an overhead car soft storage bag, but it has a zipper (leaks) and might cost more than what I am trying to hide. I'll look into the vaccum storage bags and flattish tupperware. Carrying large packages to site is difficult due to weight and volume over distance and remaining in stealth might be problematic. That's why I thought maybe several layers of wrap with a tarp and maybe some silicone/armourall preservative If it's on a slight slope and not sitting in a puddle area, would that be good enough is the question...
Finding the cache after a period of time without leaving signs that alert curiosity is the key. But TD's methods have worked in the past, so that is some good info. There are a lot more treasure hunters and devices around now, but they would have to come back with equipment if they even suspected anything. Illicit growers, doomsday preppers, etc. on public lands have complicated things..
I'm not concerned with the tube shell & hardware being lost, but more with the inconvenience of having to share use a second person's tube if one is found and removed. At least some of bladders would be packed in because they need to be tested leakproof to start out.
Pon
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One thing that might be difficult is if you use the tube first, and then go to seal it up. If there is moisture in there it is going to mold, meldew, and rot.
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[#0000FF][cool]Mold, Mildew and Rot.
Sounds like a good name for a legal firm.
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