cache- storing equipment in the woods

[sneakyjake]

Has anyone stored equipment over a period of time at their camp?  I wanted to store a few things like tarps and such.  Things that I don't want to pack back and forth every year, but I will use often.  I was trying to think of something that would hold up to the weather and animals.  I don't want to make a mess and I would like to be responsible about it.  Any good ideas would be appreciated.

[stumprat]

Hang a waterproof bag in a tree.

[woodswalker]

I've used a buried blue plastic drum successfully in the past.  Its a LOT of work...but rodent proof.  Alas not THIEF proof if they manage to FIND it somehow.

[sisu]

I've used a buried blue plastic drum successfully in the past.  Its a LOT of work...but rodent proof.  Alas not THIEF proof if they manage to FIND it somehow.

I go with direction any time over the hanging stuff in a tree. There are those olive barrels, not too big, so they'd be easier to bury, but you could not hide big stuff.

Know a guy up north that dragged a small trailer into his cabin site during freeze up. Brought in all the wall panels and assembled it on site then had a digging party with his boys after break up. The cabin was build over the trailer...that is where they hid a bunch of stuff.

[BLKBEARKLR]

Action packers, if little items they are easier to bury, I still have someburied in Alaska I could not retrieve. But I used them for 3 years while there and never had an issue with them

[PolarBear]

We stashed some gear above Chelan in plastic barrels.  They worked pretty good until my idiot hunting buddy stashed cans of sardines in them.  Yep, a bear got into them and tore everything to rat*censored*.  We had them well buried, or at least we thought.  There is nothing like hiking 10+ miles into your spot the day before season opens just to discover that all your gear is trashed!

[JackOfAllTrades]

Cheaper than Action Packers... Used pickle buckets from your local fast food joint. Small enough to bury and virtually indistructable. (Well yes, Bears can destroy just about anything, but keep food sents out of them.)  I have come across a few, uh, um, stashes/camps in the middle of nowhere that had pickle buckets as food stuffs containers hanging. I'd bury them if you don't want them seen by others.

-Steve

[CastleRocker]

We use those 18 gallon barrels with the o-ring sealed, screw on lids.  It takes us three barrels per camp.  Two sleeping bags and a tarp in one, another tarp, a tent, and air mattresses in another, and several yards away, we bury our food/stove barrel.  Two of our camps have a stove and some misc stuff crammed in where there is room.  Don't store your fuel with the food or your sleeping bags!  I don't know how, but the fumes will get into your bags and food if you do.  We bring in new food each time, and eat what was there from before, and have never had a problem with bears, at least so far.  We used to use four of the 7 gallon buckets with duct tape around the lids, but they still leak a little.  A friend of mine still uses the buckets, and gets by.  Although they had a slide take out over half their camp this year.  They had a "not so nice" time in the rain a couple weeks ago.  They did find two of the buckets though, one had his bag in it, and the lid was gone, but were able to dry out the sleeping bag enough for him to sleep in it.  Damp was better than soaked he said.

I've thought about those "action packers", they look like they would work well also.  It would be real hard to pack it into where we go though.

Hope to hike into one of our camps tomorrow for a little horn hunting.

A friend of mine in AK hangs his whole camp in the trees, but it's a lot drier in the interior than it is over here on the West side of our state.

Also, try to bury them on top of a little hump or hill or someplace the water won't pool.  And don't bury them too close to a creek!

[BC CHASER]

We use nut and bolt kegs.  They are a little bigger than a 5 gallon bucket and are steel so they are a little heavier.  They do have a rubber gasket in the lid and have a band lock around the top.  They are a little oily when you get them so use a little vinegar and wipe them out.  The other thing that I did to ours is I took them down to LINE-X and had them sprayed.  I believe they will last through just about anything! 

[sneakyjake]

Those are some good ideas, thank you.  Some items seem a little heavy to pack in.  How much does the action packer weigh?  I looked online, but could not find the weight.  Has it leaked on anyone before and do you bury it below the dirt, or only deep enough to disguise it?  I don't want to have to clean up a huge mess that far back in the woods.  I was hunting by Ryan Lake off of the horse trail and that place is a complete mess.  It looked like a junkyard/dump.  One of the most irresponsible things that I have seen in the woods to date. 

[BLKBEARKLR]

action packer weighs about 4 pounds for the mid size ones. I buried them completely, made hole big enough that it would slide in to give sides support and placed all items in there and never had it leak on me in three years used the same one over and over.

[alecvg]

We use military surplus ammo cans for mortor shells, they are about three fett long, and work great, we got two of them in there year round with all sorts of stuff, and they hold up great.