Someone asked about these extremely watertight containers (so much in fact, that a box of mine in VT was found floating in a nearby fountain - stamp had been lifted, but logbook remained perfectly dry!)

These are pseudo microbox size containers - about the same diameter as a film container, but being 4 inches in height.

Hinged snap lid with a thumb lock on it does the trick!

The best thing about these guys are that they are recycled, being originally a container from the COMMIT lozenges, an aid to quit smoking.

I have several laying about - if you would be interested in trying one, AQmail me.

peace,
lorax

Quote

These are pseudo microbox size containers - about the same diameter as a film container, but being 4 inches in height.

Hinged snap lid with a thumb lock on it does the trick!

The best thing about these guys are that they are recycled, being originally a container from the COMMIT lozenges, an aid to quit smoking.

Lorax and mischief cat was kind enough to send me two of these containers for evaluation. The first thing I did after a good washing (they still had an odor of lozenges inside -- but still did after washing, too!) was to roll up some paper, stick it inside, and dunk them. I let one just float on its side in the water, and the other one I put something heavy on top of to hold it at the bottom, about a foot under water. Left them both overnight. Both were completely dry inside when opened.

The container is interesting in that it has a lining inside. The container is dark blue -- a truly horrible color for hiding in the wilderness, it will need to be painted -- but the lining is an off-white color. Purpose unknown, but overall the container seems remarkably rigid -- you can't squeeze it at all.

The thumb lock on the lid is interesting. It's not really a lock, it's just an obstruction that keeps you from getting a finger on the lid. You have to push it -- hard -- to deform it to get your finger under the lip to pop the lid open. I imagine it's very handy for a container of lozenges that you carry around in your pocket, helping prevent them from coming open accidentally -- but for letterboxing/geocaching purposes, I'm thinking of cutting the lock off. It doesn't help the closure or seal at all, and not having it there would make it much easier for those with arthritis to get the container open.

While I like to mount stamps in the lids of Kodak film canisters, doing the same with a Commit container would be problematic. For one thing, you'd have to be really careful not to screw up the seal while doing it. For another, the lid is hinged to the container, which would make it difficult to stamp with. You could just cut the hinge apart, but I think I'd choose not to do that. Rather, given the spacious depth of the container (twice as tall as a Kodak film canister), I'll make a stamp that drops inside the container. I'll probably make it a disc shape that fits in the diameter of the container (about 1-1/8", same as the Kodak film canister) with a dowel in the center for a handle. With a log that rolls up and is inserted in the container, the dowel can slide down the middle.

Next on the agenda: I'm going to paint these containers. Then I'll probably use one to replace a micro geocache that simply will not stay dry inside no matter what I've tried. If this Commit container keeps it dry, that'll be proof positive it's a reliable container.

I just want to thank you for all your posts. You are really helpful in giving me ideas for things to try!