# Burying money in the woods **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037 "2009-12-30T12:13:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/1 "2009-12-30T12:13:43Z")
Lets consider that I hypothetically want to bury some money out in the woods somewhere. Would the best way to do this be just putting the money in one of those fireproof boxes? I’m wondering about risk of some type of moisture or something getting inside the box and rotting the money. Would it be better to also put the money inside like a ziplock bag as well to give it some extra protection or is there little risk of moisture or something getting inside the box anyway? Are there other things I might consider if I buried money other than forgetting the location? I’m wondering if there is some ideal depth it should be buried. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/2 "2009-12-30T12:42:18Z")
Geocachers often use military surplus ammo boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/3 "2009-12-30T12:44:55Z")
Traditionally (and still reasonable), the method is to use your cash to buy gold coins, and then bury them. Then all your worries about moisture rotting the money, etc. will go away. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/4 "2009-12-30T12:48:24Z")
If you are going to use cash you vacuum pack it with one of those late night TV cost saving things and seal it in a metal box. Anyway that’s what some Aussie drug dealers do. They have them buried in the back yard where the vicious dogs are. I should add on light of the prior post, drug dealers aren’t keen on buying gold coins. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/5 "2009-12-30T13:00:16Z")
The old method for waterproofing was to use a metal box or foil and solder it shut. Dip it in pitch after that to prevent the box from rusting. You need to find something that has a gasket if you want to bury and have this thing opened over and over. You could try something [designed to hold liquids like this](http://www.campingcomfortably.com/coleman-half-gallon-jug---red.html). ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/6 "2009-12-30T13:13:59Z")
Google “caching”. Lots of info out there. I know people who have cached guns and ammo, and they like to use 6-inch or 8-inch PVC pipe. After putting the items in the pipe, they throw some desiccant in the pipe, and then glue/epoxy end caps on each end. FYI, with guns, ammo, and coins, there is another issue you must contend with: metal detectors. To confuse the metal detectors, they also bury lots of pieces of junk metal around the cache location. The idea is that, if someone gets a signal and starts digging, they will assume it’s an old trash heap, and will (hopefully) stop digging. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/7 "2009-12-30T13:23:56Z")
I would: Seal it in a thick airtight ziplock bag, along with some silica gel sachets (you don’t want any residual moisture causing mildew or anything) Place the bag in a tough plastic food storage container (the kind with a gasket and clamp-down lid) Wrap liberally with proper duct tape That should be good enough - if you want to go for belt and braces, you could place the plastic container in a bucket and fill it with concrete. Dig a hole to a point well below the topsoil (or frost heave could unearth it), deposit the package, cover with a flat stone and fill in. Digging the hole is going to be an art form in itself - because you need it to look afterwards like you haven’t been there - this is going to involve at least digging leaf litter, topsoil and subsoil into separate piles on a tarp, then replacing them in order. You’ll also need to account for soil packing - if you leave the surface level, it will sink over time - you could compensate for this by leaving a slight mound, but that might also be obvious. Maybe pick a spot with already quite an uneven surface. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/8 "2009-12-30T14:47:01Z")
However you decide to pack it for burial, remembering the exact spot in which you buried it can be troublesome. There can also be problems due to property changing hands, logging, construction, etc. So I offer you this easy solution: Bury it in a cemetery on or near Memorial Day. Use a relative’s grave if available, “adopt” an obviously “orphaned” grave if not. What you’ll do is hide your goodies while planting flowers and otherwise prettying up the grave. If you have lots of boxes, potted plants, digging tools, and stuff, your treasure box won’t be noticed among it all. Drop it in while nobody is looking, et voilà. Cemeteries are very seldom moved and graves are dug up very rarely, so your cash, handgun, or whatever will be exactly where you left it, with a great big stone marker to make recovery a painless process. I favor the use of small perrenial shrubs with the cache directly underneath; one at each end of the headstone. Smaller, rural cemeteries owned by churches usually permit planting that kind of stuff on graves. The large corporately owned boneyards with the flat gravestones are all but useless. Too many regulations and too much staff. The smaller ones typically don’t have any on-site staff at all. During the summer, some yokel comes out and mows once a week. Plenty of opportunity to dig and plant unobserved. How and why I know all this shall be left as an exercise for the reader. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/9 "2009-12-30T15:08:32Z")
I will gladly run a series of experiments in my backyard. We could distribute the cash evenly between several different containers, with or without vacuum-sealing the bags. I will be happy to keep a log of soil conditions, long-term soil displacement, and the visibility of the hidden caches. This sounds like a fun experiment. I won’t even ask for a cut of the money for my services, because I would just be doing it for the scientific knowledge. How much are you interested in storing at my place? ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/10 "2009-12-30T17:08:12Z")
If you need a spot to bury your money, I can give you a few good recommendations. And you won’t have to worry about your money rotting away either. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/11 "2009-12-30T17:16:53Z")
If I’ve learned anything from the movies, it’s this: you will mostly likely be digging up your treasure at gunpoint, that gun held by a bad guy who has figured out your secret and plans to steal it all. He naturally will make you do all the work before killing you. Therefore, be sure to plant a loaded weapon down there with your loot. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/12 "2009-12-30T17:38:56Z")
For a nominal payment, many banks will rent you a small box in a climate controlled room you can stash (almost) whatever you want. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/13 "2009-12-30T19:49:52Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > (snip) Bury it in a cemetery on or near Memorial Day. Use a relative’s grave if available, “adopt” an obviously “orphaned” grave if not. What you’ll do is hide your goodies while planting flowers and otherwise prettying up the grave. If you have lots of boxes, potted plants, digging tools, and stuff, your treasure box won’t be noticed among it all. Drop it in while nobody is looking, et voilà. (snip) As a further tip, don’t bury it anywhere near someone named “Arch Stanton.” That’s the first place I’d look. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/14 "2009-12-30T20:13:35Z")
Keep in mind that a metal box might well be found by some senior with a metal detector. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/15 "2009-12-30T21:06:15Z")
Dig a deep hole, put a layer of logs every ten feet, and cover it with a layer of flagstones. Dig a flood tunnel or two out to the side. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/16 "2010-01-02T01:07:29Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Dig a deep hole, put a layer of logs every ten feet, and cover it with a layer of flagstones. Dig a flood tunnel or two out to the side. Please note: This only works on an Island. And don’t forget the marker part way down (in code). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/17 "2010-01-02T03:32:46Z")
Bury it under a big W ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/18 "2010-01-02T03:38:29Z")
I had a geocache out that was in an area that flooded for two months. It was underwater for two months. When I retrieved it, all of the contents were dry - even the paper log. My vote? Surplus ammo box. > [@Rick](#): > > Bury it under a big W HA! ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/19 "2010-01-02T03:50:53Z")
I kept a kilogram of sodium in one of those military surplus containers for years with no problem. Those things are really tightly sealed. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t a non-metallic version. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037/20 "2010-01-03T15:38:19Z")
The closest non-metallic equivalent would be Pelican cases, as used for transporting electronics, tools - and firearms. Much more expensive than ammo cans, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-money-in-the-woods/523037.md?page=2)