Planting Letterboxes

Before planting a letterbox, it is highly recommended that you FIND a few of them first. That will give you some ideas on what works well in terms of hiding spots, clue writing, container and contents, as well as the local customs of your area.

Our purpose here is not to reinvent the wheel, which is described in detail in the Creating Great Letterboxes Tutorial.

But here are a few pointers escecially for scouting organizations. If your group puts forth the effort to make a letterbox and then it goes missing, your kiddos will be very disappointed.

To Plant or Not To Plant There, and How to Know the Difference

Letterboxes should be hidden on land to which the public has access. If placing on private property, get permission from the owner. Many public lands require special permission and/or a permit. Check this list of known regulations, but know from the get-go that national parks are a no-no.
They should be placed so that a casual find by a non-letterboxer is unlikely.
Take all seasons and weather events into consideration, especially flooding and heavy rains.
NOT in national parks or monument areas (2010: up to the park's ranger).
NOT in dangerous areas.
NOT in places of worship.
NOT in environmentally sensitive areas with vegetation, flowers, or plants.
NOT buried in the earth, but rather placed under rocks, or in existing natural holes, crevices, or cavities.
NOT in a rock wall because finders may take apart the wall to find it.
NOT close to another letterbox (to avoid overly-intense use of an area).
It's also very smart to check geocaching.com and make sure you're not to close to a cache! Otherwise, someone may accidentally swap a trinket for your stamp.

Container Options

Be creative! You can use any container that will fit unseen in your hiding place, but make sure that it is WATERPROOF unless it is in a place that will always be dry. Also, some parks require CLEAR containers. The only used food containers that are pretty much water tight are the types with screw on lids, such as peanut butter jars. You can paint the box or cover it with camouflage tape (available at hunting supply stores) in order to make it less visible to “muggles”, but you need to get the food smell out or an animal may take it. Lock & Lock brand is a favorite among letterboxers, but there are other good options.

What NOT to use:
Glass containers, flimsy plastic containers, food storage containers that don’t seal well such as Tupperware, Folger’s coffee, margarine tubs. Don't use unprotected plastic if the box will be exposed to the sun. (And WHY would you expose it to the sun?) Read the message boards on Atlas Quest to get more information.

Get the food smell out !!
If the container previously held food or some other product, you need to get the smell completely out so that animals will not be attracted to your box and destroy it. Place clean cat litter in a large container that has a lid and place your container in it and seal the larger container. Take them out, and a week later, or so, no smell. Then run it through the dishwasher.

Letterbox Contents

It has already been recommended that your stamp be hand-carved. It doesn't have to be fantastic and almost every experienced carver has made backward letters at some point. Making it yourself automatically makes it more special.

Most seasoned letterboxers will have their own ink (in the form of ink pads or markers, or huge quantities of both). If your stamp requires a special color for some reason, you can put the color requirement in your clues.

Label It

Some parks require a label on your container. In any case, it's a good idea. You can make your own, maybe something like the one below, or use this form maker.

NOT trash - Please do not throw this away!!
NOT a Geocache - Please do not remove items or leave trinkets!
You have found an official LETTERBOX. Please rehide where found!

ESTE ES UN “LETTERBOX” (CAJE DE CORREO).
NO DESTRUYA NI QUITE, POR FAVOR.
Vuelve todo a donde lo encontro', escondiendolo de la vista de otros.

If you found this letterbox by accident, you are welcome to sign in.
Please do NOT take the stamp or anything in this box. Make sure it is well sealed and hidden when you are finished. To learn more about letterboxing, visit www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com.

If contents are damaged or missing, please email myemailaddress@server.net