Product Review: GearPods Modular Container System

“A product review? That’s unusual.”

Yeah, I know. But a while back a fellow named Sammy posted a comment on the blog telling me about GearPods. He suggested they’d make great geocache containers and said that he’d like to send me a sample. I told him that, if he did, I’d write a review. He did, so I am.

Here’s what I got in the mail.

Right off the bat, I liked the fact that the packaging was easy to open. A small thing, true, but I hate wrestling with those plastic clamshells that take a blowtorch, a small thermonuclear device, and six stitches to get open. Plus, the people at the customer service desk look at you kind of funny when you try to return them.

I laid out the components.

Inside diameter of the containers is 2.75″, and they are 1.5″, 3″, 4.5″, and 6″, respectively

The end pieces (terminators, in GearPodspeak) unscrew.

This is where the ‘modular’ part comes in.

In addition to the terminators (pretend there was a funny Arnold joke here), the package came with two connectors.

Those allow you to create a larger, multi-compartment container.

I was thinking it would be cool if the connectors were more like a ring, so you could make one long container. Apparently, GearPods agrees. They call them “open connectors” and they’re available on the GearPods website. Sammy didn’t send any of those, but the concept is pretty easy to understand.

The package also contains labels that you can use to identify what’s inside the container.

Pretty cool, so far, but how will they work as geocache containers?

I decide to start with a tortuous torture test – submersion.

I folded a single sheet of bathroom tissue, put it inside the smallest container, made sure the ends were screwed on tight, then dunked it in the bathroom sink. Special thanks go to my helper, who made sure the container stayed fully submerged all night long.

In the morning, I pulled the container out, dried it thoroughly, and opened it up.

It looks like one drop got in, which is pretty impressive, considering there are no gaskets in the terminators (insert Arnie joke number two).

Most geocache containers don’t get submerged in water, though, so I thought I’d try a slightly more realistic test.

I’m not suggesting that geocaches are normally hidden in a shower stall, but I figure this container just got about a year’s worth of San Diego rainfall.

How did it do?

Dry like Borrego in the summer!

Some people like to apply a little camouflage paint to their geocache containers, so the last thing I thought I’d try is to see how well it takes paint.

No problem. Of course, I don’t know how it will hold up in the field, but that may be the subject of a future post.

The other side of the issue is cost.

The package that Sammy sent me goes for $37.95, which averages about $9 per container. Most of the containers I have in the field were either free (if you don’t count the cost of the Altoids and M&Ms) or less than $5. The exception would be ammo cans, which run about $15, depending on size. So Gearpods are a little on the pricey side, but not too bad.

Bottom Line

I’m conflicted.

Not that I don’t think these would be great geocache containers. I’ll definitely be placing at least one out in the field.

The problem is that I see so many other possible uses for these guys. In my garage, in my backpack, in my kitchen.

So while I’m trying to disentangle myself from the horns of this dilemma, why don’t you guys check out the website and see what you think? They have a lot of other cool stuff as well.