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Zippy (a secure cache) Traditional Cache

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CrossedAnchors: If a cache is muggled, it wasn't a good spot to begin with.

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Hidden : 5/20/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Zip ties for everyone

I love zip ties, they come in all sizes, colors and types. They are in every vehicle I own right next to the duct tape! Here is a little history of the zip tie:

1958, Thomas & Betts secured a place in engineering history when it developed the Ty-Rap® cable tie to facilitate assembling wire harnesses in airplanes. In the first month, sales were $350. Today, Thomas & Betts sells hundreds of millions of dollars of cable ties in 14 colors, 15 designs, 10 materials and multiple lengths. T&B cable ties can be found on thousands of products ranging from motorcycles to spacecraft.
Design
In its most popular form, a cable tie consists of a sturdy nylon tape with an integrated gear rack, and on one end a ratchet within a small open case. Once the pointed tip of the cable tie has been pulled through the case and past the ratchet, it is prevented from being pulled back; the resulting loop may only be pulled tighter.
A cable tie tensioning device or tool may be used to apply a cable tie with a specific degree of tension. The tool may cut off the extra tail flush with the head in order to avoid a sharp edge which might otherwise cause injury.
In order to increase resistance to ultraviolet light in outdoor applications, a specific grade of Nylon containing a minimum of 2% carbon black is used to protect the polymer chains and extend the cable tie's service life. Blue cable ties are supplied to the food industry and contain a metal additive so they can be detected by industrial metal detectors. Cable ties made of EFTE (Tefzel) are used in radiation-rich environments. Red cable ties made of ECTFE (Halar) are used for plenum cabling.
Stainless Steel cable ties are also available for flameproof applications - coated stainless ties are available to prevent galvanic attack from dissimilar metals (e.g. zinc coated cable tie).
Re use
Cable ties are generally viewed as single-use devices. However, if a closed loop needs to be opened again, then, rather than destroying the cable tie by cutting, it may be possible to release the ratchet from the rack to reuse the cable tie. While some cable ties are designed for reuse with a tab that releases the ratchet, in most cases a sewing needle or similar object (for example a small screwdriver) will need to be interposed between the ratchet and the rack. Ties reused in this way will be weaker than new ones.
To open without cutting it, the ratchet box can be crushed vertically using a pair of pliers.

Why did I place this cache here? This is the last set of big trees on this block of Yelm Hwy.

FTF gets a cable tie tensioning device

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Cnex ba gur ebnqfvqr rnfg bs gur gerrf naq nccebnpu sebz gur rnfg. nzzb pbagnvare haqre pnzbhsyntr arggvat

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)