Content

• Method 2 of 4: How to choose the right container
• Method 3 of 4: How to Choose the Right Location
• Method 4 of 4: How to store a time capsule
• Tips
• Warnings

1 Choose your target audience. Think about who your time capsule will be for. This will make it easier for you to choose the contents, container and storage location. Decide clearly whether you want to open the capsule yourself, grant this right to your grandchildren or strangers from the distant future.

• If you find it difficult to determine the target audience, think about which capsule you personally would like to open. A time capsule with memorabilia and handwritten notes from your ancestors? A parcel of one and a half centuries ago from an unknown person, whose name has been lost for centuries?

2 Make a list of suitable items. Different priorities should be chosen depending on the target audience. Excess items can always be weeded out later. You are limited only by the free space and reliability of the capsule.

• If the capsule is for you, focus on personal mementos from your current life. A pair of headphones you've used daily for two years, an old key, and a takeaway restaurant menu will revive your memories in just a few years.
• For a capsule intended for your children or grandchildren, you should choose items that will interest them in the details of your life and your world. Personal items that are valuable to you or your family, such as wedding invitations, and items that reflect the state of the world, such as technology, are great choices.
• If the capsule is intended for people in the distant future who will find it many years after your death, then focus on your era. Things that seem unremarkable today can surprise a person who will live in 75 or 100 years.

3 Place toys in a kids capsule. If you want to make a time capsule with children or for future children, then toys and simple games are an excellent choice.Of course, don't hide your child's favorite toy in a capsule, but a few things they played with in early childhood will help them get interested in the idea.

• Toys change more over time than you can imagine, and for a child they will become pleasant memories years later.

4 Choose trending newspapers or magazines. For a wider audience, print media describing current events or trends are excellent choices. Such things will help people of the future understand what life was like in your time. You can even cut out the headlines or articles published on the day the capsule was compiled.

• Be sure to wrap the paper in plastic files for better preservation.

5 Save diaries, letters, and photographs to convey personal information. Even if this capsule is not intended for you or your family, many people will be interested in reading the correspondence of the inhabitants of the past. Diaries and photographs will also be a gripping display of another person's life.

• These items are particularly susceptible to degradation, so pack them in plastic files if the capsule will be stored for more than 5 years.

6 Choose other compact and non-perishable items. You are not limited by anything if the item is placed in the capsule and does not deteriorate until the capsule is opened. For this reason, food and drinks should not be used as they will rot or deteriorate long before the capsule is opened.

• If you run out of ideas, think about your daily activities. What items do you use? What are you looking at? What are you reading? Questions like this will give you new ideas.

7 If you wish, write and attach a letter to your belongings. So you can tell your future audience about your daily life, current hobbies, fashion, attitudes and trends, expectations from the future and much more. You can also describe your intentions when creating the time capsule.

• Compose the letter as if it were addressed directly to the person who will open your time capsule. A personal appeal will be much warmer than a bland list of facts.

8 Take an inventory of the contents of the capsule. Write down all the items that make up the time capsule to keep the list and leave a copy in the capsule. In the future, the addressee will understand that everything is in place, and you will not forget about the contents of the capsule.

Method 2 of 4: How to choose the right container

1. 1 Select the storage duration of the capsule. For a personal capsule, 10 to 30 years is enough, while a message for your great-grandchildren can be stored for 60 or 70 years. If you want to create a capsule for even more distant times, it is important to correctly plan all the logistics.
   • It is quite normal not to choose a specific date for the opening of the capsule, but to time it for an event: for example, you will open it on your wedding or retirement day.
2. 2 Begin with a worst-case capsule wear scenario. Wherever you choose to store your time capsule, damage can destroy the contents before anyone can see it. Items should be packaged individually and a container should be selected that can withstand more exposure to the environment than it is likely to be exposed to.
3. 3 Use a shoebox, storage basket, or old suitcase if the capsule will be stored for a short time and indoors. If the capsule has to last 5-10 years, a simple and familiar container can safely store the selected items and will be easy to transport, provided it is always kept indoors.
   • It should be borne in mind that a capsule made of cardboard or paper can be completely destroyed in case of fire, flood or other natural disaster.
4. 4 Use a coffee can as an easy short term solution. If you have an empty coffee can, such an aluminum container can lie underground for about 10 years.Place the container in a ziplock bag or other sealed plastic wrap to keep moisture out of the lid.
5. 5 Choose a container with increased protection for long-term storage. If you are going to store the time capsule outdoors or underground, choose a sturdy container, such as a container made of industrial or household aluminum, stainless steel, or PVC.
   • An example of a reliable PVC container is a PVC tube with a securely sealed plug and a lid that is screwed tightly into the pipe.
   • Use sachets with desiccant material, such as those used in electronic packaging or vitamin vials. They will absorb moisture that is present when the capsule is sealed and will also kill germs that can ruin things.

Method 3 of 4: How to Choose the Right Location

1. 1 Choose a location based on your imaginary target audience. If you are going to open such a capsule yourself, you can store it at home or bury it in your backyard. If the capsule is not intended for your family members, then it is better to choose a location that is not on private property.
   • If you decide to store the capsule outdoors, then choose a place where construction work will not be carried out. It could be a national park or a landmark near which you can bury the capsule.
2. 2 Take the traditional approach and bury the capsule underground. This is not the best solution for a number of reasons at once, but the most traditional way to store a time capsule. Almost certainly no one will find underground capsules, while the contents are constantly exposed to the destructive effects of moisture.
   • On the positive side of underground storage, there is a low likelihood that the capsule will be found and opened too early. From this side, outdoor storage is a good solution.
3. 3 Store the capsule indoors for safety. Away from the weather, the capsule will be safe compared to underground storage. While the temptation to open a capsule will be stronger, and a box in a closet is far less captivating than a buried treasure, consider this option for short-term storage.
4. 4 Store the capsule outdoors above the ground. An interesting alternative would be to store the capsule in an airtight stainless steel food container hidden in a hollow decorative stone or polyurethane log.
   • Such land-based time capsules are called geocapsules and are good because their opening is more like an adventure.

Method 4 of 4: How to store a time capsule

1. 1 Mark the container with the current date and the estimated date of opening. This way the finder of the capsule will know the exact origin of the capsule and the estimated date of opening if he finds it by accident.
   • Do not write with ink on the outside of the capsule, which will be stored underground. The best choice would be engraving or at least weather-resistant paint.
   • Stating the dates on the outside and inside the capsule will be your additional insurance.
2. 2 Create reminders for yourself or others. At a minimum, record the capsule location and the estimated date of autopsy on paper, digitally and in a safe place. If using an electronic calendar, create annual reminders or schedule an email to be sent on a specific day.
   • Include the location and date of the autopsy in your will, or leave a letter to your grandchildren with instructions.
3. 3 Make arrangements for a time capsule that will outlive you. If the capsule is to be opened many years or decades after placement, make sure multiple people know the exact location of the capsule. Ask them to preserve this information and pass it on to future generations.
   • Take photographs of the location, determine the coordinates, and write down all the information needed to find the exact location of the capsule.
   • Register your time capsule to add formality to the case and increase the chances of a capsule being found.
4. 4 Seal and hide the capsule. Remember to seal your capsule securely and airtight. Place the capsule in a plastic bag for outdoor storage. When creating a personal capsule, it can be tempting to open the container, but you will soon forget about it until the reminder arrives!
5. 5 Use a specific label on the exact burial site of the capsule. Even a stone with traces of paint will be a suitable noticeable and non-obvious reminder of the place where to look for the capsule. This will help you, or someone else, not lose the treasure in the future.

Tips

• If possible, it is best to use anti-rust paper if you want to preserve scrapbooks, letters, or books.
• Find capsules that are already hidden. Did your grandmother forget her suitcase, box or diary in the attic? Does the local library have old magazines, maps or books to study?
• Be sure to include the current date on the time capsule.

Warnings

• Consider the lifespan of items. A plastic toy will outlive years better than a book or magazine, especially when exposed to moisture.
• Always treat antiques, historical artifacts and other evidence from the past with care and respect to preserve them for future generations.
• Do not use perishable food for the capsule. Nobody wants to find a forty year old jam sandwich!