Team Perks

For the record, I don't have any active subscriber-only caches...but I have had some, and I probably will list the occasional cache hide as such in the future. It's my option to do so, and to be blunt, I don't need to explain or justify my decision to anyone. I have hidden nearly 90 other caches that aren't, so I hardly think my decision to list a few as available to premium members only shows that I'm "looking down" on anyone. Plenty of caches are only "available" to certain people. Should I not hide a cache on a rigorous hiking trail because folks who are out of shape might not be able to find it? Should I not hide a cache underwater because some people may not be able to swim? But if you want to just talk money... I suppose I shouldn't hide any caches in county parks because someone might not be able to afford the entrance fee. I suppose I shouldn't hide any caches on an island because someone might not be able to afford a boat to get there. I suppose I shouldn't hide any caches on a cliff because someone might not be able to afford rappelling gear. I suppose I shouldn't hide any caches with decent swag because someone might not be able to follow the "trade up or even" credo. On the other hand, I suppose I shouldn't hide any film canisters because someone might not be able to afford a pen to sign the log. Where do we draw the line?

Off-road: '98 TJ On-road: '05 Saab 9-3

Not my vehicle, fortunately.

The reviewers don't operate in a vacuum. Anything that might be questionable (i.e., maybe not a clear violation of the listing guidelines but in enough of a gray area to warrant further consideration) is generally bounced up to the super-secret reviewer forum for consensus. The ultimate determination may not always be the one you or I might like, but it at least helps maintain a level of consistency throughout the various regions.

Don't Trade Up! Haven't actually been there...but I think it's an interesting idea, if done tongue-in-cheek. From the cache logs, it seems to have been responsible for at least a little bit of CITO.

I would think someone who intentionally goes out looking for a geocache, even if they don't know what it is, will be less likely to walk off with the cache than someone who randomly stumbles across it. I mean, once you open the container I would think it's pretty obvious that it isn't something you just take home and keep. Anyone with a GPS, a list of geocache coordinates, and an interest in seeing what they were all about would also probably have the foresight to do a quick Google search of geocaching before they actually ventured out to look for one. Not that there aren't exceptions, but I don't see how it's that much of a risk.

Yep, it happens. I recently botched the coordinates and was as much as two full miles off on a couple of caches...and I've hidden nearly a hundred so far. I always check the coordinates in Google Maps before once I've entered them into the cache page and they even looked like where I had hidden the caches. Even those of us who aren't newbies still make "newbie" mistakes!

I recently had an ammo can hidden in a completely random spot in the forest disappear within two weeks of my hiding it. On the other hand, this cache of mine is nothing more than a painted Altoids tin, and it's hidden in plain sight, literally inches from where hundreds (if not thousands) of muggle hands touch every single day. I'm amazed it's only disappeared once in two years. Yep. Luck. That's about all there is to it.

I likely wouldn't log it, but I wouldn't think more or less anyone else based on their decision in this situation.

This has been quite a rather interesting thread to read through, in a darkly amusing sort of way. I for one don't understand why we're overlooking the travesty that an emerging little country in Eurasia had the nerve to call itself "Georgia" when we already have a state called Georgia here in the U.S.! This outrage must not be ignored!

Hey, I had 27 DNF's in one day recently. It happens.

And that's precisely why I want to make sure my sig line carries an insightful thought that will allow others to learn and become better people.

Almost bought a couple but then realized I'd have to tow them anywhere I took 'em...So we just bought a Jeep instead. Just seemed easier that way.

Not a single one of my cache hides is within a 15-20 minute drive of my home. Many take me several hours to get to. I spend plenty of time near where I live already. I hide caches in spots that interest me so that I have one more excuse to keep going back to those spots. Local cachers don't "own" their town. As long as I can adequately maintain the caches, I have every right to hide one wherever I feel like it (within the guidelines, of course).

I just don't understand why a cache owner would want to bring people in to have them search around in their yard. I've found a couple that were interesting, but I've driven away from several others. If I don't feel comfortable looking for a cache--whatever type of cache it may be--I'm under no obligation to do so. If others want to look, that's their prerogative. I just hit the "ignore" button and go about my happy little life.

I've done 100+ days three times now. My personal record is 130 out in La Quinta--and it involved pretty much the same amount of hiking and off-roading that TrailGators mentioned earlier. The days as a whole are certainly memorable, and a few caches do stand out...But to be honest, the most fun I've had while caching has been on days I've only found a handful of caches and really got to enjoy some phenomenal scenery and whatnot.

I just had to ask myself...How much of a problem is this REALLY? So, just out of curiosity, I pulled up a list of all of the "SCUBA gear" caches within 500 miles of me. Since I assume that anything requiring SCUBA gear would get a terrain rating of 5 stars because special equipment is required, I had a list of nine 5-star terrain caches with the SCUBA icon within 500 miles. I was able to verify that 7 of them were legitimate, one was clearly a "liar's" cache, and one was actually a cache in the middle of the desert I had found a couple years ago and which is definitely NOT a 5-star or SCUBA cache. All in all, I was out about 90 seconds from start to finish. That's certainly less time than it took me to type up this post. So, I still have to ask...how is this such a pervasive problem?

Personally, I like it that my cache submissions automatically go straight to the top of the review queue. The unlimited bookmark/pocket query function is pretty sweet too.

You should get an email with "Log Deletion Notice" in the subject line; I've gotten a few in my day (fortunately, only on superfluous and/or snarky notes and never on a legitimate find) so I can be pretty confident they work as they should. (If you're curious, post a note on one of my caches and I'll delete it for you.)

Please explain. "Field herping" is basically going out into the wild to look for reptiles/amphibians. I used to do it from time to time. As soon as I get a camera with a better zoom lens, I'll probably start doing it again.

I'd never hide an ammo can without painting it first, and I'd never hide an ammo can in an area where it would look suspicious no matter what type of markings were or weren't on it...

I don't think my wife has ever gotten the itch to go out and start finding caches on her own, so it hasn't been much of a problem here...

I've retrieved caches while standing on a ladder. I've retrieved caches while standing on the roof of my Jeep. How is retrieving a cache while standing on someone else's shoulders any different? I've retrieved caches using a long stick. I've retrieved caches by fastening a loop of rope and trying to snag the container. How is retrieving a cache by hoisting your six-year-old into a tight spot any different?

I agree an across-the-board rule is inappropriate; it should depend on whether a normal person would look suspicious there. That is, could I as an average citizen wander over to said bridge and hang around there for a few minutes? I think that would certainly rule out most urban bridges and most major highways. But there are definitely exceptions where it would be reasonable. I've found caches on/under bridges along remote state highways where the "terrorist threat factor" would be essentially naught. In those cases, it was entirely reasonable that an average person might be expected to linger there to enjoy scenery, take photos, etc. I've had police drive by while I was on a couple bridges and they didn't even bat an eye. I think the definition of "highway" will also vary by state, locality, etc. Practically every rural road in Texas seems to carry a state highway designation, while the same road in California would be lucky to even show up on the map.

Admittedly a tech dummy, but do tinted windows interfere with a GPS receiver? Tint blocking light waves makes sense to my feeble mind, but radio waves? Some tints have a magnetic component that block signals. Some people have reported that the windshields of some vehicles do not allow a signal to pass. My wife's old Toyota had that problem. It simply would lose signal immediately unless it was literally pressed right up against the window. Royally irritating, to say the least.