nericksx

I'm agnostic on baggies. I use waterproof paper, so it might be redundant and end up causing more heartache than it saves - but it does keep the log from getting dirty, generally. I use them in my caches. What a strange point of controversy! To baggie, or not to baggie?!?

Since you're concerned, I carry logs in 3 sizes, for various sized caches, in nearly-perfect-fit zip bags. I'm not new to caching and I like to think I have an ounce or two of common sense. I really appreciate everyone's feedback because it's made me think about what problem I'm trying to solve here. I guess it comes down to really hating finding gross, soggy, moldy, icky caches, and I assume other people aren't fans either. If I can spend a few minutes and a few pennies to keep someone from having a bad time - then that seems like the right thing to do. I'm out to leave things "better than I found them" (within reason, obviously), not to let bad COs off the hook or mess with someone's painstakingly crafted cache container. With that being clarified for myself - I'm going to mend/fix/repair/replace as necessary to leave a good experience behind, and if the CO is unhappy about that then they should probably have used a better container and/or should maintain their cache.

Interesting feedback. I didn't specifically note it in my OP, but I would totally log a NM if I mended a cache. I currently have packed fresh logs (in various sizes printed on waterproof paper and in small zip bags), extra little zip bags, duct tape, golf pencils, and fresh geocache explanation write-ups (printed on waterproof paper with a place to fill in the GC and cache name). Thinking about it, I'd be torqued if someone replaced a container of mine - but I place ammo cans and really nice lock-&-locks. I think I'll have to take container replacement on a case by case basis. A container that someone clearly spent some time on - by applying camo or whatever - I wouldn't replace. The freakin' plastic Folgers canister I referenced in my OP - if I replaced it, it would be an upgrade. I don't replace containers with film canisters, I replace size for size with lock-and-locks. I think I'm going to continue with my ethos of cache mending, then giving the CO a heads up. My purpose is always to prop up the cache for the next player or two, until the CO can get out there - not to unofficially adopt someone's cache

It seemed like when I started (9 years ago), carrying supplies so that you could mend caches was commendable player protocol: fresh log paper to deal with full/soggy logs SWAG to refill sad caches extra pens/pencils to leave duct tape to mend broken containers replacement containers to deal with busted ones Reading the forums these days, though, it seems like this is frowned upon to some extent. It sounds like seasoned players don't want to be propping up crappy caches and negligent CO's. I'm getting the impression that replacing a bad container is particularly egregious. I recently logged a Found/NM on a cache that was a plastic Folgers tub. I found the cache, on the ground a few feet from its hiding place, lid off with a hole chewed in it, a few little trinkets scattered around, a single sheet of log, and rodent poo in it. I logged the find because I did find the silly thing, even though it was in pieces. If I'd had a fresh container I would have reset the whole thing, as it was I could only clean it out and set it back in place. From what I'm reading, some players would have logged this as a DNF. I took a caching hiatus for a couple years but I'm back at it and I'm putting together my caching supplies kit. I'm wondering if taking care of other people's caches is now bad form and maybe I shouldn't be hauling all this stuff around? 9 years ago there were way fewer caches, so there was probably less consternation around propping up bad ones.

I worked at a company where your company-wide ID was your first initial last name - up to eight characters. However, if you were a contractor they ended your name with an X. Seemed like an easy way to have a unique user ID.

find transitive verb 1 a: to come upon by searching or effort 2 a: to search or exert effort to a degree that one feels they should have come upon something "I found your keys! Well, I don't actually know where they are, but I searched a lot and exerted a lot of effort so even though I didn't lay eyes on them, that still counts. No, I don't know how you're supposed to start your car." b: to search or exert effort and come upon where something should have been. "I found your keys! Well, I don't actually know where they are, but I can see where they SHOULD have been, so that still counts. No, I don't know how you're supposed to start your car." c: to search or exert effort and fail to come upon something, place an object in the void, and then claim to have come upon something "I found your keys! Well, I didn't actually find YOUR keys. I found where they should have been so I put some random keys there so that I could find them. No, I don't know how you're supposed to start your car."

BUMP. I've had this issue a long time as well. Chrome: Win 10. It does work properly with MS Edge. It's heckin' irritating. Any idea when it will be fixed?

Just remove the sorting portion of it, problem solved. People get to leave a "helpful / good story" tag, but unloved logs don't get pushed to the bottom. Like the reputation points on this forum, as opposed to the upvote model on Reddit. I stopped playing for about a year, and came back to the game this summer. After I wrote my logs from last week, a few days later I thought, "I wonder if anyone liked my log or found anything helpful in it, or if the CO has seen it?" I'm so used to Facebook and other forums that it was second nature to want to circle back and see (realizing that I have that little tug now, is a *whole other* psychology thread...) "Oh, yeah", I thought, "it just goes into the void. I don't even know if the CO even ever sees it. That's kinda too bad." I think "helpful / good" tags would encourage thoughtful logs.

I used to be the same way (although I started in 2006 and there were micros then), particularly because my kids were small and weren't really interested unless there was a goody involved. I filtered them out my my PQs and maps, I disliked them so much. Now that my kids are (much) older, my husband and I find that we rather appreciate a micro. So much less fuss - just sign and go. No soggy/moldy business cards (really?!?) or broken McToys. I wouldn't want a whole day of micros, but now a quickie to break things up is a nice change. Funny how age changes perspective (I still won't touch a LPC with a 10 foot pole).

Yeah, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean to imply that one should talk about the cache specifically ("well, it was green, made out of metal, kinda rusted..." LOL ?) I meant people weren't keeping their log entries to talking about the experience of that cache. The day or the weather, or getting to GZ or what have you. I agree that a bit of detail about what brought you out that day, what you found interesting about the area, experiences you had getting there - totally relevant. It was the folks going on about their vacation - not even the caching part of the vacation - that made me

That explains a lot. I've jumped back into catching after not being as active for a couple of years, and newly noticed these huge logs that don't really talk about the cache itself at all. I didn't realize there are log length challenges. There are challenges for every hecking thing now. ?

I was trolling Google maps in my area the other day and came across this: http://mountaindalesun.com/ The are a couple caches within a mile or so of the place. It's pretty isolated, as you can imagine. I wonder if any of those folks cache?

Powertrails, or just a freak-ton of caches in one area (by the same CO), that are placed so people can rack up numbers or finds for challenges, or what-have-you, hogging an entire hideable area from everyone else who might want to place a cache there because of something actually interesting in the area. There is a CO in my area that has over 600 hides, in these huge series, just clogging up the map. AND I noticed that they haven't logged on the site in 3 years. *sigh*

Ooh yeah, I like that idea too.

I did some of those. I agree that is was surprisingly satisfying for being a "powertrail". Nice job, Seawind.

I really like the idea of recognition for COs. I don't know if *incentive* is the right word, but I agree with the OP that there would be no game, and therefore no Groundspeak, if it weren't for COs. What kicked this game off in the first place? A company who owns a website, or a cache to find? I think it's true that if there were an "incentive", that might cause a rise in crummy caches. I realize that even less-than-ideal caches might be better than the dearth of caches in some areas. An appreciation of some sort would be neat tho. A coin or tag (souvenirs are just pointless, IMHO) for people with a cache over a certain amount favorite points, or with a certain cumulative favorite score. Maybe that would incentivise the placement of more quality caches. Maybe local/regional shindigs just for COs? Personally, my incentive for being a CO is placing caches that I would like to find. I abhor powertrails and micros-for-no-reason. I like caches that bring you to a special place, and I prefer regulars but I understand that isn't always possible.

I love this idea. Similar to reputation points in the forum.

I've been a cacher since 2009 and I just hit 300 caches this week, lol! We started out doing hiking caches as a way to make hiking more fun for our 3 & 4 year olds. I would create weekend adventures around a small handful of caches that I would scope out on the map. We camp near where a neat hike to a cache was, and maybe we hit a couple more that were in the area but a drive on a forest service road or something. That's how we spent most of our summer weekends for years. I think that's how I kept from being burned out. Then I got a friend interested in caching who is really competitive, type-A, type of person. She liked power trails and micros in town because she could really rack up numbers and not have to worry about swag. I cached with her for awhile and THAT burned me out. We didn't cache for like 2 years then, because 1) We were planning trips around other things to see and do, and looking for caches would take time from getting to some site we wanted to see, and 2) My kiddos didn't think it was fun any more to treasure hunt when the "treasure" was mostly moldy crap (here in the soggy PNW, moldy caches are the norm). Then this last summer we accidentally stumbled upon a coin challenge. We were supposed to be backpacking in Eastern Oregon, but a couple logistical issues axed that plan, so we had 2 days to fill. I decided, what the heck? Let's cache! One of the caches had a code in it and I knew what that meant. After a little research we had our activity for the new couple days. Granted, one (and sometimes both) kiddos would stay in the car while Geohubby and I got the cache, but they mostly had fun (they're 12 & 13 now, and their phones are *so compelling*). I made a friend via the site and just spend two days 60 miles from home helping her with some crazy challenge caches. Last week I went and checked on a cache of mine in the Coast Range that I placed in 2011, and had been found by 3 whole people in 6 years. Took almost a year for the FTF! So I feel ya, Harry.

I really appreciate the discussion on this thread, because as noncentric mentioned, this isn't the first time this has been brought up. I've been thinking about all the input and feedback and reflecting on why I have kind of given up on my Garmin 62s. Here's what I've got: Garmin Pros: Really rugged Can pop in fresh batteries It's already got all the maps I need loaded in Cons: The screen is really tiny, requiring a ton of scrolling The battery life is shockingly terrible UI is really really clunky: swapping around between maps and cache screens, "typing" the name of a waypoint The Garmin desktop software SUCKS Gotta have another device to add more waypoints/caches to the SD card Weights a ton Phone (Galaxy S7 Edge) Pros: Nice big screen Download data and logging on the fly as signal allows Better way to type Custom maps with waypoints Cons: If the battery goes, the battery is gone If I lose it, there goes $800 Gotta have touchscreen friendly gloves Route tracking really drains the battery My phone gets as good a GPS signal as my Garmin, many times even better, so that's isn't too much of an issue. Looking at my list it seems like a no-brainer, phone all the way. Battery life is enough of a concern though, that I'm thinking of still going with the Garmin. If I drain the phone, then I don't have it in an emergency. If I drain the Garmin, I can swap batteries. The bummer is that I drain the battery in a few hours. I read the other threads and am implementing all the battery saving tips I could find. Many of them I was already doing, but a few were new to me. I am conducting a test right now how long I can leave it on before the batteries die.

Ah, indeed. Thank you for your considered reply, and I look through the other threads. Cheers.

I have a Garmin GPSMAP 62s, that's 9 years old. I got it back when GPS on phones was sketchy at best and mapping software was really awkward (Blackberry Storm! I was the shizzle.) I'd been faithfully loading up maps and geocaches and waypoints when I go into the backcountry, but I was increasingly frustrated with the tiny screen, awkward UI, and even battery life (truly abysmal on my GPSr. If I want to record a track, I get about 2 hours out of it), compared to my phone. I'd been thinking about getting a new GPSr, but I can't figure out what advantage it would have over my phone. Maybe durability, but there are Otter cases. Has anyone else given up their GPSr for phone exclusively? If people prefer a dedicated GPSr over a phone, why?

Atlas: for clarity, no, the problem wasn't that my laptop was hibernating or sleeping. The issue was that the download is so slow and unstable that the connection would break without a discernible cause if I was using my laptop at all during download. My solution was to turn off hibernation so that I could leave the laptop alone long enough for the file to download for 4 hours undisturbed.

Update 2: Got it working. Turns out I'd never gotten a complete download. The Communicator plug-in is terrible, it take hours to download, and it's really sensitive. The connection breaks for no apparent reason. I ended up setting my laptop to never sleep or hibernate and letting it go overnight. Then I finally got the whole file and my GPS picked it up with no problem.

Update: I think one problem is that I'm not getting a complete download. The file downloads for a couple of hours and goes to 100% and says it's done, but the file size is 2.3gb when it is a 3.8gb map. I have no idea why the download wouldn't be complete.

I wondered if those were the correct files because the file names weren't more characteristically descriptive like "gmap24kwesttopo" or something. The files are in the /Garmin folder on the sd card. Garmin Express (via Basecamp) doesn't see any unlocked maps available for install. According to the Garmin support rep that I emailed (FWIW) the files must be downloaded from their site via their Communicator plugin, which is only compatible with IE 11 and older and Firefox. I'm positive the maps are not seen by the GPS. Menu > Map Setup > Choose Map - only displayed the world basemap as an option. Thanks for trying to help!