mddbkzr

If the stuff inside is that bad, report it to the owner and try to get it in a new container that does seal properly. Properly sealed containers should not have the degradation problem.... of course putting items that are not likely to rust or degrade after a year is preferred as well.

I found that the local dollar stores have plain sealing lock-n-lock containers with a rubber seal on them... I picked one up for my first hide soon... They would be considered small... So the real question, is what is the container you are planning to use to be considered as "large".

In some cases if it needs special item like a screwdriver that will not be in everyones vehicle/pocket, then just mark it as a find. There is one close to home that requires a screwdriver which I actually got back to today to sign... but if it is too far away then I will just mark it as found and leave it as is. Now if it is one that is part of a puzzle or requires a combination to a lock or find a key elsewhere... then you need to finish it all before marking it as found...

Many of us live close to a military reservation area that covers 464,000 acres, out of that 265,000 acres are accessible with a proper permit by allowed people (I have a fishing permit which allows hiking and general use). They have been using this land for close to a century now. That means LOTS of room for caches, but also means that there is a chance that there will be unexploded or spent ordnance in the lesser traveled areas.

So then the question remains... has anyone reported these thefts to the police? At some point they will get some fingerprints and start to narrow it down...

sometimes it takes a long time to update, as Blue mentioned, if it has been a long time since it was last used or long distance. Sometimes what IU do is turn it on at home, let it get a signal, then turn it on part way so it has a good signal most of the way (if the batteries allow).

I tried 4 caches today within a short bike ride of my house... The first had a group of Mexicans sitting under the tree where I knew it was at... The second had 5 busses full of middle school kids nearby and a main local highway with people stopped and moving all over... The third is next to and within easy eyeshot of a busy restaurant and several people standing around almost any chance I get to go to that area. I only got the one because it is a part that looks like it could be from my bike so it was easy to mess with to sign and put back without any strange looks or possible tampering. That is why I enjoy the woods around here, take a little hike away from any people and do what you need to do. There are 30-40 around town I have not even attempted to do because there are always so many people around. Since I work during the day, my only option is to go after work or weekends when there is always kids and excess people in those areas.

I understand what he and you mean, but if he wants to do that, he may as well say "cache requires a key to a padlock that only I have" so he knows and sees every single person that actually finds and wants to log their visit.... otherwise it is useless and excessive controls on what is supposed to be a fun event/passing of time. Adding the extra controls turns more people away from it, then these same people that demanded more controls start complaining that no one finds any caches anymore... its a slippery slope that is best ignored and a path best not taken.

With a 2 year old in the house we found a few cures.... toothpaste, nail polish remover, OOPS (look for the small single can), 90% isopropyl alcohol (the 60-70% is ok but not as good)... the safest bet of course is toothpaste but it takes a little longer.

The only one I tend to use is TNLN... otherwise at least a "nice hiding spot" or "rough hike" or something generic like that... Occasionally I will look back at a few but the only ones I really watch close are the ones closest to my house. One specifically because there is no lid and the log keeps getting soaked or disappears (probably a bird or squirrel using it for a nest). I already contacted the owner and got a response saying he will be replacing the tube soon.

I have started doing a few with my oldest daughter (8), but only the ones I know SHOULD BE fairly easy. So far we have found 3 together, and soon a 4th, hopefully Sunday afternoon. Of course my 8 year old is our country girl so I may start doing so harder ones with her as time goes on.

That is pretty much how I would handle it. Luckily I live in a small town with plenty of caches in the woods so the chance of running across someone is rare at many of them

I have not had many finds myself due to work and family, but a dedicated GPS unit is definitely preferred over any cell phone app... I have a Bushnell Onix200CR which is a VERY basic unit that I picked up for I believe $50 after shipping. With my unit, I have always been placed within 10 feet of the final cache for the ones I have found. Next step up would be the Magellan or Garmin units, which you can find used on these forums (LINK) for decent prices. Something like the Garmin eTrex should be good enough to start out with and then move up to better units as time and money provides and you get more experience.

First, as a computer tech, "spam" as a computer term is evolving, and generally means a "junk" or "unwanted" message from someone selling or advertising something, regardless of how or where the message is sent. No longer does it just mean "unsolicited mass emails"... nowadays it can mean junk IM messages on a messenger (I usually get 2 or 3 per day on yahoo messenger), it can be messages on a social site (facebook, myspace) that involves junk messages like posted here, it can be that friend on facebook who posts something new every half hour (usually the drama queens), even paper based real mail that you get in your mailbox/POBox is being called and considered spam now. It can be someone peddling their product, no matter how legit it is, the fact they resort to posting it or sending the message to lots of people they do not know simply makes it spam. Second, to me it sounds like someone has the means to make the coins but is just going about selling them in the wrong manner. It sounds like someone told them to try selling them online and the sellers were never given a "netiquite" lesson on how to properly do that.

Thank you for stepping up and being the good person...

I tend to look at the location before hand... if it is a micro/nano in the middle of woods, then I may look for it if previous entries say it was easy... otherwise I just ignore them and move on... or may spend 10 minutes looking if others are nearby...

Luckily most of the local caches have a proper size on them... the only time I can think of "not chosen" being a proper "size" mention is if it is a multi-cache with multiple sizes involved, or if it is a non-standard item... Like some of the items found in this thread where it may be a tube in a pinecone or a tube inside a public telephone box, it all varies. I tend to look at the area and the size... a nano or micro in the middle of woods may deserve a search, but I never spend more than 10-15 minutes looking for it before moving on. I tend to limit my search time to max half an hour anyways regardless of size, unless it is important for something like a tough puzzle, multi, etc...

Just another puritan wanting excess controls on something that should be just for fun. Does your car ask for a 10 digit code everytime you sit down in it to make sure it you you that is really driving it? Does your house have an electronic lock that requires a passcode to get in to verify it is you? Does the local carnival have a fingerprint scanner that matches your drivers license to make sure you are who you say you are just to ride the rides or visit any events? See how stupid it all sounds? Just let people have fun, and if theres a question about somneone finding your cache, match the written log with the online log.... just remember that not everyone uses the same info on paper that they do on the website... Sometimes I use kzrclan if I am geocaching with my daughter instead of my website name...

Has anyone done any further investigating? Other caches in the same areas not touched that always seem to be by the same person or few people? (removing other's caches for revenge) Many of these caches watched by the same person/people? Anyone checked any "competing" geocaching sites to see if any kiddies have stepped up or reported this? Is there any common current or past premium users that logged a find before the first stickers were found? Do any of the users on the watchlist match or similar in name to those on the banlist for the forums? Any logs on the official site from unique users within a few days before the stickers were found but after the last legitimate find/log that may also coincide with banned IP addresses or names on the forums? Any names that only seem to login and appear on the site and/or forum during the months when these stickers are found? There are others but this should be a good start...

Everything I do is circumstantial... but this also brings up the point, should a cache be hidden in high traffic areas where muggles are around a large percentage of the time? If it is that busy, it should not have been hidden there to begin with. As to the original poster, could have just acted like you are looking for something on the ground as you slowly walked back to replace it. I used the "GPS as a cell phone" trick the other day with one by the local library when a lady was looking at me a little strange standing there looking at my device.... until I made the "call".

Make sure you look at the wording closely. Some of the archived ones locally also state "archived, but cache remains in place for historical value" or "cache remains so others can see what it has been through" or similar wording. Of course those are ones that are typically archived but still maintained. First let me say I have not done this yet, but these are the steps I will do if I need to: 1) I try to contact owner, if no contact within a week or two, then I recommend archival until it is maintained. 2) If I see one that has been marked out for more than 30 days with no contact either via email or the website, then I will go get the cache and remove it. 2a) I am the type that will hold onto it for 30-60 days before claiming it as my own. If it is a good spot, I will contact admins and attempt to adopt it as my own, leaving previous logs as is. 3) if all else fails I got a new cache container and will place it myself @ brian - 6 months? I can understand if you placed it 6 hours away but if it is within an hour or two drive, go get it and be done with it, or else let someone else adopt it. Its been archived for 60+ days, so basically first geocacher to find it becomes the container and its contents new owner. For those planning to retire the cache, check with other local cachers to see if any of them would like to adopt it before fully retiring it. That way it stays active and the next group can come along and keep finding it.

Based on some of my travels in and around some larger cities, with traffic it may take you half the day to get across the city so a days drive may get you just outside city limits. Add in stops to find caches and a days drive can take you just a few blocks. It all depends on the timeframe in question. Center around Hoboken or Manhattan or any large city according to Google Maps and you have 400+ caches in a small area. @Dave, I only recently got started (March 2010) even though I had been hearing about this for some 20 years now (and I am only 32). The easiest explanation of me is that I am a small town country boy geek. I am always surrounded by whatever technology I can get but at the same time enjoy the fresh air, small towns and open spaces, all of which is plentiful in my home state of South Dakota and my current home of Northwest Florida (where I have been for 10 years and have no plans of leaving). For me geocaching is about getting away from the daily grind and just concentrating on finding hidden "treasures" whether it is just a log to sign or figuring out a puzzle. It gets me out into nature where most of the local caches are, and also gives me a chance to do something with my 8 year old daughter, who I expect to stop doing things with "uncool old dad" in a few years, so am trying to enjoy it with her while I can. Combine my love of the outdoors, with the technological advances of a handheld GPS device, plus spending time with family and I am a happy man, happy husband and happy father.

When I start to place some of my own caches, I plan to add 2 lines: LOCAL FTF (residents within Florida Panhandle) NON-Local FTF (residents outside of the FL panhandle) I will do this because I have heard of a few people that do travel hundreds of miles looking for a FTF. Some people do not have what many of us would call a life. They may be retired, self employed, work their own hours, whatever, if geocaching keeps them busy, their mind sharp and out of trouble then good for them. Let them log as many FTF as they want. They have the time and money for premium memberships, $300 handheld GPS units and so on. Thats fine, my money goes towards mortgage, car payment, wife and 2 daughters, geocaching is just something to do when I have the time. I do it when I have free time, sometimes with my 8 year old daughter. I am not worried (in geocaching or real life) about special statuses. Although an occasional FTF would be nice, I will not go out of my way to make sure I get them.

Physical contact with cache = logged find I believe that if I find the cache, signed a piece of paper or not, I found it and I will log it on the website. The official rules say nothing about "no written log = no online log". Granted everything is circumstantial. For example, many times I will just load the coords into my GPS and go find it, sometimes weeks or months later when I am in that area. My GPS (Bushnell Onix200CR) does not have a "notes" area so the title is usually the clue up to 10 characters. I have been adding a few into my car GPS (Garmin, added via CSV I create) to at least get me close that will include a few more notes for future reference. In one case it needed tweezers that I do not carry on me, another time it required a screwdriver. The one with the screwdriver I do plan to go back to sign since it is so close to my house, the tweezer one I do not plan to go back since it is a long hike through snake territory. I may stop at the dollar store for a few things next time I am out, a little carrying or belt bag that I will put a few pens, tweezers, screwdriver and replacement paper in. Now if it is up a tree I am unable to climb, I will add a note (not a find or DNF) stating I found it but was unable to reach it. If it is underwater (common after heavy rains in the area) or something else like that and unable to sign then I will note it. Requiring extra tools that are not on hand such as tweezers, screwdrivers, tiny fingers, in a snake/animal den or something else special, if I had it in my hands or at least within reach, I will log it as a find. Let someone else get bitten. This is all for fun, REQUIRING a scribble before posting it online is just asinine if you at least have it in your hands. So if the log is gone or cache is missing, all those that logged it before now have to remove it from their list of finds since it is no longer there? It is gone so how can we know for sure that you actually found it? That is pretty much was most of the purists are saying as far as I can tell. Guess that knocks some of these master geocachers down a few ranks...

Scarab... likely just a string tied into the bottom of a film canister, and as it is pulled out, it pulls up, thus pushing the cache up... I have looked through many pages of this thread and one problem I have is people using these next to impossible containers or covers in areas where there is no possible way unless someone turns over every single rock, tree bark, leaf, etc... There are a few I have looked for in the middle of the woods (which covers a majority of this area) that is the same way as others mentioned here. I have had problems finding just normal cammo thermos or green containers in the thick woods here, much less a super stealthy nano/micro. The way I see it, If I cannot find it in 15-20 minutes of searching the area, I will just move on. I have a job, wife and kids and do not have time to play around search for hours just to log a visit. I am not saying that these type of containers are not ok, just saying I won't spend much time looking for them. Add in GPS units that have problems with exact coordinates in wooded areas (mine does not) or does not have WAAS capability (mine does) and you can be a good quarter mile off making it impossible to find.