GeekKitty

Excellent. Noone else seems to have volunteered. How do I transfer them to you? Yes. I thought I'd disabled them completely. I shall fix this. Thanks J

I have three Kent based caches that I'd like to put up for adoption as I am no longer able to maintain them. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2ATXA_route-18-forked https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2ATWZ_route-18-beeched https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1N5KC_anno-domine-mm Would anyone like to take over? I believe all three are still in position, tho some may need a new log book. Thanks J

Some cache owners go through their logs and check everyone who's signed the log to make sure that the log entries on the website match those in the paper log. This has cost me a few finds where I forgot the pen, or the log as damp. I normally take a photo in each case. But I find it kinda infuriating. Personally, I don't audit my cache logs. If you want to log my cache as found when you've not, it doesn't bother me. Logging false DNF's on the other hand... J PS Apologies for the thread necromancy...

I've had caches in the past, where I've approached with a GPSr in hand, and spotted it from 20m away cos there was a rock or a stick that was not quite right. But recently I was out for a walk, I hadn't planned on doing the series of 25 caches I was walking past, as I was concentrating on the walk that day. But I stopped for a cuppa, and while sat enjoying the view, a thought occurred to me. . o O ( This would be a good place for a geocache ) Followed shortly there after by . o O ( If I was to hide a cache here, I would put it under that rock... the one that looks slightly placed ) I lifted the rock up, and what did I find underneath? A geocache... It's nice to know great minds think alike. Has anyone else had something similar happen? J

Just a quick addition, I don't bother with swaps. I do like trackables, but to me the swaps tend to be bits of plastic junk of about the same use and merit as you find in a Christmas cracker. Maybe the kids enjoy them. Personally I ignore them. J

Thank you for your kind offer. I'm not sure what's going on either. I hit refresh and all the caches disappeared. Back to the dark ages for me. J

My view is they are a pain in the backside, and I request that people don't leave them in my caches. I found a travel bug hotel that was a ammo box, it had got wet, contained no travel bugs, and was just full of a mush of congealed soggy business cards. Most unpleasant. As a maintainer, I find it annoying to have to go out and clear them from an otherwise serviceable cache. I don't know of anyone who actually collects them, if I find them in my caches, I tend to put them in the bin. The one redeeming feature of micro/nano caches is you can't fit a business card in it... J

My personal preference is for your traditional cache, ideally a half reasonable sized container you can fit a trackable in. I had a travel bug for a year as I kept finding caches that were too small for it to fit in. I don't like puzzle caches, and I am not a fan of most multi caches. For many a multi cache, I would rather a series of caches with a bonus, rather than several stages of a multi, several times I've got 6 out of 8 stages into a multi only to find that the 7th is missing, and I've had to DNF the cache. Conversely, I did a series + bonus, where one of the series was missing, I sat down in a cafe with the info I had from the caches I had found, and plotted the 10 possible locations for the bonus cache, 7 of them were out to sea, so I could check the remaining 3. I got lucky and found it on the first I picked. But, of all the things I detest most of all about a geocache, it's an unhelpful clue... "tree" for a cache in a forest is in no way shape or form, useful. J

It's the open cycle map render. I prefer it to the maps available as a basic member. I seems that the map had logged me out, I hit refresh and all the caches have disappeared, and my finds are showing up.

No, a friend gave me premium membership as a gift. I can't justify the cost of it at the moment, so have to make do with the basic membership. I hadn't realised that a lot of the local caches seem to be going PM only of late, I thought the cache count had been going down. Looks like I won't be caching much until I can find some spare cash. J

Has the map view on the geocaching.com site been recently "improved"? I just looked and saw loads of new caches in my local area, but when I click on them they all seem to be premium member only caches. Thing is there is no way of know from the icons on the map which are premium and which are not, also which ones I've found and which ones I haven't anymore. Did someone break something? or is this a new "improved" version? I've also discovered that my favourite series of caches hasn't been archived as I thought, but is now premium members only. Wouldn't have known were it not for the map changing. I was planning on putting the cache series back in place and was sourcing containers. It used to be that you could clearly see from the map view which caches you had found, which were for mortals, and which were for premium members only, now you can't tell the difference. Argh! Some of these caches I've found, some are premium, some are normal. Wouldn't know which from the map view J

Just noticed the following log entry for one of my caches: Without the hint, that could have been a DNF, due to the natural margin of error of the two GPSR units involved. The hint:

Yes, they would, and would also dramatically increase the number of DNF's. There is a fine level between making the game a challenge, and the number of DNF's making you say sod it and do something else. I turned round from a planned 33 cache cycle ride after the 4th DNF, when they all just had "tree" as the hint for caches in woodland. If the GPS was a bit more accurate, then not needing a clue would be fine, but given that between the margin of error of your GPSR and my GPSR, I could be searching an area spanning 20-50m in some cases. So knowing that I should be looking for a film container, and that it's attached to a fence post, narrows down the search quite a lot. I found a cache last week where I had to use the clue, as the GPS had me in the middle of a busy road with cars doing 60mph. Had I not used the clue, I would have had no chance on the cache. As it was, I had to search 3 tree's before I found it. To me, the ideal cache description should include the type of container that you are looking for, rough instructions - Park at x, a description of why the cache is there, be it historical significant, you had a nice date there, it's a good view, the tree is ancient, etc... and then a hint that when decrypted helps you to find the cache. If you don't do this, then most film pot placements really should become difficulty 5, and you will get a lot of DNF's.

Am starting to get more and more infuriated by caches for which the clue is entirely useless. The exact degree of uselessness of the clue varies but tends to come in two types: - Vague - So vague that it doesn't actually help, there is a whole series of caches in a woodland in Denmark where each cache simply has the clue "tree". - Cryptic - So you've failed to find the cache by rummaging about in the ivy, or behind the drain pipe, so you decode the clue to find that it's a cryptic message that doesn't help "What would mr smith do" (random made up example, but you get the idea). That entirely doesn't help you. To me, if I've had to resort to the clue it means that the actual hunt is non trivial and I need the help. Useful examples of clues: - "Base of fence post" - doesn't say which fence post, so allows for some hunt, but actually useful - "Nook of ivy covered tree" - Should help you actually find which nook it is you need Am I the only one getting infuriated by poor clues? Do you have any examples of really good, or the really bad clues? Julia

Am I permitted within the rules (and the law in the UK), to hide a cache up a tree? J

Excellent, have tracked down a UK supplier. When I first googled I was getting only US results. Am thinking I may get a tin of tan and a tin of brown, and use them as you suggest to get camo effects. Browns seem to be most suitable for the forest floor. Don't think I can justify investing in 3 colours. Cheers. J

Are they waterproof in their own right? or do you need to do the double pot approach to make sure the log stays dry? J

Thought as much. Could have a very long rant about poor clues for caches. I gave up on a series once when I was struggling to get a decent signal due to tree cover in woodland, and the only clue given was "tree". Of course it's gonna be hidden somewhere within/on/under/around a tree, it's woodland there is nowhere else to hide it! But that's for another thread... J

Looks like paint gets the vote. In which case, can anyone recommend a good spray paint that sticks to plastic well, and lasts properly when out in the elements? Ideally something I can buy online. Julia

To further add, does anyone have any experience of the long term waterproofness of this type of container: http://www.geocachekit.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2465997-49ml-Micro-Geocache-Container.html J

Are the pill containers (the ones that look a bit like a bison container) any good as a cache container? Do they have the longevity we like in a cache container? I'm wondering if the O ring will degrade and then it would become non waterproof? J

Wow, there seems to be lots more replies after I got the answer to the original question all with helpful acronyms to add to the list. Thanks everyone Julia PS Apologies for the slight thread necromancy.

What are peoples oppinions of the various camo tapes out there for disguising the colour of cache containers? I the self amalgamating stuff (sticks to itself when you stretch it), better than the self adhesive stuff? Anything I should avoid? Thanks Julia

I thought it was. It's in the ivy in the fork of a tree. Apparently not as sheltered as I had hoped. Hence looking at alternatives. I have 15ml and 30ml sample tubes, but I as they are so light coloured, I am concerned they might not blend into the ivy as well as the film canister did. I'm don't want to invest too much in the container in case it gets muggled. Ideas and thoughts welcome. Julia

I have a cache that is currently a 35mm film canister with a log book inside a ziplock bag. But it seems to have got entirely water logged. Can anyone recommend a low cost alternative container that is a bit more water proof? Julia