SirDonB

Biggest I have found so far was a standard size 50cal ammo can... I am hoping to build some big ones myself soon.

Nah... I think it is only a very tiny locker aboard the ISS. I can see it now... geocoins and TB's floating around, mucking things up. A soggy log sheet/book making for really awful aromatic scents wafting about. Probably is no SWAG, at all. I have seen a few pics from when a New England school send a TB up to visit this one... the actual cache looks like a small locker with the ISS being the camo for it.

Collectible means that you are the owner and you are keeping it in your possession. Inventory means you own the coin but are sending it out to travel. Circulated coins you find in a cache is meant to travel from cache to cache to see how far they will travel. Once in a while someone will leave and unactivated geocoin as swag for a cacher so you can go to the find trackables and put in the number that is on the coin to see who owns it and what its mission is. Let me add this this... if you send it out with the collectable option checked, then yes, someone else can retrieve it from a location, keep it and add it to their own personal collection. So if you are intending the TB or Coin to travel then you want to uncheck the collectable option or say no when you activate it. Also, if you intend to keep it for yourself and show it off to others to be discovered, then you can say it is collectable, put it in your collection, then edit the item to uncheck the collectable option and leave it in your collection. Trackables in your collection will not collect miles. If you want it to be a personal item to track your caching movement, then leave it in your inventory, leave the collectable box unchecked and just log it as visiting/dip when you do your cache log after you find the cache.

It would be nice to see some pics of the coins to determine if I like them enough to make an offer or not.

Got my binder pages and coins stands today... I also won an ebay auction for a Finnish Wood Geocoin LE (Oak). Not sure if this is one of the sought after woodwookers coins or not... please let me know. Here is the link to the listing, maybe someone here can tell me... http://www.ebay.com/itm/331120915273?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_205wt_1220

I could do something like this myself placing a cache in 2 different cities that I can easily get to, to do the maintance on. I am close enough to a small hand full of states within an hours drive that it would be easy enough to spread it out enough to better fit the proposed idea in this thread. I think I need to start working on this.

Yes and no, yes, if you can post the exact coordinates, then you should. The no part of that only applies to a mystery cache where you intentionally post them at a different location. Also the no applies if you hide the cache in a hollowed out tree that still standing or a cave for example where you can not get the exact location, but in this case you would get as close as you could. In the example of the cave, lets say you hid it, then on the cache page or as your hint you can say that it was hid about 50 feet from the mouth of the cave and that the coordinates take you to the mouth of the cave.

I also agree with everything said here, as a finder and hider, the FTF prize is just that, a prize and not subject to the trade rule. The caches I hide, do offer a FTF prize, but I do not put that on the cache page, it is just there marked as such. I do not want that to be the driving force for people to find my caches. I want it be for the experiance, fun, etc. I also am trying to influance my area by making unique caches that stand apart from the usual run of film pots and magnetic micros and nanos. On the few caches I have been lucky enough to be FTF, there has been no prize, but then that's not why I go out looking. But back to topic again, FTF prize, it is offered to you to take without trading for. If you want it, take it, if not leave it for the next, and make a note of it in your log so someone else can grab it if they want. I would also add that if the log book allows you to, note it there as well since not everyone reads the logs or may have gone looking same time you where there and got there after you left.

The name Hraesvelg is correct. I should know, because I named it . You might encounter "Hreasvelg" on occasions, but that is a typo. It was designed, like the other Viking Dragon Shield Geocoins, by Woejam and yours truly. It is a limited edition with 75 minted. It is Antique Nickel with Blue Pearl. See the SSOCA wiki for more details. (At the moment in German only) Thank you for the info, I will have to wait to view the page when I can get it translated by google crome at home. Both coins are stunningly beautiful, I would like to eventually own the entire set.

Email sent, I am hoping you have one left I can get for my kids.

I couldn't agree more and as I stated in a previous post, I personally could care less about being rewarded in some form other than I know I did a good job and helped by doing my part, as a member of a few other groups that use and respect the land for recreation, it's not always about what I can get for myself. Unfortunatly, we live in and with the "me" generation, and the only time they will do for others is when they get something for themselves back in return. So as sad as it may be to those of us who will willingly give our time without the expectation of something in return, I say if it helps to bring more bodies to aid in the cause or goal, so be it. To each their own.

I have yet to be out with a group, so when I get the chance to, I am sure I will be guilty at some point, though since it annoys me, I try to make sure I dont do it in any situation.

ordered some binder pages to store my coin collection in as well as a couple of stands so I can start taking pics of them to share, add to the coins page, etc. Hoping they get here soon. Going out for surgery at the end of the month and need something to do with my time off.

But only from the US (=this country in your post) if I understood you correctly, right? The OP's comment of "(from around the country)" and being from Flordia, USA, would suggest that it was meant to highlight the topic here in the United States. cezanne, I can understand why you ask your question. I would think that the OP would consider to broaden the area and include the rest of the world, as I am sure there are others around the world whom would like to see suggestions from their area if they celebrate Valentines Day or just want a location for that random time they want to be romantic with their other half.

I need one for my house to keep me and the kids off our phones and devices... though I have not had to do the "first one to touch their phone pays the bill" yet while out in public, but as the kids get older, I may have to do that. Can also do that at home and make it some undesirable chore

If everybody used common sense, this thread will never happen. I would have to agree and also point out that in the world today, common sense is a higly endangered species... That being said, I would agree that common sense should prevail on what to report or not. So far I have not come across anything that I would consider to be reportable, with one excpetion that has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. The only cache I submitted a NA to was on the property I work for and the permission had changed and been revoked, so I had to move my cache as well as another CO I emailed to let them know. After a period of time, I had to log an NA and remove the container. If I happen upon a cache that I know is in clear violation of a rule or is in a location where permission has changed, I will most likey try and contact the CO first, it is possible that someone else came along and burried it in an attempt to "hide it better" than how they found it. If after a resonable amount of time I happen to visit it again, if it large enough for a trackable item, and it is still burried, I would then log a NA log on the cache, gather any trackables that are in it, and move on leaving it to the reviewers to decide. Does this way of doing it make me cache copish, maybe to some, but I dont see it that way. I am not only going after those caches that upon detailed review of all logs and the cache page would lead one to believe within a reasonable amount of doubt that the cache was in violation of a rule. So far I have been lucky to not have come across any like that. I am sure as time goes on, I will encounter some, I just have yet to find any in my area.

yes but others will rate a 1/1 at a 5/5 just so area cachers or themselves can get a smilely on a 5/5 for their stats. Maybe the described cache ratings were accedentally swapped, or they could have been intended to be that way for the purpose of filling in stats.

Got these over the weekend On the Left is the "Viking Dragon Shield Geocoin Asgard" and on the rigt is the "Viking Dragon Shield Geocoin Hraesvelg" Though in trying to research the Viking Dragon Shield Geocoin Set, I have not come up with one named "Hraesvelg." So I am not sure if that is correct or not, however, that one was unactivated when purchased and upon activation, that was the default name given. I just have not found any stats on it, like how many were minted, who designed that one, etc.

Are you using the official geocaching app or are you using another 3rd party app? The link provided is for the Official Geocaching app.

I have not cached to a GPSr yet, but I have cached with my smartphone, on the phone, I have only used the map view. I will have to discover other views within my caching app to see if what ones like better. I am thinking that I am primarily going to use the compass view on the GPSr when I get around to trying it out. Now to give a side twist to this debate, let's toss tablets into the mix. They are similar to a smartphone but without the ability to make a phone call. The somewhat basic tablet I have, I have tested out against my smartphone and I must say that under perfect conditions, it will work in a pinch, however, I would not choose to use it over my smartphone or a dedicated GPSr. I found the accuracy to be noticeably worse than my phone. The one cache I had went looking for, for my test comparison, the Tablet had be about 30-50 feet further off than my phone. The phone placed me within about 10 feet of the actual cache container. On my next cache in ideal conditions, I will have to break out all three devices (Casio Commando 4G LTE, Verizon Ellipsis 7, and Garmin eTrex) and see what one brings me closest to the cache container I am seeking.

heh, I was about to post an 'aha' moment, and say that one solution for those cases could be that the person creates a 2nd account just to make the lab cache for their partner... but then, only premium members can create one One could, though, maybe ask another premium friend if they'd be willing to let them create the cache for their partner under their account. I don't believe there's anything rewarded for creating, so there's no "loss" (ymmv) there. I actually thought of this as well. Our account is my family (although I certainly do the majority of the caching). If I wanted to create a cache that was special for my wife. It could be something Valentine Day's related (not sure if that will be seen as a good thing or not ). She opens a VD card, special message, the website takes her to the box that held her engagement ring, she opens it, finds the code. She uses the code. I "get" the hide, she "gets' the find - but our account would register both (no that would not be her only Valentines Day gift) I know its bad form to log your own caches (I have never done so) but here - with the limit of a single person finding it, and she would not know GZ or code or anything else in advance……and since I Heart Geocache Lab Cache is without rules (mostly) and are open to new creativity, it would appear to fall within the definition. But on the other hand, I was going to place the url in a cache container and publish that cache as a traditional or multi with the fact that there is a Lab url for the FTF in it so that the FTF has a chance to get the Lab find also. Don't know. Still toying around with it. In regards to this particular lab cache, you can not log your own... if you attempt to log it from the account it is created from it stays in a test loop and does not log a find. Also, I have 2 caches hid in my area, and after creating my Lab cache, I still have only 2 caches on my profile, so there is no reward given to the "hider" at this time. I do like your idea though of making it a FTF prize in another cache, you only need to make sure that the cache is found before the end of the month so the FTF has time to seek your lab cache.

ok, I made my Lab cache for this month, gave them my feedback via the survey, and it was "found" by its intended recipient. Granted, there was some thought put into it, the little I know the recipient and his friend referanced in the puzzle I setup for it. Overall I am not entierly impressed with them in their current form. However, I know that they are in the experimental stage and if implemented on a more permenant basis, would likely not look and feel they way they do now. I am on the fence as to the concept, and think that limiting them to one per PM is not enough to give accurate feedback as to the concept and mechanics of the this experiment. IMHO, I would need to create several more and try different ideas out that I had rather than be limited to just one single person and one single idea. I also, like others, would like to be able to create one where it can be out there for more than a single person to find. I have a few decent ideas, but given the constrains of the month of Feb, I can not work on them or set them up to be found given the time I would need to obtain permission, design, make and place the container. I had to choose a new caching friend as the recipient rather than my signifigant other since she dont geocache. I also made this decision because 2 of my 5 kids cache with me and being only able to create one, it would not be fair for me to pick one over the other. Yes, I could upgrade their accounts to PM and we could all create one for each other, but that still means I have to pick one of my 2 lil caches to recieve mine and to me that still is not fair. I could see GS implimenting in the future the use of a find code to curve the arm chair loggers on new and future caches. I would be fine with that, so long as I get to share my cache with the caching public like I can now with the normal cache types. Again, depending on your POV, these are or are not caches. IMO, if a GS requirment were that there had to be a container to be found with coords of that container to be provided, these could absolutly be considered to be a goecache by the majority. I like some others, do not define a cache to be by what shows up on my stats and could care less if they are dead on or off by a country mile. Heck, they are already off due to some archived caches and events I have "found." For me there cache is what I find at the end of the hunt, be it a container with a log, a statue or other POI, or new knowledge. What I fail to understand myself, and this is a subject for another thread, is those who will place a micro or nano container in a place that can be home to a larger container that can be deisgned to be a little more elaborate or cleaverly hid. I get that some locations may warrent a micro or nano container, especially in an urban enviornment. Oh well, time to end this before I get too off topic. I do look forward however, to the dedicated thread/area where people can post and share thier lab cache experiences. Once that thread/area is open, I may go into the little detail about my lab cache building. till then, it will be my ranting and generalized opinion in this thread.

I find this interesting since it was my understanding that this hobby didnt come about till after May of 2000. So unless you were military, or some government agency, I will have to call BS on you playing this game since 1999.

And due to the given perception of what cachers believe a cache is or should be, using the word cache in the name lab cache has further added to the confusion. People are hung up on the wording so much that they cant see past it and grasp the bigger concept.

What I think might be a good idea with this particular lab would be a free listing like usual for one that is intended to be out for a long period of time, then offer a temp listing where one would pay a small fee for the listing if it is intended to be for a single finder, or a temp cache for an event, family gathering, etc. I dont know if GS would want to get into something like that, as a secondary system would have to be built in to monitor the time frame the cache is left active, then if it is archived sooner than the determined time for a permanent cache listing, the owner would be then have to be billed some how.