agltbialik

People who filter out micros in their pocket queries aren't going to be happy about finding a bison tube embedded in a log. They're not going to be happy about finding a bison tube in any kind of cammo. Generally, people who really care about cache size are more concerned with interior space. +1 for this. Shaun Most that I know of who filter out micros do so because so dang many of them are crappy parking lot hides or such. I wouldn't mind finding a bison tube in a log if it was appropriate to the location and that location was more interesting than a Wally World parking lot. About filtering out micros: I have a cache that does the opposite. It's listed size is "not chosen" to hide the fact that it's a LARGE container hidden in a commonly used micro container area (a newspaper box where most people just leave key hiders). It's kind of a nice surprise when they come in expecting a tiny cache only to find a giant container they didn't think could be hidden in such a manner.

I've felt bad about submitting so many Needs Archived logs lately. Usually, it's just a DNF with a note that it looks like it's missing (if I suspect that). I will sometimes put it on my watch list if it's something I'm curious to find later on. If I have a strong feeling, or know for sure that a cache is missing, and after several other people post DNFs without the CO checking up on the cache, I post a Needs Maintenance. After ANOTHER NM log from someone else, then the local reviewer disables the cache giving the owner a good 30 days to answer back or check on it. If it's well past the 30 day mark (more than enough time for someone to at least address the issue), I'll post the Needs Archived. It's only fair to clear up the 528 feet radius for other cachers to hide something if the CO is just sitting on the coords. I understand wanting to keep that cache alive, but after 30 days of inactivity and no checking up on it, you no longer have a cache.. you're just camping out on a location. In my area, we are SATURATED with nanos and micros and such, and there are a lot of newer and more creative cachers that don't have good locations to implement their ideas. Needs Archived may seem harsh to some, but it's only fair to other hiders, especially if you were given enough time to address the issues.

Oh here's an annoyance I ran into recently As listed on cache description: 05/22/2004 5:40 P.M. - Increased difficulty level to 4 due to feedback. 05/15/2007 9:00 P.M. - Changed the cache and the location since blah blah... 05/22/2007 9:30 P.M. - You can log this cache a second time *IF* you have found it before 05/22/2007. 06/14/2007 5:30 P.M. - Increased the difficulty rating from 4.0 to 4.5 due to feedback and added another hint. 05/17/2009 2:30 P.M. Due to some recent architectural changes to the environment at GZ, we had to relocate the cache a short distance away. Again. Ok, so time/date stamping all the changes is nice to be able to see the progression of the cache, but a lot of people move the cache, change containers, change hints (in the timestamp notes ONLY), etc... and then just post an ammendment to their listing, making it very confusing on the field when searching. It would be much cleaner and more efficient if they just consolidated all the information and changed the listing accordingly. It's cleaner, neater, more organized, and easier to navigate and understand. Though, I'm not one to tell these people how to cache... they've been around since the beginning.

Although bad (useless) hints are a bit irksome, not posting a hint has it's place. Groundspeak provides difficulty ratings from 1 (easy) to 5 (super hard). Not all caches are supposed to be easy and some people actually enjoy the challenge of trying a find a super hard cache. Fortunately the difficulty ratings gives us an easy way for us to filter out those that we don't want to try to find. I've had endless debates and discussions on the exclusion of a hint and the difficulty rating of a cache. Personally, I think a cache can be a 5D and still have a hint, because the find, in and of itself, would still be impossible to find. The hint is just there for help if you're stuck, and could be completely ignored if you wish to have more of a challenge. I don't feel that a difficulty rating should lower because a hint is involved. It's like a video game - you can set the difficulty rating super high, but you can also use a cheat code. When you input the cheat code, the difficulty rating doesn't just lower down. A lot of people, obviously, feel otherwise.

My first hide was one of the first ideas I had for hides when I started geocaching. I didn't put it into motion for a good 2 years after. My Love Story - The J & A Chronicles (Video Cafe) GC4AXPM

This one pissed me off greatly lately: "Magnetic" And when I found the cache, it was a piece of wood with magnets glued to it, attached to a WOODEN FENCE that had a couple of metal washers glued to it so that the piece of wood could be magnitized to it. Meanwhile, at GZ there was a metal fence on the opposite side of the alley, and a few metallic lamp posts. ugh.

Yeah. It was probably a bison in a bush and I didn't feel like aborting my plans just to claim the FTF on it. FTF is only a tool I use to annoy FTF hounds. It matters not to me. I only like the finding bit. Hear Hear. I've only gone after an FTF twice and gotten it once, but only because they were very close to my location and I got the notification at a good time. In my area, there are a handful of people who always get the FTF (at the oddest hours in the morning to boot), so I don't bother.

Agreed, whole heartedly. I've had this discussion with other cachers ad infinitium.

What irks me? People who think they are entitled to be notified if they are not going to be FTF on a cache. Part of the FTF side game is not knowing if you are first and feeling the rush hit you when you find out you are. I cannot understand how such self-entitlement can motivate a person to think that they must be placated by an immediate FTF log, lest they actually be disappointed if they come in second. So true! I use various listing sites for my caching pleasures. I sign the log of caches I find, but don't make any online entries (just not my thing). I track all my finds and such in GSAK. I don't play the FTF part of the game, but I have found a few that had no other signatures in the log (normally posted on other sites). A few years ago, I found a cache listed on another site which at the time wasn't cross posted on GC.com. About a week later the CO published on this site, probably not more than 2 or 3 hours after it was published I received an email from the next to find upset that I didn't log it online in a timely manner! He said he wouldn't have bothered to run out and look for it if he had known I had already found it! He then proceeded to accused me of cheating (being with the CO when it was placed) as the date on my signature was the week prior! :/ You know, if you are not going to log your finds, most of us cache owners appreciate at least a simple note, ("found your cache, everything's good"), when someone finds our caches. You can delete it afterwards if you wish. I could, but I won't. May I then suggest at least a "thank you for placing the cache" email to the CO if you don't want to log online, don't you think they deserve at least that for taking the time and trouble to place the cache in the first place? I honestly don't care if someone thanks me or not, but a found log or note lets me know that the cache is still there. I'm more concerned about the status of my cache than I am about someone elses bad manners. I also do not care if someone found my cache and didn't log it.. mainly because I'd never know. As stated in other posts, sometimes CO's don't check the log for months or years or EVER (if it gets muggled). It's basically no harm no foul. As a CO, I'm also very lenient on people SIGNING the log. If someone posts the find, but says "I couldn't sign it because there were too many muggles around, but I saw it and found it," that's good enough for me. The beauty of this game is To Each Their Own. And at the end of the day, it's just a "game", and not even one where we "win" anything. For those leaving "thank yous", I appreciate it. But I didn't start hiding these things to stroke my own ego with appreciation. That may have come out wrong; I apologize if it sounds like I'm criticizing others. I don't mean to. But again, to each their own. I am also more concerned with knowing if my caches are still ok, and there will be enough people logging about that where I don't have to worry about those who don't log at all. But to stay on topic here, my irks are horrible hints with an evil hide. I believe a sliding scale is best. The harder the hide, the better the hint. There are people who love that extra "challenge" but frustration kicks in quick with me. The worst hints are the red-herring type like "Magnetic", when the hid is a piece of wood with magnets attached to a wooden fence (where the metal it's attached to is hidden). Argh.

This is my first post in the forums, but I just had to chime in on this topic. I too have wondered how to up the swag game a bit. After caching for a few years, I didn't even care about what I found in a cache anymore and I thought that most experienced cachers felt the same. So what would I like to find in a cache? It wasn't an easy question to answer. Lately, I've tried leaving "Geocaching Starter Kits" (something that I've loaded my own personal hides with and felt I'd pass it along). I found a lot of bison tubes that were a little under a dollar each, loaded each one with a log, and bagged it with a little sign/label that states it's a swag item/starter kit. For bigger caches, I found a bunch of small plastic containers at various stores for about 25c each (sold in packs of 4-8), and loaded them with logs and starter kit signs as well. Not sure how everyone feels about them yet, but I thought I could help other newer cachers get started with their own hides, or at least inspire them to try it out. Maybe it's not the best idea if they are TOO new, and place some lame hides, but the goal was to encourage and let the game grow a little. For micros, I now leave a little baggie with some goggly eyes in them. I'm part of the VandalEyes movement, and thought that they would be more fun and encourage creativity more than a standard sticker. I'm constantly thinking of how to up the swag game. We must all be tired of the same old Happy Meal junk by now, right? And there has to be more cachers without kids than with (?)