Korichnovui

Yeah I've already thought a key/tool one would be even more problematic to keep control of. I've already rethought the puzzle where a padlock isn't needed. It should enhance the longevity / reduce the need for maintenance. I've since realized that if people want to vandalize or cause mischief, they can just steal the cache / not set it back right.

I'm planning a puzzle cache intended to be pretty difficult, and I want to include a combination padlock locking the ammo can cache closed. My latest paranoia is that it appears that all combo padlocks these days are able to be "reset" and I'm worried that finders will be tempted to vandalize the cache by resetting the padlock to some number that only they know... Is that just crazy to be worried about that?

If I lock an ammo can with a small combination padlock, will it (the padlock) last long if exposed to weather? What if I get it in a sheltered spot where it won't get wet?

Okay thanks There's a fairly new geocoin in a cache I'm going to hit tonight on my way to a meeting, and I noticed it was "collectible". I don't have any interest in keeping it but I was curious about this "collectible" term. I'll happily snag it (if still there by tonight) and move it along to somewhere else. That's good to know for future finds, though. I could see myself being tempted to keep a cool-looking coin.

So, to be clear, if I find a geocoin marked "collectible" then I can keep it with no hard feelings?

I had forgotten I had this other app from a long time ago called "Theodolite" I'm trying it out in the field. It's cool to be standing at the geosite and take a screen shot while using the theodolite app, it shows the surrounding area and also has the GPS coordinates on it

Go to an event and meet some people face-to-face, I’m guessing that will help a lot

My understanding is that the rules now require a physical cache at the end. But apparently it wasn't always that way. I also have done a "multicache" that was more like a virtual/puzzle cache with no physical cache at the end, just email in a phrase that you learn by going to the sites. It was explained to me that this was an "old" cache that was "grandfathered in".

Would it be okay to "multi-cache" someone onto school grounds, then off again, to find a cache that is unmistakably off of school grounds but not too far away?

Well I have used the google maps at the site of the cache and make a waypoint and use those coordinates from what I can tell so far, it has been very accurate as I’ve been a bit anal about checking it between other applications such as geocaching.com

Yeah I also noticed that the native apple compass does not have good resolution, so I was using google maps which seemed really accurate I'll try the geocaching.com app and some of the other things mentioned here, thanks guys!

I have a different sort of problem My kid couldn't resist picking up a trackable which is a bowling ball Literally Like doesn't even fit inside an ammo can May try to swap it at a mega coming up in June.... Back onto topic, we recently sent out our first TB's, as well. No action yet. People have advised me to put them near the airport if I want them to go far. I also like to think that putting them in a difficult cache might increase the chances of a "serious/seasoned geocacher" finding them and doing the right thing with them.

I use an iPhone, which has the compass app and also google maps, neither of which seems to prefer DDM format, so things have been a little tricky

I was afraid to try that, it makes it seem like it'll make some kind of permanent record, which didn't seem like the right way to go...?

Thanks I suppose this site is working pretty well for me

I swear, the hardest part to making a new geocache is dealing with the website! It seems to insist on using DDM coordinates. So I need something on the web that can convert GPS coordinates INTO the DDM format. But there doesn't seem to be any decent sites that do this!! The few I've googled up are all really crappy / not easy to use. Does someone have a nice one on hand?

I'm working on a big cache project and I've been creating some "draft" cache hides on the site. I've since come to realize that it's WAAAAY easier to simply create the whole cache all at once, the first time, rather than trying to modify it later. But I have no idea how to remove these unfinished draft caches....

Hello, I live in Tri-Cities, WA, at the confluence of 3 rivers which converge right in the middle of our towns. This river area provides a lot of opportunity for water sports and swimming. I personally enjoy cruising around in my motorboat, doing wake sports, and even just swimming outside the boat and seeing how deep I can dive down into the water. The river is typically 15-25 feet deep but can easily hit > 30 feet or even > 60 feet deep in some spots. So naturally, now that I'm getting into geocaching, I want to make an underwater cache! We don't appear to have a significantly deep one in my area and I think it would be pretty cool, if done right. Before creating this post, I did a search of the topic, and previous threads didn't really address the questions I have. Those questions are: 1. Do people even like going for underwater caches? 2. Which underwater caches have you seen that were "done right" vs what mistakes have you come across? 3. Which materials may be required? Can rite in the rain paper or other specialized paper remain submerged and stay in good shape? Can you write on it with a pencil - underwater? 4. Are there any safety or liability concerns in this sort of venture? I'm not talking about caches that are just underwater that "may require wading". I'm thinking 8-12 feet deep, requires diving down, but doesn't require SCUBA. One idea I saw in a previous thread that seemed pretty good was to have it be a multi-cache where the submerged object simply gives a clue / coordinates for the final cache location. This idea has several merits - don't have to maintain an actual underwater cache container, don't have to deal with a log in/on the water, maintaining the land cache is much easier, etc. The one drawback is, in my mind, the adventurous one though - wouldn't it just be really cool to find and log the cache while underwater?

I downgraded the difficulty to 2 Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I'm still learning a lot about this game!

Slightly off topic, but regarding uses for pill bottles: I found a fun cache which was a long PVC tube. Inside was a series of pill bottles, and the log was in one of them. The others contained scraps of paper that said “this one isn’t the log, keep looking!”

That's what I was worried about. I mean, probably not a big deal in this case, but good to know in other situations.

Hey all, So I got into geocaching by working on the geocaching merit badge with my scout troop. As one of the requirements, we set up our own geocache. At the time we rated it 2.5 star difficulty. Now, looking back, it's more like 1.5 difficulty, it's not tough at all. This got me thinking -- I noticed that the cache details are editable. Is it appropriate to change the rating later on? It's been in use for about a year and has been logged many times. Does that somehow mess people up? Are there ramifications? "Unspoken rules of the game" to be considered? Or just no big deal at all?

Hey all, I'm currently plotting a fairly elaborate mystery cache which involves finding a bunch of other caches around town in locations that have sentimental value to me. To be clear: It is my plan to create all these new caches at the sentimental sites. It turns out that a couple of those spots are totally overshadowed by pre-existing caches. Is there a workaround?

I agree with this sentiment - with a couple of exceptions. I’m planning on a complex puzzle cache and I would be irked if someone tried to claim it without actually physically solving it. For run-of-the-mill caches I’d agree it’s no big deal but some caches clearly had a lot of extra love, blood, sweat, and tears put into them, and “cheating” would feel more insulting (to me anyway). Similarly, I’ve seen people get kinda worked up about certain spots. Just check out this cache (and the log activity): http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC60BX6 It appears to be the northernmost cache in the world and no one has claimed it yet. Except when someone did log it online. But it appears that they were cheating. Unless they really are a world traveler and got on the internet at a later time to log their finds. I guess the only way to know is to check the log....

Great questions about stealth! As a new player I am becoming more cognizant of the importance of stealth. GPS works independent of WiFi or cellular data. GPS is communication with GPS satellites in the sky and will continue to work even if you are waaay off grid and/or in airplane mode. That said, there are certain terrains or environmental considerations that can interfere with GPS signal. Such as tunnels, deep canyons, etc. Also that said, to geocache in airplane mode or off grid you should download the maps and cache info ahead of time. The GPS will work but you still need to have access to a map and cache data. Downloading ahead of time is the best way to go.