SidAndBob

After checking up to see where my trackables are I was sad to see a geocoin was placed in a muggled cache and has disappeared. What annoyed me was the fact that the owner hadn't bothered to contact me and just commented "The cache seems to have been muggled again". Please show some common sense. If a cache is known to be at risk either do something about it (move it or archive it) or at least state clearly not to leave trackables in the cache. I guess I can print it out and laminate it, but it just isn't the same is it?

The last of the day and I was just signing the log on a pretty rural cache when a voice behind me asked "Do you mind telling me what you're doing?". I took a chance on it being just a nosy by passer and answered in a friendly manner "Yes, I do mind". Unfortunately it was the land owner, so I had to come clean. Once they found it was nothing illegal they seemed less than interested.

If you buy the Garmin belt clip you get a button with it. I've actually worn a couple down.

I got some recently, though I have to say it's much easier to use a good head torch for geocaching. Great for watching wildlife though.

The cache container will disappear completely. In a Wherigo fashion the GPSr knows if you've been to a location - you may have to complete some task - then the unit will register your find. There would be no permission issues, no geo-trash, no muggled caches. Trade items will thankfully disappear (I'm sure they could be replaced by something though), TB's would be virtual and never get stolen. The GPSr would record (or video) your log so others could play it back. People will just say "Thanks man" (or have a pre-recorded message saying "Thanks man") because anything else is too much effort. Your GPSr will be relaying information to the GC servers, so it can inform you of any cache updates as well as where other cachers are, so you won't have to go through the "are they or aren't they?" scenario. There will be no proximity issues as you would only be allowed to see new caches once you'd completed older ones in the area if there are any proximity issues, so there will be millions of cache (most will be lame). You won't have a GPSr, it will be integrated (as will everything else) onto your mobile phone. Garmin won't exist - they'll have been swallowed up by a phone company. OK, so probably in 20 years rather than 10, but it will happen - assuming the planet is still going then. P.S. We'll all be dressed in Signal the Frog suits, but it wasn't explained why in my dream.

Bad news. My eTrex hung round my neck for a few years without a problem (they're yellow for a reason too), but when I upgraded to a CSx I nearly lost it a couple of times. I put it on a lanyard attached to my belt straight after that. Now I have it on the short lanyard it comes with clipped to a caribina on my belt. It doesn't hit the ground if I drop it now. I have had no close calls (touch wood) in the 2 years since. I have nearly lost my wedding ring a few times whilst caching as it's too loose. The first time I noticed it in the fork of a tree as I was replacing the cache. Last week I thought I'd really lost it, but it turned up in a walking boot. It now sits in a drawer until I can get it adjusted.

I frequently run my NiMH batteries to zero and have only seen this scenario 2 or 3 times in almost 2 years solid use. What firmware version are you running on the CSx?

For those who love Firefox: Did you know that you can take Firefox with you when you're not at home? So if your employer insists on you using IE, for instance, you can run it from your clip drive with no install on the PC. Doesn't support Grease Monkey though.

This made me laugh. I just saw this on a recent local log by a newbie. "Left a sticker and took a metal pencil sharpener." I guess it's better than "took log book".

Who said anything about cleaning out all the TB's in the cache? We left a couple there (I'm not sure why I was guilted into it) and left one we had brought with us in case someone else visited that day. The cache has been visited once since our visit a month ago, so where as we distributed all the TB's within a week most would still be sitting there now. One final point is that the owners have restocked the cache with another 13 trackables. It is a real problem that some people think it's greedy to help TB's which someone else has hi-jacked. No wonder some get stuck for months in the same cache.

I believe completely the opposite. If we all replaced a TB by a TB every time then only the same few caches will ever hold TB's. I like to take from one cache and then drop one off in a different cache to share the TB's around. No cache has the right to be a TB cache over any other cache. The idea of swapping TB's being common courtesy is wrong. The cache doesn't have any rights over the TB (unless it's a resident trackable). The cache has rights over it's trade items only. I recently picked up 12 TB's from one cache. I can't see that the TB owners are going to be unhappy at this (I certainly wouldn't be if it was my TB or geocoin) and they're the ones that matter, not a cache owner who has sometimes hi-jacked a whole bunch of other peoples trackables to put in his own cache. I also distribute the TB's more evenly giving more people the chance to find one. I cache pretty much every weekend so I can get the TB's moving quickly - which is what they are supposed to do.

POI don't count as waypoints - and don't forget that their descriptions can be much longer than waypoints too making them great for holding cache hints and other info. I'm not aware of a limit to custom POI. I've had about 20,000 in mine without a problem, though it appears that map and route redrawing speed may be affected by having this many. This thread is very useful.

Despite this being a major problem this information is well hidden. I remember when we started not being sure about this, so I hunted out the information - and it did take some hunting out. When signing up some basics should be given to the newbie. Not too much, but this should be included. I have put fewer and fewer swaps into new caches as I'm fed up with the contents disappearing or dwindling to rubbish. Having said this, I don't think it would make much difference as we put this image on most of our caches and we still constantly get the logs you speak of.

There are guidelines on this, which say you should keep as much original content as possible and credit the original owner. Having said that, it is now your cache to do with as you please. I've adopted 3. Two of which barely needed touching, but the third needed a fair bit of tidying up. It's really up to your judgment.

I do this on one of my listings (just for fun; it's not required listening), though with the change of rules you are no longer allowed to require data download - which is what this is. I'm sure our trusty moderators can give a definitive answer on this, but I very much doubt you'd get it published.

I totally agree with the OP's point. It's just common sense. It can go further though. I have also visited a cache (at dusk) near a bus shelter where a young woman was waiting for a bus and felt it was unfair on her to search. Also, I tried to do maintenance on a cache today which is by a path that is usually pretty quiet. Today it was like Oxford Circus with Christmas walkers and kiddies. I felt so awkward hanging around waiting for a break that I gave up and moved on.

I say it's a great way to discover new and interesting places to visit and go walking. The tupperware, events and geocoins bit just seems to encourage ridicule.

we too would be swamped with REAL dross You been to Vicarage Road this season? I certainly have been swamped with real dross there That aside as a relative newbie to geocaching I would agree that a cache should make you go on a good walk in a nice place or introduce you something interesting (e.g. like the cache I did last week at Sunshine Desserts from Reggie Perrin). I expect some but not all of the sidetracked caches would meet this criteria. Maybe I shouldn't really offer any opinions until I have set some of my own. Even in relatively over-cached North London/Herts, there do seem to be ample places to set new caches without any dilution of the above criteria. I agree. Some people seem to be confusing convenience with quality. What's going on with the quotes too.

Shouldn't that be "I've got your letter."

I contacted them a couple of days ago too. I also emailed a Crickhowell cacher, but he knew nothing about it either.

I'd be interested to know what others think of these. Personally I find them very uninspiring.

It sure is a great area to go walking in. And there are some good caches nearby too.

1. GPSMAP60CSx 2. Palm M515 - who cares WHEN it get smashed and the batteries last 3. GSAK for downloading and MapSource for uploading 4. MemoryMap and Topo UK

When I placed this cache near Mugglewort Wood I thought the name was a coincidence, but months later I discovered it was the actual place that gave Muggles their name. J.K. Rowling grew up nearby in Tutshill and used many local people and places for her inspiration - including the Tutshill Tornadoes of course.

Trigpoints are not geocaches and should be enjoyed for what they are.