All Take And No Give

[+ksphotoguy]

I know this has probably been covered before but I wanted to know how common it is for someone to

find caches but never hide ANY of their own. I recently did a fairly complicated multi and made the mistake of logging a travel bug and a geo-coin that I had picked up into the cache before it was officially approved , so all my coordinates we visible on the page for the reviewer to check and confirm. The cache had been posted on the website on an evening and the next morning I got a notice that it had already been found. That was fast I thought. Then it occured to me that the geo-coin is how the cacher could have found the coordinates. No biggie. It was my fault for logging the coin in before the cache was listed. Out of curiosity about the early-bird, I was looking at the profile and when I saw his cache history , I was surprised to see that the found category was almost 300 and the number of caches placed was..............zero.

 

Does that happen quite a bit? A cacher will find 'em but never place any?

[+bccruiser]

I can't speak for others but we have yet to hide a cache even though I have found 160. The main reason that I have not hid a cache is that I'm a student and thus I am only around an area for 9 months and then I go home for the summer. I would be hard for me to maintain a cache if I wasn't around. I also don't feel it would be fair for me to disable everytime I go home either for summer or vacations. I do plan on hiding caches once I finally settle down in one area for an extended period of time. But until then it is only finding and no hiding. Hope that may give you some ideas why people do not hide caches.

 

Bccruiser +1

[+BlueDeuce]

How many caches can I find before I have to place another one?

 

I don't want to look like I'm a mooch by finding too many caches.

Edited July 21, 2006 by BlueDeuce

[+laughingcat]

I know this has probably been covered before but I wanted to know how common it is for someone to

find caches but never hide ANY of their own.

 

Does that happen quite a bit? A cacher will find 'em but never place any?

 

no clue. haven't hidden any, thinking about it but.. as to your question, complaint? I am thinking, so maybe it is better that caches are hidden by people who really want to do it, not out of a feeling of "have to" because... that could be part of why one gets all these "lame microcaches" eh?

[+The Leprechauns]

I can't speak for others but we have yet to hide a cache even though I have found 160. The main reason that I have not hid a cache is that I'm a student and thus I am only around an area for 9 months and then I go home for the summer. I would be hard for me to maintain a cache if I wasn't around. I also don't feel it would be fair for me to disable everytime I go home either for summer or vacations. I do plan on hiding caches once I finally settle down in one area for an extended period of time. But until then it is only finding and no hiding. Hope that may give you some ideas why people do not hide caches.

 

Bccruiser +1

Thank you for acting responsibly. That is a great post. I wish certain other students thought this way. I have found or read about a lot of caches in bad shape that were hidden by a student who has since left the area.

 

A similar example is retirees who travel the country in a motor home for much of the year. While they're enjoying Florida's winter weather, how can they maintain a cache back home in Minnesota?

[+KBI]

Hundreds of people have found my caches. I've never checked to see if they'd hidden any themselves. Doesn't matter to me.

 

I've never felt that there was a problem due to a lack of the number of cache hides. I do think telling non-owner-cachers that they should hide caches would only generate lame hides. If a person isn't already inspired to create something worth doing, why shame them into creating mediocrity?

[+New England n00b]

I had over a hundred caches before I placed my first one. Some people may not be able to financially support a cache and its maintenance, never mind 2 or more. It also took me a long time to get teh confidence to hide one. Wanted to make something interesting for others, na dit took some work to find places that I thought were interesting, yet had no exisiting caches already.

[+ksphotoguy]

I appreciate the feedback on this. I just wondered if it is pretty common. I am always interested in where folks that find my caches are from, so that is why I check their profile info out. It just surprised me that someone would find so many but have never placed one themselves.

 

It took me a while to place my first cache and it had some flaws. time and experience have taught me how to make it better. I always try to make mine a scenic spot or unusual landmark , I hate the lame ones and don't want to place anything that won't be of interest to folks. There are a couple guys in our area that have placed way more than I could ever dream of putting out and I appreciate their efforts, so I am doing what I can to add to the hunts in the area.

[+Team yGEOh]

I had over a hundred caches before I placed my first one. Some people may not be able to financially support a cache and its maintenance, never mind 2 or more. It also took me a long time to get teh confidence to hide one. Wanted to make something interesting for others, na dit took some work to find places that I thought were interesting, yet had no exisiting caches already.

 

 

My husband (the other half of the "Team") and I have been cachers since July 2001, and have less then 100 found caches and zero hidden.

 

Why have we not hidden any yet? because we haven't found the right spot that has inspired us to place a cache.

 

Now grated we have a TON of containers and such that we have been collecting for the last 5 yrs, but for us the right spot is very important, because we mostly do our caching during the summer months, on weekends and early in the morning (starting about 6am).

 

 

Some day we will find "our" spot and will be amongst the many other cachers who have hidden a cache.

 

Until then we are just searchers on the mission to find the caches already hidden.

[uperdooper]

i've found just over 200 caches, and i've placed two. i plan on pulling these in the fall to give someone else a chance for the spot. i probably won't place any more either.

 

i have payed for a premium membership for 3 years now and the only premium feature i really use is the off topic forum. i have also sponsored 2 friends, that i met in the forums, after i found out their premium memberships had expired. i'm not the only one in off-topic to have done this.

 

if someone wants to consider that taking and not giving i really don't care. i have an extended family now because of caching and the forums. it makes me happy.

[+starcrwzr]

I've just started this "hobby" and only have 18 finds under my belt, yet, I can't wait to start hiding some! I want to promote the area around my home, Julian, a tourist area in SoCal, and have lots of ideas. I've just received some containers (plastic ammo type boxes) and I'm collecting plastic jars and such for smaller caches. I intend to find roadside "vistas" that are off the beaten track but have wonderful views of the countryside, so that people can enjoy the grandeur that I enjoy everyday. Julian only has about 15 close caches, yet, has innumerable spots to hide more. I can't wait to get started! The only problem I have is gathering the swag to put in the caches! I don't want them to be just junk finds, but something worthy of the hunt, and that can get expensive.

 

Starcrwzr

www.starcrwzr.com

www.mountainhighbnb.com

[+Harry Dolphin]

Believe me, if they don't want to hide a cache, please do NOT force them to!

[+frizz]

I'm going to get my 300th find this weekend. A couple of hours ago I just planted my 4th cache. My first cache was a micro from a "seed" cache. I know that I agonized for hours about where and how to hide that first 35mm film can. Once the logs started rolling in, I was hooked. I next did a CD exchange cache that has been a hoot to follow, another very easy driveup micro, and now a medium size container. Reading the logs is wonderful way to participate in the activity of geocaching when little things like work and family get in the way of actually hunting for caches!

[+Markwell]

This came up about 10 days ago. Here's what I said then.

 

I would never be in support of a rule that indicated that someone who may or may not be able to maintain a cache MUST place a cache because they've found X caches.

 

I would also never be in support of a rule that indicated that someone MUST place a cache because they've found X caches, even though they don't have a good location to which they want to bring cachers.

[+NotThePainter]

Everyone is different.

 

I have about 20 hides and until recently had about 130 finds. My first hide was placed when I had about 20 finds, my third hide was placed when I had way less than 50.

 

It isn't about the numbers or the ratios, it is about what you think you can do and that you can decide what is quality and what is lame.

 

Paul

[+ksphotoguy]

To each their own , I understand that. Like I said before, I was just surprised someone willing to go after that many had never gotten the itch to place a few of their own. I don't think it should be a requirement to place a cache. There are some I am sure should never be allowed to place one. I guess I just figured everyone in the game for any period of time would want to place their own out.

[+wimseyguy]

Some of us are great hiders, some just seekers. Some can do both, with differing ratios that satisfy their needs. Some are leaders, others just follow.

 

The one thing I do know is forcing or even suggesting to someone that they do something they really do not want to, usually had bad results.

(Well except at work; they do have to do what I tell them to here. )

[+the hermit crabs]

I guess I just figured everyone in the game for any period of time would want to place their own out.

 

There are lots of activities that people participate in only one part of, with no desire to try the other parts. I like to go to concerts and listen to music, but since I have absolutely no musical talent myself, I don't play any instruments. People go to movies all the time without any inclination to pick up a camera and make their own movies. Pitchers just pitch, and designated hitters just hit (well, in the American League, anyway []).

 

And just because someone doesn't hide caches, that doesn't mean that they are "all take and no give". There are plenty of ways to "give" without hiding caches: writing nice logs; posting pictures; CITOing around cache sites; trading up; helping out caches in need of minor maintenance by adding new logbooks or pencils or ziplocks if needed; moving travel bugs along; buying and releasing travel bugs for others to enjoy; helping newbies either in person or in the forums, etc.

[+Bear Paughs]

And just because someone doesn't hide caches, that doesn't mean that they are "all take and no give". There are plenty of ways to "give" without hiding caches: writing nice logs; posting pictures; CITOing around cache sites; trading up; helping out caches in need of minor maintenance by adding new logbooks or pencils or ziplocks if needed; moving travel bugs along; buying and releasing travel bugs for others to enjoy; helping newbies either in person or in the forums, etc.

 

Thank you, well said.

[+Team Tecmage]

We found several caches before placing our first cache. I think cachers need to have several finds before attempting to hide a cache.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

Everyone plays differently and it's all good. We were very concerned about the give/take ratio when we began and asked around for some surprising answers. Some people had never hidden, some had hidden almost twice as many as they found! We've hidden about 1 for 10 found, but we get a real kick out of trying to come up with "clever" hides. So for us, we're hiding because that's a big, BIG part of the fun in caching for us. Some people find a competitive aspect in counting numbers. For us it's the let's see if we can make one even better than so-and-so's latest cache. Lately we've taken a break from hiding, but we have another 4 or 5 multis to work out and place by the fall. I think that might max us out though because we tend to run a lot of maintenance checks with ours and we're still trying to figure out how much is enough or too much. We also have the advantage of an incredibly huge area of forests and hills ripe for placing though. So don't worry about the numbers. When you find that special place or get that tingly "this would be perfect" feeling, you'll know. Just pay attention to what kind of caches you enjoy most and try to make yours even better as reward for the people who put so much effort into their caches for us!

 

edit for spelling

Edited July 21, 2006 by fox-and-the-hound

[+art begotti]

keep in mind, it might not be the (potential) hider's fault at all. cache saturation might keep caches from being planted anywhere near the hider's convenience. local laws or regulations might make hides impossible. a lot of different factors play in... i think that the hermit crabs really hit the hammer on the nail with the head with their post above... there are so many ways to give without hiding.

[+miss_butterfly]

I guess people have different approaches to placing a cache and some take longer than others.

 

I have now placed my first cache, and that came about because i heard of geopost office here in the forum and really wanted to make one in UK. I also have been wanting to do a motorway mayhem so i coupled the two. It was pretty easy to find hiding spot, go to the nearest motorway junction, looked at few suitable places and it was done.

 

My partner on the other hand, is waiting for *just* the right place for a cache. He's waiting to come across the perfect view/historical location, so i guess he will be a while before placing his first one.

 

I don't think neither is right or wrong, what's important is that you are happy and can be proud of your cache, because otherwise you're just not going to maintain it are you?

 

I also feel that helping people on forums, CITO, introducing new people to geocaching and emergency operations on caches that are damages are also "giving back".

 

edit to add: Also, I spend about 4,5 months of the year in japan. If it wasn't for my boyfriend who is here all the time and kindly will maintain my cache for me while i'm away, i wouldn't be able to place ANY caches.

Edited July 21, 2006 by miss_butterfly