The Good GeoCaching Etiquette Guide

[+Jango & Boba Fett]

Perhaps we need a "how to hide a micro" sticky thread!

 

HH

Excellent idea, though to be fair a "cache etiquette" thread with positive suggestions,examples of etc might be more useful. I'm aware that there are other "no sticky" threads in the General Geocaching Discussions areas but you have to go and hunt these down.

 

IMHO though to work any how to hide a cache sticky thread would have to be astrictly no spitting zone and all the llamas would have to accept that any rants posted in there would be swiftly deleted. Ah that probably means we'd get more rant threads, or would it?

Whilst writing a "Cache placement etiquette" thread would someone also like to write a "trading etiquette" thread too, both are issues which need to be addressed IMHO.

Welcome to the Good GeoCaching Etiquette Guide (GGCEG) Thread. Please feel free to post any positive examples, advice and suggestions of good GeoCaching. Topics may include, but are not limited to placing caches, hunting caches, trading and CITO.

 

All and any positive comments are invited but please make sure you close the gate in case any Llamas try to get in; this is a no spitting zone. Please feel free, however, to post links to threads where there is vigourous debate on your chosen area of GeoCaching Etiquette, the idea is not to stifle debate but to promote a better GeoCaching experience for the whole community, pointers for beginners and hopefully less hassle due to accidental misunderstanding of GeoCaching Etiquette.

 

Lets see how how it goes, if its helpful we may achieve sticky status if not we will will fade away.

[+HazelS]

Deceangi is thinking of an event in october in Cheshire - like a one day college thing on good hides, bad hides, how to put together a "good cache" thing.....

[+Jango & Boba Fett]

What makes for a good GeoCache?

 

Thanks HazelS for posting our first entry, now you've started the ball rolling I chip in too.

 

One of the best places to to start when planning to place your first cache is the GeoCacher University where the article on Elements of Style in GeoCaching is one of the best summaries around. Much of what the GeoCacher U article is trying to say is summarised in the following diagram which basically says that you have to balance the size of your cache container to reflect the physical/mental challenge that the cache finder has to put in, and the location of the cache:

 

 

If you are in a bit of a rush then here is my synthesis of what makes for good cache placement etiquette, which I will call the Four Hs. A good GeoCache has to balance these the Four Hs if the cache seeker is to get the best experience possible from seeking and finding your GeoCache:

• The Hunt - location is not everything but a good cache should take you to somewhere that the cache seeker will enjoy because of the setting, historical associations, physical challenge or some other attribute. Even in potentially drab surroundings of a inner city or motorway service area there are sites which can achieve this.
  
• The Hide - once the cache seeker arrives at the coordinates of the final cache they shouldn't have to resort to a systematic area combing of a circle 20m in diameter or a search and destroy mission. Obviously the cache shouldn't be visible to the general public but the seeker should have some notion of what they are looking for even if you are challenging them to find out how you managed to hide it there. If there are things you do not want the seeker to interfere with then that needs to be stated explicitly (eg the cache is not hidden in the cairn).
  
• The Hamper - this is potentially the most contentious issue as feelings run high particularly about microcaches. The cache container has to provide a suitable reward for the challenge that went into finding it; the general rule is that greater the physical effort to find the cache the bigger it should be. However there are exceptions as the reward could be an audacious or humorous hide. Where micros are used in rural/remote settings they should be easier to find (once the seeker knows your cache style) than high footfall urban areas.
  
• The Haggle - for family cachers especially the contents of the cache are very important. Ideally it's better to have a small cache with a logbook and pencil than a micro with a tiny logging strip and no pencil as seekers want to write about their adventure. Kids like quality swaps not the leftovers from party bags or your last Happy Meal; quality is more about the thought that went into selecting the swaps than their price. I like themed swaps (recipe caches, DVD libraries, ..), Boba likes aliens and sets of trading cards, signature items and FTF prizes/certificates seem to be the in trades at the moment. If your cache is a micro, a Geo-Post Office, or a Letterbox Hybrid there may be no trades, you need to tell seekers this explicitly both in the cache description and the cache container or things (like Letterbox Stamps) will get swapped out.
  

There are lots of other issues such as Travel Bugs and GeoCoins which can be used to entice seekers to visit your cache but I shall leave the etiquette of these items to someone better informed than myself.

[+Happy Humphrey]

That's a good start!

Adding random thoughts in no particular order (hopefully this will all get summarised at some point);

 

Safety and security: rather dull, but you have to spend some time ensuring that people aren't likely to trample a sensitive area/ climb walls and fences / sneak through private property / take a dangerous route to access the cache. You have to bear in mind that many visitors will be strangers to the area, and that the GPS will direct them in a straight line from where they decide to leave the car - this may be a very bad route. They may park on the opposite side of the cache from the expected spot, or fail to notice the easy footpath, opting for a cross-country hazard course instead. Save all this trouble by indicating parking and best line of approach, or warn about the approach to avoid, unless you're sure that the route is fairly obvious and straightforward.

 

Multicaches: maintenance can be troublesome if the intermediate clues aren't permanent. If using containers, make REALLY sure that they can't be muggled or lost. If they contain the only clue to the next stage, it's extremely annoying if you spend two hours following the trail, only to be stumped by a missing micro. Try and make it so that, if one goes missing, it's still possible to continue (e.g. give the positions of all the clues, but each clue gives you part of the final coordinates: normally you can find the cache even if missing one part). Consider using engraved or painted stones or wood (it doesn't matter if it's crude) so that they blend in easily and can't fade in the sun and rain.

 

If there's a calculation involved, keep the arithmetic simple (the usual one is the number of windows or third number in the year on a plaque type of thing). If you have to include contrived calculations, keep them to an absolute minimum. Look around for the best numbers to use, then check to make sure that they are likely to still be there in a few years time, and that they aren't ambiguous. Counting the number of steps, for instance, can give a different number depending on whether you start from the top or bottom. Or there may be another set of railings just round the corner.

Add a hash check (e.g. "add together the numbers you found: the sum should be 3456"), so that the cacher can be sure that they didn't make a mistake before they go to the cache location. Link to a coordinate checker (e.g. geochecker.com) if it's a puzzle to be solved at home.

 

Placing of containers: try and spend some time at the spot, and check the surrounding area. Bear in mind the seasonal changes - less vegetation in winter might make the container rather obvious to muggles, more in summer might cover it with brambles and nettles. Leaf cover may prevent any accurate GPS signal. Is there a smelly and unsavoury area nearby which could make the search unpleasant? Is the approach fine by day but dodgy by night (for various reasons)? Is the car park a popular "meeting spot" in the evening?

Try and place the container off the ground (on a rock ledge, or inside a hollow fallen tree for instance), and either naturally covered, or camouflaged. This will stop it getting too wet and dirty. Decide on the container size AFTER finding the best place!

 

Cache description: include a short and concise section which tells you all you need to know about the cache hunt (i.e. don't blend it in with all the historical introduction and waffle).

Don't make artificial demands: if you want people to stick to a theme for swaps, for instance, just ask politely (rather than insist). If you want people to take the long route to the cache, don't try and hide the fact that you can park next to it: make it into a multicache.

 

Micros: try and use a different container for each one you place, or at least a different method of camouflage, otherwise they'll appear very dull.

Bear in mind that the GPS-indicated search area stays the same no matter what size of container is in use. So you need to give more and more precise hints, the smaller the container gets! It's important to make sure that your customers don't have to resort to a tedious fingertip search of the area.

 

(N.B. I haven't applied the above tips to all of my caches...)

 

HH

[+Alibags]

Edited to add some actual content....

 

Micros or regulars, puzzle or trad... the predominant thing that shows up the difference between good caches and bad ones is the amount of work that has been put into them. This includes finding a great place to put the cache, providing an interesting cache page to read and which adds to the finders enjoyment of the cache and of course time spent on maintenance visits.

 

Etiquette is more difficult. Everybody has their own, it seems. It is obvious (to me at least) that you cannot induce or indeed expect everybody to see if from your point of view. The only thing I will always try to stick to is to respect the wishes of the cache owner or of the TB owner that I am visiting / retrieving at the time, that's just courtesy. I merrily ignore the invented rules that other people attempt to enforce upon me though!

 

Right, here's a token Llama to wind up the OP!

 

 

whoops, sorry!!

Edited August 10, 2006 by Alibags

[+The Golem]