closet cachers

[+Foinavon]

I have become aware recently of the existence of a kind of underclass in our geocaching community. I will call these folks "Closet Cachers". A closet cacher is someone who goes around hunting for geocaches signs the log book but does not log any of their finds online.

 

I first noticed this when I went to check up on some of my caches and in the log books there was a name I didn't recognise. At first I thought it might be a muggle who has somehow found it and signed the log as this seems fairly common, but then the same name kept appearing in quite a few of my log books.

 

The next time came when I bumped into one of them. I had yet to meet another cacher whilst caching and when I saw a bloke lurking with his GPS I got quite excited wondering who it was. He told me his christian name and said that he didn't have an user name as he didn't bother with the "internet stuff". He is still the only geocacher I have bumped into whilst caching myself. It turns out that he has found quite a few of them though.

 

I didn't think much of it until I found Old Kays this weekend. The Soda Pop travel bug was not in the cache despite the fact that the last logged finders The Bean Family had dropped it in. I looked in the log and there was a closet cacher who had taken the travel bug. What is the point of taking Travel Bugs if you aren't prepared to go online!

 

I wonder how many closet cachers there are out there? They could have found 1000s of them without anyone really knowing. After a while I bet they find the sameones repeatedly because they can't remember which ones they have done! Maybe there are "Closet Closet" cachers who don't even sign the log book?

[Deego]

You have to do the "Internet stuff" to find where the caches are.... but its each to their own I suppose

[GermanSailor]

Hi,

 

good to know that some people just do it for fun and not for stats!

 

GermanSailor

[markandlynn]

I know of 3 closet cachers.

 

One has an account but would rather be outside than inside logging caches.

One is worried about sounding silly in an online log.

The last likes to remain private and tracks there caching privately.

 

As Deego says each to thier own.

[+mongoose39uk]

More than you would expect.

 

I know four local (within half a mile of where I live), who find caches while out walking but don't log online. They don't move tb's though. They sometimes go out caching with a few other local cachers who do log online.

 

Also know a member of my local climbing club who caches (an odd one if it's where he is going) but does not log online.

[+Lost in Space]

Hi,

 

good to know that some people just do it for fun and not for stats!

 

GermanSailor

 

Well said, that man!

 

I'll bet that they do not have Tom Tom, WAP phones, Bluetooth/WiFi PDA's and the Giga Bytes of software they all require either.............

Edited November 6, 2006 by Lost in Space

[Edgemaster]

I have found a closet cacher, he travels a lot. The only way I know this is because I grabbed a coin that he picked up from Scotland but didn't log. I found it in a cache in Surrey. More worrying is when your coin goes AWOL (absent without log). It happened to my first coin, but soon turned up again and is continuing on its travels safely now.

[+Foinavon]

I know of 3 closet cachers.

 

One has an account but would rather be outside than inside logging caches.

One is worried about sounding silly in an online log.

The last likes to remain private and tracks there caching privately.

 

As Deego says each to thier own.

 

Actually the first one has hit on something there. I have only found 151 and my maximum in one day is 6. Despite this I still struggle to find time to log them. I do tend to waffle a bit though and provide photos.

Those of you who regularly get 20+ in one day I don't know how you get time to log them! Haven't said that no to log them at all is an extreme solution!

[Deego]

The only thing is do they log DNF's or problems with the cache ?

 

I to like to add photos and waffle in my logs but see it as feedback to the cache owner, who went to the trouble of placing it and maintaining it.

Edited November 6, 2006 by Deego

[+Renegade Knight]

Hi,

 

good to know that some people just do it for fun and not for stats!

 

GermanSailor

Everyone does it for fun, or they wouldn't do it to begin with. If you look at what people do for fun you won't find many people with stats as a hobby.

 

Back OT. In my area on a remote cache I estimated that 40% of the logs in the book were not online at all.

[+Alibags]

I know two closet cachers, one in the USA and one lurking in the Northants area. They enjoy finding caches as part of their walks in the countryside, but are just not interested in sharing that experience with the whole world. I suppose it's tyhe same sort of thing as not everybody having a blog...

[+Birders]

Sometimes they DO move TBs, or at least they take them... whether they move them on remains to be seen in some cases.

[+G Force]

I've met a family at a cache who were nice to talk to and just liked going out and finding the caches. Thev've found around 50 so far and knew most of the local cacher names.

[+BikerKats]

I have become aware recently of the existence of a kind of underclass in our geocaching community. I will call these folks "Closet Cachers". A closet cacher is someone who goes around hunting for geocaches signs the log book but does not log any of their finds online.

 

I first noticed this when I went to check up on some of my caches and in the log books there was a name I didn't recognise. At first I thought it might be a muggle who has somehow found it and signed the log as this seems fairly common, but then the same name kept appearing in quite a few of my log books.

 

 

We have come across this in our cache log books. Personally I find it a bit strange to find caches and not log them, but if that is all they are doing, these "closet cachers" are not doing any harm.

 

It hadn't occurred to me that these non-logging "closet" cachers would take TBs or coins, whether they intend to move them on or not. We have picked up TBs from caches where the TBs were not logged. I hope they don't take any of ours - we do like seeing the mileage and maps of our TBs' journeys.

[+harrogate hunters]

I suppose the easiest way of finding numbers of closet cachers is to prepare a list of cachers without any finds that are active

 

e.g. First created cacher name, no logs and still logging on !

 

Deego - Thats a job for you ! LOL !

[+Family Hodge]

We have a guy at work who caches, i dont think he signs the log or moves on TB's. I got the feeling he was embarrassed about the hole thing , strange

[+The Blorenges]

We have a guy at work who caches, i dont think he signs the log or moves on TB's. I got the feeling he was embarrassed about the hole thing , strange

He obviously needs help to come to terms with his personal proclivity. Have you introduced him to the "group therapy" of this Forum?

 

MrsB

[+Jaz666]

A 4 year old cache I adopted this year was found 3 times by cachers who didn't log the find online.

[+housefamily]

Have you introduced him to the "group therapy" of this Forum?

 

MrsB

... or even the chat room. I'm sure after MrsB has made him a cup of tea in there he'll feel right at home!

[+Bill D (wwh)]

My caches seem to get around 15 per cent of finders who only log in the logbook and not online. There was a thread in the main forum about this a year or more ago, and that seemed to be a pretty typical figure.

[+FollowMeChaps]

.......I got the feeling he was embarrassed about the hole thing , strange

 

Surely not? Why should they feel embaressed ? Walking around in strange unfamiliar places , poking into dirty holes , acting suspiciously , doing your best to be unseen , bristling with electronic gagetry - and all in search of a hidden lunch box!!!!!

[+currykev]

I'm too busy with my own finds and hides to worry about other people logging or not.Does it matter??I do object to anything taken of note and not logged though.Each to his/her own I suppose.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I found the concept of not logging the cache online a little peculiar at first, but I'm a bit more sympathetic now and have also seen it happen many times.

 

IMO, it's a fault of the geocaching.com web site that cache owners think that the log entries attached to ther cache descriptions belong to them. This leads to criticism of the style of log, and even log deletion on occasions where the text is deemed unsuitable or even just untidy (despite being inoffensive and legal). (N.B. this hasn't happened to me, but I've observed it on several occasions).

 

There should be the facility to record a find but hide the log text from anyone but yourself (everyone else, including the cache owner but excluding moderators, would be able to see that you'd found it but have no access to the log at all).

 

No wonder that some decide to avoid all the potential hassle and keep their own record of finds!

 

HH

[+Lost in Space]

I suppose the easiest way of finding numbers of closet cachers is to prepare a list of cachers without any finds that are active

 

e.g. First created cacher name, no logs and still logging on !

 

 

Why does everything on this forum have to revert to numbers/"stats"?

 

Some, ( "each to his own" ), just like a nice walk in the countryside........

[+currykev]

TRUE STORY...(nearly!!!)

I opened my wardrobe to get my coat when out jumped a man holding a gps.

I had to ask..."Are you a closet cacher?"

 

Can't think of a punchline though!!

[+Alibags]

TRUE STORY...(nearly!!!)

I opened my wardrobe to get my coat when out jumped a man holding a gps.

I had to ask..."Are you a closet cacher?"

 

Can't think of a punchline though!!

 

... and then he punched you?...

 

[+Lost in Space]

Can't think of a punchline though!!

 

He said "I heard coathangers made good aerials"

[The Red Kite]

Sometimes they DO move TBs, or at least they take them... whether they move them on remains to be seen in some cases.

 

One of my caches has a TB "in it" despite it having been removed at least three weeks ago by someone who wrote in the log book but has not removed it online. I feel this is very unfair to the owners and also a bit guilty that it was in MY cache. I just hope it turns up.

 

Not logging the find online is neither here nor there if they are not taking anything from it.

[nobby.nobbs]

no probs with not logging online but why would they take a bug or coin? that just stuffs up the records for that item. so log don't log whatever but leave the coins and bugs alone.

[+housefamily]

I opened my wardrobe to get my coat when out jumped a man holding a gps.

I had to ask..."Are you a closet cacher?"

 

£300 for a etrex? You've been fleeced....!

 

I'll get my coat

[+five tasty cookies]

Surely these people must have an account with geocaching or they wouldn't be able to see the coordinates?

[+Yorkypudding]

Hi,

I was introduced to Geocaching when a friend of mine had seen the Countryfile programme and I soon got into it. His name is Meandering and he's done possible over 100 caches and I think only logged 17?

 

Originally I think it was because his pride was hurt by the fact that I started getting more caches than he did (Men) and when we went out hunting together I always found them, he soon stopped coming cacheing with me (Men). Also hes a bit of a techno phobe and dosnt have a clue how to work his comp very well. Oh I forgot hes also idle ( Men). Hes never took any coin or TB.

 

Yorkypudding.

[+gazooks]

I had a TB go missing from one of my caches a little while ago. When I visited the cache and looked at the log it had been visited by a 'closet cacher'.

The cache is not one that anyone would stumble over and so they had to have got the co-ords from somewhere or someone. !!

The TB has still not surfaced and as it was my cache I feel guilty for the owners loss.

[+wizard1974uk]

Caching in a closet? Not much room to move around in

[+Foinavon]

Heh , those closet cachers are at it again. This New cache has its FTF as a closet cacher.

[+currykev]

How would you describe a Geocacher who has had an account for 8 months but has logged no finds,yet he/she have emailed me to say they found one of mine recently..but stated that he/she couldn't find the others in the series.Is this a TROLL cacher,or am I paranoid.

[+KiwiGary]

Heh , those closet cachers are at it again. This New cache has its FTF as a closet cacher.

 

How did there get a FTF on a cache that hadn't been published on the 10th?

 

See ya...Gary

[+Tiger-Eyes]

I have become aware recently of the existence of a kind of underclass in our geocaching community. I will call these folks "Closet Cachers". A closet cacher is someone who goes around hunting for geocaches signs the log book but does not log any of their finds online.

 

 

Could these "underclass" caches be using information from another site i.e. navicache? I do believe some people do advertise their caches on more than 1 site and maybe the FTF found it before it was published because he had looked elsewhwere,

 

Just a thought

 

Fi

[+Sensei TSKC]

Maybe the FTFers haven't logged there find yet. Just a thought.

[+Simply Paul]

How would you describe a Geocacher who has had an account for 8 months but has logged no finds,yet he/she have emailed me to say they found one of mine recently..but stated that he/she couldn't find the others in the series.Is this a TROLL cacher,or am I paranoid.

Since you need a GC user name -and thus account- to get cache co-ords, but you don't then have to log a find (or DNF, or whatever) online, I'd say there's no reason to fear Trollism. Edited November 14, 2006 by Simply Paul

[The Red Kite]

no probs with not logging online but why would they take a bug or coin? that just stuffs up the records for that item. so log don't log whatever but leave the coins and bugs alone.

 

I agree. I went back yesterday to check their caching names and they have not put them in. I have now marked the bug as missing. I hated to do that but feel its only fair on the owners. Hope I did the right thing. the point is theh KNEW it was a TB and not an ordinary trading item as they wrote in their log that they had taken it, so ignorance is no excuse.