Micros

[+Pieman]

And although in theory I don't like some of the MM hides [like the one in Cheshire where a film can has been dropped among the rest of the litter behind a stone on the outside of a roundabout], I still look for them in passing!

To digress on this particular cache, while I totally agree with John, I did enjoy reading some of the logs as the cache almost achieved greatness by how bad it got before it was archived:

 

"Grabbed this one with extreme care, a dog had left a parcel on top of it! Glad the heat had dried it out! Ewwwwwwwww"

 

"Found the cache in an ant hill guarded by many ants, no doubt attracted to the light covering of Dog pee. Unfortunately the container was also full of a smelly liquid, which we emptied before logging and washing hands many times"

[+drsolly]

For us, the main point of geocaching is to get us out of the house, walking. We do need the exercise, and caching gives us such a good incentive, we're now spending as much time as we can out in the countryside. Rain and mud isn't the deterrent that it used to be.

 

Geocaching takes us to places we hadn't known about, even in the town we've lived in for 20 years. Struggling up a very steep slope, slippery with mud, arriving at the top winded and exhausted; the reward is the journey (and maybe the view), not the chachkas that might be in a lunchbox. Although I can certainly see that if we had kids with us, treasure would be a good idea.

 

So for us, a micro is pretty much as good as an ammo box.

 

But when we start to place caches (I'm thinking we will one day when we're a bit more expeienced), we'll try to do full-sized boxes, for the reason above.

[+macroderma]

I've just placed a series on a cycleway

 

It is intended for people 'doing' the cycleway (presumably on bikes ) so the series is mostly micros becasue:

 

- cyclists won't be carrying much to exchange

- the series deliberately does not cross any boundaries - all are accessible from the cycleway and therefore hiding options are minimal

- I can add a clue to a final bonus cache which is in a very public area and must therefore be a small container

 

Needless to say the FTFs haven't been on bikes (one may have been on horseback ), but I hope to encourage some record attempts on the series, and some visitors to some interesting parts of the countryside around Bristol

 

In my case the series is more about the journey than the caches themselves - and there are others similar (like the Ridgeway series)

 

Horses for courses

[+Family Hodge]

PS.......regular caches are great.But why are they always full of cr*p??

I dont think this is strictly true as a recently checked on one of my own caches and it was full of nothing except a log book . It had started out it life with 8 items.

lets make it a fair trade not no trade. I can see the appeal of micros if this kept happening.

[+Alice Band]

I buy magnetic keyholders for micros which are inner city urban caches. Does that make me a cheapskate? I put my logs inside a ziplock bag to protect them.

 

Two caches near me started off filled with some excellent stuff. Now they are both completely empty except for the log book. Even calling cards are taken. People are so mean and some admit to this too: 'took compass, left nothing', 'took mini-radio, left calling card'. Its not surprising that their owners havent rushed to fill them up agan.

[+Firth of Forth]

I buy magnetic keyholders for micros which are inner city urban caches. Does that make me a cheapskate? I put my logs inside a ziplock bag to protect them.

 

Two caches near me started off filled with some excellent stuff. Now they are both completely empty except for the log book. Even calling cards are taken. People are so mean and some admit to this too: 'took compass, left nothing', 'took mini-radio, left calling card'. Its not surprising that their owners havent rushed to fill them up agan.

 

The best log I've seen is "Took stamp and stamp pad and left a fluffy pen and becky kola travel bug" for a letterbox cache!

[+kewfriend]

I buy magnetic keyholders for micros

WHERE? I've been trying to get hold of some and cant find them anywhere.

[+John Stead]

And although in theory I don't like some of the MM hides [like the one in Cheshire where a film can has been dropped among the rest of the litter behind a stone on the outside of a roundabout], I still look for them in passing!

To digress on this particular cache, while I totally agree with John, I did enjoy reading some of the logs as the cache almost achieved greatness by how bad it got before it was archived:

 

"Grabbed this one with extreme care, a dog had left a parcel on top of it! Glad the heat had dried it out! Ewwwwwwwww"

 

"Found the cache in an ant hill guarded by many ants, no doubt attracted to the light covering of Dog pee. Unfortunately the container was also full of a smelly liquid, which we emptied before logging and washing hands many times"

Brilliant - I had not seen those logs, but when I found it there was a covering of snow - and it was not yellow. Mind you I then had to stamp about a bit, not to warm my feet so much as to provide something of a decoy trail.

 

Magnetic key boxes - try Halfords!

Edited November 24, 2006 by John Stead

[+Alice Band]

WHERE? I've been trying to get hold of some and cant find them anywhere.

I live in Leicester, land of curries and weird little shops stuffed with caching goodies. When you're in the area let me know and I'll grab some for you

 

The best log I've seen is "Took stamp and stamp pad and left a fluffy pen and becky kola travel bug" for a letterbox cache!

No way! This sounds like the ingredients for a new thread - 'What is the most blatant scummy cache log you've seen?'

[+macroderma]

And although in theory I don't like some of the MM hides [like the one in Cheshire where a film can has been dropped among the rest of the litter behind a stone on the outside of a roundabout], I still look for them in passing!

To digress on this particular cache, while I totally agree with John, I did enjoy reading some of the logs as the cache almost achieved greatness by how bad it got before it was archived:

 

"Grabbed this one with extreme care, a dog had left a parcel on top of it! Glad the heat had dried it out! Ewwwwwwwww"

 

"Found the cache in an ant hill guarded by many ants, no doubt attracted to the light covering of Dog pee. Unfortunately the container was also full of a smelly liquid, which we emptied before logging and washing hands many times"

Brilliant - I had not seen those logs, but when I found it there was a covering of snow - and it was not yellow. Mind you I then had to stamp about a bit, not to warm my feet so much as to provide something of a decoy trail.

 

Magnetic key boxes - try Halfords!

I was in Halfords the other day and they don't seem to sell them anymore

 

I got my last couple from here www.box64.com/

 

Excellent service and good prices too

[+Simply Paul]

Well, I think we've established beyond reasonable doubt that micros have their place in the great scheme of caching things. Now, what about these Virtuals being 'discontinued' eh?

[+Captain Gore-tex]

I hated them when I started but now have grown to like them, especially some of the ones in London which take you to some great places. As a result my personal geocoin I just had made has been minted small enough to fit in them, just to make it a little more interesting.

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

 

 

I was in Halfords the other day and they don't seem to sell them anymore

 

I got my last couple from here www.box64.com/

 

Excellent service and good prices too

 

box64 seems expensive, three for a quid on ebay!

[+macroderma]

 

 

I was in Halfords the other day and they don't seem to sell them anymore

 

I got my last couple from here www.box64.com/

 

Excellent service and good prices too

 

box64 seems expensive, three for a quid on ebay!

well I like them as you get the complete thing - sticker logbook etc

 

I guess I'm lazy!

[+QuirkySmog]

Blimey

 

Thanks for so many replies.

 

To be fair we looked long and hard at a box containing goodies against the micro,and we came to the conclusion that a cacher would fair better off if the log book was in condition to sign rather than a box full of tat that was soaked,waterlogged,we have logged plenty of those.

Its a shame....

No disrespect to regular/large or even small cache owners. We have found loads of dry ones too

But the majority of caches we have found best in condition is the micro some say that the 35mm,maybe its the appeal and the memory sticks.......

 

So its micros from us lot here.

 

Lots of food for thought within this thread,ta very much..

 

All the best.

 

Pete & Lisa..

 

PS..We will keep placing them and mainainting them will be our biggest pirority..

Edited November 25, 2006 by The Great Defenders

[+currykev]

to all you anti micro cachers then!!!!

[+Pharisee]

Did one in London today....

[+TrailGators]

My thoughts....

[+currykev]

Did one in London today....

 

Pharisee is using the correct method as recommended by Geocaching Psychiatrists worldwide.......

"Ween yourself into the world of micros gently....1 at a time is definately the way"

 

PS..I like the new hat.

[+tteggod trackers]

i'm all for micros in the right place!!

 

just where on earth do you get your supply of breathe strip containers kevin?

[+Kelsborrow Wayfinders]

Having looked back through this thread I wonder whether there is such a strong anti-micro feeling as everyone (well currykev anyway ) seems to think. In this thread the only cachers who appear to be strongly anti-micro are Pharisee and Boneychest and Catsuey (apologies if I missed anyone else). Everyone else has put a reasonable explaination why they don't like micros under certain circumstances. It seems to me that the main complaint is about caches that appear to be placed without any thought and for many people the examples that first spring to mind happen to be inappropriate 35mm film containers. Incidentally I did a micro in a wood yesterday and enjoyed it.

[+Simply Paul]

...Incidentally I did a micro in a wood yesterday and enjoyed it.

How was the clue?

[+Renegade Knight]

....So micros..Good or bad?.....

 

Micro's in and of themselves are not evil. The evil reputation comes from the intent of the cache hider. A well thought our or well placed micro can be a well liked cache. A micro where a larger container could be placed won't be as well liked as the larger cache. They are certainly better than no cache at all.

 

That's about all I have to say about that.

[+Kelsborrow Wayfinders]

How was the clue? [/indent]

 

Necessary

[markandlynn]

We have children no swaps means we get complaints.

 

Sit in our car and tell them the next cache is a micro you will soon understand about hating micros.

 

Not to say we dont do them we just have to keep the number down.

 

As long as any cache is well thought out location wise its enjoyable.