What is a lame cache?

[+tozainamboku]

To me a lame cache is a cache placed for no reason than to place a cache.

I agree with this definition. briansnat went on to give some ideas for reasons to place a cache, and even mentioned that some people would include other reasons that would not be on his list.

 

- Any cache that I look for when I'm really not in the mood to do so

I like this definition. When I go caching (particularly urban caching), I stop when I'm no longer having fun.

 

There is a breed of cachers I refer to as urban cachers. For various reasons they prefer park and grabs to nice hikes or walks in the park. These cachers will continue to hunt and hide caches in parking lots and in other urban locations. Even many of us who prefer hikes in the woods and caches that bring us to interesting places will hunt these caches on occasion because they are quick and convenient or because they are a way to get a lot of finds in a short time. If you are not into numbers, it would be easy to just keep driving when you see the GPS pointing to one of these. But most people want that smiley so we see that

Meanwhile, the film cans in lamp skirts at the nearby 7-Elevens are getting hit every day.

 

I am starting to get the feeling that folks like lame caches.

Edited December 11, 2006 by tozainamboku

[+beezerb]

Lame is in the eye of the beholder. Always has been, always will be.

[Clan Riffster]

It just burns me up to spend hours preparing a cache that takes you to a beautiful location and forces you to use your brain just a wee smidgen of a bit only to have nobody bother to try to find it

A different viewpoint:

What you just described is what I consider to be Nirvana. That's the kind of hide I strive for with almost everything I put out. A local cacher coined the phrase "lonely" to describe this manner of hide, because it won't get nearly as many visits as a park-n-grab. I'm OK with that, cuz I'd rather see one long, praise filled log every few months than half a dozen "TNLNSL" a week.

 

There was one cache in a trash strewn area which I enjoyed enough that it made my favorites list, but that was due to it's write up, not it's location. Detritus had us both grinning like idiots whilst hunting for it, and the piece of broken swag I took remains in my geobox to this day.

[+emurock]

1) Any cache I can't find.

2) Any cache that I don't have fun at.

 

It has nothing to do with cache type and everthing to do with my attitude at the time.

Want he said.

[+TrailGators]

I personally don't beleive there are any "lame" caches..... A cache hidden in a trash or dangerous area is just plain stupid.

Stupid and lame are synonymous in the context of this thread....

[+tozainamboku]

I personally don't beleive there are any "lame" caches..... A cache hidden in a trash or dangerous area is just plain stupid.

Stupid and lame are synonymous in the context of this thread....

Posted by tozainamboku on Southern California Geocachers on June 28, 2005

I think we have a problem with terminology. It seems the defintion of "lame cache" is hard to put a finger on. I think there are two different things that people are calling lame and this is resulting the difference of opinions seen in this thread. I think that there are CRAPPY caches and there are STUPID caches. CRAPPY caches are caches that someone doesn't like doing. It is a totally subjective category. I like puzzles, someone else thinks puzzles are CRAP. Someone likes quick easy finds in a parking lot, someone else thinks these are CRAP. STUPID caches are caches that are in violation of geocaching guidelines, common sense, or the law. Examples are caches placed on private property without obtaining permission, caches placed in elementary or secondary schools, ammo cans place under a highway bridge, and caches next to active railroad tracks. If you know a cache is STUPID there is an easy way to log it - Should Be Archived. If you are not sure if a cache is STUPID you may want to email the owner and express your concerns in a polite way. If the cache is CRAPPY but not STUPID, you could log "I personally did not enjoy finding this cache. TNLNSL."

[+Mudfrog]

I personally don't beleive there are any "lame" caches..... A cache hidden in a trash or dangerous area is just plain stupid.

Stupid and lame are synonymous in the context of this thread....

 

I don't see stupid and lame as being the same thing. Lame is in the eyes of the beholder. Lampost hides are lame to many people but, are they stupid? I don't think so since there are so many put out and so many that are found routinely. I myself tire of these quickly but they are ok to find in a pinch or if i just happen be on a numbers run for the day.

 

Stupid on the other hand is pretty obvious to me. Even if i was on a numbers run and wanted the easiest caches out there that i could find,,, finding one in, on, or next to a nasty dumpster behind the local 7-11 or mall store is a stupid hide in my book!

[+TrailGators]

I personally don't beleive there are any "lame" caches..... A cache hidden in a trash or dangerous area is just plain stupid.

Stupid and lame are synonymous in the context of this thread....

Lampost hides are lame to many people but, are they stupid?

Yes

[+sbell111]

I think the thread is creeping away from the confines imposed by El Diablo.

[+TrailGators]

I personally don't beleive there are any "lame" caches..... A cache hidden in a trash or dangerous area is just plain stupid.

Stupid and lame are synonymous in the context of this thread....

Posted by tozainamboku on Southern California Geocachers on June 28, 2005

STUPID caches are caches that are in violation of geocaching guidelines or the law.

I would call these ILLEGAL caches.

[+xpunkx & Julez]

for me there isnt a "lame cache" if you will....there are caches i wont find because i have had a run in with the hider and i am not fond of them! i wont name any names and there is only one name on my list. And there is one other one in my area i wont log because i think it is kinda lame but it is my choice i know it is there and it is not one i like so i just dont log it

[+sbell111]

I personally don't beleive there are any "lame" caches..... A cache hidden in a trash or dangerous area is just plain stupid.

Stupid and lame are synonymous in the context of this thread....

Posted by tozainamboku on Southern California Geocachers on June 28, 2005

STUPID caches are caches that are in violation of geocaching guidelines or the law.

I would call these ILLEGAL caches.

A cache that violates the guidelines is not necessarily illegal. BTW, what does that have to do with this thread?

[+TrailGators]

I think the thread is creeping away from the confines imposed by El Diablo.

It seems like the definition of "lame" is now being questioned. This is relevant to the lame discussion. I view lame as including caches that are thoughtless, crappy, stupid, worthless, pointless, etc. It's all the same difference to me....

[+sbell111]

I think the thread is creeping away from the confines imposed by El Diablo.

It seems like the definition of "lame" is now being questioned. This is relevant to the lame discussion. I view lame as including caches that are thoughtless, crappy, stupid, worthless, pointless, etc. It's all the same difference to me....

Perhaps if you attempted to define 'lame' in concrete terms, it would be simpler for others to follow along.

[+eray4]

The lamest is one that is hidden and camoflauged so well that it can't be found, especially a micro.

[+TrailGators]

The lamest is one that is hidden and camoflauged so well that it can't be found, especially a micro.

I can't stand needle-in-a-haystack micros that are camoflauged like a rock; hidden in area with thousands of rocks; and the coordinates are way off! Those kinds of caches are sadistic and very lame! Edited December 11, 2006 by TrailGators

[Mushtang]

The lamest is one that is hidden and camoflauged so well that it can't be found, especially a micro.

I can't stand needle-in-a-haystack micros that are camoflauged like a rock; hidden in area with thousands of rocks; and the coordinates are way off! Those kinds of caches are sadistic and very lame!

Oh yeah? I think my Needle In A Haystack cache is sadistic, but all the logs on it (about 65 Found Its) talk about how much fun it is. Not a single "TNLN" on the page.

[+tozainamboku]

I think the thread is creeping away from the confines imposed by El Diablo.

It seems like the definition of "lame" is now being questioned. This is relevant to the lame discussion. I view lame as including caches that are thoughtless, crappy, stupid, worthless, pointless, etc. It's all the same difference to me....

I believe in his original post, El Diablo asks for your definition of lame. I posted my old post on CRAPPY and STUPID caches to point out that people use lame for both of these. Perhaps recoginizing a difference would help the discussion. STUPID caches are not necessarilly ones that are in violation of the guidelines. And caches in violation of the guidelines aren't necessarilly STUPID. They may be grandfathered or may be ones that have been granted an exception from Groundspeak. Mudfrog's comment that "finding one in, on, or next to a nasty dumpster behind the local 7-11 or mall store is a stupid hide in my book!" is a good example of what may be a STUPID hide that is could be within guidelines (assuming you had permission to place a cache there). I don't agree with it, but it certainly could fall within the defintion I gave. Common sense would tell you that a cache on or in a dumpster would have a significant chance of getting lost - the waste disposal companies replace dumpsters periodically and just the way the trucks pick them up and dump them would likely shake even a magnetic micro loose.

[+TrailGators]

I think the thread is creeping away from the confines imposed by El Diablo.

It seems like the definition of "lame" is now being questioned. This is relevant to the lame discussion. I view lame as including caches that are thoughtless, crappy, stupid, worthless, pointless, etc. It's all the same difference to me....

I believe in his original post, El Diablo asks for your definition of lame. I posted my old post on CRAPPY and STUPID caches to point out that people use lame for both of these. Perhaps recoginizing a difference would help the discussion. STUPID caches are not necessarilly ones that are in violation of the guidelines. And caches in violation of the guidelines aren't necessarilly STUPID. They may be grandfathered or may be ones that have been granted an exception from Groundspeak. Mudfrog's comment that "finding one in, on, or next to a nasty dumpster behind the local 7-11 or mall store is a stupid hide in my book!" is a good example of what may be a STUPID hide that is could be within guidelines (assuming you had permission to place a cache there). I don't agree with it, but it certainly could fall within the defintion I gave. Common sense would tell you that a cache on or in a dumpster would have a significant chance of getting lost - the waste disposal companies replace dumpsters periodically and just the way the trucks pick them up and dump them would likely shake even a magnetic micro loose.

Most of the caches I have found near trash dumpsters are lame, stupid or whatever because they take me to a place that I would never want to visit. I honestly haven't found any caches actually stuck to a trash dumpster. Those would take lame/stupid to an even lower level. But the worst part of these awful caches is the disgusting stench of the nearby dumpster. Hiding a cache like that is like inviting a bunch of people over for a party and serving them dog crap brownies. But some people would say that a party is a party and that's all that matters.....

[+sbell111]

Some people would make it appear that every dumpster has a cache sitting next to it. That has not been my experience. In fact, I can only think of one cache that I have ever found that was near a dumpster. It was a nice little hide in a fairly new baseball park.

 

edited to add that while the cache I mentioned was 'near' a dumpster, it wasn't within the dumpster's fenced-off area.

Edited December 11, 2006 by sbell111

[+edscott]

In my opinion, a lame cache is one placed in:

 

High Crime Areas

Trash filled areas

In Shopping Centers

In full view of homes without the homeowner's knowledge.

 

There have been a bunch of posts after this one, but this is a nice concise no frills definition. Some of the other things mentioned might sometimes be a problem, but I can't imagine any of the above list being a positive statement on the attribute list.

[+Ambrosia]

As has been pointed out before, caches at shopping centers can be a very good thing.

[+Confucius' Cat]

Lame is not a boolean variable- it cannot be said by any reasonable definition that "this cache is LAME" or "this cache is NOT LAME". Ultimately that decision is made by the person assessing the cache.

 

I think however that a cache could be somewhat objectively evaluated by the use of "LAME FACTORS' that can be integrated into a "LAMENESS INDEX". Of course, the factors and their definitions will themselves be constantly disputed and subjectively redefined, thus making the description of LAME of little practical value.

 

So notwithstanding the obvious limitations, I propose the following "LAME FACTORS" and have given them an arbitrary point value. The list is not all-inclusive and the values may vary.

Factor...........................................................................................Point value

 

Container factors:

Micro container (film can size).........................................................5

Nano container (really tiny).............................................................10

tupperware.....................................................................................5

gladware .......................................................................................15

cookie tin exposed to weather .........................................................15

magnetic key holder exp to weather .................................................15

looks like a pipe-bomb.....................................................................20

 

Hide factors:

hidden in parking lot.........................................................................10

on lamppost.....................................................................................10

no point of interest............................................................................10

pointless point of interest ...................................................................5

on private land (permission assumed)..................................................5

on private land (permission unlikely) ...................................................10

Must ignore No Trespass signs.............................................................75

 

Cache condx factors:

wet log..............................................................................................15

full of worthless junk...........................................................................5

poorly maintained ..............................................................................10

broken container.................................................................................10

smelly interior.....................................................................................10

full of "contraband" items......................................................................10

 

Hunt factors:

hike too short.......................................................................................5

hike too long.........................................................................................5

takes too long to find.............................................................................5

too easy to find.....................................................................................5

seen this type of hide XXX times before...................................................5

Approached by police.............................................................................10

Approached by offerers of (unwanted) sex...............................................20

Approached by bomb squad....................................................................50

Arrested................................................................................................100

Beaten or shot whilst resisting arrest........................................................200

 

whining factors:

fell on my *** whilst searching.................................................................5

has "hazards" that are not iconized...........................................................5

found by everybody else, but i DNF...........................................................10

STF on FTF attempt..................................................................................5

Previous finder didn't put it back right........................................................5

 

Muggle factors:

A few muggles constantly present..............................................................5

A LOT of muggles around..........................................................................10

A LOT of NOSEY BUSY BODY muggles........................................................20

You (seeker) are the first to talk to the land owner......................................20

Cache owner blames you for "giving away" the location to the muggles.........50

 

 

So, Let's take a hypothetical cache... it is a micro made out of a 1" pvc pipe with end caps, hidden under a lamppost skirt in the parking lot of a day care facility with briars growing around the pole.

 

micro = 5

pipe bomb = 20

wet log = 15

parking lot= 10

lamppost = 10

briars = 5 (assuming not on the cache page icons)

no point of interest = 10 (except if seeker is a pedophile then 5 or 0 depending on personal preferences)

Nosey busy body muggles = 20

 

So this cache would have a BASIC "LAME INDEX" of 95.

 

If the cops are called, add 10, if the seeker is approached by a pedophile, add 20, by the bomb squad, add 50. 100 bonus points if the seeker, with the cache in hand, hears the words "GET ON THE GROUND DIRT BAG!" and sees, up close and personal, the business end of a Glock 45.

 

Now that we have an index, the only real tasks before us are to (idividually) determine one's "breakover point", and where on the cache page to list the rating.

[+tozainamboku]

How many "lameness" points for an ammo can in the woods if I get eaten by a bear?

Edited December 11, 2006 by tozainamboku

[+brodiebunch]

Lame cache: took us less than 10 minutes to find

 

Lame cache: took us more than 10 minutes to find but has minimal swag or swag is in poor condition

 

Lame cache: in a location with no geographical, historical or whimsical value and once found it has minimal swag. To us its a "me too" cache, hidden so the hider will feel more connected to the activity.

[+ibycus]

Right on Max Cacher

“There are no lame caches, somebody had fun hiding it and someone will have fun finding it even just for a smiley”.

 

If the cache gets you off the couch and out the door, its not lame.

 

Some of us do not have the 1000 plus acres of wilderness to hike in.

With a dozen or so city parks, with multiple caches in each one,

With over 761 hides within 17.36 miles of home, it does not leave much for new cachers

To place hides in.

 

Sorry for the small rant.

 

Ummmm, sorry to make what may seem like an obvious point, but don't you think your area might have enough caches already? Do you really get enjoyment out of placing a film can in a pine tree and having people tell you how lame the cache is?

 

Really there is nothing compelling you to place the cache, I would suggest putting together a couple of *good* caches, and then look for areas reasonably close to where you are that are a bit cache poorer. Go look for some green areas on Mapsource that don't have any caches in them. Go for a drive in the country, see what's out there. Find something neat that others haven't noticed, and bring people there. *That* is the cool thing about caching. Not placing a film can in a tree and getting a bunch of logs saying TNLNSL.

[Saturate]

I don't really think of a any cache as a "lame cache". I'm just happy to get outdoors and go looking for it.

[+Confucius' Cat]

How many "lameness" points for an ammo can in the woods if I get eaten by a bear?

Under "Whining factors", add "Eaten by a bear.........75 if a grizzly, 150 if by a piddly little black bear"

polar bears don't count, you shouldn't have been out in the arctic without a bottle of Coke®.

[+jimmyreno]

LAME:

Caches where I have to extend my hand to a place I can't see and might have something that bites,

or broken glass.

Micros in the open countryside.

Locations I don't want to viist because of traffic congestion or garbage.

Caches that are muggled, but the owner doesn't replace or disable, so I'm looking for nothing.

[Mushtang]

Factor............................................Point value

 

Container factors:

Micro container (film can size)...........5

magnetic key holder exp to weather ........15

 

Hide factors:

hidden in parking lot............10

on lamppost................10

no point of interest................10

on private land (permission assumed)............5

 

Cache condx factors:

broken container..................10

 

Hunt factors:

hike too short..................5

too easy to find..............................5

seen this type of hide XXX times before............5

 

whining factors:

Previous finder didn't put it back right.............5

 

Muggle factors:

A few muggles constantly present...........5

 

Let's say I'm on a business trip and have very little time to go caching except for about an hour or so one afternoon while there's still enough light to see (or to feel safe). I don't always have a rental car available so I end up having to walk to a lamp post cache as described above. There's NO other cache I'll be able to get to, and according to the list this is supposed to be LAME with a factor of 90.

 

I say that it's not lame at all. Instead, I think it's a GREAT cache, and I'm very thankful to the owner for hiding it for me to find.

 

Especially if it's to a state I've never cached in before!

[Clan Riffster]

How many "lameness" points for an ammo can in the woods if I get eaten by a bear?

It's subjective. Your next of kin might give it a high lameness rating depending on how much insurance you have, but the bear would love it.

[+TrailGators]

Let's say I'm on a business trip and have very little time to go caching except for about an hour or so one afternoon while there's still enough light to see (or to feel safe). I don't always have a rental car available so I end up having to walk to a lamp post cache as described above. There's NO other cache I'll be able to get to, and according to the list this is supposed to be LAME with a factor of 90. I say that it's not lame at all. Instead, I think it's a GREAT cache, and I'm very thankful to the owner for hiding it for me to find. Especially if it's to a state I've never cached in before!

So what happens when you find a lame cache in every state?

[+Ambrosia]

Then you are completely lame.

 

[+Kit Fox]

In my opinion, a lame cache is one placed in:

 

High Crime Areas

Trash filled areas

In Shopping Centers

In full view of homes without the homeowner's knowledge.

...

 

The perfect definition!

 

In my opinion, a lame cache is one placed in:

 

High Crime Areas

Trash filled areas

In Shopping Centers

In full view of homes without the homeowner's knowledge.

 

There have been a bunch of posts after this one, but this is a nice concise no frills definition. Some of the other things mentioned might sometimes be a problem, but I can't imagine any of the above list being a positive statement on the attribute list.

 

Wow I'm double honored. Thank you both

 

The downside of non-lame caches is that they can be "especially lonely"

[+TrailGators]

Then you are completely lame.

 

[+TrailGators]

The downside of non-lame caches is that they can be "especially lonely"

I'm always thankful when I make it out to some awesome lonely spot and there is a cache there!

[+Confucius' Cat]

Factor............................................Point value

 

Container factors:

Micro container (film can size)...........5

magnetic key holder exp to weather ........15

 

Hide factors:

hidden in parking lot............10

on lamppost................10

no point of interest................10

on private land (permission assumed)............5

 

Cache condx factors:

broken container..................10

 

Hunt factors:

hike too short..................5

too easy to find..............................5

seen this type of hide XXX times before............5

 

whining factors:

Previous finder didn't put it back right.............5

 

Muggle factors:

A few muggles constantly present...........5

 

Let's say I'm on a business trip and have very little time to go caching except for about an hour or so one afternoon while there's still enough light to see (or to feel safe). I don't always have a rental car available so I end up having to walk to a lamp post cache as described above. There's NO other cache I'll be able to get to, and according to the list this is supposed to be LAME with a factor of 90.

 

I say that it's not lame at all. Instead, I think it's a GREAT cache, and I'm very thankful to the owner for hiding it for me to find.

 

Especially if it's to a state I've never cached in before!

Hey, I never said it wasn't OK to do lame caches... or that we shouldn't be thankful for them. Sometimes any cache is a gr8 cache.

 

Add to whining factors:

Cache only looks good through rose coloured glasses.........5 points

[+TrailGators]

Sometimes any cache is a gr8 cache.

It's pretty clear that there are two types of cachers: Lame cachers and non-lame cachers!

 

Another lame cache is one near a migrant home. If you are lucky you might get to slip and slide in human feces while hunting for the cache. There are a bunch of those caches around here. It's hard to believe that some of you would call one of those a gr8 cache....

[+BlueDeuce]

...

Edited December 12, 2006 by BlueDeuce

[+Confucius' Cat]

Another lame cache is one near a migrant home. If you are lucky you might get to slip and slide in human feces while hunting for the cache. huh.gif There are a bunch of those caches around here. It's hard to believe that some of you would call one of those a gr8 cache.... blink.gif

 

I tell you what! Some of the places people pick to hide caches are just plain nasty. Is it even possible the person who placed such a cache could in their wildest dream think a seeker would enjoy hunting it?

 

I would think the only possible explanations are that the condx changed after the cache was placed or that the hider is deaf dumb and blind (pinball prowess notwithstanding).

[Mushtang]

Let's say I'm on a business trip and have very little time to go caching except for about an hour or so one afternoon while there's still enough light to see (or to feel safe). I don't always have a rental car available so I end up having to walk to a lamp post cache as described above. There's NO other cache I'll be able to get to, and according to the list this is supposed to be LAME with a factor of 90. I say that it's not lame at all. Instead, I think it's a GREAT cache, and I'm very thankful to the owner for hiding it for me to find. Especially if it's to a state I've never cached in before!

So what happens when you find a lame cache in every state?

I don't know. I haven't found any lame caches yet so I couldn't tell you.

[+Confucius' Cat]

Let's say I'm on a business trip and have very little time to go caching except for about an hour or so one afternoon while there's still enough light to see (or to feel safe). I don't always have a rental car available so I end up having to walk to a lamp post cache as described above. There's NO other cache I'll be able to get to, and according to the list this is supposed to be LAME with a factor of 90. I say that it's not lame at all. Instead, I think it's a GREAT cache, and I'm very thankful to the owner for hiding it for me to find. Especially if it's to a state I've never cached in before!

So what happens when you find a lame cache in every state?

I don't know. I haven't found any lame caches yet so I couldn't tell you.

Good comeback.

[+Mudfrog]

Let's say I'm on a business trip and have very little time to go caching except for about an hour or so one afternoon while there's still enough light to see (or to feel safe). I don't always have a rental car available so I end up having to walk to a lamp post cache as described above. There's NO other cache I'll be able to get to, and according to the list this is supposed to be LAME with a factor of 90. I say that it's not lame at all. Instead, I think it's a GREAT cache, and I'm very thankful to the owner for hiding it for me to find. Especially if it's to a state I've never cached in before!

So what happens when you find a lame cache in every state?

I don't know. I haven't found any lame caches yet so I couldn't tell you.

 

You don't get out much, do you?

[+Confucius' Cat]

there ya go!

The lame ones are the hardest to find.

[+budd-rdc]

Hmm.. don't know about that. I had a bunch of DNFs in Nebraska, but I didn't consider the experience lame at all. Some of the difficult to find caches, if done well, is quite satisfying and very unlame at the end.

 

Logic and argumentative technicalities just can't explain people who know how to hide caches very well.

[+naj3]

I don't visit the forums often but this subject caught my eye. As one that started hiding an ammo box in the woods, then a film canister in suburbia then, evil hides in both woods and suburbia, this topic was of huge interest to me. The lame cache is in the eye of the beholder and the "place" they are in caching. Every Cacher goes through caching phases: finding, hiding, easy, hard, numbers, puzzles, multi's, difficulty stars, terrain stars, numbers in a day. Different cachers apply themselves to different levels of the game. What may be lame to one is a benefit or fun to another. Those that have found ten bus stop magnetic key holder micros think they are lame..the family first caching that finds their first bus stop micro is jumping up and down. It's all relative.

 

My Lame breakdown:

Not maintained

Crappy coords (take more than one reading PLEASE)

Crappy puzzle (there are actually many different solutions but the owner ignores it)

The possiblity of being yelled at by neighbors and/or the police are called

Trash and garbage around that could hurt someone or I don't want to explain to my kids (needles, broken glass, beer cans, porn, discarded red panties) Note: all of which may show up later without the cache owner knowing.

Misrepresented terrain rating (if you rate it a one star terrain that means no one has to fall out and crawl from their wheelchair)

 

Otherwise as a wise cacher once told me: to each his own. Everyone plays their own game and as long as played by the rules others shouldn't judge. That's not a rant, just what I have experienced myself as I used to rant. I don't now.

[+KBI]

I don't really think of a any cache as a "lame cache". I'm just happy to get outdoors and go looking for it.

Ditto.

 

Getting outdoors and having something to look for are two of the main things that first attracted me to this game, and that keep me hooked. Other attractions include: having an excuse to play with my Garmin, having a reason to play on the Internet, having a motivation to get a litle exercise, seeing cool places I didn't know were there, and the very fact that I know something the locals all around me don't know -- that there is something hidden right over there! It doesn't really matter to me WHAT it is that's hidden, or WHERE; only that I'm in on the secret!

 

Recently I've learned that there is a STRONG distaste for what many refer to as "lame" caches. I haven't decided whether this disgust is representative of cachers in general or just a common trait among most (but not all) of the types of folks who post in the Forums, but it surprises me nonetheless. I've always thought of this as a hobby with a relatively 'underground' flavor -- not in the legal or moral sense, but in the sense that we're ALL in on that secret -- the fact that something is hidden right over there. Something the very existence of which the locals -- be they shoppers, Frisbee players, or bears -- are completely oblivious. There may be hide methods that I begin to see repeated so often that I can crack them a mile away; there may be hide locations I think were poorly thought out; there may be containers I'd have been embarassed to use myself, but ... for some reason none of that stuff ever really bothers me. I just can't bring myself to complain about or be critical of anyone who was nice enough to provide me with yet another hidden thing to find; I just can't bring myself to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

I guess I've always been attracted to the kinds of things that most people don't care for. Not because I WANT to be different -- that's just how my tastes run. I like anchovies on my pizza. I like really bad puns. Some of the music I enjoy would drive most people screaming from the room. And I actually enjoy finding the kinds of caches that people keep describing in this thread. Maybe I have a defective personality, but whatever it is, that's me. I'm honest with myself when it comes to what I do and don't enjoy, and I don't apologize for that.

 

I prefer to find caches which feature some kind of surprise, creativity, humor or flair, but really ... any cache is good for me. Any cache at all.

 

Besides, the VERY BEST cache is the one which leads you to THINK it will be relatively bland, but then it slaps you upside the head with a mind-blowingly and unexpectedly entertaining surprise. To avoid "lame" caches is to risk missing some of the best caches.

 

So what, according to KBI, is a lame cache? Some are better than others of course, but there are NO lame caches -- none that I've ever seen, anyway. Only a surprisingly wide variety of points of view among my fellow players.

 

(Was that a rant?)

[+TrailGators]

It is clear that some of you think that anything goes and everything is OK. This is the age of anything goes, so it's not a big surprise to me. So maybe we should give you what you want! We'll create a special series of caches for you! Bwa ha ha! We'll make sure we include all the best suggestions in this thread! Bwa ha ha! We'll use old rusty Altoids tins for containers. They will be so rusty that you won't be able to get them open without a huge amount of effort! Bwa ha ha! We'll use a crumpled up pieces of scrap paper for the logbooks. There will be no pen to sign the log and there will be no swag. You will need to cross muddy swamps and bushwhack through thick briars to reach all the waypoints for these micros! We'll make sure that the coordinates are 100 to 200 feet off on every cache in the series! Oops! Bwa ha ha! The series will be called "There are no lame caches!" Bwa ha ha!

Edited December 12, 2006 by TrailGators

[+The Last Airbender]

The only lame cache is a cache that is not placed. I personally enjoy the hunt regardless of what i find or what it is. Those things make it that much more enjoyable.

[+wavector]

The Leprechuans threw up a cache for consideration and personally I would consider that cache the very definition of lame. I think the right decision was made when this cache was archived, what do you think ?

 

the only possible relevance of, for example, "wet logbooks" would be to mention the owner's maintenance obligation. One important way for an owner to prevent lame caches is to maintain his or her caches.

I had a cache that initially met my definition of "cool." It had an unusual hiding spot and an amusing story on the cache page about the area to which I brought visitors. But after two container changes, and continued notes about wet, soggy logs, the logbook issue tilted the balance for me.

 

I can tell from his concise description that the cache design was flawed, it isn't necessary to have any more details than those given to decide that he is doing the right thing by archiving the cache.

The only expectation that I set as a goal in cache hunts is a logbook to sign. (virts etc aside)

If the logbook is wet and cannot be signed I think the cache is lame.

Every time I have to dry out a logsheet/logbook before signing it I consider if the wet logbook can be explained (previous finder left cache open), if it can then my consideration ends in simple exasperation.

 

If the wet logbook is the result of a design decision made by the hider then I think the cache is lame.

 

In my opinion this is a simple straightforward definition that is very common to everyone's experience. I would bet that most people with less than twenty finds have been faced with a wet logbook/logsheet, maybe more than one, personally I think that is lame. It is bad for this activity and bad for new geocachers, a geocache that has a wet logbook is lame, that is my definition of lame.

 

I don't like hills or caches hidden on a Monday either, those are lame.