Cache's labled traditional that are really micro.

[+Team Four A's]

I have noticed a big explosion of caches in our area which is cool. But I have also noticed that many of them though labled a traditional cache are in reality a micro. They even say in the discription they are a log with out a anything to write with and a very small container. How can this happen? Does the person reviewing the cache not read things over carefully? Do they not see that the discription of the cache container and log make it a micro cache not a traditional one? It is frustraing. I do not mind micro ones for me to find but my kids do not like them because there is no "treasure". So I avoid the traditional one's that should be labled micro one's when taking the kids out with me looking for caches. Now I know we have not found many but we are slowly doing it as we go. What is your feeling's on this. Should the owner be forced to change the lable to micro cache or should it stay labled a traditional one when it is NOT!

[ScottFla]

I think you are confusing two seperate things. The traditional cache doesn't mean size but type of cache, as in traditional caches, puzzle caches, multicaches, virtual caches, etc.

[+KBI]

Check out the Listing Guidelines.

 

Note that any cache type can be any size.

 

Hope that helps.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

It can be confusing.

 

I tell folks I prefer traditionals over micros, by which I MEAN that I prefer ammo boxes, even though micros and ammo boxes are both traditional caches.

 

I can see where that kind of imprecision would confuse newcomers!

 

Ed

[+briansnat]

Micros are a size and often are traditional caches.

Edited December 14, 2006 by briansnat

[+The Leprechauns]

I've been finding micros for five years in a hobby that's only seven years old. Sounds pretty traditional to me! I also like finding small, regular and large traditional caches.

 

I found it interesting that the OP would immediately speculate that it's sloppy work by the volunteer cache reviewers, rather than just asking the question. I would think that if lots of micros were being misclassified, we'd hear about it in this forum!

 

A tip to the OP: if you become a premium member, you can order pocket queries that filter out caches having characteristics that you are not fond of, like micros or terrain 5 caches if you are caching with young kids. At our house we filter out puzzle caches.

[Team CDCB]

For what it's worth, I never noticed this until someone pointed it out to me, but the little pictures under the difficulty/terrain ratings are an indicator of size:

 

= Micro sized cache

= Small sized cache

= regular sized cache

= large sized cache

 

= other (unknown?) size

= no cache box - virtual

= User didn't choose size

[+cimawr]

I have noticed a big explosion of caches in our area which is cool. But I have also noticed that many of them though labled a traditional cache are in reality a micro.

 

As several others have pointed out, you seem to have cache type mixed up with container size as regards descriptions on the website's cache pages.

 

Traditional is a TYPE of cache, and the container used can be any size from nano to large.

 

Micro refers to a SIZE of cache containers, and it can be used in several different types of caches, including traditional.

 

A traditional cache, for the purposes of cache page descriptions, is a cache which has one container - regardless of size - and a log, and for which the hider provides coordinates for the cache's direct location.

 

Again, these caches can range in size from nano (extremely tiny) to micro (usually too small for anything but a log, sometimes has room for very small items) to small (room for a log book and writing implement, and smallish items) to regular and large. There is some crossover between adjacent sizes- for example, a cache I might call "small" somone else might call "micro" .

 

The most common other types are:

Multi , which is several caches in a stage, with coordinates provided only for the first cache; each cache contains coordinates for the next one, and the last one has the logbook. These, too, can be any size, although they tend to be micros with the exception of the final stage.

 

Mystery or puzzle caches, which come in a variety of forms, but which don't have coordinates for the cache on the cache page. Some require driving to various locations and collecting clues to figure out the coordinates, some have crossword or sudoku puzzles to solve for the coordinates, some have cards with coordinates hidden in other caches, and so forth. These, too, can have containers of any size.

 

Event caches are actually get-togethers, which may involve searching for temporary caches, but the posted coordinates will be for the site where people collect. CITO caches are events for the purpose of cleaning up an area.

 

At any rate, if you want to avoid doing micros, you need to look on the page for each cache, and check the size listing on the right hand side. (Not all caches list size; IMO, it should be mandatory.) You can also sort for size of container when doing pocket queries.

Edited December 14, 2006 by cimawr

[+DiS02]

Hey Team CDCB,

thanks for the explaination of the different icon meanings. I never had figured out what they meant, I usually just scanned the cache pages because I'm on them anyways.

 

Now I can use that knowledge to really weed out stuff.

 

Thanks

[+ICHTHYS]

For what it's worth, I never noticed this until someone pointed it out to me, but the little pictures under the difficulty/terrain ratings are an indicator of size:

 

= Micro sized cache

= Small sized cache

= regular sized cache

= large sized cache

 

= other (unknown?) size

= no cache box - virtual

= User didn't choose size

 

Maybe I am blind, but I don't see those on the cache pages.

[+The Leprechauns]

The graphic for cache size shows up on the search results page, so you can see at a glance whether it's a micro, a large, etc.

 

On the cache page itself, size is indicated by text. From time to time there is a request in the forums to add the box graphic to each cache page. There have also been requests to move the size text to a place on the cache page that's more prominent.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

Actually, I don't believe they are on the cache page, but they are on the page when you search for a cache from a given location. If you search for caches from your home location, it brings up the pages with maybe 25 caches per page, and it is on those listings... the terrain/difficulty rating, and those little boxes are right under that on the list pages. I am sure someone can do a screen capture and print the picture right in the forum post for others to see... I'm just not so technologically savvy to do that yet!

 

Malia

 

(edit... ok, Lep.. you beat me to it!)

Edited December 15, 2006 by Moore9KSUcats

[+ICHTHYS]

Ahh, I see. I have seen them on the search pages, and I knew what they were, but I didn't seem them on the cache pages. So confused. For some reason I thought his post was saying they were on the cache pages.

 

Thanks for the replies.

[+GRANPA ALEX]

Just to follow up on Alabama Rambler's comment about the confusion of terms . . .

 

It might be that terminolgy/ideas are further complicated by the fact that most caches, as a rule, ARE downsizing . . . film canisters were micros of old but are large compared to the size on the nanos, some of which are the size of a childs fingernail.

[+Are_we_there_yet?]

Ok now I'm really confused. I just checked and the OP has a total of 4 finds, all of which are Regular size and one they actually went and logged a find on 2 seperate occasions. I don't see as to where finding micros has been an issue for them as of yet.

[+cimawr]

Ok now I'm really confused. I just checked and the OP has a total of 4 finds, all of which are Regular size and one they actually went and logged a find on 2 seperate occasions.

 

If you read the logs, he took his son to find it one day, and his daughter another; since the account is for all the family members, it amounts to two different members of a team logging finds on two different day.

 

WRT micros, I'm guessing that what's going on is that he's looking at cache pages to find ones suitable to hunt with the kids, and finding it frustrating because when he reads the descriptions, they turn out to be micros. IOW the problem is finding non-micros to hunt for, not going to a cache and finding it's a micro when he gets there.

[+Team Four A's]

Thanks Team CDCB and everyone else for the information. I will look at the size charts when I search. I also of course read the description too for help on knowing what type of cache it is. I do not mind micro's, I like looking for them my self, just not with the kids.

I am sorry if anyone is mad about my post. I just feel that if the cache is only a log paper or papers with out room for even something to write with than it should be called a micro with it's sign that is all. But that is my feeling and very few other's. It is a free country and everyone can do as they want. I just have to read carefully so when I have the kids I do not make them unhappy not finding treasure. I how ever love my self to find micro's because they are so much fun. Thanks again for reading and for all you information to help me tell them all apart. Thank's!

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Thanks Team CDCB and everyone else for the information. I will look at the size charts when I search. I also of course read the description too for help on knowing what type of cache it is. I do not mind micro's, I like looking for them my self, just not with the kids.

I am sorry if anyone is mad about my post. I just feel that if the cache is only a log paper or papers with out room for even something to write with than it should be called a micro with it's sign that is all. But that is my feeling and very few other's. It is a free country and everyone can do as they want. I just have to read carefully so when I have the kids I do not make them unhappy not finding treasure. I how ever love my self to find micro's because they are so much fun. Thanks again for reading and for all you information to help me tell them all apart. Thank's!

If a cache is "log only" then it's usually written in the description. Not everyone does it, but not everyone puts parking coordinates in either. Some people don't want to provide any type of hint. Also, not all log only caches are micros.

[+benh57]

It's actually not a bad idea to have a new cache type for 'log-only'. It really is an altogether different animal than a Traditional cache with swag, etc and it would make it easier for those like OP to filter them out.

 

Size isn't always an indicator of this.