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Traditional First To Find Items


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Just wondering, What a typical FTF Item would be (in a good cache) And what you would usualy fill a NEW release cache with.

 

I was thinking FTF's would be something like..

 

FTF Coin

UnActivated Trackable Geocoin

Paperless caching setup (They sell old palm pilots here (brandnew) for $20)

Actual Cash

 

And other Items would be things like..

 

TB's/Geocoins

Personal coins

Pins

key chains

 

Basicaly you would want nice stuff in it when it is first released.

 

Any other ideas?

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A great FTF gift is unactivated trackables. Something less than $10, and appealing to the geocacher makes great gifts.

 

Yeah my first cache had a unactivated micro geocoin as a FTF. The Girl who found it still hasn't activated it :)

But what appeals to all geocachers? For me I would love to open it up and see a FTF silver Ring. I've got friends in the jewlery buisness, and I'm sure silver rings don't cost more than $20 each. But would anyone else want one? who knows.. Or a coffee card.. what if a kid finds it? you know, one thing that can't make anyone happy. Unactivated coins are prolly the best I think.

 

I was also thinking the paperless caching setup. these things are sweet, I still own one but I bought mine 8 years ago when they first came out, when it was $300 lol now they are selling here for $20 and they will do everything your paper does now. It's palm os. So it runs TONS of games/apps/tools.. you can write in it all day long and never fill it up. There's another one here that has a keyboard on it insted of a stylis.

 

I've got a new one now 24bit TFT LCD 320x320, 333mhz processor, 16mb ram, 32 mb onboard storage, 2g SDcard built in camera, speaker (for mp3's or divx/xvid) plays movies n all that. Usualy use it for caching only tho :blink:

 

But yeah, I think paperless caching is a good Idea, saves trees/trash and pens. and these $20 ones are perfect, just b+w (4 tones) some even 16 (woo hoo) But there is a software out there I've got it too, for geocachers. Also it is a universal remote. You can install a program called omni remote. This program allows you to create buttons and give them names, then program them by ponting a remote control at it and making it learn the button. So once all your controls are enterd you can control your entire house from your palm :blink: I've even got my car stereo in mine :blink: I would fully load the palm first.

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For me, I just use my common since.....If I were to put a McDonald Toy into a cache and call it a FTF gift, I don't think it would be very appealing to a cacher.

 

For me I aim toward unactivated trackables, FTF certificates, stuff from GeoSwag, geocaching bumper sticker....the ideas are endless!

 

Yeah But that's only for some ppl, I wouldn't want a bumper sticker, I'd leave it, I think a FTF has to be so cool, that no geocacher would leave it.

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I've only got 2 FTF's so far. Both were micros, but one contained a FTF prize of coordinates for a "private" cache. To get the coords, you need to be FTF on one of this guy's caches or find one of few of his special travel bugs.

 

Found a cache yesterday that was a half gallon jug. I wasn't FTF (was 4th), but it was the day the cache was published. Contents were a police figure (like army men), poker chip, plastic bug, and some other litte something. The only things that were missing from the original contents from the cache page were a rubber snake and a TB.

 

I'm not complaining for myself, but did think this was a very skimpy contents for a nice size cache on it's first day. I left about 5 items for the next cachers. If I'd actually been FTF, I'd probably been a little disappointed.

 

Happy Trails...

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We like to use geoswag items like bumper stickers and GC items, but we found some of those big oval car stickers that typically indicate a location you have visited (i.e. HH for Hilton Head) that said FTF. We have seen a couple around town on vehicles and can't help but wonder if they hit our caches. We have also left gift cards to various places and have received similar goodies like movie passes and personal geocoins. For us though, the biggest prize is getting to sign the FTF in the logbook!

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The only time I left an FTF prize was in the final of a series of caches. It was a fully stocked small cache.

I don't normally leave an FTF prize. Any new cache in the area I could probably guess who is going to be FTF with a fair amount of accuracy. If I feel like giving a gift to one of the five or six people who will get there first I'll just hand it to them.

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I put a scarf I made.

 

I'm planning on getting a jeweled pendant that I own but don't like appraised and use it for an FTF with the appraisal certificate. I've had it for years, don't wear it and just don't want it.

 

but not for just any cache either, for a puzzle cache multistage. My husband is the one who wants to make the puzzles and stuff but he doesn't want to geocache. He goes with me and the kids and loves the walks, but isn't into it like I am. He, however, hates micros as much as I do and wants to make a puzzle that will hurt brains.

 

if he doesn't like caching so much, why did he say to me tonight that he needs to buy me a new gpsr? makes you go hmmm....

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I agree that there is no "traditional" first to find items. Anything nice will do (if you choose to do a FTF prize).

 

I've seen everything from coins, gift certificates, Starbucks cards, etc. - the choice is yours.

 

I like handmade items personally. I found one that had a laminated PPT Certifcate that said "First To Find" and had the cache info on it. Didn't cost the hider anything more than a sheet of paper, some printer ink and a laminated sheet but it was a cool thing to find.

 

I've also done this using metal and a plasma cutter:

 

94765a45-6224-465b-a1c6-c7e3e1152a8a.jpg

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For several of our Psycho Urban Caches, we have offered FTF prizes ranging from $10 bills plus an unregistered geocoin (this was true of PUC #11 and PUC #12, I believe) to as much (i.e., for PUC #13) as $160 in cash plus an imprinted PUC T-shirt and an unregistered geocoin. And, for PUC #14, we offered a $20 bill plus an unregistered geocoin, and we were also on hand to take photos of the FTF finder rapelling down the rock face, and to congratulate their team(s) after it was all said and done.

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I don't normally leave an FTF prize. Any new cache in the area I could probably guess who is going to be FTF with a fair amount of accuracy. If I feel like giving a gift to one of the five or six people who will get there first I'll just hand it to them.

Yeah, I've run into that situation as well. To keep that from happening when I placed one of my hides, I also placed a secret micro nearby, then hid the coords of the secret micro in a nonstandard location in the container. The only way to find the secret micro coords is by accident ... the FTF hound that shows up, signs the log, rummages through the container for swag, then packs up and ships out won't find it.

 

It worked perfectly. The prize went to someone who was 6th or 7th to find the main cache, but FTF on the secret micro.

 

-eP

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I believe) to as much (i.e., for PUC #13) as $160 in cash plus an imprinted PUC T-shirt and an unregistered geocoin.

 

That listing is RIDICULOUSLY long with so much repeated wording it isn't funny... What is funny is that is was logged only a couple weeks after it was placed when you were soooo sure that it wouldn't be logged within the first year :) You should give me $160 just for reading all of it as that had to be harder then getting the cache :)

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I believe) to as much (i.e., for PUC #13) as $160 in cash plus an imprinted PUC T-shirt and an unregistered geocoin.

That listing is RIDICULOUSLY long with so much repeated wording it isn't funny... What is funny is that it was logged only a couple weeks after it was placed when you were soooo sure that it wouldn't be logged within the first year :) You should give me $160 just for reading all of it as that had to be harder then getting the cache :)

Yes, the cache was logged within a couple of weeks of listing and I was tickled pink ;):) that the cache was found so quickly! However, the find was scored only at a sizeable price: The FTF team was Team Psycho, a team of local extreme geocachers, and it took them three (or four) failed, aka preparatory, attempts spread across 2 or 3 weeks before they finally managed to score the find. By the time they had logged the find in a Herculean effort, the eight cachers on the team had put in more than 16 hours apiece (some more than 28 hours each) in tackling this cache (a lot of it standing in cold river water...), totaling more than 145 hours of work by the team of eight dedicated geocachers, and had also spent many hundreds of dollars on gear. This kind of coordinated,highly disciplined and dedicated cache hunting effort, in my estimation, truly deserves the description of "Herculean effort"!

 

Interestingly, despite the fact that this cache has seemingly become a Holy Grail for many extreme cachers up and down the East Coast, no one else has scored a find on that cache since the FTF by Team Psycho.

 

As for the lengthy cache listing page: well, some like that style, and some don't. It is okay with me that you may not like the format! B) I am certainly not here on earth to try to keep everyone happy, and I personally am very much happy with the formatting of the cache listing page; that is enough for me! ;)

 

By the way, speaking of FTF prizes, that PUC #13 cache currently has a "First to Find After Team Psycho" prize of $100 plus a geocoin and an imprinted PUC T-shirt; the $100 cash prize is in effect until midnight February 26, after which the cash prize drops back down to $20 (plus the coin and the T-shirt.)

 

:P;)

Edited by Vinny & Sue Team
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