Good vs Bad caches

[+geomann1]

"A good cache is one that I can find.

 

Bingo!...That helps

"

 

 

I would say that the caches that brought me the most pleasure, were a few that I found the 2nd or 3rd time after much searching. A good cache to me is one that provided a real challenge or brought me to a scenic or interesting place that I might otherwise not have visited.

 

I also don't have a problem with LPCs; I enjoyed the first that I found.

 

If I am to be as bold as to make a suggestion, I would hope cache placers simply did not repeat what others have already done in their vicinity. One LPC in an area is good, 10 is pointless.

[Mushtang]

A good cache is one that someone placed because they wanted to, and is there for me to find when I want to look for one.

 

A bad cache is one that someone wanted to place, but they felt pressured into not hiding by people that thought they knew how to play this game better, and so I didn't have a cache to find on a business trip that I otherwise would have.

Honestly have you been deprived of not being able to find enough quickie caches on your business trips? Most big cities have gobs of them.

Yes, I've been on several trips that I didn't have a rental car because the seminar was at a hotel near the airport and I took a shuttle. With only my legs to get me around that limits the range of caches I have time to get to. On these car-less trips, I'm very appreciative of caches that are placed, no matter what kind of caches they are. I've walked to plenty of ammo cans as well as LPCs.

 

Anyhow, I think the OP was looking for qualities that described caches that people enjoy more. So out of all the caches you've found what kind of caches do you enjoy the most?

I understood that, but some of you decided to do a little LPC bashing so I wanted to remind potential LPC hiders that there are folks here that would still appreciate them.

 

If you were on a deserted island and could only have one cache would it be an LPC?

No, it would be a Project APE. That way someone would show up and I'd be saved. Duh!

[+TrailGators]

If I am to be as bold as to make a suggestion, I would hope cache placers simply did not repeat what others have already done in their vicinity. One LPC in an area is good, 10 is pointless.

This is an excellent point that a lot of people miss. Even if cachers are not creative, everyone can hide a "different" kind of cache. Variety is a good thing!

[+TrailGators]

If you were on a deserted island and could only have one cache would it be an LPC?

No, it would be a Project APE. That way someone would show up and I'd be saved. Duh!

Is that the best you can do? My cache would be an event cache called "Thong Muggle Mania!"

[+michigansnorkelers]

A good cache is one that makes me LAUGH!!!!

 

There was one where I saw a camouflagued container hanging in a tree.

 

I was focused on the container.

 

I tried to unscrew the lid with no success.

 

It took a minute before I looked at the string it was hanging by and followed it up the tree, through a pully, across to another pully in another tree, and to the actual cache.

 

Looks like what I was holding was the counterweight!

 

I let out a loud laugh at that one!

[+chaosmanor]

I can agree with a lot of what has been written already, but here's the bottom line for us...

 

A good cache is one that we can tell the owner took some time to put some thought into it. We might not agree with the container, or the exact placement, or any of a number of other things, but we can tell that the owner did some real thinking about the cache. Naturally, there are several levels of "good".

 

A bad cache is one where the owner appears to have done no thinking at all, but just tossed the container in a spot and said, "That's good enough."

 

We've seen some tremendously-clever Altoids tins and 35mm film cans. We've seen some terrible ammo cans. We've taken excellent walks/hikes, only to find a rotten hide, and we've done some really inventive urbans. Sometimes the hike is enough to make up for a poor-quality hide; we much prefer a long walk for one cache than an "urban micro raid". But a cache of whatever type should have some appositeness with the hiding place. If it isn't appropriate in some way, it's just another box of junk. We'll take the find, but we won't tell other people about how much fun it was, because it wasn't fun.

[+SidAndBob]

My preference as far as my initial cache placements, is what I hope are well camoed, park and grabs, where the cache is right in front of you, but you may not notice it, or at least not initially.

 

My favorite finds are the well camoed micros...

As you say, "different folks for different strokes". My least liked are well camoed, park and grabs. I enjoy a scenic walk / hike with a good size container, so it's easily findable. I'd far rather we walking than searching.

[+Sileny Jizda]

My wife and I have not been caching very long. We don't even have the high numbers most seem to have. That being the case any cache that's maintained we've enjoyed thus far. Micro's, while small and a pita to some we find them challenging to find adding to the fun. Regulars, we like because of being able to drop off a little something and the prospect of a bug to move along. Jumbo, well, those we find outright funny. We like walking in the woods, hiking in the parking lot and walking downtown. Some of them we often wonder how in the h e double toothpicks did someone get permission to place it where it is.

 

One such cache we recently did fit that category. Not only did it take two trips but it also showed me to trust my gut instinct. It wasn't hidden in a place we encountered yet but it was hidden where you couldn't just walk up to it. Muggle factor? Heck, on a Sunday would be your best bet given it was right in front of God and everyone. We took it as a challenge to take. We did so successfully as well.

 

Now, we're looking to place several of our own caches of various interesting nature. We've talked long and hard and came to a decision that a particular type would fit our personality more than "really hard to find" "historical" "smallest" or even "common". We're working up some that will, we hope, be humorous. I have several types and ideas now all that is left is the permissions. One particular place will probably take as much skill to get as it'll take to get the permission. Not that it's a questionable location, just one of my favorites that has taught me about the very aspect of geocaching. A library. Nope, it's not a book cache either.

 

My idea of a good cache? Anything that's maintained and difficult yet not to be confused with illegal activity.