What makes a good cache?

1.3k · January 17, 2009

I've seen threads about what people don't like in a cache. I have 81 finds and want to hide one after I reach 100 finds. So what to you like to see?

Is the the hide? What makes a good hide?

Is it the container? What makes a good container?

Is is the Location? Why? History? Good View? Educational? What?

What else?

14.3k · January 17, 2009

I've seen threads about what people don't like in a cache. I have 81 finds and want to hide one after I reach 100 finds. So what to you like to see?

Is the the hide? What makes a good hide?

Is it the container? What makes a good container?

Is is the Location? Why? History? Good View? Educational? What?

What else?

Imagine a TV crew wants to film you hiding a cache. What kinds of places would you take them?

A good rule of thumb is that if it's not a good place to visit without a cache being there then it's not a good place.

Geocaching is the language of location.

Edited January 17, 2009 by TrailGators

2k · January 17, 2009

Imagine a TV crew wants to film you hiding a cache.

Good way to put it.

Lots of things can make your cache stand out. I think you will do well judging by your own ideas as expressed in your question. All those or any combination would go a long way to making a cache interesting.

January 17, 2009

I've seen threads about what people don't like in a cache. I have 81 finds and want to hide one after I reach 100 finds. So what to you like to see?

Is the the hide? What makes a good hide?

Is it the container? What makes a good container?

Is is the Location? Why? History? Good View? Educational? What?

What else?

For me, it's not just one thing. I have found two beautifully camoed caches. One of those using tree bark, but the other, the CO spent time making the container look just like it belonged on the object on which the container was attached. Yet another was a cache at an overlook of a city and, if I may, one was a three part cache dealing with history. All types of caches can be good if some forethought and effort are applied. :angry:

2.5k · January 17, 2009

Any hide that you would enjoy to find. You can only hide it as well as you would like to hide it. Everyones wants and need are different from the next. I like the hard terrains but I don't always get them but it doesn't stop me from looking for all the others. I just love caching period. :angry:

18.9k · January 17, 2009

Any hide that has a dry logbook in a weather resistant container that takes me somewhere: scenic, historic, little known, out-of-the-way, cool, special to you - just tell me why you brought me there in your description. Keep it out of garbage heaps, rotting smelly ditches, out of sight of hoardes of muggles. Use a container that fits the location.

...then I'm happy.

January 17, 2009

There is taste and there is quality. Taste is something that you can't put in your cache for everyone. Quality you can.

Put it in a place where you would like to go, even if there was no logbook to sign. That always helps. Use placed that aren't filled with caches, or types that are sparse in your region (e.g. multi if everything is a traditional). And make a nice cachedescription. It doesn't have to be literature, but make it more than "here it is, BYOP". So tell why this place is so nice and special, why the cacher wants to go there. Perhaps a picture here and there. All the effort you put in your cache, will add to the quality.

January 17, 2009

My personal rating of caches, from 0.0 to 5.0 stars (5.0 being the best):

1 star for location. The view, the history, the journey, all these count in this category. An area filled with garbage gets 0.0, uninteresting parking lot - 0.1, and so on; the top of a hill with a nice view over the countryside, from where lieutenant $so-and-so defended the region in the battle of $name, gets 0.9 or 1.0

1 star for the container. The weatherproofness (water, heat, ice, flood-proofness), the right size for the location, the camo, the specially designed container counts in this category. A single use take-out food container is 0.0, film cans about 0.2, tupperware a little above, ammo cans without military markings about 0.7, the most intricate and innovative container gets 1.0

1 star for the hiding. The precision of the coordinates, the permission (hint hint), the muggleproofness, the cacher friendlyness (can be found without trampling around, and without rising concerns from the people around) count in this category. A cache thrown from the car window gets 0.0.

1 star for the cache page. Indicating correctly the terrain, difficulty, cache size, attributes, writing the relevant information in the cache description, a good hint, all count in this category. For puzzles, the solvability of the riddle, eventually a coordinate checker adds up. This is the easiest star to score for traditionals, and one of the hardest for earthcaches and puzzles.

1 star for maintenance. Rate according to your own standards.

I think the location deserves more than 1 star, but I keep it this way for simplicity. You may adjust the maximums according to your own standards.

Now rate the caches you found (or the caches you find from now forward, if you don't remember the past ones). No need to make the rating public. When hiding your cache, rate it the same way, and try to have a higher score than the average of the caches you found.

7.3k · January 17, 2009

There is taste and there is quality. Taste is something that you can't put in your cache for everyone. Quality you can.

Excellent! for my taste, a cache with a decent walk (over 2 miles roundtrip, longer please) and a dry container with a dry log (I'm not concerned much about size) is to my taste, but I do have a couple of urban/ugly caches on my favorites list, because of the outstanding quality of the container + use of the site. Very well said, Xaa.

"When you go to hide a cache, think of the reason you are bringing people to that spot. If the only reason is for the cache, then find a better spot." quote briansnat, used as a sig line by Moun10Bike

January 17, 2009

I thing Dj Storm summed up my feeling very well also.

A good cache should be placed in an area that's a nice place to visit.

A good cache should have a container size appropriate to it's surrounding. Placing a micro where you could hide a 747 is just bad taste in the least.

A cache should have good camoflage so that it blends into the scene well. This makes the find more fun, and helps prevent accidental finding and theft of the cache.

Take elements from the caches you thought were well done, especially when travel caching. What is common place in one town may be un-seen in your town.

38.2k · January 17, 2009

For me its the location, location, location. Bring me some place interesting or nice. It could be a good view, historic site, an oddity, educational, or just a pleasant walk. Anything that is a step above the mundane.

If the only reason that I would want to visit the area in my spare time is for the cache, I'm not interested.

Everything else is secondary, though a quality container is important, because I doubt anybody likes fishing through dirty water to pull out a slimy logbook and rusted trinkets.

9.3k · January 17, 2009

There is taste and there is quality. Taste is something that you can't put in your cache for everyone. Quality you can.

Excellent point!

You will never please everyone, so you should focus on what pleases you.

For all aspects of your hide, (container selection/location/hide technique/write up/etc), quality beats carp every time.

From the Clan Riffster book of unwanted and overstated opinions, chapter 12:

Container selection:

By my somewhat biased definition, a quality container is one that protects its contents. It doesn't matter if the contents are a scrap of paper, or gold bullion. If the container won't protect them, the container is carp. Carpy containers include black & grey film canisters, hide-a-keys, baggies (by themselves), Altoids tins, Gladware, etc. Quality containers include match containers, soda bottle preforms, Lock & Locks, Pelican cases, ammo cans, etc.

Size is not an indicator of container quality. Rather, (for us), size is determined by the location. We promote the adage, "Use the biggest container an area will reasonably support", as a general guideline. If an area will support an ammo can, that's what it gets. If the area calls for something a little bit smaller, we opt for a Lock & Lock. If the area will only support a little bitty container, we go for the match container or preform. I should qualify that by stressing this is just our opinion. Other folks I know have no qualms about tossing a film canister into a 20 acre field of saw palmettos, patting themselves on the back for creating a "challenging" hide. :angry:

Location:

Groundspeak's motto is, "The Language of Location". While it is technically correct that a 500 acre sweltering, exhaust laden blacktop parking lot to a big box is a location, that doesn't mean it doesn't suck. What kind of places do you like? Pristine parks? Mountains? Triple canopy jungles? Rivers? Springs? Pine flats? If it's the kind of place you really love, that enthusiasm might very well find it's way onto your cache page. Bring me there! Tell me what's so neat about it. I'll probably walk away loving it too. Note: Not all parking lots suck. If you can see the aesthetic difference between the parking lot for the world's oldest hardware store, and a generic Wally World, you probably already know what I mean. An urban cache doesn't have to be a stinker, but with a liberal dose of laziness and a lack of creativity, it very well could be.

Hide technique:

For an urban micro, the positive end of this spectrum often means creating something unique, that looks like it belongs there. Muggles could pass it by in droves, never realizing what it really was, whilst a seasoned geocacher would figure it out. This also applies to larger caches as well. From a cache owner's standpoint, a worst case scenario would be a muggle finding your cache, either because it's poorly hidden, or they saw a cacher retrieving/replacing it and investigated, then they set off a chain of events which ends when the local bomb squad blows your cache to smithereens.

Write up:

Again, this is all strictly my biased opinion, and should not under any circumstances be taken as Gospel.

I have seen a distinct correlation between the creativity displayed on a cache page, and the creativity displayed in a cache hide. While there are exceptions, they are very few and far between. Typically, if all someone can say are words to the effect of, "This here's my cashe. I hop yoo liek it", it probably won't be a cache I enjoy. Tell me why you are bringing me to that particular spot. Is is scenic? Does it have a unique significance for you? Is it historical? Is it just way too kewl? If a spot has so few redeeming qualities that you can't come up with a couple paragraphs about it, perhaps it's time to pick another spot.

All of this can be summarized in 5 easy words:

Take pride in your hide".

January 17, 2009

For me its the location, location, location. Bring me some place interesting or nice. It could be a good view, historic site, an oddity, educational, or just a pleasant walk. Anything that is a step above the mundane.

If the only reason that I would want to visit the area in my spare time is for the cache, I'm not interested.

Everything else is secondary, though a quality container is important, because I doubt anybody likes fishing through dirty water to pull out a slimy logbook and rusted trinkets.

Agreed!

8.9k · January 17, 2009

I even wrote about it on my website:

In my opinion, here are characteristics that make a cache a GOOD experience:
A decent hike (>=0.25 miles) in a sparsely populated area

Nifty little-known history

Great scenery

Unusual hide (suspended in a tree, on an island that you have to canoe to)

Thought-provoking puzzle

Cool camo or really neat container

Long history of being at that spot (old cache that's been around for a long while)

Good theme (and people are sticking to it)

Any one of these characteristics on a cache, and I'll think it's pretty cool. Combine a few, and it scores more points. But if it doesn't have a single one of those characteristics, I'll be asking myself why I was brought here. If I have to ask myself that, I would think the cache was disappointing.

January 17, 2009

Well, I am a creative person who loves to read and laugh. So the caches I am most appreciative of are those that have a clever container and/or a well thought out cache description with some humor injected. There are just not that many breathtakingly interesting locations where I live so for me it's about the creativity of the individual doing the hiding. I love something that is cleverly packaged or hidden and I love it when someone puts some thought and humor into writing the cache listing. One of my favorites is a very creative letterbox cache I recently found. I'd love to find another that is so well done. It was so enjoyable even though it was really cold out that day. I also really like an interesting, creative puzzle that is different from the norm. It's easy to stick a suduko puzzle on a cache and find a tool to quickly figure it out but a creative puzzle that takes some thought and creative thinking or collaboration with a caching partner is enjoyable for me as well (as long as there are no errors in the puzzle that make it too difficult to solve).

Edited January 17, 2009 by Buggheart

January 18, 2009

It is kind of like asking what makes a good spouse, a good job or a good book. There are some things that most people will agree on, but there is no universal truth. Start with at least a container that does not leak and will last a while. Then pick a spot that at the very least is not likely to be muggled every other week. From there you just make it YOUR cache. Make it one you would like and be proud of.

January 18, 2009

I have a somewhat different approach to answering this question:

I believe the VERY FIRST question you have to be asking is who do I want to find my cache?

Are they going to be a pregnant mom pushing her two year old in a stroller or a Dad out for the day with his 10 and 12 year old boys, or a young couple exercising their dog, or a 35 year old guy in a wheelchair and with some memory problems due to a road accident, or a 70yr old retired local historian walking to keep fit, or an ex-military mountain hiker .......... you see my point???

The "perfect" cache for each of these cachers will be quite quite different.

So first of all decide what kind of cacher you are aiming to attract, then go create your cache.

My two minimums would be that the container must be watertight and the cache is not in an area that is used as a toilet or otherwise unhygienic.

Annie

January 18, 2009

A good cache should:

1) Show some creativity.

2) Lead cachers to an interesting or scenic location, ideally one that would otherwise be overlooked.

3) Looking for cache should be enjoyable experience, which to me involves pleasant surroundings.

5.3k · January 18, 2009

Forget everthing you have seen done, and do something new.

Take people to a pleasent spot.

We have enough dumspter, phone booth. lamp post, strom drain, and homeless campsite caches etc.

3.2k · January 18, 2009

I've seen threads about what people don't like in a cache. I have 81 finds and want to hide one after I reach 100 finds. So what to you like to see?

The best advice, of course, is to hide exactly the kind of cache you think you would enjoy finding. If you like your hide, chances are someone else will like it too. Of course there is also an excellent chance someone out there will dislike it, but that will be true no matter what you create, so you can dismiss that concern. No cache will please every cacher.

You are wise to postpone your first hide until after you have plenty of experience.

No cache is completely worthless. At the very least it can serve as a bad example. From your own direct experiences, therefore, you will learn what NOT to do – and that’s 90% of the answer to your question.

As you can already see from the responses there are some practical considerations that are always critical to the success of a cache no matter what you choose to hide. These can generally be summed up as: accurate coordinates, durable weatherproof container, dry logbook, periodic maintenance. Take care of these few elements and the complaints will be very few.

As you can also see from the responses however, once you get beyond those few practical matters there is quite a wide variety of opinion regarding what makes a cache aesthetically pleasing. Some folks have a higher minimum requirement for 'inspired entertainment' than others. Some aren’t happy with a hidden cache of trinkets unless it also serves the function of tour guide. Yet others insist that there be trinkets, period. For some (like me) these elements represent a preference only; for others they are an absolute requirement.

My personal preference (since you asked): All of those things make me happy, but none of them is necessary in order for me to enjoy the cache. Bad coords, crumbling containers and soggy logs are annoying, but beyond that I can pretty much enjoy finding any hidden thingy which requires the geeky efforts of me and my GPS. Please dazzle me if you can – titillate me, fascinate me, amaze me, challenge me, educate me, move me emotionally, give me a vigorous workout or make me laugh out loud – but if you don’t manage any of those things with your cache hide, that’s okay too.

I just like geocaching, period. Side items and beverage are nice, but optional. I’m mentally defective that way. I’ll hunt your cache whether it’s boffo or not.

You had me at "lat/long."

5.3k · January 18, 2009

You should also read this before you hide your cache

placing a cache

3.6k · January 19, 2009

I like all caches, but my most memorable ones are the ones that take me someplace cool.

That could be anything from a mountain vista to a simple park and grab at a really unique location.

We found one in Florida that really sticks in my mind. The cache itself was pretty straight forward, but the location was great. It brought us out onto a boardwalk in a secluded cove on one of the rivers there, and manatees and dolphins would swim past really close.

That was the coolest thing. We spent an hour watching them swim and play. Our son absolutely loved it and talked about the "manteetees" for the rest of the trip and remembers it to this day, a couple years later.

Sometimes a cache like that sticks in your mind as much as an epic full day journey.

January 19, 2009

For me it's mostly about the location. I like finding caches with a nice view, good hike, history, etc. I like a cache that's placed for a reason other than, "I wanted to hide a cache, so I stuck this plastic bag in the nearest bush I could find."

The container is important too. It should fit the area. I'm not a big fan of micros in the woods where an ammo box would have worked just as well. Above all though it should be sufficiently weatherproof.

I don't care about how well it's hidden. I'm in the "hidden from passers-by, but easily found by Geocachers" camp. To me, a fake rock in a rock pile isn't fun.

3.6k · January 19, 2009

Yes to what Mr. 0 said. I'm not opposed to challenging caches, but "needle in a haystack" type hides are no fun at all, though I suppose there are some who enjoy them.

January 20, 2009

In my opinion, here are characteristics that make a cache a GOOD experience:

A decent hike (>=0.25 miles) in a sparsely populated area

Nifty little-known history

Great scenery

Unusual hide (suspended in a tree, on an island that you have to canoe to)

Thought-provoking puzzle

Cool camo or really neat container

Long history of being at that spot (old cache that's been around for a long while)

Good theme (and people are sticking to it)

I've always like Markwell's list. In fact I liked it so much that I added a modified version of it to my own profile. I think that new people might find it helpful.

Apart from my own personal preferences, I think the suggestion to "hide the kinds of caches you enjoy finding" is good advice.

January 21, 2009

I can tell you exactly what I like.

I like caches that are smalls or regulars.

I like them hidden in places that require over .10 mile walk but not more than 1 mile to get to the location (I'm fine with walking another .10+ to another cache at that point and so on... but I want some kind of cache gratification before I hit a mile).

I like them to be away from people.

If I have to cross water, I'd like there to be a bridge... somewhere.

I like to know my car is reasonably safe... which means a designated parking area or enough room off the shoulder of the road.

Basically, my preferences provide activity that I enjoy with incentives to push on at reasonable intervals. I have plenty of time to spend with the family member or friend I'm caching with. We're going deep enough into wilderness to enjoy wildlife and get good photographs. The cache has a chance of having interesting swag to look at and maybe coins and TBs to move along. I don't have worry about getting wet, being seen by muggles or something happening to my car... so I can just focus on caching.

Mind you, I'll have fun if the cache isn't like this. But this is my happiest.

What makes a good cache?

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