FTF prize.

[+Coyote's Girl]

I'm getting ready to place my first cache. I've got my lock-n-lock, my log books and some swag that's been sitting around my place, and I'm ready to move it along. Now... For the FTF prize. I will be unable to leave money (or much of it anyway) or the keys to a new (or used) car or anything even half that cool. I don't have a theme in mind, so I'm open to suggestions. What would you like to find that could be laying about a house, but it's not in yours?

[+wesleykey]

I love to find a blank log sheet.

 

A geocoin or a quarter might be extra nice.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

On the super-easy we've picked up crisp new uncirculated $2 bills from the bank or the $1 coins, too (fit in most micros). It's not a lot, but people seem to love finding them

[+Coyote's Girl]

On the super-easy we've picked up crisp new uncirculated $2 bills from the bank or the $1 coins, too (fit in most micros). It's not a lot, but people seem to love finding them

Cool! I love $2 bills. Off I go then!

[+Vater_Araignee]

One of these is always a nice gesture.

I linked it to take you to the geocacher-u download page.

[+m.austin]

I like a blank logbook! The best FTF "prize" I've gotten is a $5 gas card, which I promptly handed over to my son. Gifts are nice and appreciated, but really not necessary for me to enjoy a new cache.

[Skippermark]

$10 was the largest FTF prize we found or an unactivated geocoin. That gets expensive after awhile, so FTF prizes like that don't happen all that often. Coffee shop gift cards are popular, $5.00 worth.

 

We hid an 18 mile round trip bike cache with a lot of stages and gave the FTF a $20 gift certificate to Chilis since it was so involved.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Skippermark

[+vertusporthorses.com]

I RECENTLY HAVE STARTED A FEW WITH FTF PRIZES. One is : SURVIVAL in a BOTTLE... It is a water bottle that has all types of Survival equipment inside..I paid under 10 dollars. Ive also left an unactivated Geocoin for the FTF to have for themselves.

[+vwaldoguy]

Be creative. Some people put in scratch-off lottery tickets. Affordable prize, but with big-ticket possibility. I just put out a cache that had a deluxe car wash coupon. Given that my car was a mess at the time, it was hard to put that one in my cache. I got a geocaching patch as a FTF prize a couple weeks ago. I'm not that into patches, but will certainly put it on my geocaching bag as a reminder, and it's cool looking too. Instead of a $5 gift card to Starbucks, how about spending $5 for an unactivated travel bug instead. Again, just be creative, and come up with something fun. Of course, having said that, there isn't a requirement at all to put a FTF prize. I've got 7 FTFs, and only 1 of them have had a prize.

[+Chrysalides]

Around my area, there are so many active cachers, I'm very lucky to get even my one FTF. Cash prize? I'd even *pay* for the bragging rights

 

Well, not really (and it'll be unethical as well) but unless it is much different where you are, it's more about the bragging rights than the prize.

[+briansnat]

FTF prizes are not required, expected or all that common. I've been FTF on probably 2 dozen caches and never have encountered one. I've provided one on maybe a dozen of my 250+ hides.

 

The only prize most FTF hounds are looking for is a blank logbook.

Edited January 23, 2009 by briansnat

[+mfamilee]

We have been FTF about 30 times & to our surprise received a Signal FTF pin once.

We are always more than happy to just find an empty log book.

[+9Key]

I left a $10 gift card to Kohl's in a very difficult hide recently and it wasn't picked up until the 3rd cacher found it. Poor choice of stores on my part I guess.

 

Sometimes I'll leave an unactivated geocoin or one of my Pathtags.

[+Mredria]

I left a $10 gift card to Kohl's in a very difficult hide recently and it wasn't picked up until the 3rd cacher found it. Poor choice of stores on my part I guess.

 

Sometimes I'll leave an unactivated geocoin or one of my Pathtags.

 

Oh manz, I could get a third of a pair of jeanz.

[Clan Riffster]

I'm too old, fat, crippled and lazy to be a real contender in the local FTF races, but I like to leave prizes in my caches. Usually it's an antique foreign coin, (little numismatic value), which I get at a coin shop for about $5. Other times I'll leave a scrap of paper with coords leading to one of our custom camo'ed ammo cans hidden nearby.

[+vwaldoguy]

Just got another FTF tonight. It had a $10 bill attached to the log sheet. Wow, that's a very generous prize, and my 2nd prize of 8 FTFs. I was able to snag the FTF by only two minutes, which just goes to show you that life is all about timing. You have to be at the right place at the right time.

[+PlantAKiss]

I like putting in a little gift for the FTFer in my caches. I do that because I like to give things, not because I want to make a big deal about the FTF. Usually its been a $5-$10 gift card of some sort. But my favorite prize I gave was a mini ammo can. That was so cute.

 

I can echo similar sentiments to Clan Riffster. My caching time is limited so the "blank log" honor will likely remain elusive for me. (I have one FTF and one shared FTF that were pure accidents.) So in honor of those who can't make an immediate dash to be FTF, I have several times added a 15th-to-Find gift. Just a little fun thing for those coming behind the FTFer. :-)

 

So for me, to offer a FTF prize isn't an obligation, its fun for ME.

[+PlantAKiss]

I like putting in a little gift for the FTFer in my caches. I do that because I like to give things, not because I want to make a big deal about the FTF. Usually its been a $5-$10 gift card of some sort. But my favorite prize I gave was a mini ammo can. That was so cute.

 

I can echo similar sentiments to Clan Riffster. My caching time is limited so the "blank log" honor will likely remain elusive for me. (I have one FTF and one shared FTF that were pure accidents.) So in honor of those who can't make an immediate dash to be FTF, I have several times added a 15th-to-Find gift. Just a little fun thing for those coming behind the FTFer. :-)

 

So for me, to offer a FTF prize isn't an obligation, its fun for ME.

[+vwaldoguy]

I really like the idea of adding a small prize for a later finder. Gives them a nice surprise in addition to finding the cache.

Edited January 24, 2009 by vwaldoguy

[+Jackalgirl]

I'm getting ready to place my first cache. I've got my lock-n-lock, my log books and some swag that's been sitting around my place, and I'm ready to move it along. Now... For the FTF prize. I will be unable to leave money (or much of it anyway) or the keys to a new (or used) car or anything even half that cool. I don't have a theme in mind, so I'm open to suggestions. What would you like to find that could be laying about a house, but it's not in yours?

 

What I did for mine is left a "First to Find" prize package. Generally, it contains an FTF certificate (sometimes I put the certificate in an inexpensive lucite frame, depending on the size of the cache) and a challenge coin or two. It all goes into a ziploc baggie that is labeled "FTF Prize Package". Now that I'm starting to make geocoins, I'll probably leave Artists Editions too. Maybe one day I'll get fancy and leave something like a low-cost GPS unit, but that's way, WAY down the road from right now.

 

These are not necessarily "find around the house" items, though the FTF certificate is designed on my computer and printed on standard paper. Still, the house is a good source for stuff -- especially if you're upgrading on small electronics, or have video games or DVDs or CDs you no longer play/watch/listen to...

[+WRASTRO]

I really like the idea of adding a small prize for a later finder. Gives them a nice surprise in addition to finding the cache.

This is a very fun idea! Kind of like a random act of Geocaching kindness. Do a maintenance run and leave something nice for the next finder without mentioning it. Hopefully the finder says something about it in their log.

[+nashuan]

I like Clan Riffster's idea of leaving coordinates to one of thier custom camoflaged ammo cans hidden nearby. That gives the FTF-er another thing to "find" plus, helps to further populate the area with more caches. It might even turn out that you would be FTF on that new cache you supplied! Ammo cans from an Army/navy surpluss store in my area run between $6 and $8, depending on size. If you don't have one near you, you could probably get a lock-n-lock type container, throw in a log book and leave that.

 

I have only put out 5 caches so far and have left unactivated geocoins in a few. I was FTF on one and found a carved soapstone disc (about 2" across) that I keep displayed right on my monitor. It probably cost the person a few bucks for the disc and they sandbalsted some text into it (FTF #1, GC, and their name - Ravenhorse) and then painted in the text. Very simple FTF, but I love seeing it every time I log on.

 

People who like FTF prizes aren't all that greedy. They just like to feel like they got "Something" as a form of keepsake/prize. Most people are thrilled just to find the blank log. Don't knock yourself out over the FTF prize; just try to place the cache somewhere nice and people will be happy.

[+DarkZen]

in one of my latest caches (GC1K8DM) I put a FTF trophy I picked up at the dollar store. The FTFer seemed to enjoy it as he posted a photo of it.

[+kophykupp]

So many great ideas! FTF prizes are so nice, I love getting them and I love giving them. I think what I look forward to most in many of our area caches are finder's cards. They're a very nice touch and quite inexpensive to print and laminate. I usually do a sheet of 10 with a special card for the FTF and one each for the next 9 finders. These are my favorite things to collect.

 

As FTF prizes I have received a $25 gift card, $20 cash, $10 cash, coffee cards and certificates, a very nice First Aid kit, and several unactivated geocoins, one dollar coins, two dollar coins. Each FTF "gift" was a thrill no matter what the size.

 

I have never hidden a traditional cache. When I do, I will probably include a coffee card for the FTF. All of my caches are puzzles and a couple are quite complicated. I really wanted to reward the first finders on these caches, so the FTF prizes I've included are unactivated coins, gas certificate, and a pair of miniature binoculars worth about $30. If it was a traditional that just came down to a race, I wouldn't be that generous.