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Do you leave something special for the FTF?


DarkZen

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In my area this used to be more prevalent. These days it doesn't seem like cachers are doing it as much. I always do. I know the FTF is nice in itself but I like to reward the effort. For instance in this cache I included a donation to a local charity and a FTF trophy (and the FTF included a pic!). Nothing big, but fun I think.

 

So what about you guys, do you include a FTF prize?

Edited by DarkZen and Beautiful
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In my area this used to be more prevalent. These days it doesn't seem like cachers are doing it as much. I always do. I know the FTF is nice in itself but I like to reward the effort. For instance in this cache I included a donation to a local charity and a FTF trophy (and the FTF included a pic!). Nothing big, but fun I think.

I've been to that cache!

 

I haven't placed any caches myself but I do like the idea of a FTF prize and plan to include them in all of my placements.

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When a cache is especially difficult to solve, such as a Mystery/Puzzle cache, or if the pathway to the cache is lengthy, I usually include a FTF prize. In the past I have included such things as a portable shortwave radio and geocaching trinkets, just to name a few.

 

On a somewhat related topic, trade items to be specific, how would you handle the following situation? --- I put out a cache not long ago and most of the trade items were taken with nothing left in return. Would you let the issue slide or would you contact each of the cachers and ask if they took or left something? Yes, I know that caching is not about trading items, but for the fun finding them. So what's the point of putting trade items in caches anyway, if they are just going to be removed and never replaced?

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I got a really nice unactivated geocoin as an FTF prize on a multi that took me 4 visits to find. Several others had DNF's before I finally found it. It was really nice to find that prize because I didn't expect anything but a blank page which is usually good enough for me especially on a tough cache that others have tried and failed. I don't see all that many prizes, but then again a lot that pop up are micros so no room for prizes.

 

I agree that most FTF hounds are most pleased by a blank log and aren't really looking for a prize besides that.

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I just got my first two FTFs this morning. There was a moment of silence when I found the log crisp and clean (What do you mean "You don't buy them crinkled and dirty?!" :( ). There was only one item in each cache other than the log book. Are we talking about a prize that says "FTF" on it? If so, I don't think I'd care too much for something like that. But it would be cool to be one of the first to find a new cache, just to see what a nicely stocked cache looks like instead of one filled with cheap and dirty toys.

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On a somewhat related topic, trade items to be specific, how would you handle the following situation? --- I put out a cache not long ago and most of the trade items were taken with nothing left in return. Would you let the issue slide or would you contact each of the cachers and ask if they took or left something? Yes, I know that caching is not about trading items, but for the fun finding them. So what's the point of putting trade items in caches anyway, if they are just going to be removed and never replaced?

I have a popular cache that, though not urban, is fairly close in. We lose a lot of trade items with nothing replaced in return. For me it's just part of it. I would never email someone those questions. I'm frequently replenishing my caches - mostly with mix CDs I burn.

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I make a homemade blue ribbon that is decorated with yellow puff paint that says FTF. On the back of the ribbon I place a Avery brand mailing lable with the cache name and blank spaces for cachers name & date. It's not much but the local cachers here like the fact that I took time into making something other that a geocache. Acutally, one of my caches was published just a event was happening about 1 mile away at a local restaurant, and a geocacher was about ready to drive into the parking lot of the restaurant when he got the notice on his cell phone. So he pulled back to the road going to the park where the cache was at and got the FTF. Less than 15 minutes later he arrives back at the restaurant, and notices the other cachers getting ready to form a posse after devowering some tacos. He then walks right up to then and pulls out my FTF ribbon from his shirt pocket. I arrived at the event about 1 hour later and was told that there were many groans and sad faces that night. :(

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I make a homemade blue ribbon that is decorated with yellow puff paint that says FTF. On the back of the ribbon I place a Avery brand mailing lable with the cache name and blank spaces for cachers name & date. It's not much but the local cachers here like the fact that I took time into making something other that a geocache. Acutally, one of my caches was published just a event was happening about 1 mile away at a local restaurant, and a geocacher was about ready to drive into the parking lot of the restaurant when he got the notice on his cell phone. So he pulled back to the road going to the park where the cache was at and got the FTF. Less than 15 minutes later he arrives back at the restaurant, and notices the other cachers getting ready to form a posse after devowering some tacos. He then walks right up to then and pulls out my FTF ribbon from his shirt pocket. I arrived at the event about 1 hour later and was told that there were many groans and sad faces that night. :(

 

I like this story - it nicely demonstrates the friendly competition between FTF hounds.

 

Back when I was a hound, I noticed that it was typically other FTF hounds who provided FTF prizes in their caches. Those who didn't seem to care about FTFs were less likely to provide a prize. It makes sense.

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Around here some do and some don't leave FTF prizes. One thing I see a lot of is mention of congratulations for the first finders on the cache page itself. These notices can be as elaborate as the webpage skills of the cache owner. Everyone else who looks at the cache page gets to see who was FTF.

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I make a laminated card that says First to Find and include that in the cache log book, I do this for every cache I place, even Events and CITO's.

In addition to the card I often leave a piece of swag designated as an FTF prize but that is not assured, usually an unactivated geocoin.

We don't have any FTF hounds around here but it really is only a little work to make a special memento for the first finder.

I like Snoogs idea, a penny smasher and smashed pennies!

I wonder how much a penny smasher costs?

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It's a common occurrence 'round these parts (North Texas). In my caches I usually have a wooden nickel made with "FTF" and the cache name on it, plus a FTF pin. On the more difficult ones I put what I would like to find after going after a cache like it. I personally have found Gold Dollars, unactivated Geocoins, FTF pins and even a Starbucks gift card! On the cold day I found it, it was very welcome!

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Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Here's one I just got published today and I put a FkTF in it. Click on it and you'll see what I mean. GC1MDCE

OMG!!! That's the coolest thing I've seen all week!!! My kid would love that. I'd be tempted to leave him as SWAG in one that size. :( Just kidding.

 

That's really neat and I love the name. It fit's.

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I make a homemade blue ribbon that is decorated with yellow puff paint that says FTF. On the back of the ribbon I place a Avery brand mailing lable with the cache name and blank spaces for cachers name & date. It's not much but the local cachers here like the fact that I took time into making something other that a geocache. Acutally, one of my caches was published just a event was happening about 1 mile away at a local restaurant, and a geocacher was about ready to drive into the parking lot of the restaurant when he got the notice on his cell phone. So he pulled back to the road going to the park where the cache was at and got the FTF. Less than 15 minutes later he arrives back at the restaurant, and notices the other cachers getting ready to form a posse after devowering some tacos. He then walks right up to then and pulls out my FTF ribbon from his shirt pocket. I arrived at the event about 1 hour later and was told that there were many groans and sad faces that night. :(

That's a great idea. I might start doing something similar. As an artist, I'm thinking of putting a small piece of original art for the FTF.

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I always place a FTF prize in my caches, usually an unactivated geocoin plus something else that might fit the general theme of the cache. My caches are all puzzles and a few of them involve a 2- or 3-mile hike so they can take a bit of an effort to find. The FTF reward just adds a final touch to the overall caching experience. I don't hide many caches (only 15 in 3+ years so far) so I can afford to be generous with my prizes and swag. Along with my signature FTF wooden token, I've also started leaving unactivated geocoins in the more challenging caches that I have been FTF. Ostensibly, it's my way of celebrating, thanking the cache owner, creating greater interest in the cache, giving back to the sport, and helping to make someone else's day. But my ulterior motive is to make being STF the preferred choice of cachers in my area so that I might get even more FTFs! It doesn't appear to have worked so far but I think I'm slowly getting there! :(

 

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On most of my caches, I leave a FTF prize, some I don't. On my "luck #13" cache I left 13 $1 bills for the FTF. I have decided to start leaving handmade items for my future caches.

 

I had plans to create the ultimate 5/5 multi with a spectacular prize, but all the places I wanted to leave stages have been filled with micros in the woods (another thread all together). I'm currently working on trying a new approach.

 

Hey Jamguys, I have one of your signature nickels in my collection! I already have my own on order and they should be waiting at the house when I get back home in a couple months.

Edited by scuba dude
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If I place 10 caches, I'm pretty sure I know who's gonna be FTF on 9 of them ---if not the 10 (well, they missed my first one :P )

So placing an FTF prize only to see it taken by the exact same guys over and over would be rather tiring both for me and for the other local cachers who don't have that much time on their hands. Moreover, I think they like FTF prizes since they put one in the only cache they placed so far around here.

That's partly why I don't put special prizes. But I might consider going back to my cache right after them and place a little something for the STF!

A blank log is a great reward already and we've signed a couple of them that were really rewarding. FTF on caches outside your own country : GREAT!

I don't want to go into FTF hunt any more. If it happens, great thing! If not, fine with me. I don't want to go and visit only the brand new caches like some do... :(

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I think the only prize most FTF hounds want is a blank logbook.

 

I always include a logbook with no previous log entry.

 

Yep, some of the logs I print have a space "reserved for the MEFF" (most esteemed first finder).

 

Locally a few of us are engaged in the much tougher timing of competing for LASF (lazy a.. second finder).

 

DarkZen and Beautiful - I sure hope the CDs you mix and burn and leave are not stolen property, ie, copyrighted material.

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Rewards, prizes, incentives, certificates, What happened to finding geocaches because they are there?

 

 

The reward for finders of my caches is a blank log and a chance to visit scenic / historical / unique locations.

The rewards, prizes, incentives, certificates are just for the first/first few, so it's not like a bribe to find a poorly placed cache unless the cache stops being found in a day or two.

I'll bet with your 1.3k finds you can come up with a few examples of great caches that included FTF prizes and hundreds of crap finds that didn't.

FTF prize is just a pat on the back, even if it is unwarranted.

 

In my opinion a FTF reward should only be in a cache with a T/D total of 4.5

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I've been on both sides of this one. I've left many FTF prizes in the past and been a recipient of a few as well (including the one from the OP on this page oddly enough).

 

It's always a nice surprise, but it's certainly not needed. Some of my favorite ones are the little handmade things - certificates, plastic trophies, ribbons, etc.

 

I've used coins, TBs, gift cards, etc. and it's usually a function of hard the cache is. If it's an easy cache, I typically won't leave anything, but something that requires more effort or a hike to get to I may leave something nice for the first person.

 

It comes down to personal choice so don't feel like there is a wrong way or right way to handle this.

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In my experience, FTF prizes are often used by hiders of otherwise unremarkable caches in order to try to get somebody interested in finding them. If your cache is interesting or challenging enough, it seems to me that no FTF prize is required.

 

I find that an incredibly "interesting" point of view! :laughing: If you don't want to leave a FTF prize thats fine and dandy but why is it deemed "uninteresting" or "unchallenging" just because we WANT to leave something? I agree with you that it certainly isn't required but why make it sound like we place lame caches when we do??

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In my area this used to be more prevalent. These days it doesn't seem like cachers are doing it as much. I always do. I know the FTF is nice in itself but I like to reward the effort. For instance in this cache I included a donation to a local charity and a FTF trophy (and the FTF included a pic!). Nothing big, but fun I think.

 

So what about you guys, do you include a FTF prize?

For us, the biggest and most important FTF prize to offer to an FTF finder is the blank logbook. However, as I have stated before on this forum, for several of our more extreme 5/5 Psycho Urban caches, the FTF prize was $20 or more, plus an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt, and, for our infamous Psycho Urban Cache #13 - Impossible! Give Up Now!, the FTF prize was $160 cash plus an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt plus an unregistered geo-coin, and the 2TF prize and 3TF prizes were $20 plus the imprinted Psycho Cache t-shirt and an unregietered coin.

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Rewards, prizes, incentives, certificates, What happened to finding geocaches because they are there?

 

 

The reward for finders of my caches is a blank log and a chance to visit scenic / historical / unique locations.

The rewards, prizes, incentives, certificates are just for the first/first few, so it's not like a bribe to find a poorly placed cache unless the cache stops being found in a day or two.

I'll bet with your 1.3k finds you can come up with a few examples of great caches that included FTF prizes and hundreds of crap finds that didn't.

I know of one hider that offered FTF a chance to take one of the contents of his caches. They all happened to be 4 start terrain or harder, and the cache contents were all hiking related.

 

In my opinion a FTF reward should only be in a cache with a T/D total of 4.5

 

My 100th placed cache a (5/5) had a 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar for the FTF.

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Rewards, prizes, incentives, certificates, What happened to finding geocaches because they are there?

 

 

The reward for finders of my caches is a blank log and a chance to visit scenic / historical / unique locations.

The rewards, prizes, incentives, certificates are just for the first/first few, so it's not like a bribe to find a poorly placed cache unless the cache stops being found in a day or two.

I'll bet with your 1.3k finds you can come up with a few examples of great caches that included FTF prizes and hundreds of crap finds that didn't.

I know of one hider that offered FTF a chance to take one of the contents of his caches. They all happened to be 4 start terrain or harder, and the cache contents were all hiking related.

 

In my opinion a FTF reward should only be in a cache with a T/D total of 4.5

 

My 100th placed cache a (5/5) had a 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar for the FTF.

 

after re reading this

In my opinion a FTF reward should only be in a cache with a T/D total of 4.5

I realize I didn't complete my statement.

It should have been:

In my opinion a FTF reward should only be in a cache with a T/D total of 4.5 or higher.

For the newbs that would be terrain + difficulty = 4.5 or >

So the examples Kit Fox is speaking of would be a minimum of 5 and up to 10 making them all worthy of First To Find rewards.

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In my area this used to be more prevalent. These days it doesn't seem like cachers are doing it as much. I always do. I know the FTF is nice in itself but I like to reward the effort. For instance in this cache I included a donation to a local charity and a FTF trophy (and the FTF included a pic!). Nothing big, but fun I think.

 

So what about you guys, do you include a FTF prize?

For us, the biggest and most important FTF prize to offer to an FTF finder is the blank logbook. However, as I have stated before on this forum, for several of our more extreme 5/5 Psycho Urban caches, the FTF prize was $20 or more, plus an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt, and, for our infamous Psycho Urban Cache #13 - Impossible! Give Up Now!, the FTF prize was $160 cash plus an imprinted Psycho Urban Cache t-shirt plus an unregistered geo-coin, and the 2TF prize and 3TF prizes were $20 plus the imprinted Psycho Cache t-shirt and an unregietered coin.

 

Man, I wished I lived near Vinny. I'd love to try to take on a few of them Psycho Urban caches!!!!

I would really like to score one of them t-shirt's. :unsure:

 

But knowing my luck I get one that read's "After I climbed this 94 foot tall pillar in the middle of the river, all I got was this lousy T-shirt". :laughing:

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For the few caches that I have placed, I have always included an FTF 'prize' besides the blank log. I have used unactivated geocoins, unactivated TB's, gift cards to local restaurants and even a $10 bill once. Now my favorite thing to leave in a cache for an FTF prize is one or two lottery scratchers. They usually don't win anything with them but the chance to win some cash from a cache just adds to the excitement of the find. I also make sure to include the FTF name in the cache description page so they get a little recognition from the caching community at large...

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Well, I remember back in the day when a cacher had to drive 200 miles, scale a mountain, and climb a tree overlooking a cliff with one hand tied behind his back in order to find a new cache. Back then, people was lucky if they found even a nickel in the bottom of the ammo can. FTF prize indeed! Whatever will they think of next?!?! Harrummmph!!!! :laughing::unsure::ph34r:

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I am a lover of antique foreign coins and I often leave silver ones as FTF prizes. Additionally, I'll often leave fully stocked camo'ed ammo cans hidden nearby as an FTF prize, with the coords on a slip of paper in the cache. I think the notion that "leaving a FTF prize is just a way to spice up a lame cache" is just silly. Of the gobs of finders to each cache, only one gets the prize. I leave FTF prizes because I enjoy making the FTF that much more memorable an occasion for whatever brave soul makes the attempt, assuming they survive.

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