First to find prize

[+cousincarl9960]

What is a typical FTF prize and do you have to a FTF prize on every cache you hide? Thanks

[+bcain]

What is a typical FTF prize

---the finder gets to claim FTF in their log

 

 

and do you have to a FTF prize on every cache you hide?

---definitely not

[+jasondulac]

For all the cahes I've hid I left an unactive micro geocoin for the FTF

[+bwmick]

What is a typical FTF prize and do you have to a FTF prize on every cache you hide? Thanks

 

first choice of whatever got put in, and yes ftf always gets first choice.. I have considered a gift card or other like item but I don't think I would call it a prize just a slightly better quality if swag.

 

bryan

[+JoesBar]

There is no requirement to place ANY FTF prize in a cache. It is an option some hiders choose to use.

 

If you choose to add a prize, it is entirely up to you what that prize will be. Cash is OK. Maybe $5. More? it's up to you.

 

Personally, the keys to a new car and the coords to where it's parked would entice me to seek FTF on a cache hidden in raw sewage.

[+Colonial Cats]

We use our Genuine Original Colonial Cats Non-Tractable Geocoin has a FTF prize. .

There is no FTF prize required, however we enjoy giving and receiving the prizes.

[namiboy]

What is a typical FTF prize and do you have to a FTF prize on every cache you hide? Thanks

 

i see you are a fellow caching nascar fan.

Edited March 29, 2009 by namiboy

[+WatchDog2020]

None required except for the joy of a clean log book

 

But, the 3 caches we have all had a FTF prize. 1)Silver Morgan Dollar 2)Silver Walking liberty 1/2 dollar 3) Unactivated coin. Our next one is going to have a gift certificate to a local ice cream shop.

Edited March 29, 2009 by WatchDog2020

[+GIDEON-X]

It's a personal choice to or not to........Myself I've left Ca or AZ lotto scratchers........one local cacher won $50.00 on one. and he offed to share it with me........For the most part the FTF I've captured offered nothing, out side of a "smilie" .............

[TaylorBrats]

The only Cache we've hidden thus far, had a FTF bookmark in it (the cache is in a library), and a 'FTF certificate' page in the logbook.

 

And I dont know if I'd put anything of any real worth in there for fear of it being muggled if it became common knowledge that its what cachers do... if that makes sense?

 

Having said that, if our next cache comes off as difficult as we're intending, there may be something extra at the end of the line! ASIDE from the glory! lol

[+briansnat]

FTF prizes are neither common in most areas or expected. I've hidden close to 270 caches and put a FTF prize in maybe 15 or so. I've been FTF on close to two dozen caches (wild guess) and encountered one FTF prize.

 

Some things that I've used, binoculars, geocaching.com hats, collectible coins (in my case Indian Head pennies, Mercury dimes and Kennedy halves and Ike dollars), a Petzel headlamp, a hydration pack (I had to hide this about 100 feet from the cache with a note in the cache containing the coords), and unactivated travel bugs and geocoins.

 

Other things I've heard of that are nice ideas are, gift cards, cash, topo map sets for the area, compasses. Basically anything that is a significant cut above the rest of the swag and that most geocachers would appreciate.

[+StarBrand]

Not very common in this area. I have placed a FTF prize in just 3 or 4 of my 145 hides. I think I have found just about an equal number in rare moments I am FTF on a cache.

 

Around here they are always small items worth maybe $3 - $5 while the rest of the cache has 50 cent to maybe $2 items. Always clearly labled as a FTF prize.

[+undertree]

If the cache is a hard to get to cache then it may get a FTF prize. On my very first FTF I made some very cool items for the first finders. They were all farm animals with tags that had been identified with the cache name and the waypoint.

 

I had one of the cows make it 900 miles east and someone emailed me wondering about the cow and if it was trackable.

 

My other issue is you may live in an area that has FTF races and often times you will be rewarding the exact same 1 or 2 people with each of your prizes. That may or may not be a problem for you.

 

There is a person here that starts each and every cache with a travel bug or geocoin that needs to move. I got a FTF on his last hide that was sunken in a marsh. He hid the TB in a tree and put directions to it in the cache.

 

If the people are racing for a FTF then they are likely to enjoy the first spot on the log.

[+SaltercreaseRangers]

We choose to leave a laminated FTF certificate in our caches,

occasionally a plastic kids "1st" medal,

or a metaltyper token,

sometimes something we think of as fun for the 2TF too,

never unactivated coins or bugs.

[+Knight2000]

I don't really care for FTF so much. I really think FTF is really mostly a matter of who is available to get there first. Sometimes there are those rare hides that are different.

 

In our last regular size cache which had a higher terrain and difficulty rating, the finder received a stocked full size ammo can along with another stocked lock n lock inside the ammo can. I had hoped this would be an incentive as finding that cache was a bit of work.

 

I like the idea of having prizes for the second, third, fourth to find.

 

Of course, i am one of those people that when i am first to find I sign the logbook in the back in small writing. I put the time too. Then others think they are FTF and do a party in their head. Maybe they do a dance at the cache site. I'm not sure.

[+weathernowcast]

What is a typical FTF prize and do you have to a FTF prize on every cache you hide? Thanks

 

I have placed a FTF prize in about third of my caches. They range from $5 to $30. I have placed personal geocoins in caches. Several of my events I given away hiking books at FTF prizes. I received a nice backpack as a FTF prize once (thanks BrianSnat!). I enjoy giving out the prizes most when their is some ambiguity about who will be FTF.

[+Ike 13]

I've hidden 2 caches (working on a third for next week). My FTF prize for both was a Presidential $1 coin.

 

I think it's good to do it for your first couple of caches to give back to the community, and for difficult caches.

[GeoXPO]

So how does someone get credit for their FTF? I found two of four caches today that were just placed, another cacher found the other two, and the third guy that showed up with his cell phone beat us all to the log. I had to travel back to my computer and am 4th on the list (after the activation and two others that arrived later but live mere houses away). Not that it matters (I won't get a raise at work or the admiration of my peers) but curiosity is a big thing wih me.

[+Colonial Cats]

So how does someone get credit for their FTF? I found two of four caches today that were just placed, another cacher found the other two, and the third guy that showed up with his cell phone beat us all to the log. I had to travel back to my computer and am 4th on the list (after the activation and two others that arrived later but live mere houses away). Not that it matters (I won't get a raise at work or the admiration of my peers) but curiosity is a big thing wih me.

It doesn't matter who logs on-line first. As long as you are the first one to sign the logbook, you are FTF. Just state that you were FTF. If there is a debate, the cache owner has the proof. Related to this, when we write our log entries, we also note the time that we found the cache. The most important thing to remember is to just have fun!

[GeoXPO]

It doesn't matter who logs on-line first. As long as you are the first one to sign the logbook, you are FTF. Just state that you were FTF. If there is a debate, the cache owner has the proof. Related to this, when we write our log entries, we also note the time that we found the cache. The most important thing to remember is to just have fun!

 

I agree. I enjoy finding caches. In this case, my dad hid them and told me to "be on the lookout this week" so I made the effort to be the FTF. He is trying to figure out how a person gets FTF stats on their profile page. Since I'm only a regular member, I don't know if I even get them, but for him it is a matter of pride that his son gets credit.

 

So I guess the real question is: What causes a user's profile to register FTFs as opposed to just a find. There is another guy in the region that has almost 6% FTF in all of his 2000 caches. That seems pretty amazing, and I'm wondering how that statistic is generated, i.e. automatically by the sql server, manually by the cache owner, manually by the cacher, automatically assigned to the first log entry, etc.

[+briansnat]

So I guess the real question is: What causes a user's profile to register FTFs as opposed to just a find.

 

Nothing. It is not an official statistic. It's a game within a game that some people play and some don't give a clam's patootie about.

 

Some geocachers seem to think that that FTF is something to be awarded or claimed. It isn't. FTF is nothing more than a statement of fact. If you find it first you are FTF. If someone else found it first, there is no way you can be FTF no matter what you and the cache owner say.

 

Some third party stats applications allow you to enter FTFs and display them on your profile. It's up to you decide if you were the FTF and whether or not you even care to enter your FTFs on these apps.

[GeoXPO]

That makes sense. So those lengthy profile pages showing finds, distances from home, annual/ monthly/ daily totals, periods in between, and so forth are generated by some other application and then cut and paste into the user's profile? That would explain it.

[+thetruewebster]

one of these days I will get an FTF!

[JAABBERG]

that is some great info thanks i have been wondering

[+Kohavis]

When I started geocaching I used to leave FTF prizes, usually a set of stereo earphones, a USB-to-mini USB cable, a jeweler's screwdriver set, $3 in cash, microcache magnets, etc. But I found that the local FTF hounds don't care about that stuff and some even leave it. And the ones who did take it never commented in the logs, so I assumed they weren't overly impressed. So I stopped leaving a prize. Their prize is logging another FTF.

[+entogeek]

So I guess the real question is: What causes a user's profile to register FTFs as opposed to just a find. There is another guy in the region that has almost 6% FTF in all of his 2000 caches. That seems pretty amazing, and I'm wondering how that statistic is generated, i.e. automatically by the sql server, manually by the cache owner, manually by the cacher, automatically assigned to the first log entry, etc.

 

If you download a copy of GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) from http://gsak.net/index.php, you can mark any caches for which you where the First to Find. Then you can run a macro from http://gsak.net/board//MacroIndex.php that will generate the HTML code that you copy and paste onto your user's profile page.