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Come on, there must be something positive you can say...


CanUK_TeamFitz

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I see a lot of negative comments in the forums about micros (and nanos).

 

Seems micros are fair game for abuse... but there must be something, anything positive that can be said - even 35mm film containers.

 

I'll start.

 

I've seen a few good hides using film containers, in fact, only a film container or similar size would work - one involved string, and being hidden inside some street furniture.

 

Anyone else? This is not a micro-bashing thread.. this is a micro-uplifting thread! :huh:

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I see a lot of negative comments in the forums about micros (and nanos).

 

Seems micros are fair game for abuse... but there must be something, anything positive that can be said - even 35mm film containers.

 

I'll start.

 

I've seen a few good hides using film containers, in fact, only a film container or similar size would work - one involved string, and being hidden inside some street furniture.

 

Anyone else? This is not a micro-bashing thread.. this is a micro-uplifting thread! :huh:

 

I like the creativity that can be incorporated into micros in the urban jungle. Who would have ever thought that the power box cover was really a geocache?

 

It's all about the creativity...

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I have no problem at all with micros, although I will admit that a day with nothing but micros can get boring. But since I don't trade swag (although I DO move bugs and coins), it doesn't matter to me much how large a cache container is.

 

Film cannisters can work as long as they are shielded from the weather, but diabetic test strip containers are similar in size and much more water resistant.

 

Bison tubes generally are great as long as the o-ring is intact and people don't cross-thread the cap.

 

The standard plastic match container also generally hold up beautifully.

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I think micros are a great way to bring someone to an area with interest that won't support a larger cache. Case in point - we found one micro in St. Augustine, FL that was located in what is now a purely residential neighborhood.

It's there to bring people to a small well and remnants of a barracks for Spanish soldiers.

It's located right on the corner, wedged in between 2 homes. There's a plaque there and enough room to park about 2 cars and that's about it. No good place for a regular ammo can or lock and lock, so the micro there is a great way to place a cache in that spot.

It's one of the most unusual cache locations we have seen. Fairly deep in a neighborhood, too. As we were making the turns towards the cache, we didn't see any signs or anything official that the place is there. Just the plaque that is on site once you get there. One of those classic "I would have never known about this place" spots that geocaching is reknowned for.

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I'm really liking them so far, the handful that I've found anyway. I like that they make you think about where they could be hidden, or stuck, or dangling, or tied, or threaded into, etc etc..... I mean a peanut butter jar under a bush is fun and all, but how many times has that been done? I've only got like 25 finds so far, and so far the micro's have been the funnest.

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If listed correctly, they are real easy to filter out in a pocket query! ;)

 

I don't mind a micro, it just seems that the places I tend to find myself hunting for them I'd rather not be hunting for caches and the places that I like to hunt for caches I don't like looking for micros.

 

I'm not totally opposed to them, I just don't like them as much as caches of other sizes.

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I see a lot of negative comments in the forums about micros (and nanos).

My only hide is a micro. I love it, it's been a great learning experience, and I think people find it an interesting challenge to hunt.

 

I was also gonna say that I can’t find them, I’d never find one hidden like mine is, they’re frustrating and impossible, and don't even get me started on nanos. But I won’t say that becaue this is the Be Nice To Micros thread.

Edited by kunarion
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Micros are excellent when used with humour and imagination.

 

" The Blorenges found It's Birdies birdie cache! (Traditional Cache)

 

A bit of a scramble"... yeah, right, you should've seen us this rather damp morning :) .

When people say "I don't like micros" bring them here to see what fun a micro can be, in the right hands. Good one, Birdman ;) "

 

Birdie's birdie cache.

 

MrsB

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I think people don't like micros because they are too challenging for them :)

That certainly hasn't been my experience. ;)

 

For a generalized statement, I will say I have absolutely no problem with micros as cache containers.

 

My reasons for excluding them from my PQs are based on my own individual biased caching aesthetics, and are quite possibly regional.

 

Here's the norm for my area:

 

1 ) The container is utterly incapable of protecting the contents. In speaking at length with the folks who hide things like black & grey film cans, in a high humidity environment, I like to ask why they picked that container. The most common answer is "They are free". Since a quality container of a similar size can be had for $0.88, I'm left with the feeling that the hiders are incurable cheapskates.

 

2 ) The location has nothing to offer, other than the fact that it is slightly more than 528' from the last micro. Interviews indicate the locations are selected at random, with little thought toward the finder's experience. The hiders proudly proclaim words to the effect of, "Just another smiley for the numbers crowd". The locations I do prefer are way back in the woods, and the hiders of micros around here are seemingly unwilling peddle their wares more than 20' from parking spots.

 

3 ) The hide technique, or style, is uninspired, and has been done so often that the find often takes less time to make than it does to walk the 20' from the car. This is probably the least valid of my reasons, as the caches I do like, (ammo cans in gator infested swamps), are also hidden in similar styles, such as wiggled into the leaf litter next to a tree. It is a part and parcel of my bias that I am perfectly happy finding an ammo can hidden in this style, following a gruelling trudge through a swamp, yet I dislike an easy hide 20' from my bumper. I know it's illogical, and I'm willing to live with that.

 

4 ) The write ups are so lacking in creativity as to cause my few remaining brain cells to perish in hopelessness.

 

There are certainly exceptions to these, and I've found many micros which have made it to my favorites lists, so I am unwilling to make blanket statements such as "I Hate Micros". Everything I stated here are simply my personal observations, coupled with my quirky preferences.

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I think people don't like micros because they are too challenging for them :)

That certainly hasn't been my experience. ;)

 

For a generalized statement, I will say I have absolutely no problem with micros as cache containers.

 

My reasons for excluding them from my PQs are based on my own individual biased caching aesthetics, and are quite possibly regional.

 

Here's the norm for my area:

 

1 ) The container is utterly incapable of protecting the contents. In speaking at length with the folks who hide things like black & grey film cans, in a high humidity environment, I like to ask why they picked that container. The most common answer is "They are free". Since a quality container of a similar size can be had for $0.88, I'm left with the feeling that the hiders are incurable cheapskates.

 

2 ) The location has nothing to offer, other than the fact that it is slightly more than 528' from the last micro. Interviews indicate the locations are selected at random, with little thought toward the finder's experience. The hiders proudly proclaim words to the effect of, "Just another smiley for the numbers crowd". The locations I do prefer are way back in the woods, and the hiders of micros around here are seemingly unwilling peddle their wares more than 20' from parking spots.

 

3 ) The hide technique, or style, is uninspired, and has been done so often that the find often takes less time to make than it does to walk the 20' from the car. This is probably the least valid of my reasons, as the caches I do like, (ammo cans in gator infested swamps), are also hidden in similar styles, such as wiggled into the leaf litter next to a tree. It is a part and parcel of my bias that I am perfectly happy finding an ammo can hidden in this style, following a gruelling trudge through a swamp, yet I dislike an easy hide 20' from my bumper. I know it's illogical, and I'm willing to live with that.

 

4 ) The write ups are so lacking in creativity as to cause my few remaining brain cells to perish in hopelessness.

 

There are certainly exceptions to these, and I've found many micros which have made it to my favorites lists, so I am unwilling to make blanket statements such as "I Hate Micros". Everything I stated here are simply my personal observations, coupled with my quirky preferences.

 

 

1) As you point out, micro containers don't need to be (and should rarely be) film cannisters. There are many inexpensive substitutes that hold up well.

 

 

2) I can't say much about that. Anyone that hides a micro that can only be found following a long hike in the woods had better have a good reason, but good reasons do exist occasionally.

 

 

3) Sometimes. But I think that I've found many more micros that I'd have to consider creative or clever than larger than micro.

 

 

4) Once again, totally depends.

 

 

You may be right that your experiences are regional. You also may be missing out on some very good caches by filtering micros. Since you are filtering them, you wouldn't know. (well, I'd imagine you hear about some of the better ones from fellow cachers, right?)

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Since you are filtering them, you wouldn't know.

I guess it really does pay to be a GC Profile stalker. ;):)

If you had checked my profile, you would've seen gobs of very easy micros in my found column. My wife loves all caches, including those that I consider to be droll. Since I'd much rather spend time with her, (even when that time is spent reaching behind fence posts for soggy log film cans), than sitting in a vegetative state in front of my TV, I run a second PQ which I load whenever she accompanies me. This PQ includes all the micros, unknown and not selected in my area. For my own benefit, I also read all the new cache submissions that come in. Those that catch my eye, regardless of size, warrant a road trip. :rolleyes:

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I enjoy caches with 4-star camouflage. Many (if not most) of these are micro-caches.

 

I enjoy caches that draw attention to public art. Some of these are blinkers hidden in plain sight on public sculptures. Many others are micro-caches hidden near the public art.

 

I enjoy puzzle caches. Many of these are micro-caches hidden in cliche ways, but I still enjoy them.

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The best camouflaged micro i've ever found was hidden on the inside of an official pedestrian cross walk "button thingy," that was hidden on a pole where it didn't belong. It blended right in.

 

In nearly 1500 finds, this is the only LPC that I truly enjoyed. The reason why I liked it was due to location location location. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...37-e4925609d822

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The best camouflaged micro i've ever found was hidden on the inside of an official pedestrian cross walk "button thingy," that was hidden on a pole where it didn't belong. It blended right in.

 

In nearly 1500 finds, this is the only LPC that I truly enjoyed. The reason why I liked it was due to location location location. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...37-e4925609d822

 

 

Oh, how I have longed to hide one of those! Especially near a creek, where you need to cross to find the cache. How am I going to sleep tonight now that you have reminded me of that!!?

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The best camouflaged micro i've ever found was hidden on the inside of an official pedestrian cross walk "button thingy," that was hidden on a pole where it didn't belong. It blended right in.

 

In nearly 1500 finds, this is the only LPC that I truly enjoyed. The reason why I liked it was due to location location location. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...37-e4925609d822

 

 

Hey, wait...! That's the cool Ball O' Granite cache that you've posted before. Yeah, cool, but I thought you were talking about a "Push Button to Make City Hall Have Good Laugh" button. Not?

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For me its creativity of the hide and the thrill of finding a cache when muggles around you have no idea about what is happening right before their eyes.

 

Right, because it is sooo hard to lift up the base of a lamp-post. Micros are typically much easier than regulars, even if it is only because of where they are typically placed. I will agree that a micro in the same location as a regular will be harder, but most micros are much easier to get to than most small/regulars.

 

For me, geocaching is primarily about the places you go, and after that it's about the things you find. I go to parking lots all the time, I don't need a cache to take me there, which is why I'm not a fan of most micros.

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If you don't have time for a multi, you could drive to the nearest LPC to demonstrate to a newbie what goes on

Not unlike an ice cream shoppe offering a sample of their cat poo ice cream to someone who has never tried ice cream?

The employee saying, "Sir? There are better flavors... Really. Wanna buy some ice cream?... Sir?... Why are you leaving?"

 

If someone had managed to convince me that LPCs were what geocaching was all about, I would not be here now.

 

When I'm talking to noobs about the game I prefer to treat LPCs as that crazy uncle every family has, who drools and wets himself.

Every recreational activity has its own dirty little secret, and LPCs are ours.

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The best camouflaged micro i've ever found was hidden on the inside of an official pedestrian cross walk "button thingy," that was hidden on a pole where it didn't belong. It blended right in.

 

In nearly 1500 finds, this is the only LPC that I truly enjoyed. The reason why I liked it was due to location location location. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...37-e4925609d822

 

 

Hey, wait...! That's the cool Ball O' Granite cache that you've posted before. Yeah, cool, but I thought you were talking about a "Push Button to Make City Hall Have Good Laugh" button. Not?

 

I purposely didn't post the link to the ped crossing box because I know the owner wanted to rehide it in another area. I think he told me he paid close to $90.00 on Ebay for it. He used the biggest neodymium magnets i've ever seen.

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Even some LPCs can be good for introducing newbies.

 

I mean, if you don't have time for a 5 stage multi in the woods, you could drive/walk to the nearest LPC to demonstrate to a newbie what goes on... then entice them with the prospect of much bigger caches out in the woods.

 

If you don't have time for a multi, you could drive to the nearest LPC to demonstrate to a newbie what goes on

Not unlike an ice cream shoppe offering a sample of their cat poo ice cream to someone who has never tried ice cream?

The employee saying, "Sir? There are better flavors... Really. Wanna buy some ice cream?... Sir?... Why are you leaving?"

 

If someone had managed to convince me that LPCs were what geocaching was all about, I would not be here now.

 

When I'm talking to noobs about the game I prefer to treat LPCs as that crazy uncle every family has, who drools and wets himself.

Every recreational activity has its own dirty little secret, and LPCs are ours.

 

Hey, nice quote editing their buddy.. what are you a Fox News presenter? ;)

 

Where did I state LPCs were what Geocaching was all about? Besides, your examples are kind of extreme and crude.

 

The first micro I was introduced to, was very cool - it was in the woods too! But the urban ones were neat too, I didn't know what I was looking for at first.

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If you don't have time for a multi, you could drive to the nearest LPC to demonstrate to a newbie what goes on
Not unlike an ice cream shoppe offering a sample of their cat poo ice cream to someone who has never tried ice cream?

The employee saying, "Sir? There are better flavors... Really. Wanna buy some ice cream?... Sir?... Why are you leaving?"

 

If someone had managed to convince me that LPCs were what geocaching was all about, I would not be here now.

 

When I'm talking to noobs about the game I prefer to treat LPCs as that crazy uncle every family has, who drools and wets himself.

Every recreational activity has its own dirty little secret, and LPCs are ours.

The reason that your analogy failed is because ice cream shops would never sell 'cat poo' flavored ice cream.

 

A better analogy would be to offer someone who has never had ice cream a taste of vanilla. The individual may or may not leave with a favorable perception of ice cream, but he did taste a flavor that tons of people like.

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I see a lot of negative comments in the forums about micros (and nanos).

 

Seems micros are fair game for abuse... but there must be something, anything positive that can be said - even 35mm film containers.

 

I'll start.

 

I've seen a few good hides using film containers, in fact, only a film container or similar size would work - one involved string, and being hidden inside some street furniture.

 

Anyone else? This is not a micro-bashing thread.. this is a micro-uplifting thread! ;)

 

Some of them are 'cute', according to Mrs. Team Cotati.

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If you don't have time for a multi, you could drive to the nearest LPC to demonstrate to a newbie what goes on

Not unlike an ice cream shoppe offering a sample of their cat poo ice cream to someone who has never tried ice cream?

The employee saying, "Sir? There are better flavors... Really. Wanna buy some ice cream?... Sir?... Why are you leaving?"

 

If someone had managed to convince me that LPCs were what geocaching was all about, I would not be here now.

 

When I'm talking to noobs about the game I prefer to treat LPCs as that crazy uncle every family has, who drools and wets himself.

Every recreational activity has its own dirty little secret, and LPCs are ours.

That's a pretty bad use of the ice cream analogy. Most newbies upons seeing their first LPC will probably think its pretty cool that a geocache was hidden there. Many will say something like "I didn't know you could lift those up" Generally in an LPC bashing thread the complain isn't that LPCs are like cat poo ice cream but more like vanilla. You see them so often that you would like something different and perhaps more creative from time to time.

 

Just to be on topic.

 

1. Micros can be hidden in places where a large cache can't be hidden.

2. Micros don't have swag that deteriorates to junk.

3. Micros can sometimes be hidden in challenging ways. While this includes needle-in-the-haystack type hides, it also includes micros camouflaged to look like something else and hidden in plain site.

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The reason that your analogy failed is because ice cream shops would never sell 'cat poo' flavored ice cream.

Unless you have a vastly different definition of "analogy" then the rest of us, mine did not fail. ;)

 

Where did I state LPCs were what Geocaching was all about?

Where did I claim you said that? Are you an ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, (or some other media stooge for the Left), reporter?

My point, which you so artfully dodged, was that you suggested using the poster child of lame hides to introduce noobs to the game. First impressions are powerful things. Assuming the muggle you are trying to indoctrinate has an IQ over 2 digits, they may not be very receptive to your claims that there are better hides out there, having seen what you selected as the initial entry. Considering the vast number of hides available that do include at least some measure of creativity, it would seem to be counterproductive to use something crappy, (an LPC), to demonstrate something so kewl, (geocaching). While you would be telling the truth in saying there are better caches available, why not just use one of the better ones as your first example? I have a handful of caches tucked away in my memory banks that I use for just such a purpose. Some are easy to access, some are very hard to access. All are creative.

 

Most newbies upons seeing their first LPC will probably think its pretty cool that a geocache was hidden there.

You may be right. I don't know the percentages well enough to guess whether they fall between 51% and 99%, thereby earning your label of "Most". Prior to coming to these forums, I might have made the claim that, surely, no one could have ever been impressed by an LPC. However, I have seen a handful of posters in here making just such a claim. Were they lying in some desperate, twisted attempt to defend these stinkers? Probably not. As such, I have to accept the possibility that there are at least some folks who would find them inventive. I'm not sure that the few in here who claim to have been impressed by their first LPC really qualify as "most", as you seem to imply. I know my first experience with an LPC did not include awe. Quite the opposite, in fact. My entry experience in this game kind of led me astray, down the path of entitlement. Prior to finding my first LPC, the caches I found were all of a class that I would consider quality hides. This led to the false assumption that all caches must therefor be quality. As my GPSr led me into a parking lot, I thought I had fumble fingered the coords. Why on earth would any cacher want to lead me here, I asked. As my distance counted down, and the arrow pointed at a kilt wearing light pole, I became more certain that I had messed up the coords. I just knew that there was no way someone would consider a lamp post, in a sweltering, 500 acre, exhaust laden parking lot to be a good place to hide a cache. But I was wrong. The angst I developed during that search was entirely my fault, because I had allowed myself to create a fantasy not based on fact. Thankfully, I have since shattered those self imposed delusions, and I have developed a means that leads to my caching experience being satisfying, most of the time.

 

Interestingly enough, the vast majority of folks I've talked one on one with regarding LPCs told me they did not think the first one they found was neater than sliced bread. It is possible that my personal experience is strictly a regional thing, and that there are other parts of the world where a high percentage of cachers do think their first LPC find was way kewl? Maybe?

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The reason that your analogy failed is because ice cream shops would never sell 'cat poo' flavored ice cream.

Unless you have a vastly different definition of "analogy" then the rest of us, mine did not fail. ;)

 

Where did I state LPCs were what Geocaching was all about?

Where did I claim you said that? Are you an ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, (or some other media stooge for the Left), reporter?

My point, which you so artfully dodged, was that you suggested using the poster child of lame hides to introduce noobs to the game. First impressions are powerful things. Assuming the muggle you are trying to indoctrinate has an IQ over 2 digits, they may not be very receptive to your claims that there are better hides out there, having seen what you selected as the initial entry. Considering the vast number of hides available that do include at least some measure of creativity, it would seem to be counterproductive to use something crappy, (an LPC), to demonstrate something so kewl, (geocaching). While you would be telling the truth in saying there are better caches available, why not just use one of the better ones as your first example? I have a handful of caches tucked away in my memory banks that I use for just such a purpose. Some are easy to access, some are very hard to access. All are creative.

 

Most newbies upons seeing their first LPC will probably think its pretty cool that a geocache was hidden there.

You may be right. I don't know the percentages well enough to guess whether they fall between 51% and 99%, thereby earning your label of "Most". Prior to coming to these forums, I might have made the claim that, surely, no one could have ever been impressed by an LPC. However, I have seen a handful of posters in here making just such a claim. Were they lying in some desperate, twisted attempt to defend these stinkers? Probably not. As such, I have to accept the possibility that there are at least some folks who would find them inventive. I'm not sure that the few in here who claim to have been impressed by their first LPC really qualify as "most", as you seem to imply. I know my first experience with an LPC did not include awe. Quite the opposite, in fact. My entry experience in this game kind of led me astray, down the path of entitlement. Prior to finding my first LPC, the caches I found were all of a class that I would consider quality hides. This led to the false assumption that all caches must therefor be quality. As my GPSr led me into a parking lot, I thought I had fumble fingered the coords. Why on earth would any cacher want to lead me here, I asked. As my distance counted down, and the arrow pointed at a kilt wearing light pole, I became more certain that I had messed up the coords. I just knew that there was no way someone would consider a lamp post, in a sweltering, 500 acre, exhaust laden parking lot to be a good place to hide a cache. But I was wrong. The angst I developed during that search was entirely my fault, because I had allowed myself to create a fantasy not based on fact. Thankfully, I have since shattered those self imposed delusions, and I have developed a means that leads to my caching experience being satisfying, most of the time.

 

Interestingly enough, the vast majority of folks I've talked one on one with regarding LPCs told me they did not think the first one they found was neater than sliced bread. It is possible that my personal experience is strictly a regional thing, and that there are other parts of the world where a high percentage of cachers do think their first LPC find was way kewl? Maybe?

 

Don't hold back, please, tell us how you really feel... :)

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