The difference between a small and a micro.

[ThomasFamily102]

We all know what a magnetic key holder is right?! Well some people classify it as a small and some classify it as a micro. Which size do you prefer for it?

 

My opinion is that if the cache is big enough for only a log than it should be a micro. Just my two cents.

[+hurleyanne]

I agree with you. Personally, I find the line between a small and a regular sized cache a little more blurry.

[ThomasFamily102]

I agree. We have gone to plenty of regulars that were in our opinions small. Like a peanut butter jar (in my opinion) should be a small. A reguar more like a larger loc n loc or ammo can. But we have been to some caches that we found and asked each other. ( This is a small!!?!?!) When it shoulda been a regular.

Edited January 28, 2010 by ThomasFamily102

[+fizzymagic]

We all know what a magnetic key holder is right?! Well some people classify it as a small and some classify it as a micro.

A magnetic key holder is a micro. A normal-sized pill bottle is a micro. A large pill bottle is a small. Anything with a volume greater than about 12 fl oz (350 ml) is a regular.

 

A film canister is a micro. I've seen some of these classified as "small" recently. That is an error.

[+Chrysalides]

The guidelines are very clear regarding cache sizes. I've seen creativity exercised when it comes to describing the size as well.

[+briansnat]

A hide a key is a micro. Anybody who considers it a small has found too many blinkies.

 

Many micros have gotten smaller over the years, but that doesn't mean what was a micro 4 years ago is suddenly a small.

[ThomasFamily102]

I also agree on the pill bottle being a micro. Some say it is a small here because you can fit small swag in it.

[+StarBrand]

I'll agree with many of the above - i keep finding too many pill bottle and film canister type caches listed as smalls. Also, a few sandwich sized lock-nlocks listed as regular.

 

My general opinion is that the blinkie type micros have clouded some cachers thinking.

[GermanSailor]

Personally, I find the line between a small and a regular sized cache a little more blurry.

Well, the guidelines are quite clear on the sizes.

 

# Small (sandwich-sized plastic container or similar – less than approximately 1 quart or 1 L – holds trade items as well as a logbook)

# Regular (plastic container or ammo can about the size of a shoebox)

Large (5 gallon/20 L bucket or larger)

 

So a small is bigger than a film canister but smaller than a quart (liter). The regular size covers the greates range, from 1 liter up to five gallons (which is actually less than 20 liters.)

 

GermanSailor

[GermanSailor]

Personally, I find the line between a small and a regular sized cache a little more blurry.

Well, the guidelines are quite clear on the sizes.

 

# Small (sandwich-sized plastic container or similar – less than approximately 1 quart or 1 L – holds trade items as well as a logbook)

# Regular (plastic container or ammo can about the size of a shoebox)

Large (5 gallon/20 L bucket or larger)

 

So a small is bigger than a film canister but smaller than a quart (liter). The regular size covers the greates range, from 1 liter up to five gallons (which is actually less than 20 liters.)

 

GermanSailor

[ThomasFamily102]

What is a blinkie? Heard that used a few times

[+Chrysalides]

What is a blinkie? Heard that used a few times

http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Blinker

[+tozainamboku]

A little history may be instructive.

 

When I began geocaching in 2003 there was no small size. At that time the available sizes were large, regular, and micro. Regular referred to any cache that was of the common (or regular) size of the day - sometimes described as shoe box size it really refered to anything from a small tupperware container to a large ammo can or tackle box. Large was generally a five gallon bucket or bigger, and micro was anything smaller - including altoids tins, magnetic hide-a-keys, 35mm film containers and the like. There were even a few creative containers that were much smaller.

 

Travel bugs were becoming popular and the first geocoins were coming out. The people who moved travel bug and coins began to notice that many travel bugs would not fit in some regular caches. They lobbied for a new size that would distinguish between caches that could hold the average travel bug and those that would only hold smaller travel bugs and coins. The small size was added to separate the regulars into these two classes. Of course immediately, people would argue that you could put a travel tag with a small item or a geocoin into an altoids tin size container. Even some hide-a-keys would hold an item. So we started to see some caches that were always considered micro get listed as small.

 

Some argue that as new containers came along the average size of a micro drop and this cause some to think of micros as only those tiny nano containers and what was always a micro a no being small. I think what is far more confusing to some people is where to draw the line between small and regular. The guidelines give volumes but most people will have no idea what the volume of some container is. That makes it harder to distguish smalls from regulars. I would distinguish a small and micro base on whether or not it can hold swag other than some small beads or coins. If it can hold a travel bug tag that is attached to something larger than a bead or a small coin, I would consider it a small. As such a larger sized hide-a-key, might be considered small

[+GeoRVers]

A little history may be instructive.

 

When I began geocaching in 2003 there was no small size. At that time the available sizes were large, regular, and micro. Regular referred to any cache that was of the common (or regular) size of the day - sometimes described as shoe box size it really refered to anything from a small tupperware container to a large ammo can or tackle box. Large was generally a five gallon bucket or bigger, and micro was anything smaller - including altoids tins, magnetic hide-a-keys, 35mm film containers and the like. There were even a few creative containers that were much smaller.

 

Travel bugs were becoming popular and the first geocoins were coming out. The people who moved travel bug and coins began to notice that many travel bugs would not fit in some regular caches. They lobbied for a new size that would distinguish between caches that could hold the average travel bug and those that would only hold smaller travel bugs and coins. The small size was added to separate the regulars into these two classes. Of course immediately, people would argue that you could put a travel tag with a small item or a geocoin into an altoids tin size container. Even some hide-a-keys would hold an item. So we started to see some caches that were always considered micro get listed as small.

 

Some argue that as new containers came along the average size of a micro drop and this cause some to think of micros as only those tiny nano containers and what was always a micro a no being small. I think what is far more confusing to some people is where to draw the line between small and regular. The guidelines give volumes but most people will have no idea what the volume of some container is. That makes it harder to distguish smalls from regulars. I would distinguish a small and micro base on whether or not it can hold swag other than some small beads or coins. If it can hold a travel bug tag that is attached to something larger than a bead or a small coin, I would consider it a small. As such a larger sized hide-a-key, might be considered small

 

Thanks for the history lesson - I'm getting ready to start hiding my first caches and what you said make sense, and should make assigning a size much more accurate.

[M.TEX]

it's all fun..... but there is also a NANO ....

I know what that size it is and I love'em....

[+briansnat]

A little history may be instructive.

 

When I began geocaching in 2003 there was no small size. At that time the available sizes were large, regular, and micro. Regular referred to any cache that was of the common (or regular) size of the day - sometimes described as shoe box size it really refered to anything from a small tupperware container to a large ammo can or tackle box. Large was generally a five gallon bucket or bigger, and micro was anything smaller - including altoids tins, magnetic hide-a-keys, 35mm film containers and the like. There were even a few creative containers that were much smaller.

 

Travel bugs were becoming popular and the first geocoins were coming out. The people who moved travel bug and coins began to notice that many travel bugs would not fit in some regular caches. They lobbied for a new size that would distinguish between caches that could hold the average travel bug and those that would only hold smaller travel bugs and coins. The small size was added to separate the regulars into these two classes. Of course immediately, people would argue that you could put a travel tag with a small item or a geocoin into an altoids tin size container. Even some hide-a-keys would hold an item. So we started to see some caches that were always considered micro get listed as small.

 

Some argue that as new containers came along the average size of a micro drop and this cause some to think of micros as only those tiny nano containers and what was always a micro a no being small. I think what is far more confusing to some people is where to draw the line between small and regular. The guidelines give volumes but most people will have no idea what the volume of some container is. That makes it harder to distguish smalls from regulars. I would distinguish a small and micro base on whether or not it can hold swag other than some small beads or coins. If it can hold a travel bug tag that is attached to something larger than a bead or a small coin, I would consider it a small. As such a larger sized hide-a-key, might be considered small

 

Thanks for the history lesson - I'm getting ready to start hiding my first caches and what you said make sense, and should make assigning a size much more accurate.

 

Just use this

[ThomasFamily102]

What is a blinkie? Heard that used a few times

http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Blinker

 

Oh a nano!

[ThomasFamily102]

A little history may be instructive.

 

When I began geocaching in 2003 there was no small size. At that time the available sizes were large, regular, and micro. Regular referred to any cache that was of the common (or regular) size of the day - sometimes described as shoe box size it really refered to anything from a small tupperware container to a large ammo can or tackle box. Large was generally a five gallon bucket or bigger, and micro was anything smaller - including altoids tins, magnetic hide-a-keys, 35mm film containers and the like. There were even a few creative containers that were much smaller.

 

Travel bugs were becoming popular and the first geocoins were coming out. The people who moved travel bug and coins began to notice that many travel bugs would not fit in some regular caches. They lobbied for a new size that would distinguish between caches that could hold the average travel bug and those that would only hold smaller travel bugs and coins. The small size was added to separate the regulars into these two classes. Of course immediately, people would argue that you could put a travel tag with a small item or a geocoin into an altoids tin size container. Even some hide-a-keys would hold an item. So we started to see some caches that were always considered micro get listed as small.

 

Some argue that as new containers came along the average size of a micro drop and this cause some to think of micros as only those tiny nano containers and what was always a micro a no being small. I think what is far more confusing to some people is where to draw the line between small and regular. The guidelines give volumes but most people will have no idea what the volume of some container is. That makes it harder to distguish smalls from regulars. I would distinguish a small and micro base on whether or not it can hold swag other than some small beads or coins. If it can hold a travel bug tag that is attached to something larger than a bead or a small coin, I would consider it a small. As such a larger sized hide-a-key, might be considered small

 

Thanks for the history lesson - I'm getting ready to start hiding my first caches and what you said make sense, and should make assigning a size much more accurate.

 

Just use this

 

Personally I know the sizes but I was just seeing what people consider when they place caches. When we classify the size if we place a cache and only coins can fit and small travel bugs...then that is a small. But with regulars is when larger tbs and swag can be placed.

[+Jeep4two]

One of the reasons I like to read the logs, and that I like to log discrepancies when I find them.

 

If it's much larger than a 35mm film can then it's a small. (Ok - some of you have never seen one outside of caching, but back in the day our 'memory cards' for our cameras came in these, and they were disposable - apparently someone has stockpiled them and is making millions of dollars in the Geocaching container business)

 

For me that means vitamin bottles, peanut butter jars, peach jars (plastic of course) and even all the way up to 1.5 or 2 quart lock and locks.

 

While finding a film can instead of a peanut butter jar is a minor annoyance at times, nothing is worse than planning a travel bug drop for a regular and showing up to find a vitamin bottle with a 1/2 opening that wouldn't even accept the TB tag much less the traveler.

 

Alas - part of the game that I've come to accept and don't sweat too much.

[ThomasFamily102]

 

While finding a film can instead of a peanut butter jar is a minor annoyance at times, nothing is worse than planning a travel bug drop for a regular and showing up to find a vitamin bottle with a 1/2 opening that wouldn't even accept the TB tag much less the traveler.

 

 

Agreed!!! How many times does that happen. Hate that!