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when is there gonna be a limit on micros?

antaries

By antaries
in General geocaching topics

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genegene

+genegene

Posted
Posted

Humm, I have a trail out here that we are working on that is 16 miles long. Placing an ammo can every .2 miles is going to cost a fortune as well as the fact that I cant carry that many Ammo cans at one time.

 

I'm going to stick to film cans for this trail.

 

P.S. there is no easy way to get from one end the other, its in the mountains with no water easily found.

 

Are you prepared to do the maintenance on all those caches when the wet log reports start coming in? Or are you depending on the kindness of strangers to do it for you as they hunt the string?

 

I'm probably gonna catch a lot of heat for posting this...

Yeah, probably. There are many folks playing this game who, for one reason or another, love the caches on the smaller end of the size scale. Meh. Locally, micros represent roughly 98.7% of all uninspired hides, so I simply ignore them, focusing on the ones I do like instead. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing. Besides, the "I Hate Micros" thread is not scheduled to start for another two days.

 

(Yes, it's true. Making up statistics is a time honored Internet tradition) :)

 

When is there going to be a limit on forum posts complaining about micros?

According to Miss Cleo, the "Micros Suck" threads will stop exactly 3.2 hours after the last crappy micro has been pulled from the Groundspeak servers.

 

I'm going to stick to film cans for this trail.

Sounds like an awesome adventure! I just wanted to add, since you've already decided on using caches at the smaller end of the size scale, there are actually micro sized containers that do not suck. Film cans, due partly to their utter lack of ability to repel moisture, are the poster children for crappy caches. Waterproof match containers and soda bottle preforms are very inexpensive, easy to carry and are a lot more waterproof than film cans. If you take pride in your hide, folks will thank you for it.

 

My plan is two fold, There are going to be 3 large caches (ie... ammo cans or 5 gallon buckets), One at each end and one at the middle with new log books in them and larger caches.

 

The new (and ones in use on the trail) log books have there own baggie that they go into to help with the moisture issue.

 

Also in the large caches i will have larger caches in them then the ones on the trail with hopes that every now and then someone will take one and replace one of the micros with a larger cache.

 

I have talked with NYAdmin about it and we both think its a great idea but it is wishful thinking that its going to get done without any problems, but I can try.

 

In order to place that many "larger" caches on this trail will take many many many trips to do it.

 

Northern Part of the trail that is almost done starts here (Google Earth) N42° 43.374 W73° 16.647 and then goes North

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GOF and Bacall

GOF and Bacall

Posted
Posted

Humm, I have a trail out here that we are working on that is 16 miles long. Placing an ammo can every .2 miles is going to cost a fortune as well as the fact that I cant carry that many Ammo cans at one time.

 

I'm going to stick to film cans for this trail.

 

P.S. there is no easy way to get from one end the other, its in the mountains with no water easily found.

 

Are you prepared to do the maintenance on all those caches when the wet log reports start coming in? Or are you depending on the kindness of strangers to do it for you as they hunt the string?

 

I'm probably gonna catch a lot of heat for posting this...

Yeah, probably. There are many folks playing this game who, for one reason or another, love the caches on the smaller end of the size scale. Meh. Locally, micros represent roughly 98.7% of all uninspired hides, so I simply ignore them, focusing on the ones I do like instead. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than nothing. Besides, the "I Hate Micros" thread is not scheduled to start for another two days.

 

(Yes, it's true. Making up statistics is a time honored Internet tradition) :)

 

When is there going to be a limit on forum posts complaining about micros?

According to Miss Cleo, the "Micros Suck" threads will stop exactly 3.2 hours after the last crappy micro has been pulled from the Groundspeak servers.

 

I'm going to stick to film cans for this trail.

Sounds like an awesome adventure! I just wanted to add, since you've already decided on using caches at the smaller end of the size scale, there are actually micro sized containers that do not suck. Film cans, due partly to their utter lack of ability to repel moisture, are the poster children for crappy caches. Waterproof match containers and soda bottle preforms are very inexpensive, easy to carry and are a lot more waterproof than film cans. If you take pride in your hide, folks will thank you for it.

 

My plan is two fold, There are going to be 3 large caches (ie... ammo cans or 5 gallon buckets), One at each end and one at the middle with new log books in them and larger caches.

 

The new (and ones in use on the trail) log books have there own baggie that they go into to help with the moisture issue.

 

Also in the large caches i will have larger caches in them then the ones on the trail with hopes that every now and then someone will take one and replace one of the micros with a larger cache.

 

I have talked with NYAdmin about it and we both think its a great idea but it is wishful thinking that its going to get done without any problems, but I can try.

 

In order to place that many "larger" caches on this trail will take many many many trips to do it.

 

Northern Part of the trail that is almost done starts here (Google Earth) N42° 43.374 W73° 16.647 and then goes North

 

Relying on a baggie, or ziploc, or whatever kind of bag, as a way to keep the log dry is more wishful thinking than anything else. On such a project I'd recommend starting out with better containers to begin with. The better your prep work the less post hide maintenance your caches will need.

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Clan Riffster

Clan Riffster

Posted
Posted
Relying on a baggie, or ziploc, or whatever kind of bag, as a way to keep the log dry is more wishful thinking than anything else.

+1, with +7 defense against undead. :)

 

Don't get me wrong, Gene. I think your idea is an awesome one! If I wasn't half a continent away, I would surely make it a point to hunt these. The only weak link in the idea, in my opinion, is your container selection for the smaller guys. There's is an old axiom I like to spout for situations like this: "If you must rely on a ziplock baggie to keep your log dry, your container has already failed at a very basic level". I preach this because I honestly consider it to be a horrid breach of courtesy to expose other cachers to wet logs. While baggies make for a great secondary layer of protection, keeping logs dry should start with a quality container. Paper has been known to slice through skin, (paper cuts), and skin is a lot tougher than baggies. The repeated opening, extracting, replacing and sealing will shred your baggie in short order. If you start with a quality micro container, your odds of receiving logs complaining of moldy pulp are greatly reduced.

 

Soda bottle preforms and match containers are much better containers than film cans.

 

(hops off soap box...) :)

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GOF and Bacall

GOF and Bacall

Posted
Posted

Lead by example - Use common sense.

 

In the city, often a micro is going to be the better choice. Don't just indiscriminately put a larger cache in an area that can't support it! That how bomb scares happen

 

And don't hide a cache in that location just because there isn't one. Put some thought into your hides and take pride in the results.

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dfx

+dfx

Posted
Posted
In the city, often a micro is going to be the better choice. Don't just indiscriminately put a larger cache in an area that can't support it! That how bomb scares happen

that's assuming the CO actually spent some effort and tried to find a spot for a larger cache. many times that's not the case.

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brslk

+brslk

Posted
Posted

I'm only going to say this once: I am SO weary of lame caches being referred to as "micros"!! Please reference lame caches by their quality, and not by their size.

 

Indeed. Most of my caches are micros. The are micros because they are in an area where a larger cache just wouldn't work. They are not crappy caches. Feel free to check the logs.

I have carried a fully stocked ammo can and two different sized L+L's for awhile now waiting till I find the right spot to place them.

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GOF's Sock Puppet

GOF's Sock Puppet

Posted
Posted

I'm only going to say this once: I am SO weary of lame caches being referred to as "micros"!! Please reference lame caches by their quality, and not by their size.

 

Indeed. Most of my caches are micros. The are micros because they are in an area where a larger cache just wouldn't work. They are not crappy caches. Feel free to check the logs.

I have carried a fully stocked ammo can and two different sized L+L's for awhile now waiting till I find the right spot to place them.

 

Sometimes you stumble upon the perfect spot for a cache. Usually, though, it takes an active search for that great spot. The Google Earth Viewer is a great place to start.

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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

Indeed. Most of my caches are micros. The are micros because they are in an area where a larger cache just wouldn't work. They are not crappy caches. Feel free to check the logs.

I have carried a fully stocked ammo can and two different sized L+L's for awhile now waiting till I find the right spot to place them.

 

Yep! I've found a lot of crappy larger sized caches too, and a lot of well-placed, well done micros that were awesome! If I filtered out micros I would have missed out on a couple of my very favorite caches of all time.

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buttaskotch

+buttaskotch

Posted
Posted

While I agree about the reliance of micros are hitting an all time high, I would also say that it really should only be used in areas where a larger cache is not sustainable i.e. highly concentrated urban areas. Honestly, a nano in the woods is just not my cup of tea. If I see there is a nano while on a trail, I generally by-pass that.

The caveat to all of this, though is a micro I placed on a trail. This was due to no area adjacent to a beautiful view could accommodate a larger cache. So I entitled it, "How could you place a micro here?" And explained my actions in the description.

The best that you could do is place larger cachers in your area and hope others will emulate.

 

But then again this would probably go into the same bucket as, should brand new users not place caches until they hit ### finds and other topics that create heat around here.

 

Depending on the location such a hide could also cause undesirable wear and tear on a location.

ANY cache can cause wear and tear in ANY location.

I was seeking a cache in the Cascades earlier this month that was at a fish tagging station just off the hwy. It was a bison and the previous cache seekers saw fit to break the fence to get to the cache when all that they had to do was reach over the fence.

So, it can happen anywhere

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narcissa

+narcissa

Posted
Posted

Lead by example - Use common sense.

 

In the city, often a micro is going to be the better choice. Don't just indiscriminately put a larger cache in an area that can't support it! That how bomb scares happen

 

And don't hide a cache in that location just because there isn't one. Put some thought into your hides and take pride in the results.

 

And don't make blanket assumptions about the location of a hide simply because you're biased against a particular cache size.

 

Also, don't assume that your idea of a nice geocache is the "right" idea. Some geocachers enjoy a challenging hide regardless of location, some enjoy a long hike to an easy ammo can, some want every cache to be at a neat place. These are all valid things to look for in a cache.

 

And when someone uses the word "hircine" as an insult toward someone with the word "goat" in their name, that's a pretty big tip-off that the flame war is in jest.

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Castle Mischief

+Castle Mischief

Posted
Posted

Lead by example - Use common sense.

 

In the city, often a micro is going to be the better choice. Don't just indiscriminately put a larger cache in an area that can't support it! That how bomb scares happen

 

The last few bomb scares that I've seen were caused by lamp post micros. Any cache placed anywhere can potentially cause a bomb scare. All it takes is a few "suspicious looking characters" hunting in view of a non-cacher.

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Mr.Yuck

Mr.Yuck

Posted
Posted

Alright... are you guys all really Ashnikes?

 

I would just like to say I have met the OP at an event, and he is not Ashnikes. Not that anyone would ever want to accuse anyone of being Ashnikes. :)

 

Actually, I believe the day is coming when the micro cache becomes the overwhelmingly dominant cache size. Will anyone "do anything" before then? Only time will tell.

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Mr.Yuck

Mr.Yuck

Posted
Posted

There is already a limit on micros... they have to be at least 528 feet apart!

 

:)

 

I recommend a more effective limit: 103 miles apart. B)

 

Well hey. When it gets to the point that 75% of all the caches in the U.S. and Canada are micros, maybe they will have to impose greater distance limits on them. I think 103 miles is a bit much though. :)

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nolaradio

+nolaradio

Posted
Posted

I suppose I would like to see a good mix of the micros and the ammo cans. But I'll take what I can get. I appreciate all that are out there. If I had a choice though, I would like to find more larger caches everywhere. But I always have the choice as to whether or not I go on a hunt for a cache. If I decide I am getting tired of finding nothing but film canisters or bison tubes, I just won't go looking for them. There's over a million caches out there for me to hunt.

Personally, I think anyone can hide a needle in a haystack. How many can hide a Caddilac in a hay stack?

So, can I criticize someone for not being creative enough to hide something big in plain sight? Or can I just sit back and appreciate the creative ways that someone has been able to hide a log sheet on the back of a lost dog flyer?

My advice to anyone who has a complaint about the caches in their area is to hide the types of caches that you would like to find. It's what I plan on doing myself.

thanks for listening to my two cents worth...you may even be getting some change!

 

In case anyone missed it... "Thank you" to any and all geocachers that have placed caches, big or small, for me to hopefully find some day. Your efforts are appreciated.

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DragonsWest

+DragonsWest

Posted
Posted

two words: pocket query

 

You can filter out the micros. I've seen a few that were interesting but I'm so new at this that I have a hard time with those and tend to go for larger ones.

 

It was a little exasperating, though, to be in a large wooded park and keep finding micros when I had a backpack of travelbugs itchin' to get on with the moving thing.

 

I finally found a large enough cache to stash one in. I've got more bugs that need to move and finding 16 out of 19 caches to be micros can get a body down.

 

That said, if I wasn't so intent on moving these geocoins and travel bugs, I would probably have noticed less.

 

There are a few large parks closer to where I live which are chock a block with ammo cans and even on 5 gallon bucket.

 

I might be buying an APE-size ammo box after work to go hide somewhere, where there are not enough large caches. Stay tuned. :ph34r:

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GOF's Sock Puppet

GOF's Sock Puppet

Posted
Posted

While I agree about the reliance of micros are hitting an all time high, I would also say that it really should only be used in areas where a larger cache is not sustainable i.e. highly concentrated urban areas. Honestly, a nano in the woods is just not my cup of tea. If I see there is a nano while on a trail, I generally by-pass that.

The caveat to all of this, though is a micro I placed on a trail. This was due to no area adjacent to a beautiful view could accommodate a larger cache. So I entitled it, "How could you place a micro here?" And explained my actions in the description.

The best that you could do is place larger cachers in your area and hope others will emulate.

 

But then again this would probably go into the same bucket as, should brand new users not place caches until they hit ### finds and other topics that create heat around here.

 

Depending on the location such a hide could also cause undesirable wear and tear on a location.

ANY cache can cause wear and tear in ANY location.

I was seeking a cache in the Cascades earlier this month that was at a fish tagging station just off the hwy. It was a bison and the previous cache seekers saw fit to break the fence to get to the cache when all that they had to do was reach over the fence.

So, it can happen anywhere

 

Certainly, any cache can cause a problem. The wrong container in the wrong location makes it worse. Perhaps if that cache wasn't on the other side of the fence it wouldn't have been a temptation for the idiot who broke the fence. If it was a geocacher that is.

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GOF's Sock Puppet

GOF's Sock Puppet

Posted
Posted

There is already a limit on micros... they have to be at least 528 feet apart!

 

:D

 

I recommend a more effective limit: 103 miles apart. :D

 

Well hey. When it gets to the point that 75% of all the caches in the U.S. and Canada are micros, maybe they will have to impose greater distance limits on them. I think 103 miles is a bit much though. :ph34r:

 

102?

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Cache Rip Rock

Cache Rip Rock

Posted
Posted

hi all i know some of you like micro caches and thats ok!but i think people are abusing em and at the same time running geocaching in the ground! i think there should be a limit on how many micros one person can hide at a time! with a limit of say 5 per cacher that should keep em from choking out the fun stuff! im prolly gonna catch alot of heat for posting this but think about it! thanks for your time...

 

Uhh... You do realise that a lot of micros aren't skirtlifters and guardrail caches... Right?

 

I have several micros. A few of them are tree micros and one is even a dreaded skirtlifter, but what I feel are my two best hides are micros.

 

One is a LPC, but it's on one of those big lampposts without a skirt, but rather caps covering the bolts. I glued a dime in the bottom (top?) of the inside of the aluminum cap and magnetically attached a micro (half a film can). The cap is just quietly sitting with its 3 brothers on this lamppost on a street corner, hidden in plain sight.

 

Another is a bison tube on a piece of fishing line. I dropped the cache down the gap between a park signpost and the municipal sign u-post that is right up against it. Again an example of a good micro.

 

I've seen many other good micros, and I don't think placing a limit on those of us who know how to hide good micros is right... :ph34r:

whats a skirtlifter?

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TeamEpik

+TeamEpik

Posted
Posted

hi all i know some of you like micro caches and thats ok!but i think people are abusing em and at the same time running geocaching in the ground! i think there should be a limit on how many micros one person can hide at a time! with a limit of say 5 per cacher that should keep em from choking out the fun stuff! im prolly gonna catch alot of heat for posting this but think about it! thanks for your time...

Well I don't really agree. where we live their is not alot of room for larger caches . So Micro are great . It keeps the game going you still can have fun finding them and when you live in a city it the best thing to hide . I do agree if you can put something larger do put a bigger one .

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Mr.Yuck

Mr.Yuck

Posted
Posted (edited)

whats a skirtlifter?

101898383_4910a41c27.jpg

 

Not unlike the 103 mile proximity guideline on micros, that seems like a bit much. Those must have been some heavy skirts, eh?

 

Well OK. It might take 5 or 10 years, but when the game is totally, overwhelmingly, dominated by micro caches, y'all will say "gee, antaries and TWU were right way back in 2010". Not like I haven't seen 3 people combine for 200 micros in a rural area of New York State in the past year, which has hundreds of square miles of State Forest's begging for ammo cans and lock-n-locks.

 

EDIT: whoops, quoted the wrong post.

Edited by TheWhiteUrkel
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narcissa

+narcissa

Posted
Posted

I've changed my mind. Micros are, in fact, the "scurge" of geocaching. Geocaching is going to collapse onto itself on November 14, 2011, solely because of micros. I can't really explain in any detail why it is the size, and not the placement, location, or container quality that makes them bad, but I must insist that micros are objectively bad and are ruining this game. I know that some of you may insist that there are other factors that determine the quality of a geocache, but you are incorrect. I know that some of you may claim to have had "fun" finding micros, but this is simply not possible when looked at objectively.

 

Micros are bad, all other sizes are good.

 

You know what you need to do.

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sbell111

+sbell111

Posted
Posted

I've changed my mind. Micros are, in fact, the "scurge" of geocaching. Geocaching is going to collapse onto itself on November 14, 2011, solely because of micros. I can't really explain in any detail why it is the size, and not the placement, location, or container quality that makes them bad, but I must insist that micros are objectively bad and are ruining this game. I know that some of you may insist that there are other factors that determine the quality of a geocache, but you are incorrect. I know that some of you may claim to have had "fun" finding micros, but this is simply not possible when looked at objectively.

 

Micros are bad, all other sizes are good.

 

You know what you need to do.

List them as 'small'?

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knowschad

knowschad

Posted
Posted

I've changed my mind. Micros are, in fact, the "scurge" of geocaching. Geocaching is going to collapse onto itself on November 14, 2011, solely because of micros. I can't really explain in any detail why it is the size, and not the placement, location, or container quality that makes them bad, but I must insist that micros are objectively bad and are ruining this game. I know that some of you may insist that there are other factors that determine the quality of a geocache, but you are incorrect. I know that some of you may claim to have had "fun" finding micros, but this is simply not possible when looked at objectively.

 

Micros are bad, all other sizes are good.

 

You know what you need to do.

List them as 'small'?

:D:ph34r:
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GeoGeeBee

+GeoGeeBee

Posted
Posted

 

whats a skirtlifter?

 

A skirt lifter is a cache that's hidden under the movable 'skirt' that protects the bolts at the bottoms of light poles. You may also see this referred to as "LPC" or "Light Pole Cache."

 

Dude! Warn people when you're going to post a spoiler!

 

 

 

 

**Warning: this post contains sarcasm.

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sbell111

+sbell111

Posted
Posted

 

whats a skirtlifter?

 

A skirt lifter is a cache that's hidden under the movable 'skirt' that protects the bolts at the bottoms of light poles. You may also see this referred to as "LPC" or "Light Pole Cache."

 

Dude! Warn people when you're going to post a spoiler!

 

 

 

 

**Warning: this post contains sarcasm.

It wasn't that long ago when people did avoid giving out this type of spoiler on the forum. That was a better time.

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tozainamboku

+tozainamboku

Posted
Posted

 

whats a skirtlifter?

 

A skirt lifter is a cache that's hidden under the movable 'skirt' that protects the bolts at the bottoms of light poles. You may also see this referred to as "LPC" or "Light Pole Cache."

 

Dude! Warn people when you're going to post a spoiler!

 

 

 

 

**Warning: this post contains sarcasm.

It wasn't that long ago when people did avoid giving out this type of spoiler on the forum. That was a better time.

Fortunately most geoachers never look in the forums. They are able to enjoy figuring out their first LPC on their own without skirt lifter references.

 

They are also able to enjoy finding caches of all different sizes without every wondering why someone may have hidden a micro instead of a regular. A few may decide that micros or nanos are harder to find and they would prefer looking for bigger caches, and some may enjoy looking through caches and trading junk items, and therefore prefer looking for bigger caches. I suspect a couple may have trouble eliminating caches in locations they don't enjoy visiting and will reach the conclusion that these are usually micros and thus blame micros for caches being hidden in these locations. They will come to the forums (or use the feedback button on GC.com) to ask why micros aren't limited. Mostly everyone else will find ways to avoid looking in areas they don't like to be in or will accept that not every cache location is "Wow" and certainly won't blame the size of the cache for this.

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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

 

whats a skirtlifter?

 

A skirt lifter is a cache that's hidden under the movable 'skirt' that protects the bolts at the bottoms of light poles. You may also see this referred to as "LPC" or "Light Pole Cache."

 

Dude! Warn people when you're going to post a spoiler!

 

 

 

 

**Warning: this post contains sarcasm.

 

:):D

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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

 

It wasn't that long ago when people did avoid giving out this type of spoiler on the forum. That was a better time.

 

Come on, are you serious? You really consider that to be a spoiler?

 

It is to folks who never realized that those things did that. I speak from experience.

 

Guess I'll go sit in the corner again then. :) My apologies. This is just not my week. :D

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Jumpin' Jack Cache

+Jumpin' Jack Cache

Posted
Posted

 

It wasn't that long ago when people did avoid giving out this type of spoiler on the forum. That was a better time.

 

Come on, are you serious? You really consider that to be a spoiler?

 

It is to folks who never realized that those things did that. I speak from experience.

 

Guess I'll go sit in the corner again then. :) My apologies. This is just not my week. :D

 

No chastisement intended, just informative.

 

Ya gots pie in that corner?

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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

 

It wasn't that long ago when people did avoid giving out this type of spoiler on the forum. That was a better time.

 

Come on, are you serious? You really consider that to be a spoiler?

 

It is to folks who never realized that those things did that. I speak from experience.

 

Guess I'll go sit in the corner again then. :) My apologies. This is just not my week. :D

 

No chastisement intended, just informative.

 

Ya gots pie in that corner?

 

Oh no, I don't think you're chastising me... I am sitting in the corner because I'm taking responsibility for posting something that I shouldn't have, and I feel bad about it. Not your fault, or sbell's.

 

And as a matter of fact, I DO Have pie... we just finished picking our first blackberries and there have been two pies in our house since this weekend ;)

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