How long is considered rude?

[+GrapeSmashers]

If someone finds a TB in a cache, how long should they hold on to it before passing it before it's considered rude (or stealing)?

[+BlueDeuce]

Before it's considered rude or stealing? Never.

 

You should try to hold a bug no longer than two-three weeks. If you find you can't place it sooner or you want to hold on to it longer, maybe to take it on a trip. contact the owner. Most will be cool about it if they know the bug hasn't been forgotten.

 

If someone is holding your bug remember that sometimes life gets in the way of caching. You do not know their situation. Maybe after a couple of months one friendly email offering your help is fine. Then wait.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Coupla months works for me. I try to find good caches to put TBs in. That's not always easy to do. But I try my best. If you e-mail me and ask me kindly, I'll work harder at it. If you e-mail me not-so-kindly, it'll go into the next cache I find.

One of my GCs was picked up last year from the cache I put it in. Nothing since, until... It was discovered at an event! I e-mailed the cacher who picked it up fifteen months ago, and enquired if he'd be moving it soon? No response (wasn't really expecting one.) Guess it probably won't be going to any more events either. Oh, well. You put out your TB and wish it the best of luck. Some geocachers are very good about moving them. And some aren't.

[+mesillywoohoo]

Couple of months seems fair. I know a girl who is holding two for a month (sent a message to the owner to let them know) because she's going overseas next month)

 

Mine is currently being held (although it was just picked up) by someone who is going back to school in FL. I don't mind waiting for him to log it at all. He's an active cacher with a great T.B passing habbit

[+BlueDeuce]

If you are holding a bug, three weeks should be the cut off point of deciding that maybe you should do something other than continue to hold it. Two weeks should make you think, geesh maybe I should be doing something before three weeks have passed.

[+Chokecherry]

Keep in mind that some people can only geocache on the weekends. And sometimes those weekends fill up with other activities as well. Sometimes on a weekend I'll only get to 1 or 2 caches and with so many caches so small I might do a couple but have them be entirely too small to shove a travel bug in. Especially when they're attached to larger objects.

 

I try to get rid of them as soon as a I find a suitable sized cache that I think will be visited more than once in a blue moon.

[+NanCycle]

Keep in mind that some people can only geocache on the weekends. And sometimes those weekends fill up with other activities as well. Sometimes on a weekend I'll only get to 1 or 2 caches and with so many caches so small I might do a couple but have them be entirely too small to shove a travel bug in. Especially when they're attached to larger objects.

 

I try to get rid of them as soon as a I find a suitable sized cache that I think will be visited more than once in a blue moon.

 

This is pretty much what I was going to say, so I'll rephase some of it.

 

Keep in mind that not everybody can cache every weekend even.

 

And on some caching days nothing is found but micros and very small caches.

 

On days like that, if I'm holding any trackables, I try to dip them in a cache or two to give them some activity even if I can't actually leave them anywhere.

[+Merchant Adventurers]

On days like that, if I'm holding any trackables, I try to dip them in a cache or two to give them some activity even if I can't actually leave them anywhere.

 

N00b question - what is the etiquette for 'dipping' a TB or geocoin? We found one of each earlier this week and intend to drop them off tonight. We've been to a couple of micro caches in the mean time that weren't suitable to put anything into.

 

Is 'dipping' sort of a fake placement? Were we supposed to 'dip' the TB and geocoin in the caches we've been to while they've been in my bag? We know which cache we're taking them to tonight - should we have 'dipped' the travelers in caches between the find spot and the dropoff, so they looked like they were getting closer to their destination during the week, or are you supposed to 'dip' them further away so that they get more mileage?

 

tl;dr: What's the purpose of 'dipping'? Adding miles, showing that a traveling item's "not dead yet" or...?

[+BlueDeuce]

On days like that, if I'm holding any trackables, I try to dip them in a cache or two to give them some activity even if I can't actually leave them anywhere.

 

N00b question - what is the etiquette for 'dipping' a TB or geocoin? We found one of each earlier this week and intend to drop them off tonight. We've been to a couple of micro caches in the mean time that weren't suitable to put anything into.

 

Is 'dipping' sort of a fake placement? Were we supposed to 'dip' the TB and geocoin in the caches we've been to while they've been in my bag? We know which cache we're taking them to tonight - should we have 'dipped' the travelers in caches between the find spot and the dropoff, so they looked like they were getting closer to their destination during the week, or are you supposed to 'dip' them further away so that they get more mileage?

 

tl;dr: What's the purpose of 'dipping'? Adding miles, showing that a traveling item's "not dead yet" or...?

 

You might not want to Dip through a series of power trails but the bug should get credit for having been at the cache, even if it couldn't fit. Say for example the bug wanted to visit ballparks but at one location there was only a micro. There's nothing wrong with dipping especially if it assists the bug towards its goal.

 

Additionally gc.com has even implemented a new logging feature that allow you to "visit" the bug at a cache so you don't have to go through the steps of Dropping the bug and then Retrieving it.

[+Merchant Adventurers]

 

You might not want to Dip through a series of power trails but the bug should get credit for having been at the cache, even if it couldn't fit. Say for example the bug wanted to visit ballparks but at one location there was only a micro. There's nothing wrong with dipping especially if it assists the bug towards its goal.

 

Additionally gc.com has even implemented a new logging feature that allow you to "visit" the bug at a cache so you don't have to go through the steps of Dropping the bug and then Retrieving it.

 

That's fantastic information; thank you! We're still learning our way around the site, so we definitely appreciate the time the old hands take to answer questions. We've since taken a photo of the TB on travels and updated the logs with a couple of visits, and we got a very nice thank-you note from the original hider.

 

My only problem now is that the TB flags don't seem to 'take' when I use them from my Blackberry browser. I can log a find on the website while in the field with no problems, but the little drop menus don't seem to 'take' when I select them, and it won't give me the option to edit in any TB information when I get home. I've had to add notes to caches to officially 'visit' or 'drop' anything. Is that a feature to force you to log from a computer, or am I missing something?

Edited August 30, 2010 by Merchant Adventurers