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Question about cache sizes


Monkey_Chops

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Posted

Hi. I'm very new to the hobby but have been doing quite a bit of browsing online and have a question about the sizes of caches: If a cache is listed as nano or micro, should I expect it to be so incredibly small that it's virtually impossible to find? Are they generally smaller than a 35mm film cannister? I'm sure I saw a photo of a cache on here somewhere that was the size of a pencil sharpener! If they are that small, how can a logbook be put inside? If they do get to be so incredibly small, surely it's possible to be looking directly at one and not even realise that it's the cache...?

 

The icon on my iPhone app has 4 size indication icons and very few seem to be listed at the larger 3 or 4 size icon. Am I to deduce from this that size 1 is incredibly tiny, size 2 is film cannister size, 3 is a bit bigger and 4 is large tupperware container? Obviously it's a subjective thing, but some rough gauge would be helpful when choosing the next cache to hunt for!

 

Thanks in advance!

Posted (edited)

Micro is the smallest size. Micro simply means its only big enough for a log and no other swag or trackables. Nano is a "type" of micro. It's really tiny and they usually look like this:

http://shop.Groundspeak.com/photoPopUp.cfm?ProductID=114

They aren't a specific category though. Sometimes people will tell you when a micro is nano sized, but other times they will not.

 

The official information on sizes can be found here:

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx

Cache Sizes

These sizes apply to all caches that have a physical container.

Micro (35 mm film canister or smaller – less than approximately 3 ounces or .1 L – typically containing only a logbook or a logsheet)

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, the smallest size is micro (no room for stuff beyond a log)

The next smallest is a small (room for a few small items)

The middle one is regular

Second to last is Large.

The final one is "Unknown or NA" which applies to an unusual or hard to classify container in addition to some non-physical caches. This is also sometimes used for nano.

 

I would strongly recommend that you read the guidelines I linked above as they will make your caching career much easier and smoother.

Edited by d+n.shults
Posted

there is no dedicated "nano" size option for the cache listings, the 4 sizes you see are micro, small, regular and large. aside of that, there's also size options of "other" and "not chosen".

 

common micro containers are 35mm film cans, match stick safes and magnetic key holders. as for nanos, technically they should be listed as "micro" while in reality they're often listed as "other". in other words, when you're looking for a micro and it doesn't say exactly what kind of container it is, there's a small chance it's really a nano, and if you're looking for an "other", there's a relatively high chance that you're looking for a nano, especially if it's in an urban setting (not likely in the woods).

 

micros and especially nanos are usually not disguised, but rather simply placed out of sight, which means that once you know what they look like, you'll know that you've found the cache when you see it. sometimes you have to feel for them though.

 

and yes, even the tiniest nano caches have logs inside! it can be a real pain to get them out though (tweezers can help) and rolling them back up can be a challenge too.

 

9f1751b8-fda3-4ff7-bef2-bd8807f86bcf.jpg

Posted (edited)

Thank you so much. They are incredibly tiny! Now I know what I am looking for, I guess I'll have a much better idea when finding them.

 

And thanks for the link d+n.shults, I hadn't spotted that one on the website. Either that or I had and just forgotten that I'd seen the answer...

Edited by DomAndKitty

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