I forgot how much I dislike micros.

[knowschad]

*sigh*

 

The size of the cache does not matter. It has never mattered. Bigger does not mean better.

 

What matters?

 

The placement. The kind of container used. The location.

 

Apparently it *does* matter to the OP. How you or I feel about it doesn't affect how someone else feels about it.

 

I think it does matter.

 

As a rule of thumb I think larger containers force CO's to think more carefully about where they hide the cache.

 

Tiny plastic tubes with a log the size of half a postage stamp, well you can stick them out anywhere and as they cost virtually nothing you can throw out hundreds of the little beasties in every pointless location you can squeeze one!

 

But my point to A&T was that whether the size of the cache matters or doesn't matter is totally an individual preference. A&T feels that the placement and location matter the most. You feel that putting thought into the hide is important. The OP apparently feels that digging through a larger cache to see what stuff is in there is important. All are correct... for that individual.

[+K13]

*sigh*

 

The size of the cache does not matter. It has never mattered. Bigger does not mean better.

 

What matters?

 

The placement. The kind of container used. The location.

 

Apparently it *does* matter to the OP. How you or I feel about it doesn't affect how someone else feels about it.

 

I think it does matter.

 

As a rule of thumb I think larger containers force CO's to think more carefully about where they hide the cache.

 

Tiny plastic tubes with a log the size of half a postage stamp, well you can stick them out anywhere and as they cost virtually nothing you can throw out hundreds of the little beasties in every pointless location you can squeeze one!

 

But my point to A&T was that whether the size of the cache matters or doesn't matter is totally an individual preference. A&T feels that the placement and location matter the most. You feel that putting thought into the hide is important. The OP apparently feels that digging through a larger cache to see what stuff is in there is important. All are correct... for that individual.

 

So, the correct answer isn't D) All of the above, it's E) ANY of the above.

[+L0ne.R]

1431789493[/url]' post='5505480']

1431788118[/url]' post='5505478']

1431615426[/url]' post='5505035']

1431610510[/url]' post='5505004']

1431308545[/url]' post='5503866']

*sigh*

 

The size of the cache does not matter. It has never mattered. Bigger does not mean better.

 

What matters?

 

The placement. The kind of container used. The location.

 

Apparently it *does* matter to the OP. How you or I feel about it doesn't affect how someone else feels about it.

 

I think it does matter.

 

As a rule of thumb I think larger containers force CO's to think more carefully about where they hide the cache.

 

Tiny plastic tubes with a log the size of half a postage stamp, well you can stick them out anywhere and as they cost virtually nothing you can throw out hundreds of the little beasties in every pointless location you can squeeze one!

 

But my point to A&T was that whether the size of the cache matters or doesn't matter is totally an individual preference. A&T feels that the placement and location matter the most. You feel that putting thought into the hide is important. The OP apparently feels that digging through a larger cache to see what stuff is in there is important. All are correct... for that individual.

 

So, the correct answer isn't D) All of the above, it's E) ANY of the above.

 

Yes. And I hope cache hiders will keep it in mind. Hiding at least a small palm size cache that can fit a couple of small TBs is more fun for more people. And please plant quality and maintain those caches no matter what size.

[+Laughing at the Sky]

For me, a box cache that is able to take items, but only contains rubbish little things like pencil sharpeners or little plastic things, is a waste of that size of cache as far as an adult is concerned. I know there's a chance that young kids might like that, but to an adult it seems as pointless as a boring micro. This is why I like TBs and GCs, because they are often interesting objects. I saw a REALLY BEAUTIFUL geocoin yesterday. It made my day actually. Then a short while later I found a cache that was the best cache container I've seen in a long time.

 

I seem to remember that the very first geocache contained some really good things like CDs, food, etc. Although I know that could get expensive if you had to keep replacing valuable items like that on a frequent basis (you could do that with a 5 star difficulty cache though). But a plastic box containing a pencil sharpener, a bouncy ball, a little bag of marbles, a dirty little doll with its head snapped off, and a penny, somehow seems a bit pathetic.

 

Of course, if it's an interesting container or an interesting place, then forget everything I just said.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Laughing at the Sky

[knowschad]

But a plastic box containing a pencil sharpener, a bouncy ball, a little bag of marbles, a dirty little doll with its head snapped off, and a penny, somehow seems a bit pathetic.

 

You found my cache!!

[+wmpastor]

A micro in the woods near me is unfound after 10 days. The dependable, veteran CO has repeatedly posted notes confirming it is there and reconfirming the coords. About a dozen DNFs have been posted. The difficulty rating in 5.0. Numerous veterans with thousands of finds each have searched. Yesterday a team of three experts searched GZ together for an hour and a half.

 

Whew!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

But a plastic box containing a pencil sharpener, a bouncy ball, a little bag of marbles, a dirty little doll with its head snapped off, and a penny, somehow seems a bit pathetic.

 

You found my cache!!

 

I once found a cache that was just the head from a dirty little doll. It was called "Heads will roll".

[+Laughing at the Sky]

A micro in the woods near me is unfound after 10 days. The dependable, veteran CO has repeatedly posted notes confirming it is there and reconfirming the coords. About a dozen DNFs have been posted. The difficulty rating in 5.0. Numerous veterans with thousands of finds each have searched. Yesterday a team of three experts searched GZ together for an hour and a half.

 

Whew!

 

Now THAT'S dedication!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

A micro in the woods near me is unfound after 10 days. The dependable, veteran CO has repeatedly posted notes confirming it is there and reconfirming the coords. About a dozen DNFs have been posted. The difficulty rating in 5.0. Numerous veterans with thousands of finds each have searched. Yesterday a team of three experts searched GZ together for an hour and a half.

 

Whew!

 

That's not all that uncommon for a cache that is legitimately rated with a D5. In fact, when I've seen a cache with a D5 rating and a low percentage of DNFs I question whether or not it's rated correctly. A couple of the "Shelter" caches in Indiana had dozens of DNFs before the first first and the CO frequently checked on the cache to confirm it was there.

 

 

[+GroveBird]

*sigh*

 

The size of the cache does not matter. It has never mattered. Bigger does not mean better.

 

What matters?

 

The placement. The kind of container used. The location.

 

To you it does not matter. To some it does. Just depends on what the person likes to find.

[+GroveBird]

Geo-Swag is Geo-Swag. It can be really cool....but it usually isn't. I remember when I first started this game, I got really excited to find in a cache. Now....there are so many micros out there and fewer and fewer larger containers, that excitement is pretty much gone. Swag usually consists of some trinkets people had lying around in their car. I have one smaller container that I will put some stuff in. Usually I will get smaller toys and stuff from yard sales for kids that find the container. I put out a number of travel bugs excited to see where all they would travel. All of them that were out in the wild are lost. So the excitement fizzled for that too.

[CrazyGirlGeek]

An interesting micro can be just as good as a bigger hide......I once found a cache that was a little magnetic cache (thumbnail size) inside a snail shell, and attached to an intricately designed metal gate. Really great hide.

 

And I totally understand the necessity of micros in busy city centres. However, it drives me nuts when I spend 90mins wandering around a city collecting facts to get coordinates ony for the cache to be a micro or nano. I know I can see the cache size before I start but I find a lot of city centre caches are multis like this.

 

Makes me sad.

[+Fisher513]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

[TahoeJoe]

Living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, there are so many great cache locations that are wasted with a micro, where a large cache container would have been more appropriate. I like large cache containers if for nothing else than room for a large log book to sign and enjoy reading. My kids also go crazy when they find a large container with swag. Geocaching is a family activity so I like to keep that in mind when placing most caches and make the effort to have a cache stocked with goodies that kids can enjoy. Micro's have a place in geocaching, but they are way overused anymore as a simple, unimaginative, cheap, and fast way to place a cache.

[+jellis]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

You mean the way it use to be? Cause traditional caches are a type of cache not a type of container. I don't always like micros and nanos either but I've had started with larger size caches that have gone missing so I had to keep reducing the size til they ended up micros. And some locations you can't hide a larger then micro cache.

[+Laughing at the Sky]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

 

I see you are a new member who only joined in April 2015 and has only found 29 caches. Your passion for micros is probably mainly due to the novelty of being new to the game. Come back to this thread when you've found 200 more micros, and let's see if you're still just as excited about spending 40 minutes looking for a piece of paper to sign.

[+ArtieD]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

 

I see you are a new member who only joined in April 2015 and has only found 29 caches. Your passion for micros is probably mainly due to the novelty of being new to the game. Come back to this thread when you've found 200 more micros, and let's see if you're still just as excited about spending 40 minutes looking for a piece of paper to sign.

 

I have been caching for about seven years longer than you and have found 3248 micros at this point and I still like them, so...

[+niraD]

I have been caching for about seven years longer than you and have found 3248 micros at this point and I still like them, so...

+1

 

(Although I've found fewer than 900 micros, and fewer than 1600 caches total. But I still like them.)

Edited June 26, 2015 by niraD

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

 

I see you are a new member who only joined in April 2015 and has only found 29 caches. Your passion for micros is probably mainly due to the novelty of being new to the game. Come back to this thread when you've found 200 more micros, and let's see if you're still just as excited about spending 40 minutes looking for a piece of paper to sign.

 

I have been caching for about seven years longer than you and have found 3248 micros at this point and I still like them, so...

 

So what? The fact that you like them doesn't determine whether anyone else, not matter how long they have been playing the game or how many finds they have, should like them as well.

[+ArtieD]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

 

I see you are a new member who only joined in April 2015 and has only found 29 caches. Your passion for micros is probably mainly due to the novelty of being new to the game. Come back to this thread when you've found 200 more micros, and let's see if you're still just as excited about spending 40 minutes looking for a piece of paper to sign.

 

I have been caching for about seven years longer than you and have found 3248 micros at this point and I still like them, so...

 

So what? The fact that you like them doesn't determine whether anyone else, not matter how long they have been playing the game or how many finds they have, should like them as well.

 

My point in all of that was to address Laughing at the Sky's assertion that given more time and more finds, the newer cacher would grow to hate them.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

 

I see you are a new member who only joined in April 2015 and has only found 29 caches. Your passion for micros is probably mainly due to the novelty of being new to the game. Come back to this thread when you've found 200 more micros, and let's see if you're still just as excited about spending 40 minutes looking for a piece of paper to sign.

 

I have been caching for about seven years longer than you and have found 3248 micros at this point and I still like them, so...

 

So what? The fact that you like them doesn't determine whether anyone else, not matter how long they have been playing the game or how many finds they have, should like them as well.

 

My point in all of that was to address Laughing at the Sky's assertion that given more time and more finds, the newer cacher would grow to hate them.

 

"see if you're still just as excited" is not the same as "you would grow to hate them". Although there are plenty of geocachers that don't care about the types of cache they find as long as it provides a +1 for their find count there are also a lot that are more discriminate about the type of cache they prefer and, I suspect that's typically related to experience.

[+ArtieD]

I guess its just the kid in me, but I really like traditional caches. Its kind of like opening up stuff on Christmas. Minis and micros with just a log are boring.

We need toys to keep our ADHD in check. Besides I have a whole pack o stuff for trade goods.

I love mircos with a passion! The trill of finding a cache I have been looking for 40 minutes for is just so fun. Regulars are fun but its kinda a given of were they are unless its a multi...

 

I see you are a new member who only joined in April 2015 and has only found 29 caches. Your passion for micros is probably mainly due to the novelty of being new to the game. Come back to this thread when you've found 200 more micros, and let's see if you're still just as excited about spending 40 minutes looking for a piece of paper to sign.

 

I have been caching for about seven years longer than you and have found 3248 micros at this point and I still like them, so...

 

So what? The fact that you like them doesn't determine whether anyone else, not matter how long they have been playing the game or how many finds they have, should like them as well.

 

My point in all of that was to address Laughing at the Sky's assertion that given more time and more finds, the newer cacher would grow to hate them.

 

"see if you're still just as excited" is not the same as "you would grow to hate them". Although there are plenty of geocachers that don't care about the types of cache they find as long as it provides a +1 for their find count there are also a lot that are more discriminate about the type of cache they prefer and, I suspect that's typically related to experience.

 

Fair enough, but I don't think that relates to experience, either, but that's another debate I suppose.

[+Laughing at the Sky]

The simple point I was making is that 29 finds is rather early to declare passion for something. At 29 finds, someone has only just started. I found considerably more than 29 caches in my first 3 months but I wouldn't have called myself passionate. I was excited with the novelty of it though. But it definitely took me more than 29 finds to get a feel for what I like and don't like.

 

Arthur & Trillian, on the other hand, has been at it for over 9 years and has found more than 3 thousand micros. Now that's passion. Or even obsession perhaps. Still, an obsession that gets a person out and about can't be that bad

[+ArtieD]

Pretty much truth.

[+geekgrl1]

Can't say I've ever personally found anything interesting enough that I'd bother swapping. I've always considered the swapables more of a thing for kids to get fun out of. I grew out collecting toys probably around 14 years of age. For me it's about location and finding clever hides.

 

I agree! Too many of the large caches around here are just boxes of dirty junk sitting under a tree with maybe a few leaves tossed on top of it. No challenge to find and nothing remarkable about it. They're just the woodsy equivalent of a film canister under a lamp skirt

[+boothie103]

I actually like Micros, detest Nanos because, and I will probably get into trouble for this, but Nano hiders have to have potty problems, they don't want people to find them! Micros, if used properly, give the perfect drive by quickie. A rest stop on a highway for a quick leg stretch. Brilliant if the hider also incorporates another cache at the same stop, according to the rules, so that your rest can be extended by having to pick up trackable or to simply gift the cache with a small token or even to watch another hound hunting!

[+Laughing at the Sky]

I never really see the point of drive-by quickees. If it's somewhere so easily accessible, and it's easy to find, and all you get is a log book to sign, this seems like an entirely futile exercise to me.

 

Now, if the container is interesting, or if seeking out the cache takes me to somewhere nice or interesting that I wouldn't have been to otherwise, now we're talking.

 

As for cache contents, I'm 37, not 7, so most of the silly little things in there don't interest me in the slightest. What would interest me would be items of value, like money or book tokens, but I know that the vast majority of cache owners wouldn't have disposable money to afford that.

 

I like trackables. Geocoins can be beautiful, and some travel bugs can be interesting objects. And with any trackable, it's satisfying to be part of moving it along its journey. Actually, I don't really understand why all cache contents aren't trackable. If you're going to make the cache itself trackable, then why not the contents too.

 

I know that geocaching is about the fun of trying to find hidden things, but for me there has to be something actually worth finding. If it's just a piece of paper rolled up in a film tub by the side of a road, I'm not finding anything worth finding. No interesting location, no interesting container, no interesting contents, nothing. Just a way to kill time. The time would be better spent going to a nice location and having a nice day out, even if there's no caches there.

 

If it's about the numbers, fair enough. But on your death bed are you really going to be thinking, "Ahh, well at least I found 50 more caches than Dave did"?

[+Gill & Tony]

I never really see the point of drive-by quickees. If it's somewhere so easily accessible, and it's easy to find, and all you get is a log book to sign, this seems like an entirely futile exercise to me.

Drive-by quickies have taken me to some amazing locations. On my trip to Alaska and Canada we stopped at viewpoints, lookouts and sights we would never otherwise have found. Yes, some are a waste of space but on a trip from A to B there isn't often time for a hike into the woods.

[+wmpastor]

...

But on your death bed are you really going to be thinking, "Ahh, well at least I found 50 more caches than Dave did"?

 

I do believe that some cachers will think that.

[+snomike]

So the micro trend I'm seeing of late is the enormous string of micros in a park or wooded area. It completely saturates the area, and prevents other catchers to hide larger ones there.

 

That is why I am really starting to dislike the micro.

[+on4bam]

So the micro trend I'm seeing of late is the enormous string of micros in a park or wooded area. It completely saturates the area, and prevents other catchers to hide larger ones there.

 

That is why I am really starting to dislike the micro.

 

So, it has nothing to do with micro's but everything with the amount of caches unless you would think differently if these caches were small/regular/large.

[+cerberus1]

So the micro trend I'm seeing of late is the enormous string of micros in a park or wooded area. It completely saturates the area, and prevents other catchers to hide larger ones there.

 

That is why I am really starting to dislike the micro.

 

So, it has nothing to do with micro's but everything with the amount of caches unless you would think differently if these caches were small/regular/large.

+1

Saturation's the same, whether it's nanos or freight containers.

[+L0ne.R]

The way I see it is there are many layers to this saturation onion.....

 

1. Saturation

2. Saturation by one person or team

3. Saturation by one person or team with only micro containers because they are cheap/free and easy to hide with the purpose to give people a lot of smileys in a short period of time (very popular choice these days)

4. Saturation by one person or team of mostly micros and a smattering of crappy leaky larger containers because they are cheap/free with the purpose to give people a lot of smileys in a short period of time

5. Saturation that grew organically by different cache owners with different hiding styles and a variety of containers (for me, this is the most satifying, but rare these days)

Edited July 5, 2015 by L0ne.R

[+snomike]

The way I see it is there are many layers to this saturation onion.....

 

1. Saturation

2. Saturation by one person or team

3. Saturation by one person or team with only micro containers because they are cheap/free and easy to hide with the purpose to give people a lot of smileys in a short period of time (very popular choice these days)

4. Saturation by one person or team of mostly micros and a smattering of crappy leaky larger containers because they are cheap/free with the purpose to give people a lot of smileys in a short period of time

5. Saturation that grew organically by different cache owners with different hiding styles and a variety of containers (for me, this is the most satifying, but rare these days)

 

That is what I think is going on around my area. Unfortunately, because these cachers are throwing whatever was rolling around their floorboards to help get more finds for their friends/team good caches are not being hidden.

 

My map is full of Altoid/pill/coke bottle/plastic Easter eggs covering every park in the county! I want to hide the biggest container I can carry if I can find an open spot.

[+GeoNewbie2015]

I am fairly new to Geocaching and it took me about a week of researching the topic before I decided to even download the app or make an account. In that time of research I am reminded of one important bit about hiding of a cache... it shouldn't be hidden in a place simply for the sake of hiding the cache, rather hidden in a place that has some significance to the CO.

 

With that said I personally don't think the size of the cache is overly important if the journey and/or destination has a point. With only a handful of finds to my name I must say the few expeditions I have gone on to hunt have been interesting places with multiple caches in the area. Perhaps some people think a guard rail or a sign post on the side of a dirt road holds special significance but I don't seem to share the appeal.

 

With THAT said I also think that placement is important within the area. Sure obscure parks or forests can be beautiful to visit, but throwing a bison tube or a tupperware container in the woods and giving general GPS coordinates kills the potential of the hunt for me.

 

I guess the point of all this for me is that no matter the size of the cache to be found, until there are no other caches to find, I will always pick my new hunting grounds based on location rather than size. If the cache has only a log book... I'll sign the log book. If the cache has trinkets... I will enjoy looking through them imagining the stories behind them.

[+Laughing at the Sky]

I never really see the point of drive-by quickees. If it's somewhere so easily accessible, and it's easy to find, and all you get is a log book to sign, this seems like an entirely futile exercise to me.

Drive-by quickies have taken me to some amazing locations. On my trip to Alaska and Canada we stopped at viewpoints, lookouts and sights we would never otherwise have found. Yes, some are a waste of space but on a trip from A to B there isn't often time for a hike into the woods.

 

Well, that sounds great. There's nothing better than exploring new places (and by the way, I must explore North America someday). But if in those situations it is all about the location, to me it does beg the question: why even bother retrieving the cache and signing the log? If the main purpose is the location, why not just follow the GPS to the location and then enjoy the location? The reason I'm asking that is because I asked what the point is of seeking a cache that's just a log in a little tub, and you said it's the location. So once you're at the location, goal achieved, right? You've found what you were looking for: the location. I can understand a bit more the desire to sign the log if it's a really interesting hide that was tough to find. But if you get to a beautiful location and then you've still got to find a boring micro, doesn't that seem a bit pointless then? How has it added to the beauty of the landscape in front of you? Or is it about telling others that you were there? But do many people really read the logs? Aren't they usually mainly just "TFTC"?

 

But I have always struggled to see the point of signing physical logs, as I have previously mentioned either earlier in this thread or in another thread. Last year I went through a phase of being really into hunting down trackables and moving them, and I often wouldn't bother signing the physical logs. Once I'd got the trackable in my hand then job done. The cache was just the means to get the trackable.

[+redsox_mark]

Well, that sounds great. There's nothing better than exploring new places (and by the way, I must explore North America someday). But if in those situations it is all about the location, to me it does beg the question: why even bother retrieving the cache and signing the log? If the main purpose is the location, why not just follow the GPS to the location and then enjoy the location?

 

Because we are geocachers and like finding geocaches.

 

I greatly appreciate a geocache in an interesting location, but I want to find the cache too. Non-geocachers often don't get the point, but generally geocachers do. I also appreciate a clever or unique hide, but they don't all have to be like that. I will enjoy a "good but ordinary" hide in a great location.

[+FourFunKiwis]

 

But I have always struggled to see the point of signing physical logs, as I have previously mentioned either earlier in this thread or in another thread. Last year I went through a phase of being really into hunting down trackables and moving them, and I often wouldn't bother signing the physical logs. Once I'd got the trackable in my hand then job done. The cache was just the means to get the trackable.

 

To prove it It would be very easy for a sly person to site visual on a cache up a tree and log it. That doesn't mean they've retrieved it though - the point of that cache is to climb the tree!

Poor DH is currently overseas, found the right location for the cache (knew this, because of spoiler photos in the logs), and stuck his hand down the hole. He's petrified of spiders and one came crawling out. He didn't log it - he didn't have the cache in his grasp, and he wasn't gone back for a second shot at it!

Edited July 8, 2015 by FourFunKiwis