What's the lowest effort cache you've ever found? Here's mine.

[+Stakmaster]

First off I'm not picking on this person, not going to say what cache it is or who placed it, but I did want to talk about it and see if you had any similar experiences.

 

Was alerted of a geocache recently published near me last night so I went out but was unable to find it. Sent the OP a message asking for a hint, and they directed me pretty far from the coordinates, about 20-30 feet away. I went back this morning with the hint and lo and behold tossed in the bushes pretty far away was just a simple GLAD container with 2 pieces of blank scrap paper, a clothespin, and a rubber eraser. FTF, hooray? I checked out their profile and this person joined only a couple weeks ago with 3 finds and 3 hides. I understand not everyone has money to spend on official geocaching containers and crazy swag, and in a cute way this is basically geocaching at its essence in a little Tupperware container, but would any of you been happy to find this after searching 2 different days for a total of maybe an hour and a half? There's a reason why Geocaching recommends you find something like 20 caches before hiding your own. Honestly when I saw it in the bush I thought it was some random trash someone threw out of their car window as they passed by, I know you've all seen the type of stuff I'm referring to while hunting. The placement was also super strange. I'm going to message the OP and mention that there is a big tree absolutely perfect for hiding this in about 20 feet up the trail, with lots of holes and hiding spots. Tossed in a random bush by the side of the road way off the coordinates is not fun to find for anyone. 

 

Anyway, hopefully I can work with this new player to maybe help them and make this cache better, and was wondering if you guys have any similar stories? Have any worse experiences? All things considered it's not THAT bad, so I know you guys must have some horror stories worth sharing.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Stakmaster
More appropriate title

[+Max and 99]

11 minutes ago, Stakmaster said:

First off I'm not picking on this person, not going to say what cache it is or who placed it, but I did want to talk about it and see if you had any similar experiences.

 

Was alerted of a geocache recently published near me last night so I went out but was unable to find it. Sent the OP a message asking for a hint, and they directed me pretty far from the coordinates, about 20-30 feet away. I went back this morning with the hint and lo and behold tossed in the bushes pretty far away was just a simple GLAD container with 2 pieces of blank scrap paper, a clothespin, and a rubber eraser. FTF, hooray? I checked out their profile and this person joined only a couple weeks ago with 3 finds and 3 hides. I understand not everyone has money to spend on official geocaching containers and crazy swag, and in a cute way this is basically geocaching at its essence in a little Tupperware container, but would any of you been happy to find this after searching 2 different days for a total of maybe an hour and a half? There's a reason why Geocaching recommends you find something like 20 caches before hiding your own. Honestly when I saw it in the bush I thought it was some random trash someone threw out of their car window as they passed by, I know you've all seen the type of stuff I'm referring to while hunting. The placement was also super strange. I'm going to message the OP and mention that there is a big tree absolutely perfect for hiding this in about 20 feet up the trail, with lots of holes and hiding spots. Tossed in a random bush by the side of the road way off the coordinates is not fun to find for anyone. 

 

Anyway, hopefully I can work with this new player to maybe help them and make this cache better, and was wondering if you guys have any similar stories? Have any worse experiences? All things considered it's not THAT bad, so I know you guys must have some horror stories worth sharing.

I got a FTF on a first cache hide by a newbie. The flimsy Tupperware container was duct taped around the trunk of a really skinny tree near the shore. Needless to say it did not last long. 

[+Max and 99]

13 minutes ago, Stakmaster said:

First off I'm not picking on this person, not going to say what cache it is or who placed it, but I did want to talk about it and see if you had any similar experiences.

 

Was alerted of a geocache recently published near me last night so I went out but was unable to find it. Sent the OP a message asking for a hint, and they directed me pretty far from the coordinates, about 20-30 feet away. I went back this morning with the hint and lo and behold tossed in the bushes pretty far away was just a simple GLAD container with 2 pieces of blank scrap paper, a clothespin, and a rubber eraser. FTF, hooray? I checked out their profile and this person joined only a couple weeks ago with 3 finds and 3 hides. I understand not everyone has money to spend on official geocaching containers and crazy swag, and in a cute way this is basically geocaching at its essence in a little Tupperware container, but would any of you been happy to find this after searching 2 different days for a total of maybe an hour and a half? There's a reason why Geocaching recommends you find something like 20 caches before hiding your own. Honestly when I saw it in the bush I thought it was some random trash someone threw out of their car window as they passed by, I know you've all seen the type of stuff I'm referring to while hunting. The placement was also super strange. I'm going to message the OP and mention that there is a big tree absolutely perfect for hiding this in about 20 feet up the trail, with lots of holes and hiding spots. Tossed in a random bush by the side of the road way off the coordinates is not fun to find for anyone. 

 

Anyway, hopefully I can work with this new player to maybe help them and make this cache better, and was wondering if you guys have any similar stories? Have any worse experiences? All things considered it's not THAT bad, so I know you guys must have some horror stories worth sharing.

I can always use more clothespins! ?

[+niraD]

15 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

I can always use more clothespins! ?

Don't forget: Trade up or trade even!

[+cerberus1]

What's the issue ?   

You asked for a hint after not finding it.  The CO gave you one.

Civilian GPS is still only "accurate" to around 10 feet.  That's 10 feet for you and the CO, so 20+ feet isn't really "pretty far".

There was a container.   A "glad" container is little difference than others we've seen.  It wasn't another pill bottle...

We see people use all kinda stuff for a "log".  Our favorite CO uses his company's note pad paper.  One sheet.

One used a torn piece from a calendar.  Most logs we find are basic, lined paper.

Logs will tell this cacher if they need to make changes.

[+TmdAndGG]

 

20 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

What's the issue ? 

I think that's the main one ... |

                                                   |

                                                  \/

58 minutes ago, Stakmaster said:

Honestly when I saw it in the bush I thought it was some random trash someone threw out of their car window as they passed by,

[+cerberus1]

 

Might this be the lowest effort cache ever? 

 

No.  For us, that was a duct taped sandwich bag "envelope" with a torn-out note pad page inside.

It was attached to the back of a porta potty with more duct tape, ten feet from parking...

The "log" was removed from the note pad of the first cache they did, around 600' away. 

 - The CO of that cache had their note pad pages numbered at the bottom, just like this one... 

[+Stakmaster]

39 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

What's the issue ?   

You asked for a hint after not finding it.  The CO gave you one.

Civilian GPS is still only "accurate" to around 10 feet.  That's 10 feet for you and the CO, so 20+ feet isn't really "pretty far".

There was a container.   A "glad" container is little difference than others we've seen.  It wasn't another pill bottle...

We see people use all kinda stuff for a "log".  Our favorite CO uses his company's note pad paper.  One sheet.

One used a torn piece from a calendar.  Most logs we find are basic, lined paper.

Logs will tell this cacher if they need to make changes.

I do believe the CO intended the GPS marker to be where it is now, because the cache explicitly mentions "Right at the start of the trail" several times and the marker is literally the first step right on the beginning of the trail. I do not think they walked 20-30 feet off the trail, placed the cache, and their coordinates coincidentally happened to be off the same amount of feet and in the same direction as the beginning of the trail. This is where experience would benefit the CO; they may not even know that the coordinates should be at the cache, maybe just at a recognizable spot relatively near the cache. Like I said, they have only found 3 caches themselves so they may not have a good frame of refence.

 

As someone else mentioned, the problem with the container and contents is that there is literally no indication that it is a geocache and not just somebody's trash in the bushes. Might I add, there WAS trash in that bush, very similar to the geocache. The only way I even knew it was the geocache was because it looked clean (for the time being) because I was FTF. The very first log though was not me, someone had gone after me the first day and DNF'd no doubt due to the same reasons as myself. Guess we'll see what future logs have to say but yeah, I think it's going to be pretty similar.

 

 

[+dprovan]

1 hour ago, Stakmaster said:

Anyway, hopefully I can work with this new player to maybe help them and make this cache better, and was wondering if you guys have any similar stories? Have any worse experiences? All things considered it's not THAT bad, so I know you guys must have some horror stories worth sharing.

You example doesn't strike me as that bad. Sorry. The cache with the least effort I found was a piece of trash stuck under a band around a telephone poll. I still enjoyed it, though.

[+Stakmaster]

3 minutes ago, dprovan said:

You example doesn't strike me as that bad. Sorry. The cache with the least effort I found was a piece of trash stuck under a band around a telephone poll. I still enjoyed it, though.

It's the worst I've seen, but I'm sure you guys with thousands of finds have seen much worse. Changed the title to reflect that; obviously this is far from the worst but I want to hear some horror stories.

[+Max and 99]

1 hour ago, Stakmaster said:

Honestly when I saw it in the bush I thought it was some random trash

That has worked in my favor for a cache, but with no other trash around. The container is cleverly designed (not by me!). Geocachers have told me they had it in their hand but dismissed it over and over and over. It may resemble trash but it is not. 

[+cerberus1]

Written elsewhere, but I unknowingly pitched a good chunk of a series once on a road clean-up CITO (cache group sponsored section).

The CO upset that his crushed water bottles with rolled paper inside, in guard rails, was missing already...

[+L0ne.R]

 

I agree on your points:

• No indication it is a cache.
• Looks like another piece of trash among trash at ground zero. 
• Tossed into the bushes with appartently little consideration for location or hide, when there is a better location nearby. 
• 20-30m away from posted coordinates.

And add: 

• Gladware is not designed for outdoor use. It is a temporary disposable container to store food in for a short period of time. There is no gasket. It is not watertight. It deteriorates quickly. The lid will crack after about 10 visits. After the first couple of rainy days the contents will be damp/wet/soaked. 

Edited June 15, 2020 by L0ne.R

[+cerberus1]

20 minutes ago, L0ne.R said:

 I agree on your points:

 No indication it is a cache.

 Looks like another piece of trash among trash at ground zero. 

 Tossed into the bushes with appartently little consideration for location or hide, when there is a better location nearby. 

 10-30m away from posted coordinates.

 And add:

 Gladware is not designed for outdoor use. It is a temporary disposable container to store food in for a short period of time. There is no gasket. It is   not watertight. It deteriorates quickly. the lid will crack after about 10 visits. After the first couple of rainy days the contents will be   damp/wet/soaked. 

 

The OP said the cache was 20-30 feet from posted coordinates.  Nice try though...

A newer person, finding other "gladware" , pill bottles, whatever... places what they see. 

Hopefully they realize their error in logs written by other cachers. 

How often do you see that happen ?    

This new cacher asked on the cache page "Let me know if you have better coordinates" , but they were given none.

Instead the OP came here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by cerberus1

[+terratin]

This one: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158470003015816&set=a.10152848687025816&type=3&eid=ARAXvwmDF8NfVodOmER4mjEfE2S4mD3C_GVBYS5p4WOtQwfK_zgk_Xzl1Bvp3hG5Gi8Wme9Tq_I2BTiR

even came with a spoiler photo in case you didn't find it. Nah, only joking. I really enjoyed this one because it's so bizarre.

[+Stakmaster]

1 minute ago, terratin said:

This one: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158470003015816&set=a.10152848687025816&type=3&eid=ARAXvwmDF8NfVodOmER4mjEfE2S4mD3C_GVBYS5p4WOtQwfK_zgk_Xzl1Bvp3hG5Gi8Wme9Tq_I2BTiR

even came with a spoiler photo in case you didn't find it. Nah, only joking. I really enjoyed this one because it's so bizarre.

Link doesn't appear to work...

[+Stakmaster]

13 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

 

The OP said the cache was 20-30 feet from posted coordinates.  Nice try though...

A newer person, finding other "gladware" , pill bottles, whatever... places what they see. 

Hopefully they realize their error in logs written by other cachers. 

How often do you see that happen ?    

This new cacher asked on the cache page "Let me know if you have better coordinates" , but they were given none.

Instead the OP came here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm trying to work with the CO to make the geocache better without overstepping. Don't presume my intentions. 

[+RocTheCacheBox]

3 hours ago, Stakmaster said:

Anyway, hopefully I can work with this new player to maybe help them and make this cache better,

I think that a good thing to do. Especially after looking at the 3 caches they placed and seeing the problems they have with getting coordinates right. 

[+terratin]

2 hours ago, Stakmaster said:

Link doesn't appear to work...

 

Sorry.

Basically a large, half a meter high cache with a huge sign Geocaching in someone's front garden. Not hidden at all, and just in case you don't find it there's a spoiler photo. That one really made me laugh

[+Bear and Ragged]

5 hours ago, Stakmaster said:

when I saw it in the bush I thought it was some random trash someone threw out of their car window as they passed by,

 

Great cammo then!

[+BG2015]

terratin,

 

There is a similar hide in my area that got Geocache of the Week at one point.  Looks like this:

 

[+Ambrosia]

A long time ago, I found one in a pringles can, when they were still made out of cardboard. 

[+EthisEthat]

Mint tins... 

They are just terrible, not even waterproof. I once found this one on the ground in the middle of a bush that the hider didn't even try to hide. He probably doesn't even know where the cache is. Wet..

Granted Some mint tins are in good places and have shelter but still.

Mind you not as bad as the dreaded TicTac containers......

  

[+kunarion]

A recent local cache is a thin ziplock sandwich bag with a piece of paper inside.  Dropped on the ground under a large holly bush.  But there’s also a small piece of colorful small cardboard decor inside to create a theme.

 

I’ve seen ziplock bag caches, but most of those were originally inside a container now stolen.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by kunarion

[+terratin]

11 hours ago, BG2015 said:

terratin,

 

There is a similar hide in my area that got Geocache of the Week at one point.  Looks like this:

 

 

Faaab! I totally love this.

Ok, I uploaded my pic now. Lets see if it works. I gave it a favourite point for the sheer entertainment value of standing in a residential neighbourhood with neat front gardens, and this

[+Goldenwattle]

A couple of bad ones:

 

A plastic bag with a log inside, thrown in a bush. It looked just like a bag full of dog poo. I poked at that very carefully before touching.

 

 

A tiny scrap of rotting paper hidden under bark. The CO has never found a cache. (An argument about allowing someone who has never found a cache to know what a cache looks like, being allowed to publish a cache.)

[+on4bam]

17 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

That has worked in my favor for a cache, but with no other trash around. The container is cleverly designed (not by me!). Geocachers have told me they had it in their hand but dismissed it over and over and over. It may resemble trash but it is not. 

We wound several that looked like trash. A flattened Coke can with a petling underneath stuck in a piece of PVC pipe in the ground. Another  one was just a flat bottle cap we would have easily missed if we wouldn't have noticed it didn't move when we tried to kick it. Of course these examples don't fit the title of this thread. The "trash" was not in a pile of real trash either.

 

Another we found was a piece of concrete with a micro in it in a pile of building waste, we were lucky to find the right stone within 5 minutes. Lots of DNF's on that one, including "we think it's missing, someone dumped garbage here"

 

 

[+NYPaddleCacher]

14 hours ago, Ambrosia said:

A long time ago, I found one in a pringles can, when they were still made out of cardboard. 

 

I found on in a plastic pringles container at Lake Tahoe.  Apparently there was an event there a bit before I was there and a bunch of pringles containers were used.  This one doesn't take much effort:

 

[+L0ne.R]

The Pringles can caches reminds me of one I found that didn't take much effort. 

 

A frozen orange can juice container duct taped to a garden bamboo stick. Inside the frozen orange can container was a baggie with a bit of paper. It was roadside lying by a tree. 

 

 

It actually got a lot of favourite points. Maybe because the title was a play on the word orange...  "Orange you glad you found me". 

Edited June 16, 2020 by L0ne.R

[+Mudfrog]

22 hours ago, dprovan said:

You example doesn't strike me as that bad. Sorry. The cache with the least effort I found was a piece of trash stuck under a band around a telephone poll. I still enjoyed it, though.

 

The OP's is a decent example for showing low effort but I've definitely run across better examples. How bout an empty, still wet with residual cola, plastic .5 liter coke bottle with a torn piece of notebook paper inside?  I thought it was trash at first but figured I'd try to retrieve the paper to make sure. Yep, it had the words  "geocache log" on it. 

[+kunarion]

I had a cache where a finder assumed I had put low effort into it, does that count?

 

They found only the plastic coke bottle cap on the ground, so they stuck a torn piece of signed paper inside the cap and logged the Find.

The actual cache was a uniquely crafted camo bison tube in a hole in the side of a wooden post, still in its spot.  

[+RedGuy11]

19 hours ago, BG2015 said:

terratin,

 

There is a similar hide in my area that got Geocache of the Week at one point.  Looks like this:

 

To Too Two EASY in Silverton, Colorado

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1XA6W

Edited June 16, 2020 by RedGuy11
gc code

[+colleda]

7 hours ago, Mudfrog said:

 

The OP's is a decent example for showing low effort but I've definitely run across better examples. How bout an empty, still wet with residual cola, plastic .5 liter coke bottle with a torn piece of notebook paper inside?  I thought it was trash at first but figured I'd try to retrieve the paper to make sure. Yep, it had the words  "geocache log" on it. 

I sometimes wonder if these types are throwdowns.

Hmm, can't find the cache, so what do I have lying about on the floor of the car to solve the problem so's I can get my smiley face or souvenir.

Edited June 16, 2020 by colleda

[+ecanderson]

A small, ZipLoc sandwich bag stuffed into a chain link fence at the post.

 

[+Goldenwattle]

12 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

I found on in a plastic pringles container at Lake Tahoe.  Apparently there was an event there a bit before I was there and a bunch of pringles containers were used.  This one doesn't take much effort:

 

That geo-trail is why when a Mega happened close to where I live and therefore my caches, one of them I disabled before the event. I also removed the cache (so no one would be tempted to search for the disabled cache) and put in the log saying the cache is removed and explained why I disabled the cache. The ground about the cache is covered in ivy, and the foot traffic from the mega would have made a noticable geo-trail, perhaps permanently.

[+Goldenwattle]

8 hours ago, kunarion said:

I had a cache where a finder assumed I had put low effort into it, does that count?

 

They found only the plastic coke bottle cap on the ground, so they stuck a torn piece of signed paper inside the cap and logged the Find.

The actual cache was a uniquely crafted camo bison tube in a hole in the side of a wooden post, still in its spot.  

I hope you deleted their log and explained they didn't find the cache.

[+Wacka]

Once found a paper McD's bag with a cup in it. The log was in the cup.

[+Mudfrog]

5 hours ago, colleda said:

I sometimes wonder if these types are throwdowns.

Hmm, can't find the cache, so what do I have lying about on the floor of the car to solve the problem so's I can get my smiley face or souvenir.

 

This was a newly published cache and the logsheet was empty so I figured it was probably the owner's doing..

[+NYPaddleCacher]

11 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

That geo-trail is why when a Mega happened close to where I live and therefore my caches, one of them I disabled before the event. I also removed the cache (so no one would be tempted to search for the disabled cache) and put in the log saying the cache is removed and explained why I disabled the cache. The ground about the cache is covered in ivy, and the foot traffic from the mega would have made a noticable geo-trail, perhaps permanently.

 

Since you're from the other side of the world, you might not have recognized that cache.  That's Mingo.

[+Goldenwattle]

45 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

Since you're from the other side of the world, you might not have recognized that cache.  That's Mingo.

What's Mingo? I guess you don't mean Mingo in Queensland.

[+Wacka]

Mingo, the oldest surviving cache in the world.

[+TmdAndGG]

21 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

What's Mingo? I guess you don't mean Mingo in Queensland.

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC30_mingo?guid=bebfafc7-bae2-4f26-b3e7-1f9216caae07

Edited June 17, 2020 by TmdAndGG

[+cerberus1]

On 6/16/2020 at 7:36 AM, NYPaddleCacher said:

I found on in a plastic pringles container at Lake Tahoe.  Apparently there was an event there a bit before I was there and a bunch of pringles containers were used.  This one doesn't take much effort:

 

 

14 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

That geo-trail is why when a Mega happened close to where I live and therefore my caches, one of them I disabled before the event. I also removed the cache (so no one would be tempted to search for the disabled cache) and put in the log saying the cache is removed and explained why I disabled the cache. The ground about the cache is covered in ivy, and the foot traffic from the mega would have made a noticable geo-trail, perhaps permanently.

 

Thank you.  This perfect example is what we knew to be a "geotrail" since we started.      

 In another thread, someone thought they'd change the term "geotrail" to mean something completely different.   

[+hzoi]

I've unfortunately found more than one that was just a baggie with paper in it.  A couple that were plastic drink bottles with scraps in them.  I know at least some of them were lazy throw-downs.

[+L0ne.R]

25 minutes ago, hzoi said:

I've unfortunately found more than one that was just a baggie with paper in it.  A couple that were plastic drink bottles with scraps in them.  I know at least some of them were lazy throw-downs.

 

 

 

[+coman123]

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4BDPE_aaron-has-lost-his-cojo?guid=e9bd4440-60a1-47a7-ad50-11954994e876

 

Hid this one for a Geo-friend who was having a hard time finding my caches

 

[+Max and 99]

54 minutes ago, coman123 said:

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4BDPE_aaron-has-lost-his-cojo?guid=e9bd4440-60a1-47a7-ad50-11954994e876

 

Hid this one for a Geo-friend who was having a hard time finding my caches

 

I'm glad to see that Aaron wasn't the one to log 3 Finds on that cache!

[+Goldenwattle]

4 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I'm glad to see that Aaron wasn't the one to log 3 Finds on that cache!

I'm pleased people can only log one find per cache now. Saves COs needing to delete the extra ones. It's been a genuine mistake in the case of all those I have deleted, not purposeful. Although the logger could have deleted the extra log themselves, like I have done.

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

I'm pleased people can only log one find per cache now. Saves COs needing to delete the extra ones.

It's been a genuine mistake in the case of all those I have deleted, not purposeful.

Although the logger could have deleted the extra log themselves, like I have done.

 

We simply deleted and done. Some were errors with the app adding multiple times, others user error. 

In asking, a lot couldn't tell if it went through, so they did it again.  Most were harmless.

Sometimes we'd mail and say "pick one".  Give 'em a week or so, and remove all but the first.  

We thought the odd part was COs logging their own caches, some every time they did maintenance.    

[Ageleni]

A ziplock bag with paper inside, under a bush, in plain view next to a parking lot.  No container.  I figured that the container had been stolen or broken, but no, previous logs from as much as two years prior noted that it was just a baggie.  The CO apparently had to come out and do maintenance several times, in response to all of the "Log was too soaked to sign" posts.