How to find geocaches that can hold trackables

[+saulmiller]

I found a trackable in a geocache and would like to move it to a new location. Many geocaches are nanos and trackables dont fit in them. What is the best way to find a geocache large enough to hold a medium sized trackable?

[+niraD]

43 minutes ago, saulmiller said:

I found a trackable in a geocache and would like to move it to a new location. Many geocaches are nanos and trackables dont fit in them. What is the best way to find a geocache large enough to hold a medium sized trackable?

 

Use the search filter for cache sizes and ignore Micro and Other (which is often used for nanos and other caches that cannot hold trackables or trade items):

 

[+TriciaG]

I'd ignore Small as well, since they're usually actually micros.

[+Max and 99]

14 minutes ago, TriciaG said:

I'd ignore Small as well, since they're usually actually micros.

I'm surprised at how many of these I'm seeing lately!

[+barefootjeff]

2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

3 hours ago, TriciaG said:

I'd ignore Small as well, since they're usually actually micros.

I'm surprised at how many of these I'm seeing lately!

 

Looking back through my recent Small finds, most are Sistema boxes in the 250-500ml range, or something of similar size, so definitely smalls.

 

 

The most common micro I see listed as a small is the accursed Eclipse mint tin, and for that I blame the way sizes are presented on the cache submission page as it lies somewhere between the bison tube example of a micro and the plastic box example of a small, and is more box-like than bison-like.

[+niraD]

7 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

The most common micro I see listed as a small is the accursed Eclipse mint tin, and for that I blame the way sizes are presented on the cache submission page as it lies somewhere between the bison tube example of a micro and the plastic box example of a small, and is more box-like than bison-like.

I'm not sure how big your mint tins are, but even the Extra Large Capsules by Bison Designs are less than 50ml in volume, and the dividing line between micro and small in the Help Center article Cache container sizes is 100ml. Something could be the size of two of those extra large Bison tubes combined and still be a micro.

[+barefootjeff]

12 minutes ago, niraD said:

I'm not sure how big your mint tins are, but even the Extra Large Capsules by Bison Designs are less than 50ml in volume, and the dividing line between micro and small in the Help Center article Cache container sizes is 100ml. Something could be the size of two of those extra large Bison tubes combined and still be a micro.

 

This is one of them:

 

 

The measured volume is (from memory) about 65ml so according to the Help Centre definitions they're definitely a micro, but unfortunately those definitions aren't shown in the cache submission page, instead there's just this:

 

 

My biggest gripe with the mint tins isn't them being listed as smalls, though, it's that they're nothing like waterproof when new and rust out in no time in the coastal environment here.

[+niraD]

19 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

My biggest gripe with the mint tins isn't them being listed as smalls, though, it's that they're nothing like waterproof when new and rust out in no time in the coastal environment here.

Yeah, supposedly tins can last in the desert, but all the ones I found in coastal California (with relatively low humidity) were rusted. Here in Tennessee (humid summers, rain all year, snow in winter), I expect they rust even faster.

[+Mysterion604]

On 3/30/2022 at 5:41 PM, barefootjeff said:

 

This is one of them:

 

 

The measured volume is (from memory) about 65ml so according to the Help Centre definitions they're definitely a micro, but unfortunately those definitions aren't shown in the cache submission page, instead there's just this:

 

 

My biggest gripe with the mint tins isn't them being listed as smalls, though, it's that they're nothing like waterproof when new and rust out in no time in the coastal environment here.

 

 

For me, one weird size-straddling case is preform tubes.

When it comes to finding, the tube itself is the size of a small, but what it holds inside is really only equivalent to micro. (A log sheet and a small pencil, at most.) 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by mysterion604

[+Hynz]

28 minutes ago, mysterion604 said:

For me, one weird size-straddling case is preform tubes.

When it comes to finding, the tube itself is the size of a small, but what it holds inside is really only equivalent to micro. (A log sheet and a small pencil, at most.) 

Yes, the inside is equivalent to a micro and it's annoying how many preforms are classified as small.

But since the outside is only marginaly bigger than the inside I can't understand why you and obviously many think it can be seen as a small container.

I guess it's because long and narrow objects appear to be much bigger than a compact filmcanister with about the same volume.

A small should have at least 100ml which is about the volume of three filmcanisters.

[+Mysterion604]

3 minutes ago, Hynz said:

Yes, the inside is equivalent to a micro and it's annoying how many preforms are classified as small.

But since the outside is only marginaly bigger than the inside I can't understand why you and obviously many think it can be seen as a small container.

I guess it's because long and narrow objects appear to be much bigger than a compact filmcanister with about the same volume.

A small should have at least 100ml which is about the volume of three filmcanisters.

 

 

For me the size is of concern with regard to finding it, not so much in terms of what it holds. 

 

For me, a micro sized bison tube glued into a fake birdhouse that's like 20x20x30cm = I'd call it "regular" because of the birdhouse, though I would expect at least a "no swag / BYOP" in the cache description.

 

Of course, people can be fiends and just call it "other" sized. 

 

 

[+Hynz]

8 minutes ago, mysterion604 said:

For me the size is of concern with regard to finding it, not so much in terms of what it holds. 

I agree. And my reply was in regard to naked preforms vs. naked filmcanister and not concerning "special" boxes like birdhouses (which is another controversial  topic)

And I repeat: I can't find huge differences in searching and examine hiding places for a typical micro like a filmcanister and for a preform.

Granted that a transparent preform with a courfull cap might be a bit easier to spot than a black filmcanister but that has nothing to do with the "size".

[+colleda]

3 hours ago, mysterion604 said:

 

 

For me the size is of concern with regard to finding it, not so much in terms of what it holds. 

 

For me, a micro sized bison tube glued into a fake birdhouse that's like 20x20x30cm = I'd call it "regular" because of the birdhouse, though I would expect at least a "no swag / BYOP" in the cache description.

 

Of course, people can be fiends and just call it "other" sized. 

 

 

I agree. More than once I have DNF'd looking for spots that would hide a small only to later find that the container was a micro (same mint tin shown by barefootjeff).

Very frustrating.

Edited April 12, 2022 by colleda

[+cerberus1]

On 3/30/2022 at 1:30 PM, saulmiller said:

I found a trackable in a geocache and would like to move it to a new location. Many geocaches are nanos and trackables dont fit in them. What is the best way to find a geocache large enough to hold a medium sized trackable?

 

If it's the one that's been "missing" for two years (and marked that way), guess I'd be sure about where it goes too. 

Maybe it's just me, but between the other 2/3rds and me, (a lot of coins) we don't know what a medium trackable is...  

We've seen trackables that were tiny cotter pins, and one larger than a mailbox.  

Most years between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we leave Hallmark ornaments of various sizes in caches that require a bit of a hike.

We stopped looking at small, as the CO's idea of small might be close, but many are micros. 

 - Most smalls we've found would fit the mini ornaments, but not in their tiny packaging.  A pill bottle isn't a small...

So we stick with regular and large, and just put additional in (if they're even accurate in size).