How do I stop caches from being stolen

[Cooper0607]

I own 2 caches, both in the same area. One has been up for a year and been stolen twice, by (I suspect) another cacher. The other one has been up for 3 months today and has been graffitied and vandalised. Anyone have any tips on how to prevent this?

Edited October 9, 2022 by Cooper0607

[+barefootjeff]

4 hours ago, Cooper0607 said:

I own 2 caches, both in the same area. One has been up for a year and been stolen twice, by (I suspect) another cacher. The other one has been up for 3 months today and has been graffitied and vandalised. Anyone have any tips on how to prevent this?

 

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that there's no such thing as a muggle-proof cache. One of mine, a T4 challenge cache published in 2019, is about an hour's hike from the nearest road, with the last hundred metres an off-track rock-hopping scramble through open scrub then a scratchy descent through a narrow gap in the rocks, a tight squeeze around a corner between the rock and a tree and finally into a low sandstone cave, with the cache hidden deep in one of the honeycombed walls where it can only be seen once you get right to the back of the cave. The most recent finder reported that she found the cache sitting out in the open with an entry in the logbook from a muggle who came across it while camping in the area.

 

 

I was lucky they left the cache there and didn't either souvenir it or chuck it over the edge. On another T4 that's similarly remote, I came across a muggle camp site with mandatory smashed beer bottle about 50 metres from the cache. So far that hide hasn't been disturbed by anyone but it's probably only a matter of time.

 

All that said, remoteness helps a lot and, if there's a scenic view or something at GZ that's likely to draw muggles, place the cache a bit away from it so they're less likely to spot it. Make sure it's not visible from outside its hiding place. For urban hides, the better the camo the less likely it'll be spotted by muggles, but it will also be harder for cachers to spot and they'll likely draw attention to it while searching, so that can be a bit of a catch-22.

 

[+JL_HSTRE]

Some locations simply aren't good places for physical geocaches. Too much muggle activity and/or lack of good hiding spots.

 

Graffiti would prompt me to abandon the whole park/neighborhood as a cache hiding location.

 

Rural areas aren't immune. If it can be spotted from the trail it will likely be mugged.

 

Ammo cans have a low survival rate in areas that allow hunting. 

[+Isonzo Karst]

Some locations are just tough places to own caches.  I think the worst are small playground/picnic parks in suburbs. Second worst is what you've hidden, popular hiking trails near large urban areas.  Urban micros are so variable that it's hard to generalize. I've seen some local to me coming up on their 17th year, original.

 

Seems like one of yours  is on the scenic view.  See Jeff's post above, " if there's a scenic view or something at GZ that's likely to draw muggles, place the cache a bit away from it. " <-----

 

Odds "another cacher" is stealing or  damaging your hides are low.  It's not zero, but really, it's people, children and teens much of the time, walking with adults, bored as they fiddle around on the scenic point, or out investigating the same modest off trail spurs that drew your attention in the first place.  

 

I always assume a cache will need to be replaced and always have at least 2 of "whatever" as I hide.

 

I own a cache I've replaced 8 times,  another ammo can cache has  been replaced 6 times. Typically I'll go 3 replacements, and then consider archive.

The 6x replaced ammo can, I'll archive next time I get up there. It's burnt (again). 

 

 

[+vw_k]

It's usually a combination of location, visibility and container desirability.

 

I've hidden caches in locations I thought they would be safe, only to find that when kids are playing/exploring they will run around and behind and climb every tree in an area so any cache there is likely to get discovered no matter how it is hidden. One cache I have near a stream has gone missing once, possibly as local kids or adults check out every possible spot along the waterway to go fishing, and local teenagers will investigate almost anywhere that could be a hang out for smoking a sneaky cigarette!

 

Caches that seem to be hard to spot at first can become easier for people to accidentally discover if a cacher trail towards the hiding spot develops which curious people can follow, and piles of stickoflage can be noticed by curious non cachers too.

 

Ammo cans have been known to get stolen, presumably as they are useful containers for ammunition, tools, general garage storage etc but almost any cache could potentially get taken depending on the attitude of the person who accidentally finds it. Clearly labelling it as a cache could help prevent a container being stolen or disposed of but isn't a 100% guarantee.

 

When I choose a spot for a cache I try to imagine if kids playing, teenagers hanging out, fishermen, dog walkers etc could possibly discover the cache. If a cache goes missing once I will try replacing it with a cheap (or free) container which is still of good quality (a recycled screwtop container with pencil and sheet of paper for example). If it goes missing again soon after then it's a sign that whoever is stealing the cache keeps checking back there and perhaps it's time to consider a different location, you may however find that the theft or vandalism is a one off occurance and wish to replace it with a better container again.