Why So Many Micros?

5.3k · January 6, 2004

Why do people hide micros in places that a regular cache will work. I do not have a problem looking for a micro. I was just wondering why some one would hide a micro in a spot that would have room for a cache with trade items.

38.2k · January 6, 2004

Because they take no effort to prepare and hide. Get a film canister, slip in a piece of paper, stick it behind a fence post and you have a cache. You don't have to worry about choosing a waterproof container, buying trade items to stock it, sharpening a few pencils, buying a log book, printing and laminating the "geocaching letter", camoflaging the container and finding a good hiding spot for it.

Edited January 6, 2004 by briansnat

1.1k · January 6, 2004

Because a lot of cachers are sick maniacal devious people.

Viva La AMMO!

January 6, 2004

I haven’t seen that problem where I live; I think I'm the only one in my area that has placed a micro.

2.3k · January 6, 2004

Why place a micro when a perfectly good virtual will work...

1.2k · January 6, 2004

Most of the Micros around here tend to be Urbans which I also don't have much interest in.

9.4k · January 6, 2004

The container size should fit the surroundings.

In the woods, there's plenty of room for large containers. You're not likely to be seen rummaging through the cache.

In a park, there's usually room for a regular size container. You may be seen by others, but you should still be able to conceal your activities.

In a city/downtown area there are too many people around and not a lot of hiding spaces for large items. Micros work best here, especially those disguised as something normally found in the area (fake sprinkler, electrical box, etc)

3.5k · January 6, 2004

All I want to do anyway is log a find. I get tired of the junk that fills a regular cache. Micro or ammo can...same to me.

Also, micros are cheaper, more enviornmentally friendly, less likely to be plundered or accidentally found, more of a challenge to find, less of a regulatory problem in most places. In fact, I think vacation caches should be allowed as long as they are micros.

The one thing I do miss with a micro is that you can't fit a travel bug in them.

January 6, 2004

I tend to agree with Briansnat:

Because they take no effort to prepare and hide.

But I also wish to add that while there are certainly times when a micro is appropriate -- urban caches in particular -- I am getting tired of micros for the sake of being hard to find. Anyone can make a cache so small as to be difficult to find (altoid containers come to mind) but where is the cleverness in that? My mantra: the right size cache for the location. No micros in the woods please!

January 6, 2004

Why place a micro when a perfectly good virtual will work...

:lol:

January 6, 2004

I placed a micro where an ammo can could have worked not because I was lazy but because I saw a unique hiding spot where a micro would work better.

Edited January 6, 2004 by TahoeJoe

January 6, 2004

I think micros should only be used for the first part of multis and urban cachse.

January 6, 2004

mmmm. micros! they're just the thing when a traditional cache is "too heavy!"

Edited January 7, 2004 by mozartman

3.1k · January 6, 2004

We're voting? OK I vote for letting cachers place whatever cache they want. How about placing more of your own? I say worry about what we place and let others worry about them.

January 6, 2004

Also, micros are cheaper, more enviornmentally friendly, less likely to be plundered or accidentally found, more of a challenge to find, less of a regulatory problem in most places. In fact, I think vacation caches should be allowed as long as they are micros.

thats the best solution for "vacation caches" I've heard yet. Good idea.

January 6, 2004

Also, micros are cheaper, more enviornmentally friendly, less likely to be plundered or accidentally found, more of a challenge to find, less of a regulatory problem in most places. In fact, I think vacation caches should be allowed as long as they are micros.

thats the best solution for "vacation caches" I've heard yet. Good idea.

You're kidding, right? I am of the opinion that this idea is ridiculous. Micros require at least as much maintenance as other types of caches. I suppose that this idea would make sense if there could be such a thing as a "disposable cache" but that would be a clear violation of other guidelines. I don't think I like the idea of some tourist dropping a bunch of junk micros for me to find. I prefer to rely on the locals who know the best spots.

1.3k · January 6, 2004

On a recent cache trip to the Mississippi gulf coast, I found a couple of micros that were originally regular size caches. The owner had decided to change the containers because of plundering issues. The caches were in areas that see a lot of activity, and the micro containers make perfect sense in these cases. I'd rather see a micro pop up on my nearest caches list than no cache at all. If you can't fit hide something as large as an ammo can in an area without having to replace it every three days, a micro is the way to go. Initially I didn't particularly care for micros, because they are much harder to spot. However, as I have gained experience finding them, I have begun to enjoy the challenge they provide. The same supposed laziness on the part of the hiders of micros might be the cause of displeasure potential finders are experiencing.

3k · January 6, 2004

Because they take no effort to prepare and hide. Get a film canister, slip in a piece of paper, stick it behind a fence post and you have a cache. You don't have to worry about choosing a waterproof container, buying trade items to stock it, sharpening a few pencils, buying a log book, printing and laminating the "geocaching letter", camoflaging the container and finding a good hiding spot for it.

Why place a micro when a perfectly good virtual will work...

In my opinion, those two quotes sum up the question "why so many micros" in a nutshell.

I'd rather see a micro pop up on my nearest caches list than no cache at all.

It must be an indication of how long I've been caching or the quality of the micros I have grown accustomed to finding: I would rather no new caches pop up on my nearest cache list than more crap. There are so many good caches out there ... why is it the people that insist on placing so many lousy "log-scrap only" micros never bother to log any of those really good caches? (The question was rhetorical because the answer, of course, is clear from the type of caches they dump indiscriminately ... it would require some effort on their part.)

Edited January 6, 2004 by BassoonPilot

1.3k · January 6, 2004

Because they take no effort to prepare and hide. Get a film canister, slip in a piece of paper, stick it behind a fence post and you have a cache. You don't have to worry about choosing a waterproof container, buying trade items to stock it, sharpening a few pencils, buying a log book, printing and laminating the "geocaching letter", camoflaging the container and finding a good hiding spot for it.

I beg to differ. I have a cache hidden behind a loose brick in a park in the median of a street. There is nothing there that would conceal anything larger than a micro container. The bison capsule I purchased cost me almost $5.00, which is comparable to the cost of an ammo can. I actually cut a pencil, and ground it down untill it was narrow enough to fit inside the container with a roll of paper wrapped around it for the log. Sure, I didn't spend a lot of time and money filling a box with plastic doo-dads, but there wouldn't be room for them at that location anyway. I found a bison capsule from another cacher that had a clever method for enabling the finders to easily roll up the log. The top of the log had a thin bit of plastic attached to it so you could twist the log tight with your fingers. Some people do put a good bit of effort into making micros.

3.1k · January 6, 2004

An overflow of generalities as usual.

Here's a thought. If you don't like micros in parks or forests, don't hunt them. ??????

3k · January 6, 2004

Some people do put a good bit of effort into making micros.

That is true. Unfortunately, for every 1 good micro, 4 lame ones appear.

BrianSnat would undoubtedly be able to provide you with quite a bit of knowledge regarding camouflaging and hiding bison cylinders.

Edited January 6, 2004 by BassoonPilot

3k · January 6, 2004

An overflow of generalities as usual.

Here's a thought. If you don't like micros in parks or forests, don't hunt them. ??????

Speaking of generalities ...

38.2k · January 6, 2004

I beg to differ. I have a cache hidden behind a loose brick in a park in the median of a street. There is nothing there that would conceal anything larger than a micro container. The bison capsule I purchased cost me almost $5.00, which is comparable to the cost of an ammo can. I actually cut a pencil, and ground it down untill it was narrow enough to fit inside the container with a roll of paper wrapped around it for the log.

I never said all micros stemmed from lazy geocachers. There are many excellent micros out there and yours sounds like one of them. A well planned micro takes time and effort to put together, but realistically how many micros out there are well planned?

BP says there are 2 good ones, for every four. I think there is one good one for every 10.

3k · January 6, 2004

BP says there are 2 good ones, for every four. I think there is one good one for every 10.

I was trying to remain positive. In reality, the ratio you cited is probably closer to accurate.

3.5k · January 7, 2004

BP says there are 2 good ones, for every four. I think there is one good one for every 10.

I was trying to remain positive. In reality, the ratio you cited is probably closer to accurate.

Might I point out, (if this is an accurate assessment) this is just as true for regular caches as it is for micros.

No I am not kidding about vacation caches. Tell me, have you really been flooded with tourist junk caches? Just as likely local junk caches. The key is to place creative cahes that you can take pride in. How do you instill that in people? I doubt if you can. The more people you have Geocaching, the more crud you are going to get. I prefer the good old days when there were fewer of us, and creativity ruled rather than a bunch of PC guidelines.

:-( forgive the minor rant. There are still plenty of creative ideas poping up. I'm just not always pleased with some of the other stuff I see. Probably time to step away from the forums for awhile. Seems like people are only here for some kind of political fight.

January 7, 2004

Next thing you know, someone will want biodegradeable caches.

3k · January 7, 2004

... I prefer the good old days when there were fewer of us, and creativity ruled rather than a bunch of PC guidelines.

Now there's a statement I can agree with wholeheartedly.

January 7, 2004

I hid a micro in a graveyard because a traditional just wouldn't do. Not many places to hide a ammo can in a graveyard.

1.3k · January 7, 2004

Well, good or bad, micros are here to stay. The thing is, there are many poorly planned caches of all types. It would be great to figure out a way to ensure that cachers placed great caches every time. I'm not sure what the best way to raise the standard is. Emailing cachers with constructive criticism might work, or it might tick them off. Placing really nice caches might inspire some people to do the same, but people still place lame ones after finding really great caches.

Another solution (which has been mentioned before) would be to ask cachers to try to fit a regular container if they can at a given location. Then there is the "make it a stage in a multi" idea. Sounds like virtuals all over again.

I applied the "if you don't like them, don't hunt them" mindset on a caching trip a few days ago, and avoided cache types I was not interested in. I had a great time, and it didn't bother me one whit that there were caches I didn't care to find placed all over. I guess it could be different if I had found everything within 20 miles, and all of the new ones that pop up are not the kind of caches I enjoy. But, you can always take a break for a few weeks and wait untill a bunch of new ones appear.

2k · January 7, 2004

I've only created one micro. It was on a boardwalk through a swamp, and there was no place for a regular cache. With the micro, I was able to attach the micro to the boardwalk which is unlikely to be found by muggles, and fairly easily found if you're looking for it.

Micros do have their place IMHO.

January 7, 2004

An overflow of generalities as usual.

Here's a thought. If you don't like micros in parks or forests, don't hunt them. ??????

yeah, but if we didn't complain about them, then we wouldn't have anything to talk about on the forums. what good would that be? :rolleyes:

1.3k · January 7, 2004

I think if the vast majority of caches you find don't meet your personal standards then maybe, just maybe, it's time to start finding a new hobby or to become a lot more discriminating about what caches you do hunt. Think about limiting yourself to the local nominations for "cache of the month".

I seriously doubt the very first cache would be considered a quality cache if it was submitted today. The only cache I've placed so far took over a month to plan including over 6 visits to various parks and about 18 different waypoints trimmed down to 7. (And even then things have gone wrong.) The best cache I've seen so far required a lot of clever engineering and while it could have been placed "anywhere", it was placed in the one location in the area that was going to throw people off the most. But I don't expect most caches to have that much effort behind them. If I did, as some people here seem to, then I would definately be looking for another hobby.

Caches are getting better, at least in my region. If they're not getting better in your region fast enough for you, maybe getting together with the local placers and working with them or spending the time to create some serious inspiration (or even just an inspirational list) would be worth the time.

Or you can keep complaining and sending hate e-mail. We all know how well that works. :rolleyes:

Edited January 7, 2004 by bons

January 7, 2004

The micros I have placed would probably never turn up on anyone's "great cache" list, but they are all in scenic or interesting/quirky locations in urban areas that are very special and unique, in my opinion, and I spent quite a bit of time on them. A lot of people seem to like them.

Yeah, in the worse case scenario micros can be badly done, but I think most of us take pride in placing a quality cache, micro or not... don't we? How much craftsmanship has to go into the micro to make it acceptable to some people? I think reasonable cachers will probably always disagree about this! and yes, I think people should be allowed to place the type of cache they want in the place they want, I just think (for me) certain types of caches may be best for certain areas and some not.

I could see the frustration in someone hiking up a mountain only to find a micro rather than the ammo can they were expecting... but this could be eliminated by the cache owner making sure that the cache page clearly stated the type of cache, and the cache seeker making sure they had read the cache page carefully so they knew what was there...

I try to find the good in every cache.

blah blah ...woof woof.

(just my opinion, and may not reflect that of other geocachers, Groundspeak, or even objective reality, whatever that is.)

3.5k · January 7, 2004

I could see the frustration in someone hiking up a mountain only to find a micro rather than the ammo can

Interesting you should mention that. THIS was a micro, a couple miles up, on a forested mountain, in an evergreen tree.... and I greatly enjoyed it. As others have said- if you don't like the concept, don't hunt it.

January 7, 2004

Tell me, have you really been flooded with tourist junk caches?

No, but I'm sure that it would have happened by now if there wasn't a rule against it and especially if I lived in a tourist area. As it is, a few have slipped past the appovers and surely enough they were profoundly stupid junk micros.

1.1k · January 7, 2004

On a recent cache trip to the Mississippi gulf coast, I found a couple of micros that were originally regular size caches. The owner had decided to change the containers because of plundering issues. The caches were in areas that see a lot of activity, and the micro containers make perfect sense in these cases.

Wow, I can't decide whether I'm flattered or not that BC is referencing my hides in a forum post. :rolleyes:

But seriously, I agree with the spirit of the original post on this thread to a certain extent, but as BC points out, some areas, like mine here in So. Miss., just don't have enough "less traveled park area" to be able to support a lot of full-size caches, so areas like this tend to have a lot of micros. We DO try to put out full-size caches here where we can; the local topography just makes it tougher, is all.

The key to a micro-heavy area being still considered "good" (as opposed to having a reputation for being a place where every other cache is a micro under a lamppost base in any ol' parking lot next to any ol' dumpster) (not that I'm referring to anyplace in particular! :rolleyes: ) is to make the hides interesting and challenging, and to have them take you to neat areas that you wouldn't have discovered otherwise if not for caching.

-Dave R. in Biloxi

January 7, 2004

I just want to say that we have never found a cache that we didn't enjoy. Sure, it's great fun to open up an ammo box and see all the things people have left, but I just love the feeling I get when I finally spot the cache. Micros, if anything, give me the feeling more - it's amazing to me that I can find a little tiny container in this big ol' world with just a GPS and some coordinates. I, too, like to see the good in all caches.

Take urban micros for example. It's really very exciting to me to be out in the open with tons of people around looking for a cache. It's like we're a part of a secret society, no one around has any idea of what we are doing, only WE know that there is something hidden right under their noses. It's almost like we're kids again, playing spy or something... just awesome - plain and simple.

Micros where there could be a traditional cache - they're more than fine with me. The genius behind so many micro containers just makes me smile when I find them. I have no problem at all with micros - the destination is the same no matter what kind of cache is placed there. An ammo can doesn't make the experience any better for me.

I think if an out-of-towner wants to hide a cache somewhere, they should contact a local and hide it with them. I'd love to find some caches co-hidden by some of the out-of-town legends that have passed through here. ONLY if co-hidden with a local though, it's got to be maintained.

2.1k · January 7, 2004

Back in the summer I attended a cache event, actually the only one i've been to, that I experienced my first micros. I believe I like micros better than regular caches. From my experience, they are more challenging to find and although they normally don't have room for trade items, i've not really come across great things to trade. Every once in a while I will come across something to trade for, but lately, it's been a lot of TNLN or TN and left something. The best hiding techniques I've come across where with micros and was where I was inspired when I placed my micro, Hide of the Heron. So far it has been well received. It's in a place where a regular could be placed, but that is what makes it more of a challenge.

January 7, 2004

Man, you guys do nothing but complain about everything... virtuals, locationless, now micros. give it a dadgum rest. go out and cache for crying out loud. you people are starting to make this game not fun at all, with all of your bi**hing and stuff. everythime you cry, there is a new rule and that is a drag. knock it off.

Edited January 7, 2004 by dboggny

3k · January 7, 2004

Man, you guys do nothing but complain about everything... virtuals, locationless, now micros. give it a dadgum rest.

Before I complain about guys who started caching yesterday and have instantly become "forum experts," or about guys who complain about the types of containers people use for traditional caches, or about guys who illegally use copyrighted images as avatars, or about guys who post and post but rarely cache, I wanna complain about the guys who do nothing but complain and complain and complain about complainers. Give it a rest already.

(The preceding statement was an example of tongue-in-cheek humor.)

... give it a dadgum rest.

We need another of Mr. Roger's songs:

"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?...

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,

A neighborly day for a beauty.

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?...

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.

I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.

Since we're together we might as well say:

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please,

Won't you please?

Please won't you be my neighbor?"

I'm outta here. It's really cold and windy today. I sure hope the door don't hit me on my way out.

Edited January 7, 2004 by BassoonPilot

January 7, 2004

these are forums, a place for expressing views. in that context, the view "I don't like micros because so many of them are lame, or so it seems to me" is a valid view to express. "I don't agree, and here's why" is another. "Why don't you just shut your cake hole" (paraphrasing here) isn't. If some of you don't like the fact that we're even discussing this, then it's *you* who need to find someplace else to go, and something else to do.

21.9k · January 7, 2004

dboggny, I think that BassoonPilot and WalruZ have done a fine job of "community moderating." But since your post was reported I will follow up by saying cut out the foul language and personal criticism, and stick to disagreeing with the opinions expressed. Thank you.

1.1k · January 7, 2004

Before I complain about guys who..... illegally use copyrighted images as avatars.....

:rolleyes:

Personally I don't like micros much, some people do. (obligatory on topic comment)

1.6k · January 7, 2004

All I want to do anyway is log a find. I get tired of the junk that fills a regular cache. Micro or ammo can...same to me.

Also, micros are cheaper, more enviornmentally friendly, less likely to be plundered or accidentally found, more of a challenge to find, less of a regulatory problem in most places. In fact, I think vacation caches should be allowed as long as they are micros.

The one thing I do miss with a micro is that you can't fit a travel bug in them.

In my state the vacation cache rule should be amended as this has caused a real congestion around the cities and large areas of the state are cache less. Micros would be a good alternative. Maybe I will suggest that at our next meeting?

January 7, 2004

I am intrigued by this idea of "disposable caches". While it would not be possible under the current guidelines to create such a thing as an unmaintained vacation micro, I don't see that they would necessarily be any worse or better than some junk micros that are already being "hidden" with little or no intention of maintaining them.

Edited January 7, 2004 by Quest Master

January 8, 2004

I haven't posted very much but I also find micro's less than satisfying. Of my 43 so far about 85% require more than driving to your local park, walking 20 feet and grabbing a breath mint holder under a bench.

I find it much more satisfying to take my dog on a 2 mile hike enjoying the scenery along the way, visiting a new place I didn't know existed. When I find the cache having space to log my find and anything someone might enjoy reading that happened durring the adventure.

Even if there is only junk in the cache I do my best to trade up hoping others will do the same. I take a picture of the container and the usually great view to add to my personnal website. Then I check for other caches or benchmarks in the area and if there are none to be found make my way home and am happy with the experience.

I could increase my finds greatly by spending a day and grabbing a bunch of micros but it just wouldn't be the same.

I would really like it if there was a seperate icon for micro's like there is for traditionals, multi's, etc.

January 8, 2004

I think micros should only be used for the first part of multis and urban cachse.

So you are the kidcacher that can't spell then!

January 8, 2004

Personally, I love micros.

I'm much more an urban caching kind of girl, since I cache alone, rather than a big-hike-in-the-woods-cacher. Micros also generally help me out, since I have a job with very long hours - I can get to these easier than a lot of ammo-can type caches. I also love the challenge of a clever hiding place more than the challenge of a tough trek -- not that there aren't tons of regular caches in clever hiding places as well!

But then again, it seems that most of the micros I've found have been well-placed, and I can see how it would be frustrating in some cases to find a teeny-tiny micro in the midst of a vast forest after a long hike.

I've placed a few as well, all at the end of a puzzle cache - again out of personal preference, because the puzzle/mystery caches are often the most fun for me, and the cache container at the end is just a means of verifying the solution to the puzzle.

I guess that's what makes this so much fun -- I can cut out all the 4+ terrain caches, but still get to visit tons of the kind of caches I like to find. There's something for everyone!

January 9, 2004

I love finding micro caches, because usually they're harder to find. And if you don't have anything more than "Happy Meal" toys to trade in your traditional cache, you should just do a micro.

January 9, 2004

Why do people hide micros in places that a regular cache will work. I do not have a problem looking for a micro. I was just wondering why some one would hide a micro in a spot that would have room for a cache with trade items.

here are some guesses:

They thought a micro would be more challenging or fun.

They wanted to do something different with their hide, but didn't take the time to come up with something truly unique, so they just hid a micro instead of a regular cache.

They just like micros.

They had a new and unusual micro container that they wanted to show off.

They thought a full-size cache in that location would get plundered.

They are truly evil and just wanted to make it really hard to find.

Why So Many Micros?

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment