How Big Is Too Big To Be Called A Micro

[armataz]

since I'm kinda new, I'm asking I've hidden a cache' thats about 6" long and 3.5 round. is that still a micro? ordo they have to be about the size of film canisters (most I've found are film or M&M mini's containers)?TAZ

Edited April 6, 2004 by armataz

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

As a rule of thumb, I'd call anything that only has room for only a log book a micro. Anything bigger is a small trad.

[+fly46]

I would say M&Ms tubes, film cans, magnetic key holders... those are minis...

<------- is a mini (points to picture)

 

6" is definately a regular cache.

Edited April 6, 2004 by fly46

[Swagger]

It's a micro if it's too small to trade McToys.

[+Renegade Knight]

A Decon Container is the largest of the micros according to the current standards.

[martmann]

It's a micro if it's too small to trade McToys.

Agreed, I have a large (~4" x 7" x 1.5") Altoids tin as my "Lame Micro #1" cache. There is virtually no room for trade items, so I consider it a micro. Others don't think so. I might agree, if it wasn't the first of a series of 4 micros that get progressively smaller.

[+JeepCachr]

It's a micro if it's too small to trade McToys.

Agreed, I have a large (~4" x 7" x 1.5") Altoids tin as my "Lame Micro #1" cache. There is virtually no room for trade items, so I consider it a micro. Others don't think so. I might agree, if it wasn't the first of a series of 4 micros that get progressively smaller.

So the smallest one has the logbook?

[+G-Squad]

Funny this should come up now. A couple of days ago, I found two caches that are very close to each other; Dog Park and Patriotic Cache. Both are the large Altoid tin (7" x 4" x 1.5") but hidden by two different cachers. One cache is labeled a micro and the other a traditional

[+Melrose Plant]

I've used 1/2 cup (4 ounce) Rubbermaid containers and called them micros. I put in very small trade items, but you have to cut a steno pad log book down to nothing to get it to fit. I know it doesn't meet the official definition, but it just seems too small to call it a regular. Plus, you can't really put a Travel Bug in there. Maybe one that had just the tag. Here is a picture with quarter for size reference:

[+JeepCachr]

Perhaps the term micro needs to be quantified. Instead of giving it a size by dimension, give a size by volume. Say some thing that holds less than 1 cup (or another easily measured unit of volume) of liquid is a micro. Just as a guideline or example, not a rule, we don't need another rule.

[martmann]

It's a micro if it's too small to trade McToys.

Agreed, I have a large (~4" x 7" x 1.5") Altoids tin as my "Lame Micro #1" cache. There is virtually no room for trade items, so I consider it a micro. Others don't think so. I might agree, if it wasn't the first of a series of 4 micros that get progressively smaller.

So the smallest one has the logbook?

Nope, they are 4 separate caches, along a nice drive, in cool little parks. Starts with the big one, described above, and go down to a breath mint sheet container, all with log books.

[+briansnat]

I call mine micros if they can only hold small items like coins, pins, buttons and Wheresgeorge dollars. This includes decon boxes, .4 cup Lock 'n Locks and 1/2 cup Rubbermaid containers.

[GeoMadness]

I have used Velamints gum tins (painted different colors) for almost all of my caches so far -- I call them micros because they only hold a small log paper and a couple of small pencils. There is room for small trade items, but not much. I'd expect that a standard cache would have room for a typical travel bug item, which mine do not.

[+SixDogTeam]

anything appreciably larger than a film canister is not a micro.

[+briansnat]

anything appreciably larger than a film canister is not a micro.

 

According to...?

[+sbell111]

My belief is that a decon box is on the line. It could go either way.

 

Anything smaller is a micro. Anything larger is 'regular-sized'.

[+greengecko]

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as

sweet."

[+Melrose Plant]

I think the decon container or 1 cup container standard works on a practical level. But I don't really care either way. I think it's way more irritating when somebody lists something as a traditional cache, but then you have to go to multiple locations and/or solve a puzzle to find it.

[CoyoteRed]

I call mine micros if they can only hold small items like coins, pins, buttons and Wheresgeorge dollars. This includes decon boxes, .4 cup Lock 'n Locks and 1/2 cup Rubbermaid containers.

This is a good rule of thumb.

 

I'd say a good way to visualize is "about fist-sized and smaller."

 

I definately wouldn't use trading as a guide. We've traded out of 35mm and APS film cans plenty of times.

 

I've had an idea of challenge something like "The World's Smallest Cache," but actually being "The World's Smallest Trading Cache" and "The World's Smallest Letterbox."

 

The criteria for "The World's Smallest Trading Cache" was it must have a log, a writing utensil, start with at least 3 store-bought items worth 10 cents or more, and must be in the wild. I was going to start with a small Bison tube, a push-through pencil piece, and 3 postage stamps. That left room for plenty of a improvement.

 

So, no, I certainly wouldn't use trading as a test for size.