What Makes A Geocache Fun?

October 30, 2004

We are hiding our new geocache, and a question has come up. What makes a geocache fun? We would like some ideas/thoughts on this.

3k · October 30, 2004

Well, 'fun' (like beauty) is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but for me, location is probably the most important feature. If the cache is hidden in a place which is special and pleasant, I always enjoy it more.

You can tell which caches are fun by reading the logs. If people tend to provide long, interesting descriptions when adding logs for a cache, its probably a fun hide. Get what you can from the themes and placements of other caches which people seem to find fun, and follow their lead.

Ultimately, you should probably just trust your own instinct. If YOU were searching for a cache, what would be fun for you? If you find a place that feels right, it probably is.

But I'd stay away from schools and trains in Indiana :mad:

Edited October 30, 2004 by cache_test_dummies

38.2k · October 30, 2004

I think a pleasant hike in a scenic or interesting area does it. Before you place the cache think "Why am I bringing people to this spot?". If the reason is more than just the cache, you have a winner.

October 30, 2004

I enjoy creative caches more than bland ones.

October 30, 2004

I find you can make most caches seem interesting with a little effort. As a cache owner I like to see a log that acknowledges that some thought and effort went into placing the cache even if you don't get it. In the caches I have found, the find is the most fun. Am not interested in going into the woods a lot but am very glad others have put caches there. Love a drive by with minimal homework assignments before getting to the cache. Have been told that others love the complicated directions, but I have minimal interests in these exercises.

24.7k · October 30, 2004

It's 90% what people bring to the cache in the form of their own attitude. The other 10% falls into the question that BrianSnat asked. You can't make a sourpuss have fun, but you can make a person coming off a string of lamp post micros say "hey, best cache I've been to all day" and that's a good thing.

October 30, 2004

In my opinion, there are two types of really good caches. The first type are caches that are hidden in or near neat places. This can be a waterfall a half mile back in the woods, a mural hidden in a less traveled part of town, or even a really pretty park that sees little traffic. The key is finding a really neat place to bring people. The other type of really good cache are caches that are hidden in a clever manner. For example I hid a multi-cache near the location where the Maryland Geocaching Society often holds events. While hunting this cache people had to walk by the picnic area 4 times. Another of my caches is hidden 25 feet up in a white pine tree. It is an easy climb. I love reading the logs where people say that they have not climbed a tree in 20 years, but they all had fun doing it. The key is for your cache to be more than a box hidden in the woods.

Here are some general guidelines I would suggest. First, avoid poison plants like poison ivy. Nothing can ruin a caching adventure like getting poison ivy all over you. Second, avoid virtual caches. Only use a virtual cache if there are laws or regulation that prevent you from hiding a cache in a given area. There is almost always a place to hide a cache. Third, avoid using micro-caches. I have found that about 90% of micro caches suck. I know many cachers who will not even hunt micro caches any more. If you have no choice, but to hide a micro, please make sure that your micro cache is a good one. Next, prepare your cache box well. Most of my “clever” hides I spent well over an hour getting the cache box ready. In the case of my ‘Dark’ cache I spent over ten hours prepping the cache box and the hiding spot. However, anyone who has found ‘Dark’ will tell you that all the work I put into that cache was worth it. Finally, make sure that you have the terrain properly rated. If you can reach the cache on a paved path then the terrain should be rated 1 star. If you need to walk on grass or a dirt trail then the terrain should be rated 2 stars. If you need to do something crazy like climb 25 feet up a sappy white pint tree then the cache should be rated 4 stars. If you need to craw 110 feet through a tunnel only 2 ½ feet wide and 4 feet tall to reach the cache, the cache should be rated 5 stars. Overall the key to hiding a really fun cache is using your imagination. Be as creative as you can. Remember, when hiding a cache to ask yourself “ would I have fun looking for this cache”.

7.2k · October 30, 2004

Show me something I've not seen before, something I didn't know was there, free of refuse. A spot that you would take a non-caching friend to see.

Can you imagine taking a friend to your local Walmart and pointing to a lamppost. "Hey, look at that!" Would your friend go, "Yeah, what of it?" ...or "Oh, nice!"

Too many caches are put out just for the sake of putting out a cache.

Fun for me is something decent to look at, a nice stretch of the legs, a sneaky micro (versus a lame overdone hide), a challenging puzzle, or finding a cache that hasn't been found in a while.

Keep it "special." I know that's hard, but maybe you could try looking at it from the finder's point of view. Does it make you go "huh!" or does it make you go "huh?"

October 30, 2004

Show me something I've not seen before, something I didn't know was there, free of refuse. A spot that you would take a non-caching friend to see.

Can you imagine taking a friend to your local Walmart and pointing to a lamppost. "Hey, look at that!" Would your friend go, "Yeah, what of it?" ...or "Oh, nice!"

Too many caches are put out just for the sake of putting out a cache.

Fun for me is something decent to look at, a nice stretch of the legs, a sneaky micro (versus a lame overdone hide), a challenging puzzle, or finding a cache that hasn't been found in a while.

Keep it "special." I know that's hard, but maybe you could try looking at it from the finder's point of view. Does it make you go "huh!" or does it make you go "huh?"

I agree. Take me somewhere, especially in my home area, that I had not known about. It doesn't have to have a big wow factor, just neat :anicute: :rolleyes:

2k · October 30, 2004

My favorite type of cache is one that I open and contains stacks of 100 dollar bills. But that's just me.

October 31, 2004

My favorite type of cache is one that I open and contains stacks of 100 dollar bills. But that's just me.

By all means, if this is your favorite type of cache then please hide some for the rest of us to find. :rolleyes:

1.1k · October 31, 2004

Dave's Opinions on Geocache Hiding

</shameless plug>

-Dave R. in Biloxi

1.1k · October 31, 2004

Keep it "special." I know that's hard, but maybe you could try looking at it from the finder's point of view. Does it make you go "huh!" or does it make you go "huh?"

That's very well said. :rolleyes:

-Dave R. in Biloxi

October 31, 2004

Here's a thought... I believe that the phrase 'location, location, location' applies here for sure but, that said, consider this.....

Imagine that I have visited your cache. Having walked a reasonable distance through what ever surroundings to get to it and having experienced the 'thrill of the find', was the cache in a location that was not only good in its self but that will also remain a good thought after I have had the walk back to the parking area? In other words, a nice container, well hidden but in just another area of a nondescript wood land is 'just another cache'..... You seem to want to do a bit better than that so 'location, location, location' would seem to be the rule of the day. Don't rush to place a cache just to get it out there. Your approach indicates that you will not be doing that. I wish you all success with the placement.

2.5k · October 31, 2004

Creativity. I like a well thought out cache or a really nice location.

One of the worst caches I ever did was a cache just thrown in a bush with garbage everywhere. Caches placed for the sheer fact of placing a cache generally suck.

3.3k · October 31, 2004

Two days ago I found my 200th cache and have seen my fair share of " a box placed under a random bush" type caches as well as simple "magnetic micros".

I personally like caches where you have to use a tool or solve a simple field puzzle. Examples include:

1. Pouring water into a pipe for the cache to float up.

2. A fence post in the middle of nowhere that has over 100 feet of rope attached to it. You unravel the rope and do a 360 (like a compass) and then you find the cache.

3. One cache I found had two stages, stage 1 had coords to stage 2, and 10 feet of masonry line with an attached nut. Stage 2 was a vertical pipe that you lowered the line (nut first) into it. At the bottom of the pipe was a match holder with a magnet on it. The magnet sticks to the nut and then you reel the container out.

Caches that hide in plain sight are lots of fun.

I use natural materials to hide a few of my caches. This includes attaching bark to a container, or inserting the cache within a naturally occuring cavity.

Keep on thing in mind though, hard caches, or those that require more effort get less visits than easy drive-up micros.

Good luck and have fun.

Bill,

October 31, 2004

Thanks for all the ideas! We'll take these into consideration. Keep the ideas coming!

3.3k · October 31, 2004

I like caches that require a degree of work to either find or reach them.

In London there are a lot of micro caches that take you to interesting parks. London has a vast selection of parks, some of which are more like tiny specks of grass in the concrete jungle while others (like Regent's Park) appear as huge green patches on the map. I've found at least a dozen parks in London that I never knew existed thanks to microcaches placed by Perthos and Jonnytuna.

In rural areas the ones I enjoy most are the ones that take me to an area I might not otherwise have visited, or to an area with breathtaking views, or an enjoyable walk. A couple of caches I found in Devon, Meldon Ramble and Stiniel Stomp matched either or both. I've been to Meldon several times but usually parked by the reservoir and then walked up the hill to see the Tors. Walking around the reservoir was an interesting variation and a lovely walk. The individual legs were pretty simple but actually reaching the final cache was tricky.

Stiniel Stomp was an area I'd never been to before and the views from the top were awesome. It's definitely somewhere I'd go back to next time we're in the area.

I think the most boring caches are the ones that seem to be hidden somewhere just because they can be. The sort of places you wouldn't normally go and even having found the cache you still wouldn't go there. The kind of cache that has you rooting around at the base of a fallen tree only to find (or not find) a box, sign the log and go straight back to the car.

2k · October 31, 2004

My favorite type of cache is one that I open and contains stacks of 100 dollar bills. But that's just me.

By all means, if this is your favorite type of cache then please hide some for the rest of us to find.

I plan on it. I'm waiting to find enough caches with the 100 dollar bills that I can use as the initial contents.

November 23, 2004

My favorite type of cache is one that I open and contains stacks of 100 dollar bills. But that's just me.

By all means, if this is your favorite type of cache then please hide some for the rest of us to find.

I plan on it. I'm waiting to find enough caches with the 100 dollar bills that I can use as the initial contents.

Here's a good one.

November 23, 2004

My favorite type of cache is one that I open and contains stacks of 100 dollar bills. But that's just me.

Make sure you let ME know about any such caches so I may be the first to find.

November 23, 2004

Location, location, location! A place in your area that you would actually be delighted to show a visiting friend.

Proper maintenance and decent swag.

Proper permissions.

Coordinates that have been double and triple checked.

Difficulty and terrain that are properly gauged.

A cache page introduction that warns visitors of any potential dangers or unpleasantries--such as poison oak, bees, bears, crime or whatever--and provides a fair idea of the necessary equipment and clothing.

Creative cache container and hide.

A hint that is actually a hint.

Dog and night-caching friendly--maybe kid friendly too.

November 23, 2004

My newbie opinion?....Hides that make me think. Hard to find, very well hidden, sneaky as heck hides are fun. I want to feel like I earned something.

I want to have to work for it. I am having a ball with hides. Moreso in the hiding....

November 24, 2004

Getting your granddaughter interested in it.

Then after she learns the system (she's 8 and already can track coordinates) hiding special gifts near her home, especially for her that no one else knows about.

Sort of like a year-around easter-egg hunt.

November 24, 2004

With apologies to the great Armenian painter Rabo Karebekian (and to Kurt Vonnegut):

How do you know a great cache? Visit a million caches, and then you can never be wrong.

Regards,

Anthony

1.4k · November 24, 2004

Interesting location, and/or creative cache hides do it for me. Lately, I seem to be focusing on creative ways to hide a cache.

November 25, 2004

No matter how much you plan and how well you execute your first (or second or ....) it just won't be perfect. I haven't found (or didn't find) a cache I didn't appreciate in some fashion. As long as you don't send me to a crime-infested or otherwise unhealthy area, I appreciate the effort. Don't get so hung up on making the perfect cache that you just don't place one. Sometimes I appreciate puzzles, sometimes an enjoyable walk, sometimes just getting out of the house. A very diverse range of people geocache and no cache will please all. What I do appreciate is a good cache description and a fairly accurate rating on the terrain & difficulty rating - this helps me make the best choices.

Enjoy the adventure! MS

8.4k · November 25, 2004

Well, 'fun' (like beauty) is certainly in the eye of the beholder,

That sums it up for me.

Lot's of good posts on this thread.....

As for me, all I EXPECT is a log book and for the cache to be hidden within the guidelines for it to be fun. I realize that the hider doesn't OWE me anything.

But seriously, some of the most fun I've had were on caches that I couldn't find for whatever reason. I'm one of those people that enjoys the journey as much as the destination and the fact that a hider can beat me, or I beat myself over-thinking it, is appealing for some reason. I.E. There's a couple micros, in Laughlin,and another in Monterey, that I have attempted to find close to a dozen times. Other people keep finding them. I just fail to see it..... That's cool to me. Other's would be frustrated. To each his own.....

Edited November 25, 2004 by Snoogans

November 25, 2004

I realize that the hider doesn't OWE me anything.

I disagree I think the setter does owe the seeker a good cache. For me geocaching is a fun activity to which I will invite people to join me for a fun day out and if that aim is not achieved then the setter has let me down. It can be very disappointing to seek a cache that has been poorly set, poorly maintained or set for no apparent purpose. In this latter category I include those set just because the setter has been somewhere or those where someone has looked for a site and not finding a suitable one sets a cache anyway.

There are however caches that appeal to very different people. A cache suitable for the geoathlete is not suitable for those looking for a family amble and therefore the write-up is all important. All too often I find the geocaching experience is not what I anticipate at the outset.

I have reached the stage when finding the cache is not the be all and end all and if a declared difficult cache is not found so what the heck provided it is not poor setting or a poor write up that is the cause of the did-not-find. The same is not true for beginners and occasional seekers where making a find is an important part of the fun.

There are many different types of seekers and provided the cache it is set with a purpose, that purpose is achieved and clearly described in the write up you probably have a good cache that will please that group of seekers who want to enjoy the experience for the purpose for which the cache is set.

4.7k · November 25, 2004

i'm going to be the voice of dissent here.

don't get me wrong; i ADORE a clever hide or a tricky puzzle. i love pretty views.

but if you put a random box under a random bush in an area of urban decay, i'll like it just fine if i'm in the mood. i'm a big fan of entropy.

the first time i saw a magnetic micro in a parking lot i thought it was about the coolest thing on the planet. i don't think they're so clever anymore, but i still like them for the reason i liked them at first:

it's cool to have a hidden thing or network of hidden things right out in the open. i've been around the block enough times to have an idea from the writeup whether i'm about to see a pretty view or i'm about to play stealth snatch.

a lame micro or two sure breaks up a long car ride.

i love the surprise of never knowing where i'm going until i get there.

i appreciate any cache that lives up to its purpose. if its apparent purpose is to take me somewhere interesting, i'm a happy person. if its objective is to twist my brain into knots, i'll love you. if you're looking to give me an excuse to get out of the car on a long trip, or to give me an easy find on a day when i've had it up to HERE with uber-camouflaged micros with double decrypts, more power to you.

have your own objectives in mind, though.

if people don't get it, they don't get it.

1.1k · November 25, 2004

a lame micro or two sure breaks up a long car ride.

101 or more, however, is excessive.

8.4k · November 25, 2004

I realize that the hider doesn't OWE me anything.

I disagree I think the setter does owe the seeker a good cache. For me geocaching is a fun activity to which I will invite people to join me for a fun day out and if that aim is not achieved then the setter has let me down. It can be very disappointing to seek a cache that has been poorly set, poorly maintained or set for no apparent purpose. In this latter category I include those set just because the setter has been somewhere or those where someone has looked for a site and not finding a suitable one sets a cache anyway.

You and I could go round and round about this, but it would take this thread off topic. I do understand your point given the availability of caches where you're stationed.

Check out this thread and this thread.

4.7k · November 25, 2004

a lame micro or two sure breaks up a long car ride.

101 or more, however, is excessive.

101 give me the opportunity to stop on MANY trips along the same tedious route.

November 25, 2004

a long hike in and a nice view

November 27, 2004

I couln't figure out how to start a new topic, so this one seemed closest. I am a new member. In search ing for caches in the yakima, washington area I am dismayed that some of the cachers are giving such detailed directiions to the site that one hardly needs a GPS unit to get there. Inone case the description says its near a certain sign by the highway. I have driven by the site many times. Please let us use our GPS's and a map. Give more general area discriptions.

November 29, 2004

Our 1NatureFamily has a favorite, that's YodaDog's Under Lock and Key, here in Connecticut. He hid an ammo box, filled with GOOD goodies-each valued 3-10 bucks and a few T.B.'s, But once you found the ammo box, you had to find 1 of 3 keys to the padlock to open it. An entirely fun-challenging 3 hour-2 trips later find, for the entire family.

Our favorite micro was one on a fishing line hanging from a sewer drain.

Something above and beyond finding it--a lil adventure mixed in makes a cache most fun.

:lol:

Leslie

December 3, 2004

I enjoy a cache that makes me think... I like having a clue, but not one that is a dead give away. That takes all the fun out of it to me if a clue says "it is behind the tree behind the bench" I like it when the clue is creative! As far as the location I enjoy getting a little bit off the beaten path in a pretty and safe area. Park and grabs are kind of dull.......

December 3, 2004

For me, the fun is all about the hike. Take me someplace interesting and unique where every RV-driving Texan hasn't already been.

-Bob

What Makes A Geocache Fun?

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