The Size Of The Cache

[+psychoraven102]

I was out caching yesterday hunting for a micro and we always find ourselves saying "Man I wish this was a Decon or an Ammo Can we're looking for." Why is it that we would all rather find an ammo can with useless stuff than a micro with a log and some coins... If i went on a three mile hike i think i would be pretty pissed to find a film canister... But why? All wedo is sign the log anyways and Micro's can be alot harderto find adding to the hunt...

 

What Does Everyone think about this?

[+BlueDeuce]

[+briansnat]

Why is it that we would all rather find an ammo can with useless stuff than a micro with a log and some coins.

 

Not true. Many people love micros and there are many excellent micros out there.

 

But micros can't usually hold travel bugs, so that is an issue. Also, they can be difficult to find which can cause some people to trash the area around it while searching.

 

But the biggest problem is that micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider. The people who hide a cache just because they can and don't want to be bothered with maintenance or using their imagination to make the cache interesting. All they need is a guardrail, a film canister and a slip of paper, often torn from a notebook because they're too lazy to even use scissors. Its caches like these that give micros a bad name.

[+Renegade Knight]

In general I'd much rather find something that can hold swag. There is something to be said for being able to trade even if you won't, and being able to drop off a travel bug.

 

Micro's have their place, but I would hope it's where nothing larger could reasonable be hidden.

[+StarBrand]

The rather cynical attitude that ALL ammo can caches are full of useless junk and aren't worth trading is a big part of the problem. I guess I have a basic faith in the community to most of the time locate an object worth trading for and even if I don't, I can clean out the junk and leave a few nice items. But that is just me....

[+The Leprechauns]

My golden rule is "choose the most appropriate container for the location."

 

An ammo can is great back in the woods on the side of the mountain, not so great in the neighborhood park in the woods behind the playground.

 

A micro is great in an urban environment that can't support a larger container, not so great hidden in a boulder garden five miles from the nearest parking. That being said, I have found plenty of nicely-hidden "micros in the woods" -- most often as the early stages of multicaches -- and they are fine IF the hiding place is reasonably obvious to the average geocacher. Reaching inside a knothole on the only tree within 30 feet in order to retrieve a match container with coordinates to the next stage, I say to myself "that was clever." Finding a film canister under the 47th dead log I've lifted in a blowdown area, I say to myself "that really sucked."

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I personally enjoy and seek all kinds of caches.

 

I had originally decided to hide only well-stocked family-friendly traditionals in interesting places, but after finding hundreds of interesting, fun and challenging micros I decided to place some.

 

One is evil and gets lots of DNFs, a film can inside a hollowed-out log in the woods by an urban cemetery, one is lame as heck, a film can in a rock wall where there are few other places it could be, but it's at an interesting place 30 miles from nowhere.

 

One of my easy-to-find-once-you-get-there traditionals is down 10 miles of un-mapped country dirt roads at my lake property. Another easy-to-find traditional is .25 from my house at a local YMCA.

 

I get equally good comments from all.

 

On the topic of junk in caches, it's gonna happen, but I have found that if the core active cachers in any area try to keep quality up new cachers will follow. I invest $80 to $100. in every new traditional I place, including an ~$30. FTF prize, and have found that finders will go to great lengths to swap quality stuff for the ~$6-$10. trinkets I include.

 

I think the key to quality is to have a large, close and active geocaching association, such as GEOSET, GETGC, AGA and GGA. In each of those instances you will find an association of geocachers dedicated to maintaining and expanding the game - few cachers will develop poor habits if they know they have to face their peers at a monthly meeting!

 

Aside from hiding what you like to find, forming and building an active geocachers association in your area is the best thing you can do for the game.

 

Lastly, I only log about half my finds any more, but if you look at the 1000+ I have logged in 9 states you'll see that I enjoyed every single one.

[dead_white_man]

The traditional answer to this question, regardless how it is meant , also is true here.

 

emphatically YES!

[+JohnnyVegas]

My golden rule is "choose the most appropriate container for the location."

If I had a dollar for every micro I have found in a location that would support a large cache I would have enough dollars to buy a new top end GPS.

 

It's like Brian said

 

micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider

[+Miragee]

My golden rule is "choose the most appropriate container for the location."

 

. . .

 

A micro is great in an urban environment that can't support a larger container, not so great hidden in a boulder garden five miles from the nearest parking. . . .

Exactly . . . I looked for this one the other day. The area could have supported an ammo can. There were lots of places to hide one.

 

Instead, the little container has gone missing . . . but in an area like this, it is hard to know: Is it really gone? Should I continue looking?

 

I looked for another small one in an area of riprap along a river. These rocks were huge. There were many good places for a small ammo can. But looking for something the size of a cigar was really frustrating. (This cache owner has acted responsibly now that several of us haven't been able to find the cache. The other one hasn't yet.)

[+fly46]

I prefer larger containers, too.

 

I don't cache with kids, but some of the locals that I cache with do, so I like putting out containers that have some swag for them to trade.

 

I also like travel bugs, so I prefer containers that have enough room for bugs (although I did once stick a tb in a magnetic keyholder)

 

Lep, As always, said it best:

My golden rule is "choose the most appropriate container for the location."

[+bigredmed]

Why is it that we would all rather find an ammo can with useless stuff than a micro with a log and some coins.

 

Not true. Many people love micros and there are many excellent micros out there.

 

But micros can't usually hold travel bugs, so that is an issue. Also, they can be difficult to find which can cause some people to trash the area around it while searching.

 

But the biggest problem is that micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider. The people who hide a cache just because they can and don't want to be bothered with maintenance or using their imagination to make the cache interesting. All they need is a guardrail, a film canister and a slip of paper, often torn from a notebook because they're too lazy to even use scissors. Its caches like these that give micros a bad name.

Well put.

 

The thing about the trade items is that some of us are interested in them. Even when I TNLN, I look at the items as sort of an archeologic game. What is there? What was there? Who took what? What were these people like? Did they wear flannel?

 

Micros don't have these things and thus just aren't as much fun.

 

Micros that are the product of people who are creative can be as much fun as a trad, but these are becoming a smaller and smaller minority of the micro cache universe for the reasons noted above.

[+AtoZ]

But the biggest problem is that micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider. The people who hide a cache just because they can and don't want to be bothered with maintenance or using their imagination to make the cache interesting. All they need is a guardrail, a film canister and a slip of paper, often torn from a notebook because they're too lazy to even use scissors. Its caches like these that give micros a bad name.

Shees I made a comment a month or so ago about haw easy it was to place a micro instead of a larger cache container and everyone it seem jumped me saying it was HARDER to maintain a micro. Where were you then BNnat?????

LOL o'well it seems funny.

cheers

[+rusty_tlc]

Did a micro at lunch. Enjoyed it.

That said I prefer a hide that takes me on a nice hike or down an old dirt road I haven't seen before.

 

But I can't do most of those on my lunch break.

 

SO I have fun with a micro hidden in a dry stack stone wall next to the dog park. (Jake liked it to. )

[+Isonzo Karst]

I kinda like micros in the forest - with good coords, a hint, or something about the hide to help you narrow the search possibilities. I recently found this camoed film can in the forest. A very enjoyable hunt

 

[+Konnarock Kid & Marge]

We believe that all caches can be good if done well. Generally we believe that micros belong where larger containers can't go. It's fun to trade items even though they do not have much value. Micros on signs and guard rails are generally lame, especially if there is nothing to see except a gas station or a busy road. Our opinion, and only our opinion, is strive for quality not quanity.

[+airmetro]

If a large container (such as an ammo can) can be placed there reasonably, then a micro is not a good choice.

 

And, yeah, I live in Nashville...Micro Capitol of the World.

 

But that has nothing to do with my personal refusal to hunt further micros. Well...nothing MUCH. OK, I despise micros.

 

Micros are pointless. If you are trying to draw attention to a certain location, then make it a VIRTUAL. Isn't that the entire point of having virtuals?

 

But to spend an hour traipsing through brambles to find an friggin' film canister? NOPE. Not for me.

 

Not anymore, anyway.

 

The numbers don't interest me...it's the imagination of the cache custodians that interests me.

 

Am I wrong?

 

Airmetro

[+fly46]

And, yeah, I live in Nashville...

Then why haven't you logged any of my caches, and why haven't I heard mention of you before?

 

Personally, I like micros - it gives me something to grab quickly when I'm out and about with my mother, who's not a cacher.

[+GRANPA ALEX]

Been thinking about how I can leave my micros in-place for the purists who love the hunt as well, as the unique hides . . . BUT, have coords in it to let ammo can hunters STILL have the joy they seek & trades, nearby. This let's me & others have our micro fun and the ammo can folks (& the kids) can have theirs too . . . everyone wins!

Edited February 25, 2005 by GRANPA ALEX