What's The Deal With Terracaching.com?

March 10, 2005

I just heard of terracaching.com, and gave it a look see last night. My first impression is that they are disgrunted geocachers, that have formed their own "elitist" group, ensuring only caches of "top quality" are acknowledged. Maybe it is something more. There are apparently no "terracaches" within 100 miles of my home, although there are several thousand geocaches in that range. I am a novice geocacher, but I have found them to be quite rewarding so far, and the quality of most have been better than average.

So, are any of you rogue terracachers as well? What's the deal?

5k · March 10, 2005

the quality of most have been better than average.

Yes, the quality of all geocaches is above average. :blink:

There are a small number of "other" geocaching sites, and terracaching is one of them. In some circles it could smack of disgruntled elitest former-geocaching.com geocachers, but basically I think terracaching is a geocaching site which approaches geoaching from a different angle from geocaching.com. There's no harm there.

Jamie

March 10, 2005

I'm active on both sites, my husband is more GC focused. 3-4 of our local cachers only place caches on tc.com now so in order to see their new caches I look on that site. I really don't care where the cache is listed at as long as it is a nice/fun cache to find. Navicache has never had many caches on our area but I watch that site as well for caches to find.

Quality wise, I have personally found no caches on tc.com whose quality was any greater than caches I could find on GC.com. But I have found caches on GC.com which I just walked away from instead of bothering to find them. TC is just another angle on the game and another listing site.

It's your game, play it how you will and let it harm none.

-Jen

March 10, 2005

It has a competitive points system and thus fills a nitch that GC.com does not fill. I have several of them in my area, and the two I've found have quality contents in the cache as well. Much nicer than the golf balls and Mctoys that seem to be in a regular cache around here.

March 10, 2005

I'm sorry you came away with the impression that terracaching.com was a group of disgruntled geocachers. That's really not the case. And I'm glad you're enjoying the caches in your area - that's wonderful.

The main reason people do things on terracaching.com are:

- friendly competition is encouraged there, it's not as supported here.

- caches with somewhat higher physical challenge levels are encouraged there.

- caches are rated by the community that finds them. Really great caches are rewarded, really awful ones aren't.

None of this is intended as a slam against this site - it's just a different way of doing things. Obviously gc.com has had great success, and has an enormous number of caches of all types. Still, it's tough to be all things to all people, so tc.com is just a little different. I'd say most of the participants on terracaching.com are also participants here, at least to some degree.

If nothing else, it's an interesting experiment.

If you have questions about it, feel free to PM me.

24.7k · March 10, 2005

MrsTuffPaws, you have had some pretty good answers so far. So far I'm not aware of anyone who has had a problem getting the sponsors needed either. Some people have done the leg work to line up sponsors in advance signed up and then recived other sponsors before the ones they asked had a chance to read their emails.

March 10, 2005

Just a small warning people can be quite touchy on this subject the lat two times I saw a topic on this everyone was arguing until finally a moderator closed it down so as soon as you get your answer my suggestion is close the topic

March 10, 2005

I also use TC because it allows locationless caches. IMHO, they have a place in this activity as do placed caches.

March 10, 2005

I just heard of terracaching.com, and gave it a look see last night. My first impression is that they are disgrunted geocachers, that have formed their own "elitist" group, ensuring only caches of "top quality" are acknowledged. Maybe it is something more.

LOL, disgruntled cachers? :blink:

TC.com, as others have pointed out does things differently than they are done here. It is a newish site that has only been around for several months, yet it's growth is phenomenal. It seems to grow one state at a time which is why there aren't any caches near you yet. It isn't that there is anything wrong with GC.com, it is that TC.com does things differently so 'different strokes for different folks'.

There is perhaps a small amount of animosity from some TC.com members toward GC.com, but I don't think it is any more than some GC.com members having a small amount of animosity towards the 'other' caching sites or some Garmin/Magellan owners having a bit of snobbery toward units from the 'other' manufacturer.

Anyway, have fun.

PS, regarding the 'top quality' cache comment you made, that is true, kind of. The idea is that once a cache is listed those who seek it will rate their experience. If the cache rating falls below a threshold the cache get's archived. In this way it is the local/regional community of cachers who determine what caches are listed rather than a 'board' of approvers who in all likelyhood will never be able to visit the cache.

Is this better than how GC.com handles it? That's in the eye of the beholder. It is different than how GC.com handles it.

4.8k · March 10, 2005

I am a member there largely out of curiosity and also so I can monitor if a moving cache or something like that gets started and it shows up in a prohibited area of my state. Then I could make arrangements to move it to a non-prohibited area.

I doubt I will hide a cache on the site for the simple reason that I am content with listing here and I find the competition factor of TC confusing and not really my sort of thing. The effect of upstream and down stream people on things is interesting, but l am not crazy about it.

I think the site will suit the tastes of others well though. My impression is that it is a different thing. There are a fair number of people present there who are GC.com malcontents. But the overall atmophere there doesn't seem to fit that and I doubt that is how the site would want itself to be viewed. In the end I think it could serve a certain niche of cachers pretty well.

Edited March 10, 2005 by carleenp

March 10, 2005

I doubt I will hide a cache on the site for the simple reason that I am content with listing here and I find the competition factor of TC confusing and not really my sort of thing. The effect of upstream and down stream people on things is interesting, but l am not crazy about it.

I think the site will suit the tastes of others well though. My impression is that it is a different thing. There are a fair number of people present there who are GC.com malcontents. But the overall atmophere there doesn't seem to fit that and I doubt that is how the site would want itself to be viewed.

Competition isn't really required there. That's not the main reason I joined, anyway. The people who are really into that do seem to be enjoying it though. It's all pretty good natured.

Hopefully you'll never have to act on a badly placed cache near you carleenp. It's definitely not about rogue cache placements there. While there are fewer hard guidelines than here, caches still get disapproved or archived because they are not legally placed. Bad ideas get shot down there too. So far it seems to be working out OK.

I know terracaching.com doesn't want to have a hostile feeling towards this site - an enormous number of people who use terracaching also use geocaching.com. (I'd guess the majority.) An "us vs. them" mentality would really be unhelpful, unpleasant, and unfair.

March 11, 2005

I know terracaching.com doesn't want to have a hostile feeling towards this site - an enormous number of people who use terracaching also use geocaching.com. (I'd guess the majority.) An "us vs. them" mentality would really be unhelpful, unpleasant, and unfair.

isn't already like that? you won't let me (them) find your (us) hides.

not trying to be a smart guy, just ignorant to terracaching, looking for education

Edited March 11, 2005 by fishingfools

4.8k · March 11, 2005

Hopefully you'll never have to act on a badly placed cache near you carleenp. It's definitely not about rogue cache placements there. While there are fewer hard guidelines than here, caches still get disapproved or archived because they are not legally placed. Bad ideas get shot down there too. So far it seems to be working out OK.

I hope I won't, but the thing about moving caches is that they could be innocently dropped off by a person who does not know the local regulations. The last thing anyone wants is an annoyed park manager, so I figured watching would be good. I watch Navicache for the same reason. If one showed up in a prohibited or permit area I would simply go find it and move it to an OK area so that there would be no problems. So my concern is not really about rogue caches but a moving cache that might unintentionally get placed where it shouldn't. I figure I could fix it before a park manager noticed if that hapened. :blink:

I suppose it is also possible that a regular (non-moving) cache could show up in one of those areas. Then, I would write to the owner and explain the regulations and hopefully they would fix the issue for the good of the sport.

I will note too that while I am not particularly inclined to hide a cache on TC, I would likely find one listed there that was near me if it looked good. I like to find caches. :blink:

March 11, 2005

Sounds like CR is a founding member (or needs to be)!

24.7k · March 11, 2005

Sounds like CR is a founding member (or needs to be)!

SkyDiver is the cacher behind Terracaching.com

March 11, 2005

I went over there to look around and yes I did sign up. But after I looked around I got a little intimated. To me it felt like you have to be a hard core geocacher. You need to have 2 sponsors to be able to look at the listings. That part really didn’t bother me to much till I read a post about a person that was taking away there sponsorships because people were not posting all the time. He stated and this is not exactly what he wrote but it came across to me there is no reason not to be out there hunting. I want to give this hobby a try for the simple fact when I feel like going out I can. I collect Hotwheels and I do it because it is fun. I get to meet people and have a good time. When things are starting to be no fun anymore that’s when I call it quits. I want to do geocaching because it sounds like it can be fun. I don’t want to feel like this is a chore.

March 11, 2005

isn't already like that? you won't let me (them) find your (us) hides.

not trying to be a smart guy, just ignorant to terracaching, looking for education

Sign up and you can find 'em. It's not difficult to obtain sponsorship right now. I'd be happy to sponsor you. (But I bet somebody else beats me to it.) Just post a note on the "Applications for Sponsorship" forum. It usually takes only a few minutes, unless you do it in the dead of night. Then it might take a couple of hours... You may not get local sponsors - but you can always change this if you'd prefer it later. (They can drop you, you can drop them, no hard feelings - lots of reasons this happens, although it's not a constant thing by any means.)

The sponsorship model is unusual - and to be honest it put me off a little bit at first. Having done it for a little while now, I guess the main thing I notice is

that I get to know a few more cachers this way, both my sponsors and the folks who I sponsor myself. This was an unexpected side benefit.

There's no big secrets though. There's some caches listed there. Lots of 'em are pretty cool, but the number is very small compared to this site. You may look and decide they look like what you've been looking for, or there may be nothing near you, or they may just provide you with a few extra caches to go for. No big deal no matter which way you decide.

Even if there's no nearby caches, there is a locationless cache game going on there too. I'm not that big on locationless caches, but the people who like them seem to be having a lot of fun with it.

March 11, 2005

I hope I won't, but the thing about moving caches is that they could be innocently dropped off by a person who does not know the local regulations. The last thing anyone wants is an annoyed park manager, so I figured watching would be good. I watch Navicache for the same reason. If one showed up in a prohibited or permit area I would simply go find it and move it to an OK area so that there would be no problems. So my concern is not really about rogue caches but a moving cache that might unintentionally get placed where it shouldn't. I figure I could fix it before a park manager noticed if that hapened.

I suppose it is also possible that a regular (non-moving) cache could show up in one of those areas. Then, I would write to the owner and explain the regulations and hopefully they would fix the issue for the good of the sport.

I will note too that while I am not particularly inclined to hide a cache on TC, I would likely find one listed there that was near me if it looked good. I like to find caches.

If it makes you feel any better, the first moving cache on tc.com that I know of got archived by the owner recently, because it got low ratings. So just because you can do something doesn't mean most people will like it. The owner shrugged it off and tried something different.

If a poor placement happens out there for whatever reason, make sure you let the sponsors know, too. If the owner doesn't deal with the problem real fast, the sponsors usually will - I've seen this happen.

I hope someone places some out your way carleenp!

March 11, 2005

till I read a post about a person that was taking away there sponsorships because people were not posting all the time. He stated and this is not exactly what he wrote but it came across to me there is no reason not to be out there hunting.

Not everybody there feels that way. I wouldn't drop sponsorship of someone just because they weren't all that active. There's lots of reasons that might happen to a person from time to time, not the least of which that terracaches are scarce in some places right now. Lots of folks feel the same way I do. If it makes you feel any better - you can drop your sponsor and get a new one anytime for any reason. (For example - he's not reviewing your cache submissions fast enough, or you think he's just being stupid or arbitrary about it.) It's a two way street.

If someone were to do that to you, PM me there, and I'd be happy to sponsor you. I can understand that sounds scary, but it's really not much of an issue right now. Lots of people will offer to pick up your sponsorship if one of your sponsors drops you for any reason.

BTW, about the only reason I'd drop someone is if I found out they'd lied to me about a cache submission - telling me they had permission when they most assuredly did not, and knew they did not. I think a fair number of folks there feel the same way I do.

4.8k · March 11, 2005

Sounds like CR is a founding member (or needs to be)!

Where did that come from? CR feels strongly about the sport and sometimes (even often) disagrees with various things. I often disagree with him. But that is because there is room for friendly disagreement and I think he just generally supports caching, regardless of the site, and would like to see any caching site be the best it could be based on his personal views. I apologize CR if I am putting words in your mouth, since it is just my impression, feel free to correct me! BTW, CR is one of my sponsors on TC. I had a bunch of offers and chose him because even though we disagree at times, I respect him quite a bit.

Or did I just read your comment totally wrong or read too much into it? Maybe it was in jest? That can happen. The internet is like that.

March 11, 2005

CR feels strongly about the sport and sometimes (even often) disagrees with various things.

BTW, CR is one of my sponsors on TC. I had a bunch of offers and chose him because even though we disagree at times, I respect him quite a bit.

CR is absolutely an advocate of this game, and his advocacy is really independent of any site. I don't think he agrees with everything at terracaching.com, either! I find him to be very honest and straightforward about it.

In the small world department, I sponsor CR on tc.com, so you're in my downline, for what it's worth.

4.8k · March 11, 2005

If it makes you feel any better, the first moving cache on tc.com that I know of got archived by the owner recently, because it got low ratings. So just because you can do something doesn't mean most people will like it. The owner shrugged it off and tried something different.

If a poor placement happens out there for whatever reason, make sure you let the sponsors know, too. If the owner doesn't deal with the problem real fast, the sponsors usually will - I've seen this happen.

I hope someone places some out your way carleenp!

I like moving caches in theory because they can be quite fun. But I see why GC decided to not allow them. They certainly can cause issues with various park regulations and could give reviewers major headaches about having to watch for them popping up in their area.

I doubt I would rate one low because of the simple fact it was a moving cache, but I would probably rate one low that I had to go move because it was placed in a prohibited or permit area. That wouldn't necessarily be the cache hider's fault, but I would figure that they should keep track and try to look up restrictions to put on a page if they saw from a log that it was going to or in a certain state.

Anyway, I will keep in mind the suggestion of notifying sponsors if it happens. I figure I could move one to an OK area and then worrying about it beyond that point is the sponsor's job.

7.2k · March 11, 2005

Sounds like CR is a founding member (or needs to be)!

Quite obvious you know next to nothing about me.

EDIt: I should have read all the way to the end of thread before responding. Thanks, guys!

Edited March 11, 2005 by CoyoteRed

March 11, 2005

i'll second carleen's thoughts above. cr is passionate about the activity, and doesn't mind expressing his viewpoints. having met him and spoken with him on several occasions, i'd have to say that his only agenda in this activity is to promote the activity. agree or disagree with his views, he has a right to express them. as for tc.com, i joined out of curiosity. not many t'caches in my state right now, but if one came up i'd seek it if it interested me. doesn't mean i don't love geocaching.com. as a matter of fact, i find it to be the best of its kind, well run, inclusive of just about everyone, and able to keep me entertained for, so far, years. let's go out and find em! -harry

4.8k · March 11, 2005

Sounds like CR is a founding member (or needs to be)!

Quite obvious you know next to nothing about me.

EDIt: I should have read all the way to the end of thread before responding. Thanks, guys!

I'm not a "guy!"

I apologize for the OT remark, please carry on and a mod can feel free to warn me.

2.4k · March 11, 2005

One of the primary reasons for requiring sponsors on tc.com is that your sponsors are your cache approvers. There are no full-time approvers beholden to TPTB, or anything like it. When you want to place a cache, you submit it to your sponsors, who are responsible for approving or disapproving it. If you ever have a substantial disagreement about cache approvals, you're free to withdraw from one or both sponsors and get different sponsors, who may or may not be more sympathetic to your caches.

In general, the idea there is that the community as a whole is responsible for caches and cache approvals, not any one set of persons. It's a democratic, not an autocratic model. Better or worse is strictly a subjective judgement.

March 11, 2005

But how do you know who are members?

Do you just ask your other caching friends, "Hey buddy, you a tc.com member?"

anyway, I'm asking......Are ya?

March 11, 2005

But how do you know who are members?
Do you just ask your other caching friends, "Hey buddy, you a tc.com member?"

anyway, I'm asking......Are ya?

Well I am, and I sent you a sponsorship offer!

Actually all a person has to do is post a short message on the applications for sponsorship forum, and they're sure to get offers. (Actually they'll probably get offers anyway.) But a message saying where they are, and what kinds of caches they like is always appreciated. It ain't a country club!

March 11, 2005

Lickity split.

Gonna have to grow the Tennessee caches a little bit. I better get busy.

March 11, 2005

till I read a post about a person that was taking away there sponsorships because people were not posting all the time. He stated and this is not exactly what he wrote but it came across to me there is no reason not to be out there hunting.

Not everybody there feels that way. I wouldn't drop sponsorship of someone just because they weren't all that active. There's lots of reasons that might happen to a person from time to time, not the least of which that terracaches are scarce in some places right now. Lots of folks feel the same way I do. If it makes you feel any better - you can drop your sponsor and get a new one anytime for any reason. (For example - he's not reviewing your cache submissions fast enough, or you think he's just being stupid or arbitrary about it.) It's a two way street.

If someone were to do that to you, PM me there, and I'd be happy to sponsor you. I can understand that sounds scary, but it's really not much of an issue right now. Lots of people will offer to pick up your sponsorship if one of your sponsors drops you for any reason.

BTW, about the only reason I'd drop someone is if I found out they'd lied to me about a cache submission - telling me they had permission when they most assuredly did not, and knew they did not. I think a fair number of folks there feel the same way I do.

Cool thanks. I had some people that I got an email that says they would sponsor me so I emailed them back and told them what my intesion are and if they are ok with it I would accept. Thanks again Russ

March 11, 2005

I honestly don't get why folks feel the need to somehow weigh and compare the two sites. Personally I think it 's great to have a diverse variety of caching options. I belong to at least 4 different caching sites 'cuz each has a bit different philosophy and/or twist on the game.

For example, some folks here seem to be against moving caches, yet... moving caches actually have a huge benefit over non-moving traditional caches - they clearly have MUCH less impact on the environment 'cuz, unlike trad caches that stay in the same spot for years and are thus highly susceptible to geotrails by countless finders, a moving cache remains in one spot very briefly (often just hours) and is found just once. (IOW carleenp, you'd likely be hard pressed to get to that ill-placed cache in time to rescue it.)

And at terracaching.com, the emphasis is on community monitoring of caches placed - a very sophisticated system that encourages high quality caches. Surely that can't be a bad thing.

Point izzz, "it takes a village" and there's clearly no one "right" way to play this game.

March 11, 2005

I am active on both sites (scottO on terracaching.com). There are a lot of things I like about TC.com vs GC.com, and vice versa. I am mapping out a couple of multis that I would like to see show up on both sites, each one getting a slightly different take on it. For me, the emphasis on quality and scoring draws me to TC.com.

GC.com has, in the last few months, made a lot of changes to enhance its appeal. Competition is good for the customer. The fact is that this newcomer site HAS garnered a lot members for its take on the game. That has to draw a little attention to see what the appeal is.

In regards to the 'disgruntled cachers', there certainly have been times when flags were waved in either direction. Hopefully, those times have passed, and we can all get back to caching! I have sponsored quite a few members on terracaching.com, and am proud to say that I haven't seen any of that behavior from them.

For the record, my last few caches have all been placed on terracaching.com, just because I wanted to. I still have a couple active on gc.com, that seem to be pretty popular. I don't see any reason to 'pull' them at this time. I plan on finding and placing on both sites for quite some time!

Cache on!

March 11, 2005

Hmm. I took a quick look at Terracaching.com and it's definitely for the elitists...two sponsors just to join... I don't feel like an elitist just yet.

With only 70+ caches...I haven't run into, imho, a low quality geocaching.com cache yet so I'm not too worried. I'm perfectly happy with geocaching and don't have enough time as it is . With thousands of caches left to go with geocaching.com, I think I'll wait a while...maybe then I'll develop an elitist attitude and will change...but not yet

2.4k · March 11, 2005

As I said above, the reason for the sponsors is that they are your approvers. No sponsors, no approvers. Just let folks know where you are, and you should get some local sponsors in no time. Sponsor may be a somewhat poor choice of terms, but that's what stuck.

7.2k · March 11, 2005

I'm not a "guy!"

Of course not! But you're one of the "guys"...

Okay, I'll try to remove foot from mouth now.

Anyway, thanks!

March 11, 2005

I am active on both sites (scottO on terracaching.com). There are a lot of things I like about TC.com vs GC.com, and vice versa. I am mapping out a couple of multis that I would like to see show up on both sites, each one getting a slightly different take on it.

TC.com strongly advises against dual listings with any other site.

March 11, 2005

TC.com strongly advises against dual listings with any other site.

Mmmm... true, but I didn't say that the cache on both sites was going to be the same, now did I? I intend to have at least one 'crossover' cache, that has the same name on both sites, but would have enough differences (including the final locations) that it would NOT be the exact same cache. It wouldn't be the first one, especially after the crossover event this weekend.

The only "TPTB" that I think might block it would be the local approver from around here, for historical reasons. I *think* that is enough in the past, that the cache should get approved without too much problem. We'll see...

9.4k · March 11, 2005

I honestly don't get why folks feel the need to somehow weigh and compare the two sites. Personally I think it 's great to have a diverse variety of caching options. I belong to at least 4 different caching sites 'cuz each has a bit different philosophy and/or twist on the game.

For example, some folks here seem to be against moving caches, yet... moving caches actually have a huge benefit over non-moving traditional caches - they clearly have MUCH less impact on the environment 'cuz, unlike trad caches that stay in the same spot for years and are thus highly susceptible to geotrails by countless finders, a moving cache remains in one spot very briefly (often just hours) and is found just once. (IOW carleenp, you'd likely be hard pressed to get to that ill-placed cache in time to rescue it.)

And at terracaching.com, the emphasis is on community monitoring of caches placed - a very sophisticated system that encourages high quality caches. Surely that can't be a bad thing.

Point izzz, "it takes a village" and there's clearly no one "right" way to play this game.

Actually, moving caches are much worse than regular caches. When a cache is placed, there are a number of visits within the first few days. After that, visits tend to drop off to once a week or two (depending on local population, terrain/difficulty, etc)

What happens when the first person to search for a moving cache finds it and takes it with them? Several other people are still headed to that area the same day and won't be able to find the cache. When someone can't find a cache, they tend to search longer and cover a wider area. When several people do the same thing, it can tear up the area.

Even if the first finder goes straight home after finding the cache and logs it, there are likely to be other cachers already on the trail. If I ventured a guess, I'd say that most cachers don't log their finds immediately after finding a cache. They stay out on the trail to find a few more caches in the area. When they go home, they might have other things to do and don't get to logging their finds until that evening or later. Now, how many people would have seen the cache page by then? If just a few of them set out to hunt that cache, imagine the damage that would be done by people searching extra hard for a cache that is no longer there!

March 11, 2005

Yes, the quality of all geocaches is above average.

I think I missed math class that day!

4.8k · March 11, 2005

For example, some folks here seem to be against moving caches, yet... moving caches actually have a huge benefit over non-moving traditional caches - they clearly have MUCH less impact on the environment 'cuz, unlike trad caches that stay in the same spot for years and are thus highly susceptible to geotrails by countless finders, a moving cache remains in one spot very briefly (often just hours) and is found just once. (IOW carleenp, you'd likely be hard pressed to get to that ill-placed cache in time to rescue it.)

Right now a moving cache listed on TC would likely sit in the area for a long time in Nebraska. Hence why I monitor it.

20.7k · March 11, 2005

TC.com strongly advises against dual listings with any other site.

OK, I'll Bite.

Why?

March 11, 2005

TC.com strongly advises against dual listings with any other site.

OK, I'll Bite.

Why?

You'll be happy to know that that very question is answered in the FAQ under their forums. If you'd like to discuss it, their forums is probably the place to do it.

--RuffRidr

24.7k · March 11, 2005

...What happens when the first person to search for a moving cache finds it and takes it with them? Several other people are still headed to that area the same day and won't be able to find the cache. When someone can't find a cache, they tend to search longer and cover a wider area. When several people do the same thing, it can tear up the area. ...

That's why the rule of 3.

3 objects arranged in an unatural shape that tell you "It's gone"

3 Rocks stacked. 3 pennies in the crook of the tree. 3 sticks in a Tee Pee shape.

March 11, 2005

Actually, moving caches are much worse than regular caches. When a cache is placed, there are a number of visits within the first few days. After that, visits tend to drop off to once a week or two (depending on local population, terrain/difficulty, etc)

What happens when the first person to search for a moving cache finds it and takes it with them? Several other people are still headed to that area the same day and won't be able to find the cache. When someone can't find a cache, they tend to search longer and cover a wider area. When several people do the same thing, it can tear up the area.

There is a simple solution for that problem that is employed at MovingCache.com. There is a roll of flagging tape in the moving cache container. When a player finds and removes the cache, they leave a piece of flagging tape at the cache site to signal other players that the cache has been taken. This eliminates the problem of subsequent cache hunters tearing up the area. In this way, moving caches are actually easier on the environment than a regular cache because you only get one or two visits to the cache site before the cache is moved.

9.4k · March 11, 2005

...What happens when the first person to search for a moving cache finds it and takes it with them? Several other people are still headed to that area the same day and won't be able to find the cache. When someone can't find a cache, they tend to search longer and cover a wider area. When several people do the same thing, it can tear up the area. ...

That's why the rule of 3.

3 objects arranged in an unatural shape that tell you "It's gone"

3 Rocks stacked. 3 pennies in the crook of the tree. 3 sticks in a Tee Pee shape.

hmmm...3 rocks stacked tell me that I found the cairn, so I'm on the right trail.

3 pennies...sounds like someone left trash on the trail. Some animal will likely swallow them. Besides, if i'm looking for a moving ammo can, I'm not going to notice 3 pennies buried in the dirt.

etc...

9.4k · March 11, 2005

Actually, moving caches are much worse than regular caches. When a cache is placed, there are a number of visits within the first few days. After that, visits tend to drop off to once a week or two (depending on local population, terrain/difficulty, etc)

What happens when the first person to search for a moving cache finds it and takes it with them? Several other people are still headed to that area the same day and won't be able to find the cache. When someone can't find a cache, they tend to search longer and cover a wider area. When several people do the same thing, it can tear up the area.

There is a simple solution for that problem that is employed at MovingCache.com. There is a roll of flagging tape in the moving cache container. When a player finds and removes the cache, they leave a piece of flagging tape at the cache site to signal other players that the cache has been taken. This eliminates the problem of subsequent cache hunters tearing up the area. In this way, moving caches are actually easier on the environment than a regular cache because you only get one or two visits to the cache site before the cache is moved.

Ha! You know how much trash flagging tape I see in the woods from other hunters and hikers? I consider it trash and remove it.

On the other hand, if I'm looking for a cache at that exact spot, I'm thinking the flagging tape is telling me where it is hidden, so I'll search nearby that spot.

You may think that flagging tape is universally recognized for your activity, but I'm telling you the universe it a lot bigger than you think. Not everyone is going to recognize your tape, or "rule of 3", as a sign that someone else has taken the container.

5.3k · March 11, 2005

Is this thread about TC or moving caches?

March 11, 2005

TC.com strongly advises against dual listings with any other site.

OK, I'll Bite.

Why?

Back on topic. It's been observed that sites do better with unique listings - the vast database of unique and high quality cache listings is certainly one of geocaching.com's strengths, and one key to it's success. If a site only offers listings that are essentially a duplicate of those on another site, why use the alternative site at all? Anyway, agree or disagree, the feeling was that unique content is important, so that's why the policy exists.

March 11, 2005

Ha! You know how much trash flagging tape I see in the woods from other hunters and hikers? I consider it trash and remove it.

That’s very admirable of you. We use biodegradable tape.

March 11, 2005

Ha! You know how much trash flagging tape I see in the woods from other hunters and hikers? I consider it trash and remove it.

I'm sure you personally feel removing any flagging tape you find to be morally justified for one reason or another but I think it is pretty inconsiderate given that someone placed the tape there for a reason. To me, that's no different than a muggle taking a cache they found by accident because they consider it to be litter. Just because it's trash to you doesn't necessarily make it so.

On the other hand, if I'm looking for a cache at that exact spot, I'm thinking the flagging tape is telling me where it is hidden, so I'll search nearby that spot.

You may think that flagging tape is universally recognized for your activity, but I'm telling you the universe it a lot bigger than you think. Not everyone is going to recognize your tape, or "rule of 3", as a sign that someone else has taken the container.

Marking a cache hiding spot with flagging tape is not a very common practise around here so there is little chance of someone making that mistake. Perhaps things are different in your neck of the woods.

I have no illusions that flagging tape is universally recognized for our activity. But it is recognized by the people who are playing our game and those are the only people that need to recognize it. So far it's worked very well.

It's very obvious that you are completely opposed to moving caches in any shape or form and that no amount of debate or explanation is going to sway your opinion. But that's ok because there are a lot of other people who are having a lot of fun playing the game and who will continue to do so. It's not for everybody and doesn't aspire to be so.

What's The Deal With Terracaching.com?

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