+Captain Goober Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 So my best friend recently got me into Geocacheing the other day. What advice do experienced cachers have for us? It is difficult to be incognito with some of the cache locations we have in our area, but there are over 200. I really want to find some puzzle box caches, and we plan on trying out some mystery caches. 1.5-2.5 difficulty is just to easy. I also want to make a few, this has inspired me as a hobby. Quote Link to comment
+blackdog7 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Most importantly: Have fun. My advice on hiding your first cache, and the advice you'll no doubt get from others, is to spend a good deal of time finding caches before you hide one. The more caches you find, the better idea you'll have of what it takes to hide a good geocache. It is also best to incorporate an actual handheld GPS unit into your cache-game if you haven't already. The smartphone apps have their place, but nothing replaces the handheld unit, especially when it comes time to make your first hide. Attending Event Caches is a great way to get an idea of how the game is played, and also a great place to meet experienced cachers. And definitely spend time reading and interacting on the forums...trust me, there are plenty of opinions here dying to be shared. Quote Link to comment
+blackdog7 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Oh, and make sure you're familiar with the guidelines: (visit link). Quote Link to comment
+Captain Goober Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Thank you, and i checked over the guidelines a couple of times. I had seen your thread on potentially dangerous/inappropriate cache locations so i decided to look over them again. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 1.5 to 2.5 are too easy? Try a few more, try some higher difficulty, try some micro cache sizes. The next point will depend on what you personally like, but my advise would be to get out of urban settings, do some hiking based caches. Maybe even some back country caches. While urban caches are fine, for me they are just filler till I can find time to head for the wilderness. If you are using your phone rather than a hand held gps, don't worry too much. When you finaly do decide to place a cache, just make extra sure you know how to get high accuracy readings. There can be funny issues with phones when recording coordinates, not quite as dummy proof as a hand held.... Quote Link to comment
+Captain Goober Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 1.5 to 2.5 are too easy? Try a few more, try some higher difficulty, try some micro cache sizes. The next point will depend on what you personally like, but my advise would be to get out of urban settings, do some hiking based caches. Maybe even some back country caches. While urban caches are fine, for me they are just filler till I can find time to head for the wilderness. If you are using your phone rather than a hand held gps, don't worry too much. When you finaly do decide to place a cache, just make extra sure you know how to get high accuracy readings. There can be funny issues with phones when recording coordinates, not quite as dummy proof as a hand held.... Thanks, i have to be careful with hiking and terrain caches due to some health issues. At the same time i also started Geocaching to combat the disease and as a healthy way to get active again. All that is around my area is small crates, except for 1 or 2 medium sized ones. So I'd like to find puzzle boxes and that sort of cache when the weather becomes warmer. Quote Link to comment
Andronicus Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 If mobility is an issue, there should still be some caches around that are away from parking lots etc. In a park down a paved (or unpaved) trail. When you start on puzzles, some are very difficult, don't beat yourself up if you can't solve them all. Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) So my best friend recently got me into Geocacheing the other day. What advice do experienced cachers have for us? It is difficult to be incognito with some of the cache locations we have in our area, but there are over 200.A lot of times, trying to act "incognito" or trying to be "stealthy" just makes it worse. Usually, a better approach is to look like you belong there. You could just walk up like you know what you're doing, like it's part of your job. Some people actually carry a clipboard or wear a high-visibility vest. I sometimes take out a bag and start collecting trash. No one pays attention to someone picking up trash. Also, here are a few other recommendations for beginners that I've posted before. I'll skip the part about starting with larger and easier caches, since you seem interested in more of a challenge. Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10ft). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 5-6m (16-20ft) from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden. Where would you hide something? Do you notice anything unusual? Is anything too new, too old, too organized (e.g., UPS: an Unnatural Pile of Sticks/Stones), too symmetrical, not quite the right color or shape, etc.? Don’t look only on the ground; the cache may be knee-level, waist-level, eye-level, or overhead. How might the container be secured in place? With magnets? With a hook? With string? With fishing line? With something else? Does anything move when you touch it? (Be careful when touching things though.) Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums, and check out some geocaching videos on YouTube. I really want to find some puzzle box caches, and we plan on trying out some mystery caches.I'm not quite sure what distinction you're making between "puzzle box" and "mystery" caches. The mystery/puzzle type is the "catch-all" of geocache types. It includes puzzle caches where the cache description provides a puzzle and solving the puzzle allows you to find the cache, but it also includes other types, including beacon caches, bonus caches, and challenge caches. And some of them are what I would call puzzle box caches, where you have to open a puzzle box as part of finding the cache. Anyway, if you're interested in taking on puzzle caches, then here is some puzzle-solving advice I've posted before. It's based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago. Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, athletes’ jersey numbers, episode numbers, product codes, etc.). Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.) Other useful resources include: Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list) Calgary Puzzle Solving 101 (bookmark list) Puzzle Shortcuts Series (bookmark list) Solving Puzzle Caches (online article) How Do I Solve All These $@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache) Puzzle FUNdamentals (archived event cache) and the Puzzle FUNdamentals resources on the GeocacheAlaska! education page The GBA's Puzzle Cache FAQ (for puzzle designers, but useful for understanding how puzzle caches work) LANAKI's Classical Cryptography Course How to Puzzle Cache (book) I also want to make a few, this has inspired me as a hobby.Groundspeak's listing guidelines encourage you to find at least twenty geocaches before hiding one. Others may throw around different numbers (50, 100, whatever). I think the actual number is much less important than the types of caches that you find, than the variety of caches that you find. I recommend waiting until you've found enough different types of caches that you know what kinds of containers and hides work well, what kinds of caches you enjoy, and what kinds of caches you'd like to own and maintain for the long term. But it's definitely worth reading and rereading the listing guidelines before you hide a cache of your own. Edited March 30, 2015 by niraD Quote Link to comment
+WarNinjas Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 He has ninja in his user name so he is fine to start hiding caches now! Just kidding of course in case any one doesn't realize it! Quote Link to comment
+Captain Goober Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 He has ninja in his user name so he is fine to start hiding caches now! Just kidding of course in case any one doesn't realize it! lmao good one! Actually if i lived in the proper region, I'd be making some crazy caches if i could haha. Quote Link to comment
+los_pajaros Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 So my best friend recently got me into Geocacheing the other day. What advice do experienced cachers have for us? It is difficult to be incognito with some of the cache locations we have in our area, but there are over 200. I really want to find some puzzle box caches, and we plan on trying out some mystery caches. 1.5-2.5 difficulty is just to easy. I also want to make a few, this has inspired me as a hobby. I would say just have fun and dont worry about getting "caught"or anything like that. if you do then just explaine to the "muggles" about our little game and see who joins you. Quote Link to comment
+Captain Goober Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 Thank you guys for the handy advice! I feel like the smaller the cache size is, generally the harder it is to find. We found some really cleaver ones while out caching today. Temp was just right to really look. Quote Link to comment
+spirothebudgie Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Yes I agree with the above posts regarding muggles, it's always best to just be honest about what you are doing if asked! Most people don't pay that much attention anyway, and one trick I sometimes use is to quickly retrive the cache and take it away to sign the log. I then put it back when I am not being watched! The most important thing is to try to put the cache back as best you can out of sight. I have noticed some of my caches do get put back wrong occasionally (I have one which is glued under a small rock, one time I went to check it and the rock had been overturned, leaving the container completely visible to anyone walking past!) Hiding caches is great fun and I have really enjoyed making interesting containers and finding good spots to place them. I like to make the containers out of anything I have around, so I collect old tins and other small containers. A quick coat of black spray paint or even just black tape is a simple but surprisingly effective way in helping the cache to blend in, and you can go to a lot more effort than that as well (I have hollowed out logs and tried other interesting ideas to conceal caches, though you need some basic tools to do it usually!) The thing I find most frustrating about the game is when your cache gets taken, sometimes repeatedly. I usually try to solve this problem by moving the container slightly, improving the camouflage or even using cable ties to secure it to another object such as a pole! Most important have fun! I have been to lots of places I would never have been to if it hadn't been for geocaching, and it has been a great motivation for me to get outside! Quote Link to comment
+Captain Goober Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Thank you! We have done our best to put the caches back as they are found, and respect it for the rest of the geocachers who go looking for it. This is a brand new hobby, my buds and i have been looking for something different to do. This is a perfect solution, since every cache you find is gonna be different. Quote Link to comment
+spirothebudgie Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I agree! I think one of the best things about the hobby is when you expect a cache to be a certain type of container or hide but then it turns out to be something completely different from what you were expecting! Also you start to get good ideas on how you want to hide a cache the more of them you find! Quote Link to comment
+Sealand Rovers Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I would say wait before hiding your own, not only until you find out what it takes to hide a good cache, but waiting until the honeymoon period is over in your new hobby will make sure you really are in it for the long haul when you become a CO. Quote Link to comment
+spirothebudgie Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Definitely agree with the above, being a cache owner is great fun and very rewarding but can also be a lot of work, you have to maintain all your caches! Quote Link to comment
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