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What does a micro cache look like


The D Zone

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I am only 2 for 4 (i think) on micros but from what I gather, they are anything smaller than a 35mm film container but can be in pretty much anything. One of my finds was actually a film container and the other one was a magnetic key holder hidden behind some rafters of a shelter. I have heard some talk that Altoid containers are considered micro size. I like them as a change of pace from the other sized containers every once in a while, but like drinking, I only enjoy them in moderation. The next planned excursion for Woody and Pip has up to 4 micros on it and I think that may be too many. That may be because I go out with 4 kids who don't really have the patience to look for that needle in a haystack.

 

Variety is the spice of life.

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Thats what Ive been doing but it seems like there are so many micros around me. But how would you know a piece of metal is a cache? I would think its just a piece of metal that was laying around.

 

Quite. They're magnetic and tend to be stuck to things. Like huge suspension bridges.

 

Ach! I'm getting flashbacks just thinking about it...

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Micros I have found: 35mm film canisters, magnetic key containers, fake electrical panel covers, cigar cases, altoid mint tins, bison tubes, nanos (little magnetic screw containers, fake sprinkler heads, fake water spigots.

 

Also, look for benches and lamp posts.

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I was sure I would *never* care to / be able to find a micro, but I've found two now with no problem.

 

When you first go for a micro, make it one of the low difficulty ones in a non-mugglious area. Look for a small container stuck underneath something or a magnetic one stuck to something metal. Don't start with one of those high-difficulty "looks like something it isn't" caches that some people really love but are bound to be a little frustrating to a beginning searcher. Bring tweezers, because micros can have really tightly rolled-up logs in them.

 

Of course, in time you too may come to love these, but give yourself a chance to get into the "micro-mindset" by looking for easier ones first.

 

--Q

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I'd say the majority of those I've found were obviously caches once I saw them. But they were hidden inside something or stuck under something with a magnet so they were hard to see. Even dangling on a piece of wire inside a fence post. Some were camo'd and hung in an evergreen like a Christmas tree ornament.

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They can look like anything. Some of the best I have seen look like wood that is part of a post that is only distinguishable because it has a slight crack in it, a cigarette butt, a piece of molding that looks like any other piece of molding. But generally they are not so creative and look like film cannisters, magnetic nano containers, bison tubes, key holders, fake rocks, fake pine cones, fake sprinkler heads, fake plants, fake electrical covers, magnetic lettering on utility boxes, and the like.

 

If the cache description declines to state a size but comments that you will need to bring a pen, you are probably looking for a nano container, a magnetic cylinder about the size of a thumb nail. After a while you learn to look in the usual spots: fence post caps, hangers from trees, magnetic things stuck under a bench (or anything that happens to be handy), the underside of gates, guard rails, lamp post skirts, flanges next to utility poles, in a bunch of spider webs, under small piles of rocks (that might be next to a sign). Then they begin to lose their mystique. But even if you know its a bison tube hanging from a tree, they can sometimes be hard to spot. Sometimes I notice them best if there is something out of place in the corner of my eye, or I try it from a different angle.

 

Pay attention to the cache title, description, hint, and past logs. If you can, try to go out with a more experienced cacher who can point out the common containers and the common hiding places.

Edited by Erickson
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We have tried like 10 and cannot find any, it seems like most caches all micros but what does it look like?

 

Whenever im at GZ I have no luck

 

By now you've seen the 'seek larger' targets advice, and that is good advice. However...

 

One won't learn the art of seeking smaller, harder caches by finding big ones... The IMPORTANT thing, is that you understand that you are not going to find them at first. After that is clear to you, by all means hunt for them. Look for the lower difficulty/terrain ones on the listings... Those are good training...

As you start to succeed, this world will suddenly open up to you... it really helps to think about the way you would utilize a given environment for a micro cache... likely the hider did the same thing that you would.

 

Have fun, but do try to find the bigger ones for that experience as well... they are related, just different sizes!

 

Doug 7rxc

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You mean that you didn't find that hollowed out bolt holding the guardrail, or sign onto the post?

 

They do not have to be what you would normally consider to be a "container".

But this should not mean that you should go out and start disassembling signposts or guardrails, taking off all the bolts that are actually holding everything in place. The screw or bolt caches I have found are are slightly out of place, "extra" bolts or the like, that do not require special equipment to unscrew, unhinge, or disassemble. Some are magnetic.

 

By the same token, just because a container could be a fake sprinkler head or electrical box is no reason to start taking apart all the sprinkler heads or electrical boxes that you see. For that matter, even if you know the cache is a pine cone or an oak gall, you should look for the attachment device rather than just blindly removing everything on the tree. You do not want a property owner or land manager to wonder why you are vandalizing things.

 

As has been suggested, a good place to look for what some of the caches might be like is ebay, which offers a full range of fake bolts, rocks, sprinkler heads, pine cones, etc. There are some hiders in my area that specialize in unique, expertly made micros that blend in almost perfectly with their surroundings. But in general, there is a limited range of containers and common hiding places that you will learn to recognize.

Edited by Erickson
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