View Full Version : Cover of caches



attroll
07-26-2004, 12:05 AM
I would like to here some opinions on how you cover caches. I personally cover the caches leaving just a little bit showing. It may not be much sometimes but it is enought to distingush that it is a cache. The only other time I will totally cover a cache is when it is in a obvious cache covering technique. Like covering it with sticks.

The reason I ask this is because we were at a cache today that had bouncing GPS readings that was totally cover with leaves. We found it by mistake actually. We were ready to give up. I do not agree with this technique of totally cover the cache in the woods in a place that is known for bouncing GPS signals.

Pooh and friends
07-26-2004, 03:52 AM
I usually cover up the cache totally, nothing showing, camoflaged, if it were a bobby trap you would be history. I do like the stick/branch piles covering a cache. It seems to be a tell tale for a lot of caches and does make finding them easier. I try to of cover them the same way I found them only a little better.

Forest_Nymph
07-26-2004, 07:23 AM
I just found a "bouncing" gps cache this weekend that was quite obvious even without a bit of plastic showing. It was in a neatly stack of wood/sticks with a open firepit nearby. If it isn't found by a geomuggle this summer, I'd surely be surprised.

A lot of my finds were as easy to see as this. Off trail a bit and into the woods, you'll notice nature does not pile their sticks and leaves quite as nicely as the human tends to do...

Team Trout
07-26-2004, 08:31 AM
I usually try to cover things up at least as well as they were when I found them, or better. My kids often tell me that I am concealing a cache too much and will insist on moving things a little so part of the cache is visible if you look closely. :D

So how does a place become known for bouncing GPS signals? Doesn't it usually depend on the weather and satellite positions on any given day?

Forest_Nymph
07-26-2004, 11:38 AM
I usually try to cover things up at least as well as they were when I found them, or better. My kids often tell me that I am concealing a cache too much and will insist on moving things a little so part of the cache is visible if you look closely. :D

So how does a place become known for bouncing GPS signals? Doesn't it usually depend on the weather and satellite positions on any given day?


Oops! I was referring to the signal under the tree canopy. I find it hard to believe some of my readings under that kind of cover. The weather should have no affect on an accurate signal. (so I've heard)

brdad
07-26-2004, 01:29 PM
My caches are hidden at varying levels of cover, and I like to find caches the same way. That's what the difficulty rating is for. If it's 4+ difficulty, the cache should be aptly covered or otherwise concealed.

I like to have a well hidden cache once in a while, but I also like to have the rating such that I can expect it to be that way.

Beach Comber
07-26-2004, 09:36 PM
I try to cover the cache completely, though admit the covering is often very unnatural in appearance. Perhaps enough to tip of a cacher, but not draw the attention of a muggle passing by. I, too, think that it is part of the challenge. There have been a number of times that I have had to return to a cache for a second (or even third!!) attempt due to it's covering or hiding place, but that is part of the fun.

Team Trout
07-28-2004, 07:54 AM
I like to have a well hidden cache once in a while, but I also like to have the rating such that I can expect it to be that way.

The problem is that the cache owner gives their cache a rating based on how they hid and covered it, but when you get there it has been rehid and covered by the last person who found it. Based on that, I don't think you can rely on the rating at all to tell you how well it is hidden. And as we've seen in this thread, some folks, myself included, have noted that they try to hide them as well or better than they found them, so in that case it could make things seem harder than the rating.

In my experiences with my own caches I have had folks rehide 2 of them in a completely different spots then where it was originally located. And in one case it rendered my hint inaccurate and I had to change it. At the other extreme, just this weekend I had someone log that they've found one of my caches "laying right in the open" when I had left it well hidden. :rolleyes:

brdad
07-28-2004, 04:48 PM
The problem is that the cache owner gives their cache a rating based on how they hid and covered it, but when you get there it has been rehid and covered by the last person who found it. Based on that, I don't think you can rely on the rating at all to tell you how well it is hidden. And as we've seen in this thread, some folks, myself included, have noted that they try to hide them as well or better than they found them, so in that case it could make things seem harder than the rating.

In my experiences with my own caches I have had folks rehide 2 of them in a completely different spots then where it was originally located. And in one case it rendered my hint inaccurate and I had to change it. At the other extreme, just this weekend I had someone log that they've found one of my caches "laying right in the open" when I had left it well hidden. :rolleyes:

Ya, I hear ya there - you can't control what other finders will do. But that's another point for higher frequenct maintenence on the ones that are more apt to be moved or incorrectly covered. 3 of my 5 hides are fairly definite in where/how they should be hidden, there others I have to watch more or hope cachers maintain placement, which to this point they have done well.

Beach Comber
07-30-2004, 10:27 AM
I agree with Team Trout (and of course others, too!!). I seem to be gaining a reputation for caches that have been hidden in a very natural, thus difficult to find fashion. The funny part is that they are probably more well hidden now than when I established it!! I will be sure to continue to visit them regularly to ensure that the difficulty rating remains consistent with the way that it is hidden.

I typically try to cover the cache completely when I replace it, though if it is removed enough from a trail and unlikely to be seen by passers-by, I am less apt to be as diligent in my effort to do so. Plus, I am razzed regularly by people I cache with who believe that at least a small portion of the cache should be visible - LOL!!

Cache'n Jacksons
08-15-2004, 04:14 PM
I think the best cache hidings I've found are the ones where the cache is completely out in the open, yet invisible to the cacher. In searching you'll cover an area time and time again, and come up empty, then suddenly at the moment of giving up you look at things from a different perspective and slap yourself for not seeing it in the first place. Of course, I'm glad not all caches are like this, or I'd have a lot less bagged! This does throw the pressure on the hider to come up with something creative, and is not always possible in all environments. I plan on hiding one down my way very soon, and am hoping I can find a suitable spot for something clever.

bearfirefighter
02-18-2005, 11:25 PM
I did arbetourem the other day, the gps was jumping like a mexican jumping bean in a pool of lava on the dark side of the sun, I was litterally walking from clump to clump of trees, until I found the cache, which was covered with snow-if the hint is clear, I completely camoflauge the cache, lest muggles-or as I affectionatly call them !@#$%^&** take the 5 finger discount route-snow is excelent camo, but there are clear unmistakable signs even if a cache is hidden, to the educated eye. That's my opinion, I welcome yours

drbugman
02-19-2005, 04:01 PM
I agree with some of the earlier posts; I either leave a little bit of the cache showing or cover it with sticks or rocks so that, to the trained eye, it doesn't look natural.

Team2hunt
02-20-2005, 10:40 AM
Having only done a few caches,34 found and a few DNF's. Here are the views of our team. I feel somewhat cheated when walking for awhile and come upon the cache wide open and easily found. We love the challenge of the last few feet. True it is tough if there is alot of tree cover and you cant find it. Thats when we pull out the trusty compass to zero in, in a straight path. I read the logs before picking the caches. Alot of recent DNF's and we may choose a different cache. I rarely pay attention to the ratings, we follow interesting logs. I always use the natural surrounding cover and do as well as possible to conceal the bounty. Remember there's a hint and isn't it suppose to be a challenge. As Tat has said in the past " log your DNF's " and as Beachcomber has told me " you"ll have plenty of them ". My navigator and I enjoy the history and the views of places we might not have visited. We both have enjoyed geocaching the new friends we have met. So maybe we don't find them all. Thanks.:D :D From the both of us.

Hoamdezinahs
08-17-2005, 07:40 PM
I have hidden 6 and not one of then is a "conventional hide". by that I mean under a pile of sticks. Those are definately the most common, but with a little thought anyone can come up with an original idea. My two favorites are ones that I hid in plain sight, "Alexanders challenge" and "Warrens challenge". They took me a little work, but they are different. They are also harder to find, but a much more rewarding find for the ones that can fid them. Not all of us want # 1 and # 2 hides. John

blevesque
08-17-2005, 08:30 PM
I like to hide my caches completely and in unique hiding spots :cool: The thrill of the hunt !

WhereRWe?
08-18-2005, 08:01 AM
I like to hide my caches completely and in unique hiding spots :cool: The thrill of the hunt !

As long as the cache description reflects the difficulty of the find...

We've looked for 1/1 caches that were IMPOSSIBLE to find (and in locations that you'd never get a wheelchair or a baby in a stroller to...) And we've found 3/3 caches that should have been 1/1.5.

:D :D