Feel free to place similar caches on other aspects of etiquette, and if you do, please try and follow the layout as in this listing.
Geocaching Etiquette is important - by following an 'accepted' etiquette you make the game more pleasurable for all.
Note that these are not Rules.(Well some are!)
You are free to play the game any way you like, provided you follow the Groundspeak rules, which can be found here.
This cache listing will cover the generally accepted etiquette on Hiding a Geocache.
CACHE CONTAINERS
Use High Quality Containers
This works out much cheaper in the long run. If you do it right the first time, you won't be frustrated later.
Remember that the fuel used to go and maintain a cache will cost more than the container
The following work well:
- Plastic lock-n-lock containers which have a gasket in the lid.
- Purpose made geocaching containers - bison tubes, nano caches, etc.
- For micro-caches, 35mm plastic film containers, and plastic pill bottles normally work fairly well. But are not very waterproof.
The following don't work well:
- Cheap plastic containers - lunchboxes, food containers, etc - they look like they should be waterproof, but always seem to get wet inside.
- Glass containers.
- Unpainted metal containers.
- Second-hand food containers. Anything that's had food in it will attract animals and bugs no matter how well you wash it.
Anything bio-degradable.
Outer Covering
The purpose could be to keep the container nice and clean, to further weatherproof it, to camouflage it.
The following are good ideas:
- Plasticized, waterproof canvas bags (can be camo).
- Cloth bags - not waterproof, but do keep the cache nice and clean.
- A piece of plasticized (camo or not) material placed over the cache.
The following are bad ideas:
- Plastic supermarket packets
- Garbage bags
Plastic bags seem an obvious choice, but they're worse than useless. They get damaged and full of holes quickly, they attract condensation and moisture, and they attract bugs and snakes.
Camouflaging a Plastic Container
Optionally, you can camouflage your containers, but never try to paint directly onto a plastic container. It won't last, because the paint doesn't take properly on the smooth surface. The trick is to roughen up the container very well with coarse sandpaper before painting. Spray painting is fine, but it's better to use an enamel paint.
Cache Labeling
Clearly mark your container as being a geocache, so that accidental finders and the authorities will realize that the contents are not harmful.
CACHE SIZE
Most finders like to find a larger cache, and will often make comments in logs like "Nice location, could handle a much bigger cache though" and "After a long and tiring hike, we were disappointed to find such a small container". We estimate that 90% of finders share this view, which is "hide as large a cache as possible for that location".
Let the location and muggle risk dictate the container size.
But, container size is an essential part of providing an attractive variety of caches for finders to hunt.
HIDING YOUR CACHE
Having decided roughly where you want to hide your cache, you'll need to find a suitable hiding spot. Please consider where you are not allowed to hide a cache. In a nutshell, the primary consideration when selecting a good hiding spot should be to protect your cache. From watching muggles, accidental discovery, animals, the weather, fire, and whatever other "risks" there may be. A well-chosen hide can save a lot of maintenance heartaches later on.
Don't place caches in bad neighbourhoods or in areas that will put geocachers in dangerous situations. Safety first!
Muggles
Try to choose spots where finders won't be visible to muggles.
Accidental Discovery
Try to hide your cache away from where people normally go. The more "off the beaten track" your cache is, the less the chance of accidental discovery. However, always be mindful of the environmental impact. Cachers leave trails which point directly to your cache, and sometime trash the nearby vegetation while looking for it.
Animals
Poorly hidden and poorly secured caches are highly susceptible to animal interference. In monkey / baboon areas place a heavy rock on top of the cache.
Weather
The primary protection against moisture is the type and quality of container as mentioned earlier, but the actual hide is important too. Consider where water will flow in a heavy rainstorm.
Fire
A common cache killer. Caches are generally very combustible.
DISGUISED CACHES
A disguised cache is different to a camouflaged cache.
This is a creative and fun part of hiding caches, and serves a useful purpose in muggle-full Africa.
Some examples of disguised caches:
- fake bolts and nuts
- fake waterpipes
- fake rocks, or hollowed out rocks
- etc, etc - there's almost no limit to creativity.
We're not allowed to deface property, or damage trees and plants to make a hide. So, drilling a hole in a living tree is not allowed, but placing a piece of hollowed out tree-stump, or a hollowed out fallen branch is OK. Fake electrical fittings are not allowed, and there are probably others - use common sense.
CACHE CONTENTS
The minimum requirement for a valid geocache is some form of container and some form of logbook/logsheet.
Plenty templates can be found online or even a simple excel with borders will work.
It's wise to put your cache contents in a ziploc type bag. No matter how waterproof your container is, somebody won't close it properly, and it'll get wet inside - guaranteed!!
Use separate ziploc for logbook/pencil and swag. Pencils have the habit of poking holes in bags!
Contents are family-friendly. Explosives, fireworks, ammunition, lighters, knives (including pocket knives and multi-tools), drugs, alcohol and any illicit material should not be placed in a cache. Geocaching is a family-friendly activity and cache contents should be suitable for all ages.
Food items are always a bad idea. Animals have better noses than humans, and in some cases caches have been chewed through and destroyed because of food items in a cache. Please do not put food in a cache. As with wax crayons, lip gloss and other heat sensitive stuff. This is Durban!
If someone other than you places an inappropriate item in a cache that you own and this is reported, the cache may be temporarily disabled.
The caches in this series are:-
- GC3QACA - Geocaching Etiquette - Hiding a Geocache
- GC3QE60 - Geocaching Etiquette - Submitting a new Cache
- GC3E5N1 - Geocaching Etiquette - The Cache Hunt
- GC3Q7RH - Geocaching Etiquette - Online Logging
- GC3729Y - Geocaching Etiquette - The Compleat Geocacher