Is geocaching dying?

[GJMMelb]

...... we also have some solved puzzles waiting for us to be in the given areas.

Hey Rabbitto ......... some of our solved puzzles waiting to be found are yours!! We've solved 2 of the 3 of your Sherlock Holmes ones (at least we think we have!! lol) and have printed out Psychology 102 and we are really looking forward to doing that one some time soon!!

BTW Our traditional percentage is 61.45% BUT we have only done 275 all up ......... I imagine it will be much higher when our total is higher lol

To add to our above comment I should have said one of the other reasons for doing Traditionals or solved Puzzles over multis is MMelb prefers the quick (hopefully!!) find over a walk, especially a 3/4/5 etc point multi. I'm hoping that will change over time - he's only 12...

GJMMelb

[Geodes]

BUT ....we are different in that we do actively seek out puzzle caches now and out of 275 total caches found we have done 51 puzzles which is roughly 18.5% of our caches - yep we're weird lolol ....

We still rarely go to an area without trying to complete all caches of all cache types within that area and our Traditional cache percentage still sits at 68.6%, which I imagine may be one of the lowest within the '000s finders. I know that Team Rubik is lower at 60% which is a jolly good effort. I think that most others would fall into 70%+ bracket. Is there a caughtatwork graph for this somewhere?

I'm on 66% for trads - but I think this generally reflects the cache distribution in the local area, rather than a preference for any particular type. For me, this percentage has been steadily increasing as I've moved away from suburban Melbourne and into country areas where the ratio of trads to other types is higher than for the suburbs.

As a back up to the theory that modern day cacher is scared of a multi (there, I said it), two new caches were released not too far away from my work a month ago. One was a traditional and one was reasonably simple multi. Both caches could be grabbed with one park of the car. I wandered past on the way home on the second day after the release. I was 6TF on the traditional and 3TF on the multi. Could not believe that three out of the first five cachers just chucked away an extra cache find with very little extra effort because it was a .... .... multi.

Funny you should mention this one Dean - I saw your comment in the log for the multi and was tempted to email you and point out that there was, in fact, a third new cache by the same family only a few hundred metres away from the first two ("Because i can"). It's one of the new GCA 10th Anniversary caches and, even though you don't do a lot of GCA caches, many of these new ones are pretty good and there are quite a few in the eastern suburbs!

[AmboGuy]

In British Columbia, there are new cachers in my area every week, I don't know about there, but here, there are plenty of functions, clean up day is a couple of months long, and several turn up, the local coffee chain (Tim Hortons) sponsor them, and supply coffee and doughnuts (I am surprised more cops don't turn up)

Geocaching101 events introduce cachers to the sport/hobby, and every time I attend, I see 80% new faces.

It is not dying here, it ia expanding, and not slowing down.

I think the key is to place caches, I aim for at least 10% of what I find, I also hide, currently I have only 175 finds, but I have 29 hides, with 3 more (plus a multi) getting published this weekend (if I get moving on them)

So I am well and truly above my 10% I set when I started, if more people hid caches, more people will get involved, my opinion.

Guy

[Team Rubik]

I think the key is to place caches, I aim for at least 10% of what I find

What's your cap? I certainly hope you don't feel obliged to keep this up. I aim to hide what I can maintain, at present this is about 15.

[tronador]

the local coffee chain (Tim Hortons) sponsor them, and supply coffee and doughnuts

That would be very nice, I'd love to attend an event in Canada.

[reesylou]

We're a bit different again ... We have only been caching since September last year and havent even cleared our 10km radius yet lol - still 91 to go lol ....

I am so jealous. I only had 31 caches - including 3 trig points - in my 10km radius and I am in suburban Melbourne. I have only got 7 of these left (3 TPs, 1 I couldn't find, 2 involving a hike of about 2km and a multi I am saving for a family picnic). I only have another 30 to find in the 10-15km range (plus about 30 more in the 15-16km range ) but to reach those is at least 20-30 minutes drive. Not far in the scheme of things, but far enough when on limited time and with a 3yo.

I have only been caching since the end of April this year and wish there were more in my area.

[gmj3191]

I find it a bit disappointing that most new caches seem to be micros, and most are hidden in places where it
would be relatively easy to hide a bigger cache.

[gmj3191]

To follow up with some data, I've had a look at what I have in GSAK, with the following result.
Just looking at Traditional, Multis and Mysteries, this is what I see

Placed since 01Jan2010

Trad..........2848.........Micro......1098
Multi............284..........Small......1531
Mystery........272..........Reg..........716
................................Large...........17
................................ Other.........47

Total...........3404......................3409

This is for the whole country, not just Victoria, but it doesn't seem quite as bad as I thought it would be.
Given that Others are usually nanos, then Regulars and Larges make up 21.5% of all hides.
(Pardon my inability to format tables nicely)

[blossom*]

I think the key is to place caches, I aim for at least 10% of what I find

What's your cap? I certainly hope you don't feel obliged to keep this up. I aim to hide what I can maintain, at present this is about 15.

These days, with so many caches, I don't think ANYONE should hide a new one unless it is something special. A special place or bit of history is the major requirement IMHO although I do see a place for a specially clever puzzle with the GZ located in an ordinary sort of spot. Often the history ones are best created as a Multi so you can do a tour of the historic aspects of a spot.

I'm not saying there isn't a place for some simple caches in ordinary parks because the kids enjoy that. But there are generally a lot of these around anyway now, so there's no real reason to add another ordinary cache in an ordinary local park just to keep up the "hidden" numbers

[Richary]

These days, with so many caches, I don't think ANYONE should hide a new one unless it is something special.

I agree. Nowadays I wouldn't place some of the hides I did in my early days, though I like to think most of them had a reason rather than just being a spot without a nearby lunchbox. Take me to a beautiful or historic spot rather than a boring spot with nothing going for it except a smiley.

Unless of course the purpose of the cache is to be a tricky find for whatever reason and the challenge is in the hide rather than the area, that's OK as well as long as you know that is why you are there.

But an easy find in a boring area (especially a micro or small in a spot that could have accomodated something much better), thanks but no thanks.

[gmj3191]

Yes, please, no more Eclipse tins in childrens' play grounds.

[AmboGuy]

What is my cap?
I have not thought of that, some local cachers have over 100 placed.

I live 20 mins from the USA border, and that place is packed, with drive by's, you can easily achieve 30 to 50 found in a day.

At present, BC Geocaching Association has a comp on to encourage hides, micro's not allowed unless in a stage of a multi. And when one does a cache, they can vote on them, with prizes for best "puzzle" "scenery" "history/education" etc.

There are hundreds, if not thousands within a 20 k radius of me.

Have to go to work, will add more later.

[blossom*]

There are hundreds, if not thousands within a 20 k radius of me.

So what's your opinion of these hundreds? Say just those within 10km radius. Do you think most of them are in interesting, historic or scenic locations? What proportion do you reckon are just a container in a fairly nothing sort of location?

[Yurt]

What is my cap?
I have not thought of that, some local cachers have over 100 placed.

I live 20 mins from the USA border, and that place is packed, with drive by's, you can easily achieve 30 to 50 found in a day.

At present, BC Geocaching Association has a comp on to encourage hides, micro's not allowed unless in a stage of a multi. And when one does a cache, they can vote on them, with prizes for best "puzzle" "scenery" "history/education" etc.

There are hundreds, if not thousands within a 20 k radius of me.

Have to go to work, will add more later.

Have you been to "Mystery Island"?
Mystery Island #1 Have a look at this series on the map. The puzzle looks like something they'd dream up in the A.C.T.

[Team GraMon]

I have to agree that multi's are done much less that drive-by's. I find it annoying they don't go to the interesting places I have researched and written up about and placed a cache at for them.

My caches take you to interesting places - the caching page tells you why - but the place itself is not appropriate to place a cache.
So gather info from the interesting spot and answer the question and you will find the cache nearby.

How hard is that to do?

We plan caches in places we go to visit - be they multi's or not and see some very interesting places we would not have seen, so is it just about the numbers now and not seeing interesting places?

Ok yeah I admit I am a bit peeved with that. [rant over]