The steady decline of the quality of geocaching....

[Bewilderbeest]

The enjoyment level is going down, just with the sheer number being published recently. Around here it's getting harder to find decent locations, which I believe is about the most important aspect of a good hide.

But I'm a firm believer in using the largest container the location can support. Like others, I find bush micros fairly pointless. Putting some effort into the hide/container also contributes.

There are a lot of newbies around and as Webguy said the standard they are judging against for a hide has become diluted. But the newbies also seem to feel under greater obligation to hide caches - we have some very inexperienced cachers (caching for a month and/or < 20 finds) putting out caches in the ACT.

And it's one thing to say only look for the good quality ones and ignore the crap, but you cant always tell until you get there. Past logs are some help, put one persons trash is anothers treasure...

[Papa Bear_Left]

I just got back from this one. another DNF
there was a scrap of paper written by a 12 yr old in a ziplock bag, wedged on the back of a for sdale sign. It said to find the cche buried between the four nearby posts in a cleared paddock.
ISSUES
1. it will be mowed regularly
2. The clue in a bag will be gone in a day
3. The plovers that are nesting AT GZ didnt stop attacking me
4. it was a multi or a mystery cache at least

5. It's buried
6. It's BURIED! (OK, that's only one point, but it's an important one and I thought it was worth mentioning twice!)

the cache "4 Sale", seems to have vanished, and I am unable to vent on its log, hence this post

It's still at that link, you can still post a DNF there!

the hiders other cache was an icecream container burried on an island that floods if it rains for more than 2 minutes !!

This is their only hide (with this account, at least) What's the island one you're talking about?

On a happier note for those out the northwest. I have a few large PVC pipe caches ready to roll out in the next few weeks. These should have many stars for difficulty and terrain

Ahh.. some that I won't have to hold my nose while publishing them!

[Webguy]

There was literally a scrap of paper written by a possibly a 10 yr old in a ziplock bag, wedged on the back of a for sale sign, which actually says sold, so it wont be there long.
It (the clue in the bag) said you'll find the cache buried between the four nearby posts in a cleared paddock about 20m away. A cleared paddock next to a school / pre-school with no screening or protection from muggles.

Not to mention it is buried. But then, I guess there is buried, and then, there is buried.

Ian, was there any mention that this was not a straight traditional? I doubt they even know the difference between them.

I could mention another "multi" that I have been told is buried in a kids playground, but, that's another story.

[Mischief's Crew]

Maybe people need to offer to help new people a bit more.<br>
<br>
Reading everyone's posts here, although I think my caches are quality caches, you are all putting me off hiding anymore in case they are thought to be crap. How does one work out what is quality and what isn't.<br>
<br>
Should we put in the description detailed information of where the cache is located. Or what? Yes I would happily take anyone to one of my caches.<br>
<br>
I already get annoyed going to a cache that as I see it is not worth diddly, but if you stop going to caches that are not recommended how are they going to get recommended? You have to take the good with the bad sometimes. Plus lets face facts - does everyone actually recommend a cache that they enjoy. I have some logs on my caches that say they have quality swaps or whatever but none have been recommended.<br>
<br>
If enough people were honest in their logs and said 'swaps were pathetic' or 'not really a fun cache' then people would start getting the idea. I put effort in my logs as well and if I really like a cache I really let the person know and thank them for it. I would be happy for people to log my caches honestly and if I get bad logs I will get rid of them. But if someone think there caches are good and no one says anything how do they know it's actually not very good? Say it as it is!<br>
<br>
These words are the opinion of Jude and not necessarily the whole crew of "Mischief's Crew".

[feral five]

I could mention another "multi" that I have been told is buried in a kids playground, but, that's another story.

ROFL
I did that one on the weekend. my GPS took me straight to GZ, which was odd as i knew it to be a multi. the kids dug up a large cache out from under the slippery dip (dug up from the bark mulch / soft-fall used in the playground).


At least it was named after a 'playground fancier'

[Gwennie1984]

Have to agree with Mischief's Crew on this.

<p>It can get a bit daunting when you are new to caching and everyone continiously rants about how caching is declining in standards and new cachers are guilty of contributing to this. Maybe the comments aren't that negative, but a lot of time the undertones can be like this.

<p>I have only been caching two months, and yes I have hidden two micros, but I put time and effort into my thoughts for them and been working within my resources at the time. And while I like hiking, I also enjoy good urban caches. So I try and use these as inspiration for my own, and the comments I have recieved have been positive and encouraging. If I hid a cache and got feedback that maybe the location/size wasn't so good, then I would learn from that.

<p>New cachers learn from what they see and, even more than that, what the response from the 'known' oldies and semi-legends of the area when they find your caches.

<p>(At least this isn't like talking in real life where I confuse everyone by talking about caches and cachers in the same sentence and half the time it sounds like the same word =P)

[feral five]

what makes a good cache ? how do you quantify quality ?

i reckon you could ask 10 people and get at least 5 different answers.
is it

• location
• the hide
• the cache container
• the trip to get to the cache
• a themeinvolved in the cache
• part of a series
• the effort thats gone into a cache
• the swaps

or a combination of many factors.

I am presently doing a few Canberra mystery caches as we plan on going down there in a month or so. I guess its a pretty boring place, because the time that many have put into the mystery caches at least leave me floundering, as does the time i have spent trying to crack these ones. I have certainly enjoyed these caches more then many, and i havent even set foot in the ACT with GPSr yet.

[OMY130]

Maybe people need to offer to help new people a bit more.<p>
If enough people were honest in their logs and said 'swaps were pathetic' or 'not really a fun cache' then people would start getting the idea.

<BR>In years gone by, I've tried to enlighten new players to the scene about thier cache hides. On this very forum, these people have declared they are open to evaluation but privately told me that I should look somewhere else. As most of us are aware, some hiders are knows for their less that energetic cache placement. I personally avoid some hiders & some caches of the smaller variety.<P>
Also, lots of people sign online 'TFTC'. Why do they insist on doing this on the most basic crap hide??? This will only fuel our novice hider, puffing their ego on a job well done & run out with another handfull of crap to hide. In my logs, the less I write, the worse the cache. In years gone by, you didn't have to write an online log to post a find. These days with changes to GC.com, it now forces something to be written. The least I have write on a poor cache is now "."<P>
The best thing about a poorly placed micro/small cache is this. They either fill with water or get muggled regulary then die a natural death. Survival of the fittest....

[Dik:]

Unfortunately, it seems that people want dull, boring lacklustre caches.

How do I know?
Well I can visit a dull boring cache and find it has had 100 hits in six months.
Or I can do a quality cache, and even excepting those puzzles that no one has a clue on how to even start to solve them, some of the best trads and multis get 10 or 20 hits in a couple of years.

Go figure..............................

[Jezzza_Xtreme]

I am presently doing a few Canberra mystery caches as we plan on going down there in a month or so. I guess its a pretty boring place

Ow.

[Damo.]

I'm pretty selective with my caching. There's been a few that i've made unfavorable comments about which have hopefully been taken on board by the placers.
I do make use of the recommendation and rating features of GCA to let others know of the caches I have found which I feel are worthwhile and I'd encourage others to do the same.

[tronador]

Case in point, and I had hoped that this would not turn out like it seems to of...

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_de ... c868&log=y

Published today, hidden under a for sale sign on a vacant block, hider has no finds, and it turns out there is no logbook or pen, so, is it just an empty container??

Could this be another ' assignment' from a surveying student?????

No finds 1 hide and not contactable?

[McPhan]

There's fast food and then there's restaurants - it takes all sorts.

I do make use of the recommendation and rating features of GCA to let others know of the caches I have found which I feel are worthwhile and I'd encourage others to do the same.

I second this + I just found this Greasemonkey script, GC-Vote (Firefox) that adds votes to caches on most GC list pages. That together with the GCA ratings/recommendations feature could help build up a picture of what those interested in voting feel is a good hide or otherwise.

[penguin]

Could this be another ' assignment' from a surveying student?????

No finds 1 hide and not contactable?

This may have been covered before somewhere in the forums, but would it be reasonable to make it necessary for someone to have found a certain number of caches before having a hide published? Perhaps 10 or 20?

It may sound a tad draconian, but could be way to prevent carppy hides such as the one mentioned above (and a crappy one in Highgate Hill).

It would also allow hiders to have found enough caches to have a better idea of what is expected in a hide.

/my 2 cents...

[Team Rubik]

I've found that the towns which generally have a high quality of caches (as determined by wider opinion, not just my own) also have a very close knit community of cachers who share ideas and help one another.