When is the best time to place your first cache?

[Fermentum]

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all super duper this Friday evening!

Something that I wanted to ask a little advice on. When is the best time to place your first cache?

I have been caching on and off for about a year. I have 90 finds and am looking to hit 125 before the end of the year (aim of 100 this year). I know some of you wont like that but I will admit I love everything about caching including the numbers!

I have thought about placing my first cache but have got that scared feeling about it. I don't really know why but I just haven't plucked up the courage to go and do it!

I would be a person that loves to read logs and get favourite points as well so I would like to do something out of the ordinary but obviously not too adventurous with my first.

What advice would you give to someone like me? Do you think I should find a few more before I hide one etc? Also it would be nice to know when you hid your first, how long had you been caching, how many finds etc.

Thanks in advance
Fermentum (Dave)

[martybartfast]

1. What advice would you give to someone like me?
2. Do you think I should find a few more before I hide one etc?
3. Also it would be nice to know when you hid your first, how long had you been caching, how many finds etc.

1. Place the sort of cache you would like to find, whether that be a big box in the woods, an urban micro, a trad, a multi, or a puzzle. Also remember you can't please all the cachers all of the time, so whatever you place it's unlikely to get a favourite from every visitor.

2. No, if you think you've seen enough good hides I think you're fine.

3. I was in almost exactly your position, been caching about a year, got about 100 finds, and went for it.


I can also remember the trepidation about placing the first cache, and waiting for the mails to come in to see what everyone would make of it!

Good luck :socool:

[DrDick&Vick]

This is part of an email I recieved from a GAGB member which I thought would be worth passing on:
Decide what you like in geocaches that you have found and try to incorporate that in your cache -
It might be
To take them to somewhere beautiful or unusual.
To tell them about the history of the location

Make the hide challenging to find
Make the hide fun to do
Make the cache itself interesting
Just remember caches that are easy to do like a 35mm film canister hidden by the side of the road takes very little effort to create. Very little effort to do. But isnt much fun. So its worth putting in the work to make a good cache that people will enjoy.
My thanks to Spire67 for these ideas

[Happy Humphrey]

I would add; take your time about it. Get the description tweaked until you're 100% happy with it (leave the "Enable cache listing" box unchecked until the box is in place and the description ready). Go back to the cache location a couple of times before placing anything, re-check coordinates and double check that it's a really great hiding place (be prepared to rethink). Rework the container so it's most suited for the location.

There's no award for the fastest cache placement. If it takes a couple of weeks to prepare then so much the better.

[border caz]

I hid my first cache to celebrate my 100th find. I'd been caching for 3 months.

[Graculus]

Take a look at my resource website (link under my signature). Many areas in the UK like National Trust land and Forestry Commission need specific permission - there are agreements with these organisations and others here in the GAGB Landowner database. My site also has links to various mapping resources including the MAGIC map we use to check locations. You'll also find out how to get coordinates from Streetmap or Google maps and handy links to let you paste these coordinates into so you can view the location on the MAGIC map. You can also use Google maps to plot cache locations and measure distance between them to check you are not too close to another cache.
If you want to brighten up your cache page with images and fonts then there is a section on adding HTML code.

Finally, as others have said, take your time with the description, you can submit the cache as often as you like to check what it looks likes. You can write it in a word processor and then cut n paste it into the cache description. There is a handy Firefox addon which lets you write the description including HTML in a word processor interface (see the page on Firefox scripts on my site).

If you need help or have a query then drop your local reviewer an email - you'll find out who they are from nearby caches - their name appears in the published log.

Chris
Graculus
Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com
UK Geocaching Information & Resources website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk
Geocaching.com Knowledge Books

[Fermentum]

Thanks everyone for your feedback some really useful tips. I think like Border Caz I am going to mark my 100th with my first placement!

Graculus your website is great, thanks!

I will let you know when the time comes!

[Yeltonian]

My first cache hide was after I had found 245 caches...
It has been out since March 2010 and found only 9 times...
Not because it is in the middle of nowhere, or particularly hard to get to,
but it's not a drive by and there isn't another cache within a mile...
So hardly anyone visits

My second cache has been out since June 2010 and has been found 15 times...
Not because it is in the middle of nowhere, or particularly hard to get to,
but it's not a drive by and there isn't another cache within half a mile...
So it gets twice as many visitors as my first one

The moral of my tale is do not place your cache in an out of the way place that's not on a 'cache trail' if you want people to visit it

[border caz]

I found one yesterday, placed by a very new cacher with hardly any finds. It's a big butty box in a very high muggle area, wrapped in a black bin liner. I've e-mailed them to explain black bin liners not a good idea.

I DNF's one yesterday, placed by a newish cacher with not many finds. It's a nano down a very quiet country lane miles from anywhere.

Now if only they could have got together and swapped caches!

[Mrs Blorenge]

This place needs a 'Like' button... or maybe an 'Agree' one.