How many is too many?

[Captain and Mate]

Just curious as to what people think about this question: At what point does a CO exceed the number of hides that he or she can reasonably maintain? Obviously, this number would vary from CO to CO. However, the guidelines for hiding caches clearly state that the owner should visit the physical site for maintenance as needed. Where’s the line for number of hides where this is no longer possible?

[JimandLinda]

I believe only the individual CO can answer that. I have Archived/Adopted out some of ours just to help with maintenance.
One of the first questions I ever asked on these Forums was how long should a cache be placed until you Archive it? A few chastised us for even thinking that a hide should only be placed for only 2-3 years! It should be there forever!
A few agreed with our policy. And some admitted that we would probably Archive some after a few weeks or monthes, due to issues. They were right!

With more cachers helping out on maintenance by carrying logs, baggies, and containers, we can keep about 200 active and maintained. Since the pace slows in winter, it is a good time to check on a few, too. If your fixing more than your caching, that might be a clue, too!

[Mister Greenthumb]

We have about 300 active caches and 200 are probably within 25 miles of home. We hike a lot and often go on a hike just to check on our caches. About half of our active hides get visited 4 or 5 times a tear by us. We are also fortunate to have most of our caches found at least once a week and many of the visitors do minor maintenance when needed. If you put out quality hides the finders will respect your hides and replace them in the same or better condition than they found.
A good example is on a recent hide of ours that animals chewed a hole in and the container and log were soaked. Furry hermit who has found many of our caches took the container home with him, repaired it and returned it a few days later with a new log and swag. He did contact me about this beforehand.
We have a good sized following of cachers who like our hides and would be disappointed if we stopped. So I think the key is to put out meaningful quality hides with good containers and that will eliminate more than just having to pay a visit a few times a year.
I probably didn’t answer your question as most posts here probablt won’t, but I hope my answer helps.

[Mister Greenthumb]

Another point is what type of finder you are will have an impact on what type of a hider you will be. We find about 100 caches a month and they aren’t close to home. If we want to find more than 5 or 6 we have to travel 30 miles or more. If needed we can direct caching outings to an area where we have hides to check on them.
We probably spend about 15-20 hours a week finding, hiding and maintaining caches.

[hack1of2]

@Mister Greenthumb wrote:

We have a good sized following of cachers who like our hides and would be disappointed if we stopped.

You’re not permitted to stop. Don’t even think it! [;)]

[Braid Beards Gang]

@hack1of2 wrote:

@Mister Greenthumb wrote:

We have a good sized following of cachers who like our hides and would be disappointed if we stopped.

You’re not permitted to stop. Don’t even think it! [;)]

Well said, sir or mam.

[RSplash40]

1 is plenty

[Northwoods Tom]

his is aa interestng d

[Northwoods Tom]

@Northwoods Tom wrote:

his is aa interestng d

Fumble fingered my last post… I try to place 1 cache for every 100. Have 2 to get back on track but have 4 ready. Just waiting for the right time to release. Pet peeve of mine is lack of maintenance. We all help out, but why do people place caches they can’t or won’t maintain. I can understand a cache in an extreme location, but in a park or easy access place?

[-cheeto-]

@RSplash40 wrote:

1 is plenty

I think it’s important to the hobby to give back but at the end of the day there are already far too many geocaches within a maintainable area around my home that there is just no need for me to place caches anymore. This probably isn’t the case for everyone on these forums but I’m sure it is for some.

I think it’s up to the cache hider to decide if they like maintaining caches or not and they should “do the right thing” if they find later that they do not which is to pull their caches or find cache owners who will maintain them. For those who like to maintain caches, I don’t think you can put a number on the limit they should be able to place.

[Todd300]

I have 8 active caches. Planning 3-4 more. All are local. I thought about placing some caches an hour north of me in Escanaba, MI as it is sparse with caches since Team B-Squared pulled all his caches when he moved downstate, but I don’t think I can make the drive each time a cache needs maintenance. So keeping my caches local for now. Furthest one is about 15 miles away. Closest at a park just a quarter mile from my house.

[Author]

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