Geocaching 101: Altoid Tin Traditional Cache
Geocaching 101: Altoid Tin
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Altoid Tin hide in an urban setting.
This is a common urban cache – although I don’t much care for them because they rust too easily. Make sure if you found the log in a Ziploc bag you put it back in one, else the next cacher might be finding a soaking wet log. I always bring extra logs and Ziploc bags just in case I find a soaked log. Also, these seem to be hid in places less than exciting (behind businesses, etc..). But they do provide something to find and one more for the numbers.
A microcache is a cache whose container is the size of a 35mm film canister or smaller. Most are too small to hold a pen or pencil, and many are too small to hold anything but a log sheet. If there are trade items in such caches, they tend to be very small items, such as coins, signature tokens, and charms.
Microcaches come in many differing types of containers. Film canisters are common, as are magnetic key safes. Exceptionally small micros are known as nano caches – more on those later.
Ideally, microcaches should be hidden in locations where larger containers could not be hidden easily, such as urban parks and plazas. Microcaches in urban settings are often designed and camouflaged for a specific location. Such caches are often called urban micros.
One of the elements that microcaches bring to geocaching is the extra challenge of locating it, as often the vicinity of the cache does not indicate the location of the cache. In many cases, the element of stealth is required as the cache may be hidden in a highly-trafficked spot, which adds to the challenge of locating the cache while non-cachers are present.
Some geocachers dislike microcaches because they are too small to hold interesting trade items. They especially dislike microcaches placed at locations that could support larger cache containers. Others complain that microcaches can be hidden with very little preparation, allowing a geocacher to hide an inordinate number of poorly thought-out caches (e.g., lamp post caches), as opposed to those who take extra effort to prepare larger caches.
Others point out that many microcaches are designed with detail and significant planning, and that microcaches are usually hidden where larger caches would be inappropriate. Some argue that microcaches allow geocachers to have the extra challenge of microcache hunting versus hunting for regular-sized caches.
There are many different types of micro containers used in hiding a cache and in this series I will be demonstrating several different styles.
I will bookmark all Geocaching 101 caches, then add a mid-term and final cache. (Bookmarks can be found on the right hand side of this posting, and at the bottom of the bookmark you can create a query of all listed caches to download to your GPSr - another thing I've learned the hard way.)
Once you have completed this series I will list you on the final as graduated - with or without honors....... (I will track and list the first 15 graduates only)
Congrats to sd-weiss for being FTF
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Uneobe Servtug cnexvat Ybg - PIIP22658(n)