Night Caches

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I'm planning on making a nightcache that would be virtually impossible to find during the daytime. The container completely blends in with its surroundings unless you shine a blacklight on it, then it becomes completely obvious what it is.

 

My question is, does the need for a blacklight count as "special equipment"?

 

With the ClayJar rating system, it would be a 5 for difficulty

Extreme. A serious mental or physical challenge. Requires specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment to find cache.

except for the fact that it is not a serious mental or physical challenge if you have a portable blacklight. It would be a serious challenge without one though.

 

Should I rate it a 5 and note that a blacklight is required? How about only selecting the "Recommended at night" attribute and not mentioning the blacklight? This cache is meant to be easy with the proper equipment, I don't want to over-rate it

[+sept1c_tank]

My question is, does the need for a blacklight count as "special equipment"?

I would say that a portable blacklight is special equipment, unless you're a forensic scientist. But then, a flashlight would be special equipment if you were a typical, unprepared day-cacher.

 

I agree, if the terrain and difficulty (puzzles, etc.) are not really that hard, then you might want to rate it a 4.5 or something with a prominent explanation on the cache page that the blacklight is required.

 

It's not quite the same as special equipment like a boat or climbing gear; it doesn't really require any special training or skills to use.

 

BTW, are you loaning or renting blacklights to potential finders? Although I love to cache at night, I would probably not purchase a blacklight, no matter how inexpensive, just to find one cache.

 

Maybe if you had a whole series of blacklight/night caches...

Edited July 21, 2005 by sept1c_tank

[+Team GPSaxophone]

BTW, are you loaning or renting blacklights to prospective finders? Although I love to cache at night, I would probably not purchase a blacklight, no matter how inexpensive, just to find one cache.

 

Maybe if you had a whole series of blacklight/night caches...

Actually, we had a night multicache at our campout earlier this month. Several cachers in the area now own portable blacklights. I'm also working on a Halloween event where these lights would be extremely useful.

[+Renegade Knight]

Since a standard night cache needs special equipment (not everyone has a flashlight in their bag) and yours requires a blacklight (I've got one similar waiting to be placed) yes the blacklight is special equipment.

 

You probably already know this but in case you don't. Not all black lights have the same frequency output. Whatever you marked your container with may or may not fluoresce with some lights. I discovered this when I bought UV Paint and used an Innova UV Led light. It made most materials that fluoresce do so, but the paint was very weak. I emailed the paint company who said to get a UV light that uses a Fluorescent bulb. So I did, and it make a world of difference. My paint lit up like day. My cache will not be findable with the more expensive blacklight.

[+sept1c_tank]

...Several cachers in the area now own portable blacklights.

Then that supports the theory that it should not be rated a 5; blacklights are not really special equipment in your neighborhood...maybe!

[+tabulator32]

Despite the characteristics listed for a level five...I don't think I would list the cache as such if this were the only factor for this cache attributable to the level five rating.

 

I think I would rate it lower and make darn sure the cache description was very clear about needing a small, portable black light.

 

Incidentally, they happen to sell small, portable blacklights in many places for various purposes.

 

They can be found at Wal-marts and Targets and even Petsmart stores as the battery-powered lights are used to detect animal urine within a household.

 

They have become quite common and inexpensive.

 

Just my two cents worth.

 

Edited July 21, 2005 by tabulator32

[+beopots]

I've been kicking this idea around for a while and I was thinking of creating a multi with only a blacklight in the first cache (with a DO-NOT REMOVE/PLEASE REPLACE WHEN FINISHED tag) then placing coords in the nearby environment somewhere with uv paint. The finder would then have to find the coords (it's up to the hider if they want hints for this part or not) The coords would most likely have to be seen from the first stage, so your blacklight wouldn't walk off.

 

Then you could bypass the blacklight 'special equipment needed,' except for the flashlight of course.

 

You could also paint some 'scary eyes' nearby that would only be seen with the light, for added effect.

Edited July 21, 2005 by beopots

[+WizCreations]

I would just ignore including the black light in the difficulty rating, and just put a note on the page that says you need one. I would guess that most people use the difficulty rating as how hard it is to find the cache, or solve a puzzle. You could just put it to a 5 and explain that "special equipment" is required.

[+Marcie/Eric]

I had a portable blacklight for night discgolfing.

 

don't ask.

[+joe gremlin]

Here's a night cache that's on my to-do list. It needs a UV light but the light is provided for you to use in the second stage. If you did it that way you wouldn't have to worry about people having a light with the right frequency.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I would just ignore including the black light in the difficulty rating, and just put a note on the page that says you need one. I would guess that most people use the difficulty rating as how hard it is to find the cache, or solve a puzzle. You could just put it to a 5 and explain that "special equipment" is required.

Well, not everyone reads the cache description. I'd hate to list it as a 1/1 and make them mad because they can't find it at noon. Yes the container is in plain sight, but you can't see it without a blacklight.

[Artista]

A note for future reference. the UV reactive Wildfire (www.wildfirefx.com) paint degrades in regular sunlight. I do not know how long the reaction lasts, how long before it weathers away. Let me know. It is a cool idea tho..

[+Muirwoody]

I own a listing where you need a blacklight to read additional coordinates at the first stage. It's kind of implied in the description and there's a picture of someone using a blacklight in the first stage. I didn't list the terrain as a 5 which might put off some physically challenged cachers - when it shouldn't, instead I upped the difficulty to a 4.

 

Crime Scene

[+Team Teuton]

While we're on this subject, what is a good marker/paint to use that will react to a common black light?

 

Thanks...

 

-TT

[+Renegade Knight]

While we're on this subject, what is a good marker/paint to use that will react to a common black light?

 

Thanks...

 

-TT

Here is a source of UV Spray Paint.

http://www.clearneon.com/

 

UV Markers are different.

[+Team Teuton]

While we're on this subject, what is a good marker/paint to use that will react to a common black light?

 

Thanks...

 

-TT

Here is a source of UV Spray Paint.

http://www.clearneon.com/

 

UV Markers are different.

Ahhhh. Very cool, thanks.

[+briansnat]

I think that they had boats, climbing and scuba equipment, etc.... in mind when the 5 star, "special equipment" designation was created. I guess technically a blacklight could be considered special equipment, but in at least one thread I saw arguments for considering a regular flashlight to be special equipment.

 

I originally felt that "special equipment" is something that the average geocacher is not likely to carry, or have ready access to. I still feel that way to a point, but I'm not sure that the need for a blacklight quite rises to a 5 star rating.

 

If it were my cache I'd rate it 2-3 stars and I'd mention prominently on the page that a blacklight is required, but I guess an argument could be made for giving it a 5 star designation.

 

Is that sitting on the fence or what .

 

I've been kicking this idea around for a while and I was thinking of creating a multi with only a blacklight in the first cache (with a DO-NOT REMOVE/PLEASE REPLACE WHEN FINISHED tag) then placing coords in the nearby environment somewhere with uv paint.

 

This is a pretty good idea.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I own a listing where you need a blacklight to read additional coordinates at the first stage. It's kind of implied in the description and there's a picture of someone using a blacklight in the first stage. I didn't list the terrain as a 5 which might put off some physically challenged cachers - when it shouldn't, instead I upped the difficulty to a 4.

 

Crime Scene

Oh no, I'm not asking about terrain. A blacklight has nothing to do with getting to the cache. Only the difficulty rating would be affected by the need for a blacklight.

[+tabulator32]

I had a portable blacklight for night discgolfing.

 

don't ask.

Disc-golfing is pretty big in Carrollton, Texas.

 

I've gone cache-hunting on disc-golf courses at night and its cool to see the little discs with their red LED's spinning through the air and then hearing the rustle of chains.

[+Criminal]

I think the intent of the special equipment thing is for equipment that requires specialized training, like ropes or SCUBA. Are boots "special equipment"? I can think of a few caches that require those.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I think the intent of the special equipment thing is for equipment that requires specialized training, like ropes or SCUBA. Are boots "special equipment"? I can think of a few caches that require those.

"special equipment" is mentioned under both types of ratings, terrain and difficulty. For terrain, sure SCUBA and rock climbing equipment both fit, but what about difficulty? Since the difficulty rating is based on actually finding the cache (or the coordinates to the cache on most puzzles) wouldn't a blacklight qualify?

 

I've noticed a trand with terrain 5 caches. They aren't necessarily "extremely difficult", but they require something other than just hiking to the location (tree-climbing, rock-climbing, SCUBA, etc). It is really difficult to dive 30 feet if you already have SCUBA diving skills? A 5 terrain isn't necessarily more difficult than a 4 or a 3, it just means you need to bring something with you. Same for a difficulty 5, IMHO.

[+sept1c_tank]

I think the intent of the special equipment thing is for equipment that requires specialized training, like ropes or SCUBA.  Are boots "special equipment"?  I can think of a few caches that require those.

"special equipment" is mentioned under both types of ratings, terrain and difficulty. For terrain, sure SCUBA and rock climbing equipment both fit, but what about difficulty? Since the difficulty rating is based on actually finding the cache (or the coordinates to the cache on most puzzles) wouldn't a blacklight qualify?

 

I've noticed a trand with terrain 5 caches. They aren't necessarily "extremely difficult", but they require something other than just hiking to the location (tree-climbing, rock-climbing, SCUBA, etc). It is really difficult to dive 30 feet if you already have SCUBA diving skills? A 5 terrain isn't necessarily more difficult than a 4 or a 3, it just means you need to bring something with you. Same for a difficulty 5, IMHO.

By your logic, a puzzle cache requiring anything not normally carried (a calculator, information found on the internet, or 3-D glasses) should be rated a difficulty 5.

 

IMHO, YHO is wrong. It appears most of the responders to this thread agree.

 

But who are we to tell you how to play the game; maybe I will start using that ignore button.

[sporkboy]

I had considered making a blacklight cache but I ran into this same problem of someone needing special equipment or providing it and risking someone walking off with it.

 

I'm not sure if this will work yet but I'm looking into finding some clear drying glow in the dark paint. This way you'd just need a flashlight and as an added bonus it would be invisible when the light was on it but clear when you turn your back to it.

[+budd-rdc]

Regardless of cost, I consider blacklight to be special equipment. Ask yourself what else will you use it for?

 

Regular flashlights are not really special, because they can be bought almost anywhere, and are used for many other purposes.

 

The debate can go further on whether pocket knife or even handkerchief are considered "special equipment."

[+sept1c_tank]

Having the right attitude for caching is definitely "special equipment."

 

I reckon if I found a 5 rated cache that I judged to be only a 3, I'd just consider it more proof of my super-cacher abilities.

[+Criminal]

Actually, I wish they would split "special equipment required" out of the difficulty and terrain ratings. Maybe another set of stars or some other way to indicate that SE is necessary. Then when I’m looking at a 2/4.5 rated cache, I'll know what the difficulty and terrain are really going to be.

 

But to answer the question originally asked, I prefer to think of “specialized equipment” as being technical equipment that requires a learned skill to use safely and properly.

 

EDIT: How about the cache name with the suffix SE to indicate it?

Edited July 22, 2005 by Criminal

[+Team GPSaxophone]

But to answer the question originally asked, I prefer to think of “specialized equipment” as being technical equipment that requires a learned skill to use safely and properly.

Thank you Criminal, that is by far the best answer I've read.

[+sept1c_tank]

But to answer the question originally asked, I prefer to think of “specialized equipment” as being technical equipment that requires a learned skill to use safely and properly.

Thank you Criminal, that is by far the best answer I've read.

I guess you're just ingoring me.

 

...It's not quite the same as special equipment like a boat or climbing gear; it doesn't really require any special training or skills to use.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

But to answer the question originally asked, I prefer to think of “specialized equipment” as being technical equipment that requires a learned skill to use safely and properly.

Thank you Criminal, that is by far the best answer I've read.

I guess you're just ingoring me.

Don't we always?

[Yankees Win!]

If it is not something the typical geocacher would be carrying, and the cache can't be found/accessed without it, it is "specialized equipment."

 

Skill and/or training are irrelevant ... if all one needed to snag a cache was a wire hanger straightened out with a little bend at one end, that wire hanger would be "specialized equipment."

[+briansnat]

Skill and/or training are irrelevant ... if all one needed to snag a cache was a wire hanger straightened out with a little bend at one end, that wire hanger would be "specialized equipment."

I sincerely doubt that was the intent of the people who developed the designation.

[Yankees Win!]

I sincerely doubt that was the intent of the people who developed the designation.

I think that we are only interested in the terminology as it is used in geocaching. So who created the geocaching rating system? Markwell? Clayjar? Clayjar and Markwell?

I don't know, but since you have occasionally posted the rating system, perhaps you do know. Please, ask whoever created the system exactly what they meant ... or better yet, ask Jeremy for his official opinion on the matter. That should settle the matter neatly, and once and for all.

[+sept1c_tank]

... if all one needed to snag a cache was a wire hanger straightened out with a little bend at one end, that wire hanger would be "specialized equipment."

Only for very special people.

 

But to answer the question originally asked, I prefer to think of “specialized equipment” as being technical equipment that requires a learned skill to use safely and properly.

Thank you Criminal, that is by far the best answer I've read.

I guess you're just ingoring me.

Don't we always?

 

Just checking.

[+Criminal]

I sincerely doubt that was the intent of the people who developed the designation.

I think that we are only interested in the terminology as it is used in geocaching. So who created the geocaching rating system? Markwell? Clayjar? Clayjar and Markwell?

I don't know, but since you have occasionally posted the rating system, perhaps you do know. Please, ask whoever created the system exactly what they meant ... or better yet, ask Jeremy for his official opinion on the matter. That should settle the matter neatly, and once and for all.

The point of using stars to rate the difficulty and terrain is to provide the viewer of the page an “at a glace” idea of what they are getting themselves into.

 

A cache that’s on top of a mountain, requires a bushwhack because there’s no trails, involves a 20 mile round trip, need a straightened out coat hanger to retrieve, rated 2/5

 

A cache that’s in the city park, is 100 yards round trip, on a paved trail, and you need a coat hanger straightened out, rated 2/5

 

No, sorry, I don’t consider a straightened out coat hanger to be special equipment. I think people rate that way so they can have some perceived prestige for hiding (or finding) a higher rated cache without having to work too hard.

[Yankees Win!]

No, sorry, I don’t consider a straightened out coat hanger to be special equipment.  I think people rate that way so they can have some perceived prestige for hiding (or finding) a higher rated cache without having to work too hard.

Okay. I had never considered there was "prestige" embedded in ratings stars. What a silly concept!

 

Sure, I can see your point if one believes the ratings stars are some kind of indication of machismo, but I personally don't believe they are, and "I sincerely doubt that was the intent of the people who developed the designations." But I refer you back to my earlier post, where I suggested it would be best to ask those who created the ratings system.

 

I would definitely be pretty burned up if I walked even a flat half mile to some cache only to discover it was 22 inches out of reach because I needed that wire coat hanger that wasn't listed on the page or reflected by the rating. (Or, to refer to the OP, if I attempted a night cache and discovered I needed a special UV flashlight that wasn't mentioned on the page or reflected by the rating.)

 

I also see why the Septic Tank guy wouldn't consider the wire coat hanger to be special equipment ... he could easily just pluck a few strands of that long, flowing hair from his head and braid them into a rope and attach his multi-tool as a hook. Unfortunately, not all of us are so blessed.

 

I agree that the level 1 - 4 stars indicate increasing levels of difficulty. To me, 5 difficulty stars merely means the cache has "special considerations."

Edited July 23, 2005 by Yankees Win!

[+Criminal]

...some perceived prestige for hiding (or finding) a higher rated cache without having to work too hard.

Okay. I had never considered there was "prestige" embedded in ratings stars. What a silly concept! Sure, I can see your point if one believes the ratings stars are some kind of indication of machismo...

Read what I wrote. The ratings should provide the viewer of the page a quick glance idea of what they are going after.

[Yankees Win!]

Read what I wrote.

I did. You're arguing against the rating system that provides, at a quick glance, vital information about the cache while at the same time arguing that cache pages should provide, at a quick glance, vital information about the cache. Okie-Dokie.

 

I read somewhere how one cache owner handled it: He hid a cache in a cave, but didn't mention it in the cache information. His encrypted clue was "bring a flashlight." Is that how you want it handled?

Edited July 23, 2005 by Yankees Win!

[+Criminal]

Read what I wrote.

I did. You're arguing against the rating system that provides, at a quick glance, vital information about the cache while at the same time arguing that cache pages should provide, at a quick glance, vital information about the cache. Okie-Dokie.

 

I read somewhere how one cache owner handled it: He hid a cache in a cave, but didn't mention it in the cache information. His encrypted clue was "bring a flashlight." Is that how you want it handled?

LOL! Damnn would I be pissed to find that encrypted clue!

 

I think a 5 star difficulty should only have one meaning. Any SE could be in the verbiage with the rest of the information.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I sincerely doubt that was the intent of the people who developed the designation.

I think that we are only interested in the terminology as it is used in geocaching. So who created the geocaching rating system? Markwell? Clayjar? Clayjar and Markwell?

I don't know, but since you have occasionally posted the rating system, perhaps you do know. Please, ask whoever created the system exactly what they meant ... or better yet, ask Jeremy for his official opinion on the matter. That should settle the matter neatly, and once and for all.

The point of using stars to rate the difficulty and terrain is to provide the viewer of the page an “at a glace” idea of what they are getting themselves into.

 

A cache that’s on top of a mountain, requires a bushwhack because there’s no trails, involves a 20 mile round trip, need a straightened out coat hanger to retrieve, rated 2/5

 

A cache that’s in the city park, is 100 yards round trip, on a paved trail, and you need a coat hanger straightened out, rated 2/5

 

No, sorry, I don’t consider a straightened out coat hanger to be special equipment. I think people rate that way so they can have some perceived prestige for hiding (or finding) a higher rated cache without having to work too hard.

Criminal, you forgot something: The terrain rating is how hard it is to get to the cache area. The difficullty rating is how hard the cache is to find.

 

With your two examples, the second would be a 5/2, not a 2/5

[+Criminal]

Ok, whatever, I’m fast losing interest here. My point all along is that having to use a black-light or a coat hanger does not make the cache any more difficult, it just means you have to have something. When I see four stars, I think it should be because the difficulty or terrain is one degree harder than if I had only seen three. When I see five stars, it should be because the cache (difficulty or terrain) is extreme. If anything, the two examples I used here, black-light and coat hanger, actually make the cache easier.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Ok, my Cinco de Saxo cache is rated 5 for difficulty because "special knowledge" is required (the ability to read music). It's also rated 5 stars for terrain because...well, only the people that have found it know why.

 

What else could give a cache a 5 star rating for difficulty? The rating system says "Extreme. A serious mental or physical challenge. Requires specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment to find cache."

So, I've got one with the knowledge/skills part, but what "equipment" would earn this rating? An Enigma machine?

[+BigWhiteTruck]

I would definitely be pretty burned up if I walked even a flat half mile to some cache only to discover it was 22 inches out of reach because I needed that wire coat hanger that wasn't listed on the page or reflected by the rating.  (Or, to refer to the OP, if I attempted a night cache and discovered I needed a special UV flashlight that wasn't mentioned on the page or reflected by the rating.)

I would be pretty burned up if I packed up all my climbing gear and then carried it half a mile to a level-5 terrain cache, only to discover that none of it was needed, and the rating came from the cache being 22 inches out of my reach because I need to use a wire coat hanger.

But then again, that's why we read the cache description before we go out, isn't it?

 

Terrain rating is supposed to rate the terrain. So that begs the question: "How do I know how to rate the terrain"? Well here is your answer: If a person in a wheelchair can do it: that's a one. If the terrain is so steep, dangerous, or deep that it requires specialized equipment just to traverse it, that should be a five. Everything else falls in between.

 

Some people have perverted the use of the words "specialized equipment" to mean that the use of any type of equipment beyond what they deem to be "normal" indicates a level-5 status. Well, that is just rediculous, not to mention failed logic.

 

When trying to rate the terrain, rate the freakin' terrain! Same thing with difficulty. If you decide to require that a person uses a special tool, like a coat-hanger, and you tell them about it in the description, then rate the difficulty as if you are assuming that they brought the tool. If you want to not tell them about it beforehand in the description, add a point or two, depending how hard it is to get the tool. Do something that makes sense, and do it in the description, that's why its there. Don't bastardize the terrain ratings.

[Yankees Win!]

I would be pretty burned up if I packed up all my climbing gear and then carried it half a mile to a level-5 terrain cache, only to discover that none of it was needed, and the rating came from the cache being 22 inches out of my reach because I need to use a wire coat hanger.

Well, if you stowed your climbing gear between the metal detector and complete set of encyclopedias in the kayak you also always carry to 5-star caches, it shouldn't be a problem at all.

 

But then again, that's why we read the cache description before we go out, isn't it?

 

Not if, as in the anecdote I posted, that information was found in the encrypted clue. I never use the clues, but I understand some people won't do a cache without first reading them. C'est la Vie.

 

But ... we've seen quite a few radical positions posted in these forums lately, so allow me to offer one for this thread: Eliminate the ratings system and cache descriptions completely. List only the cache name and its coordinates. Make every cache a "mystery" cache.

Edited July 25, 2005 by Yankees Win!

[+Gecko1]

My question is, does the need for a blacklight count as "special equipment"?

It should count as equipment, but the rating should not be 5.

[+briansnat]

Read what I wrote.

I did. You're arguing against the rating system that provides, at a quick glance, vital information about the cache while at the same time arguing that cache pages should provide, at a quick glance, vital information about the cache. Okie-Dokie.

 

I read somewhere how one cache owner handled it: He hid a cache in a cave, but didn't mention it in the cache information. His encrypted clue was "bring a flashlight." Is that how you want it handled?

LOL! Damnn would I be pissed to find that encrypted clue!

 

I was. I had to walk a half mile back to my car.

Edited July 25, 2005 by briansnat

[+briansnat]

I sincerely doubt that was the intent of the people who developed the designation.

I think that we are only interested in the terminology as it is used in geocaching. So who created the geocaching rating system? Markwell? Clayjar? Clayjar and Markwell?

I don't know, but since you have occasionally posted the rating system, perhaps you do know. Please, ask whoever created the system exactly what they meant ... or better yet, ask Jeremy for his official opinion on the matter. That should settle the matter neatly, and once and for all.

The rating system was developed by Scout, Brokenwing, Clayjar, Markwell and a few others. Early versions of a 5 star rating that were kicked around included:

 

"5 star - technical expertise required.

 

5 = Extreme (Climbing or scuba gear)

 

5: An impossible hike. Something must be so difficult that this cannot be done just by hiking. It may require mountain-climbing gear, a helicopter, scuba, or oxygen, but it cannot be done without some significant piece of equipment.

 

So it's clear they were not talking about bent coat hangers when it came to five star caches. Even the final version is pretty clear they didn't mean things like insect repellent, hiking boots, flashlights, backpacks and bent coat hangers:

 

Requires specialized equipment and knowledge or experience, (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc) or is otherwise extremely difficult.

 

Note the "specialized equipment AND knowledge". Climbing, SCUBA and even paddling a canoe or kayak require both. I don't think bending a hanger or flicking on a flashlight requires any specialized knowledge.

Edited July 25, 2005 by briansnat

[Yankees Win!]

Note the "specialized equipment AND knowledge".

That's not what it says. It says "specialized equipment and" "knowledge or experience" ... Still, as many people have argued, the rating is in itself meaningless without text that details the nature of the experience, knowledge, or equipment required. We agree that descriptive text is needed.

 

But climbing gear is no different from that wire coat hanger or that special UV flashlight or any other 'exceptional' equipment that any normally well-prepared hiker would not be carrying in his backpack on a typical hike. The 5th star is especially relevant for those people who might not otherwise check cache descriptions (people who hunt caches using only coordinates and users of basic PQs, I think), so there needs to be a method for such people to know that the coordinates are insufficient information.

 

The 5th star currently fulfills that requirement. I suppose an alternate cache "type" icon could be created instead.

Edited July 25, 2005 by Yankees Win!

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Let's get back on topic here, a blacklight, binoculars, bird dictionary, etc. have nothing to do with the terrain rating. This thread is about the difficulty rating and how it relates to blacklight caches.

 

Once again, the difficulty rating questionaire says:

How easy is it to find the cache?

 

1. Cache is in plain sight or location is fairly obvious.

2. Cache could be in one of several locations. Hunter may have to look for a while.

3. Cache may be very well hidden, may be multi-leg, or may use clues to location.

4. Cache likely requires special skills, knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days or trips to find

5. Finding this cache requires very specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment. This is a serious mental or physical challenge.

Please consider visibility, accessibility, and relative signal strength due to tree cover or other obstructions when answering this question.

So which would you select for the requirement to use a blacklight? I mean, the cache container I'm working on will be in plain sight, but you won't be able to see it (it blends in too well) unless you're caching at night with a portable blacklight. Would a blacklight fit the 5-star, "Finding this cache requires very specialized ... equipment" part? it doesn't fit the next statement, "This is a serious mental or physical challenge"

[+Muirwoody]

In my earlier post I pointed out that I have a cache that requires a black light . I selected a difficulty "4" because it would probably take them at least 1 trip to realize they needed a blacklight, then they'll have to make a return trip with one. I note in the description it will probably take more than 1 trip, but I don't tell them why.

 

On another related issue. I experimented with several black lights, inks, times-of-day, etc when I was planning my cache to simulate another cacher looking for it. Have you "practiced" with your cache and black light to see if they will be able to find it? Assuming most people end up with a pet store urine detector ($10-$15) or internet ~$9 w/S+H. These usually need to be very close (<2') to the surface to see the "paint". Will that be good enough to find your container? The keychain blacklights sold to detect the strips in the new U.S. currency need to be even closer. To have the kind of "flashlight blacklight" that will illuminate 5- 10' ahead - they are ~$75. Yeah, I bought one as I got more interested in black lights, but I wouldn't expect a cacher to spend that amount of $ to find my cache.

[+Criminal]

5. Finding this cache requires very specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment. This is a serious mental or physical challenge.

Yes, this sure is. Five stars for a simple question becoming silly.

 

Sax, you're smart enough to figure this out on your own, and probably better off.