Difficulty Level

[Cruising_Adventuring]

I am a new cacher with only one cach hide (serrano indian overlook), so i was wondering what diffuculty rating you pick out when looking for caches. Also would you use climbing gear to get a cache stuck in a crack on a 30-70 foot tall rock? Im asking these questions because i like being creative and thinking of ways to hide/camo caches to make them very difficult to find, but if i make these so difficult to find do i need to put a nice cache...like money...in them to entice people to look for them or do you mind searching for maybe hours to find a few trinkets?

[+sept1c_tank]

I have found a wide range of difficulty/terrain caches, and I have enjoyed in various degrees, the different challenges. Mostly I like caches that take me to cool places or involve unique hides or containers.

 

Typically, I choose those caches that sound interesting (the presentation of the cache page is key here), and with the exception of hydro caches, I will avoid those that involve specialized equipment. Technical climbing is out of the question for me.

 

Edit: Money would be nice, but it wouldn't entice me to use climbing gear to find a cache...unless you're talking about a whole lot of money. Otherwise, the swag is inconsequential; I usually don't trade anyway.

Edited August 12, 2005 by sept1c_tank

[Tahosa and Sons]

Give me a multi, a mountain and I'm ready to hide. Its the location not what is the swag that count.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Depends. When I'm caching with my kids (which is most of the time) I like to let them find it. If I'm after a 1 or 1.5 then I point my 4 year old to the general area and let him look. If I'm after a 1.5 or 2 then I usually let our 6 year old hunt for it. My 8 year old will hunt for anything else. Sure, it doesn't always work out that whomever's "turn" it is will find it, but we try to balance it out that way.

When I'm alone, I like to find caches within about 15 minutes of searching. More than that and I just get frustrated with the location, but I'll usually come back later to find it. Many 3 star and up caches take a second visit since I only look for so long before moving on to the next cache. Some caches take multiple visits. There's a 4 star I've been to about a half a dozen times with no luck. I have no idea what size the container is or how high up the rock face it is. Why do I go back time and time again? I must conquer it!

 

So to answer the OP's question, I like all difficulty ratings, I just pick and choose what I have time for on any particular day. There should be a good balance of styles and difficulty levels in any area.

[nobby.nobbs]

yeah i'll second the variety answer.

 

sometimes i want easy sometimes hard. but always the choice.

[+Team Dromomania]

I like hiking a few hours to grab a cache. Of course, I just like hiking. The swag doesn't matter. Like buying a home it's location, location, location. Give me a new trail and I'm there.

 

That being said, I enjoy difficult urban caches IF I don't have to act the fool in public. If mugglers are around I'll give the cache a try for a minute or two. If nobody is around I might spend 1/2 hr or even an hour looking.

[+jimmyreno]

I like hard caches, BUT, if you make it hard make dammm sure you get good readings on the coordinates!!!

 

At a minimum it shouldn't be under tree cover, also steep slopes present a problem, because in a short distance you may be either at the top of a cliff or the bottom.

 

Few people will go to a cache that requires serious rock climbing.

If it's near a city with a million+ people there be takers, otherwise not.

 

edited cause dadgum looked flakey :>

Edited August 12, 2005 by jimmyreno

[+Mastifflover]

I like them all. Just depends on what mood I'm in that day. Multiple find micro day or running around in the woods with my dog for a few hours to find 1 cache.

[+501_Gang]

We like traditional hides the best the diff & terrain levels doessn't matter. Even though we are starting to like the higher ratings better. Micro's are okay, but the kids like to "find" something after all the work. Visuals are nice because you usually learn something from them about history.

[+reveritt]

As for difficulty, I say do whatever you want, but make the level and nature of difficulty clear on the cache page.

 

As for contents--it ain't about the swag, brother! I like to find a well-stocked cache; everyone does, but it isn't my main reason for caching.

 

I put just as much effort into stocking my easy hides as I do my difficult ones. I think that if a cache starts out well-stocked, it will take a bit longer to degrade to McToys and golf balls--at least, that seems to the case with my own caches.

[+briansnat]

I like them hard to get to but easy to find. If they aren't hard to get to, I don't mind a little challenge with the search.

[+beopots]

are we talking terrain? cuz we usually make it alot harder than it needs to be. We've successfully morphed a 3 star into a 5 star on several occasions(and climbed a few mountains that weren't neccesary).

 

However I'm inclined to side with the people who say it doesn't mater what rating if it's a good find. I prefer high terrain ratings over difficulty(i.e. puzzles).

[+VegasCacheHounds]

First off, let me say "Heck Yeah! I'd looove to find a cache hidden where I could climb or rappel to!". Of course, you might have had a tough time guessing that, with my avatar and all

 

Anyways, back to the original question, I like hard caches, for the most part. I love a good puzzle, and difficult terrain is always fun. Time prevents me from hunting many of these types, but when I do I always enjoy them a lot more.

 

I also like a cleverly hidden cache.

 

What I don't care too much for is a small cache hidden in a place with a million possible spots. If it takes me a while to find the cache once I'm at ground zero, I'd much rather think "Geez, it was right there and I didn't even realize it!" than "Man, finally, it was in hole #4829 out of 28373".

[+edscott]

I like all difficulties depending on how much time I have, but what I do not like are the caches that are difficult because of sloppy coordinates.

[Cruising_Adventuring]

Thanks for all of the replies! I like hearing what other people like finding, so i can come up with good ideas for my own caches. Hopefully in a couple of days i will find a good hiding spot for a 4-5 difficulty cache, and i think it will be around a 3 terrain. The first 5 finders of this cache can take a dollar each and leave something Very Small in return!... Even though the "container" is about 20 pounds and about 1'x1'. If your in the CA area keep a look out for this cache!

[+Team Red Oak]

Variety is the spice of life. We like all caches depending on what we're in the mood for. I must say we've had a difficult time finding a 1.5 star hide and have walked right up to a 5 star hide. Terrain difficulty doesn't matter for us in anything but how many we do in one day.

 

As for needing specialized eqipment, if we had it, we would use it. Unfortunately, we don't have any. So we would have to go with someone who did and had extra for us. We have both been rappelling and rock climbing while on an outdoor type vacation, it is not something we would do on our own.

 

I say hide the cache. There are people out there who would look for it, just don't expect it to be a cache that is found once a week. The more specialized equipment needed means fewer people will be able to look for it. But it doens't mean you shouldn't hide it.

[+sbell111]

I've been gimpy lately, so I prefer them with a low terrain rating. Since its a very hot summer, I prefer not to look forever. Apparently, I'm getting wimpy in my old age.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Thanks for all of the replies! I like hearing what other people like finding, so i can come up with good ideas for my own caches. Hopefully in a couple of days i will find a good hiding spot for a 4-5 difficulty cache, and i think it will be around a 3 terrain. The first 5 finders of this cache can take a dollar each and leave something Very Small in return!... Even though the "container" is about 20 pounds and about 1'x1'. If your in the CA area keep a look out for this cache!

Um...someone could be in "the CA area" and still be well over 500 miles from the cache. Could you be a bit more specific as to what area it's in?

[Cruising_Adventuring]

big bear

[+Harry Dolphin]

I've done some difficult caches, both in terrain and difficulty. I do not do any requiring special equipment, like a boat, or rappeling gear. (Though there is one that seems to require a rope ladder that I am considering...)

One took close to a year to collect the pertinent data, and help from my brother to solve. Another Lake of the Clouds Hut, took us two days to hike to, but was an added bonus on a five day backpacking hike on the Presi Traverse.

What I want is an honest cache. None of the 'make it nasty because I don't know any better caches'. I'm tired of the 'bison tube in the prickly evergreen bush' caches. Show me somewhere pretty! Hide a cache that's not a needle in a haystack!

[+sbell111]

Wait a minute. Bison tube in a prickly evergreen bush?

 

This is gold. I've got to write this down.

[+geckoboy49]

Wait a minute. Bison tube in a prickly evergreen bush?

 

This is gold. I've got to write this down.

OK........what's a bison tube?