Multicache Limits

[+dgabler]

Are there acceptable limits to the number of legs for a multi cache. I am thinking about a 5 or 6 leg multicache. The only ones I have seen do not have that many legs. I think if I just put a disclaimer that there are numberous legs to a cache that it should be fine but....

 

Thoughts?

[+tabulator32]

You should probably indicate how many legs there are in your cache, however, I don't believe there has been a limit set for the number of legs there can be. I have heard of them with 50 or more. (I personally wouldn't create one with 50 legs unless it was really amazing.)

 

[+Moose Mob]

No specifioc limit, but 5 or 6 would be a good upper end. Just make sure they take you to something interesting and folks will enjoy it more, and thus, more visitors.

[+briansnat]

There is no limit. The more legs you have however the fewer people will bother with it. As a placer my multis are generally 2-3 legs. I do have one with 6 legs, but its done via automobile.

 

As a searcher, I'm unlikely to attempt something more than 5-6 legs.

[+Faith the Aquariaqueen]

5-6 would be my limit as well. I've been working on a 5 legger, and just too busy to go to the last one because of its distance from the others. So the conclusion will have to wait for a more appropriate time.

[+pdxmarathonman]

there is a 10-leg multi around here. I haven't bothered.

Apparently there is a long multi up near Seattle that has unknown number of legs (and you're supposed to keep the secret when you're done).

[+Sue Gremlin]

We just did this 8 leg cache a couple of weeks ago. It was FUN!

Joe and I talked a bit about this, we had done a 5 leg cache a while back that we both hated because the stages (which used existing signs with clues and instructions for the coordinates) were so vague and ambiguous that we weren't even sure we were on the right track until we got to the end. By ambiguous, I mean that the clue would tell us to add the three numbers that appear on a sign together, yet there were more than three numbers, or more than one sign to choose from). It was frustrating and not much fun. (why did we finish it? Because it is there.)

Anyway, the 8 stage was a fabulous cache because the stages were CLEAR and challenging, and we knew where we stood at every stage.

Just something to consider.

[+Mandrew]

I just finished putting out a 10 stage Lord of the Rings multi that takes you to several different areas of interest.

 

I think the best way to do this is to allow multiple logs to give incentive for others to do this cache. You could make a stage halfway have a log and the final another log or something like that. I have four logs along the way.

[+robert]

One of my favorite multis is a 6 stage multi along a nice trail. Anything much more than that is a chore. This one was great because each stage is unique. With a spotted dog cache, you never know what you're going to look for!

[+Tidalflame]

I just finished putting out a 10 stage Lord of the Rings multi that takes you to several different areas of interest.

 

I think the best way to do this is to allow multiple logs to give incentive for others to do this cache. You could make a stage halfway have a log and the final another log or something like that. I have four logs along the way.

If it's based on the Lord of the Rings, it should have like 3894092 legs. And they should all be really far apart.

 

=P

[+Dan-oh]

We've set up an ump-teen waypoint multi here in North San Diego county. It was intended as a milestone cache and its turned out to be just that. We spent 4+ months laying it out, constructing and testing so there certainly is substance to the cache.

 

Its important that your area can support a large multi cache. It would have been crushing to have 3 cachers a year come through.

Turns out 35 in a year, not bad.

 

Snakes & Ladders (GCJG08)

 

Typically, I have 4-6 stage multis but even those take a while to set up.

[+Shanynrose]

THIS was my first cache, enjoyed with RFO. It's a virtual in Downtown Disney (shopping district outside Disneyland) and the surrounding hotels, has 20 steps, and we got it in just under the three hour free parking limit.

 

(Thanks to Klemmer and TeddyBearMama for the cool virtual, and to my partner RFO for a great introduction to the sport. Poor guy, I've been pestering him ever since.)

 

It was a great chance for me to learn how to use a GPSr *and* showcase my Disney geekery Loved it, got hooked, the rest is history. Well, not really history as I'm still caching.

 

I haven't done any multis since then, but I have several with evil reputations printed out and ready to go from a planned caching day last week that went awry.

I'm not afraid of them, but then I'm not afraid of much.

 

IMO, the distance from home would be a big factor in deciding how many steps I'd be willing to do. Close to home I'd be willing to go through more steps than, say, 20 or more miles away where I might not have the time to go two days in a row (or more.) I think the inability to return daily until I finished would cause my MIA paranoia to kick in, just because most of my DNFs have actually been MIA.

[+Camo-crazed]

There are lots of factors to take into consideration

 

Distance (1 mile or 20 miles)

Toughness of the legs ( is it a neon orange film can or a hollow bolt)

How ambitious are people in your area (are they up to a one leg or a twenty leg cache)

Terrain ( flat or 90 degrees up, driveable or mountain climbers only)

What's at the end (lampost micro in a dump or a mountaintop view and an ammo box)

 

I personally just completed a 18 leg multi two days ago, but it was , for the biggest part, driveable, not too far between waypoints, and in an ammo box (no mountains though). Add that to the fact that we have a very ambitious cacher population and it starts getting a lot of visits. of course it was put out 2-3 years ago and the last finder was 11 months prior to my log, because almost everyone around had already gotten it.

 

in the end though, it's all up to you

[+GRANPA ALEX]

It does not seem important that the number of legs be considered, only that that number be listed up front on the cache page.

 

With limited time to cache, one wants to start a cache that can be finished - it can choke you if you find out you have driven 10 miles to a cache only to find it is the first stage of a long multi . . . frustrating in 100 degree temps.

 

This happened to me this last Saturday around DC, it was crushing in the heat & traffic up there.

 

GA

[+nfa]

I recently placed a 21 leg multi-cache...

 

Adirondack Murder Mystery

 

nfa-jamie

[+jimmyreno]

Are there acceptable limits to the number of legs for a multi cache. I am thinking about a 5 or 6 leg multicache. The only ones I have seen do not have that many legs. I think if I just put a disclaimer that there are numberous legs to a cache that it should be fine but....

 

Thoughts?

Do you want people to visit your cache?

or ignore it?

 

The more legs the fewer people who will go for it.

[+Sue Gremlin]

I recently placed a 21 leg multi-cache...

 

Adirondack Murder Mystery

 

nfa-jamie

What a great idea for a cache! We may have to drive way up there (almost 300 miles) to do that one.

[+Salvelinus]

Do you want people to visit your cache?

or ignore it?

 

The more legs the fewer people who will go for it.

I have a very extensive Multi Cache that is 9 stages and a total of 50+ miles from start to finish.

 

Frankly, I designed it so that those who will look for it and finish it, will greatly appreciate it. The logs bear that out.

 

Also, if certain local cachers don't ever attempt it, then I know I did it right.

 

Salvelinus

[+Smukke]

Until very recently, I was really scared of multis. I am not terribly good at locating micros, and the idea of finding 3-4 micros just to get one cache seemed rather like more than I could possibly do myself. Then I did "An Aggie Micro" with my mom (who is really good at thinking like a micro-cache), and I actually found the first stage myself... And this week we did some really fun multis in Michigan with my family of non-GCers, and just had a good time in some great parks under the sunshine...

 

Multis still intimidate me, but not as much as they once did. Still... it would have to be something pretty spectacular or in a park I really wanted to see to make me try more than 5-6 stages. It's bad enough to not-find a micro that's just a traditional cache; it's awful to have found the first x stages of a multi and not be able to finish it.

[+StarBrand]

The number of vistors drops proportionately as the number of stages increases. Having said that. One of my most memorable caches was a 5 stage multi in a large park.

[vagabond]

There is a 16 waypointer in San Diego county that went for 2 weeks before it was logged. For San Diego thats an eternity

[+Kai Team]

The number of vistors drops proportionately as the number of stages increases...

And the maintenance rises proportionately as the number of stages increases.

 

There's no limit on the number of stages, but please make sure you're up for maintaining each stage of your multi - even if they're micros, each stage is subject to being waterlogged, muggled, etc. If it turns out to be many stages with few visitors, be sure you have the internal motivation to maintain it!