Urban Cache Tips Needed

[Hiwatt25]

I work on the Yale campus five days a week and the idea of hiding a cache in an urban environment like this seems fun.

 

Would anyone with some urban experience share their thoughts with me regarding hiding places? Ideally, I'd like to keep muggles out and I'm wondering if that means I have to stick mainly to micro caches or if others have had luck "hiding in plain sight"

 

Thanks

[+Moose Mob]

First I want to say that your enthusiasm is great.

 

Next I would suggest that you find a few more to get a better idea of what folks in your area have done. That should help stimulate your imagination.

[+Bill & Tammy]

We found found urban caches a good opportunity to place "handicacher" freindly caches, that is they can be enjoyed by those who must use mobility aids. The last one was a hide-a-key micro placed behind a sign belonging to an organization at about 3 1'2 feet off of the ground.

[+Jamie Z]

I have an ammo box hidden on a university campus. Took me a while to find a place to put it, but it's so much better than if I tossed a film canister somewhere.

 

Jamie

[+Renegade Knight]

First of all, don't take local caches as gospel as how caches are done. They vary by region and it's always interesting to travel land see how others do it.

 

Second the urban caches I like (and I like some others hate) take you to something unique, hidden, historical, out of the way etc. Others that I've enjoyed are creative in how they are hid though there is nothing special about a parking garage or parking lot.

 

One common thread for me is that I dislike any cache that leaves you exposed while you look for the cache. It just invites people to stare and puts the cache at risk for being stolen.

 

Every town has magic spots. A storm drainage facility that is behind a hosptical and office park, overlooked and negleced where deer congregate, or a homeless camp hidden one step over (I like those others hate them) from the mall. A short climb in the rocks just off a road that opens up into an alcove where you can hunt for the cache at your leisure. A lot of these places are where you have driven by a thousand times and said "That looks cool, one of these days I'll check it out...". As a geocacher go check them out. Odds are you are right and they are worthy of an urban cache.

 

Technical hides are perhaps even harder. Any chucklehead can say "wow this spot is kinda cool" and hide a cache. Not everyone can hide one in plain sight that is fairly safe from muggles. One of the best I found was a light switch on a wall. Electrical equipment is so common you don't even notice it, until you realize that a tiny tab of velcro is visible on the switch...That cache was the hide of the day it was so creative (and obvious after we saw it...)

Edited October 31, 2005 by Renegade Knight

[+Sputnik 57]

One of my favorites is this great hide by Criminal. (The whole thread has some cool ideas). As I recall, Criminal's cache requires you to do some math that will lead you to a three digit solution, which turns out to be the combination for the lock.

[+Team Red Oak]

We've found 3 urban caches that are magnetic key holders placed under a park bench. It may be difficult for a handicacher to get to because they are usually placed under the bench near the side but also near the back. That way if a non-geocacher sits on the bench and drops something they won't see the cache unless they really look under the bench. I've found them by sitting dsown and reaching my hand under the side of the bench.

 

One of the benches was at a nice park with a view of the pond and fountain, another was at a playground, and the third was at the beginning of a paved nature trail that wound its way through a townhouse community. We've also found urbans just off of paved walking paths hidden in the knot of a tree. I've found stage 2 of a multi on a baseball field back stop.

 

There are many different ideas, maybe hide in an old rock wall, or a public garden.

[+Team Perks]

I have an ammo box hidden on a university campus.

Ammo cans have been mistaken for bombs on university campuses around here.

 

Moral: Hiding a larger cache in an urban setting is tricky, but be especially careful where you hide something big if you do.

[+humanloofa]

I just hid one by my work that a few local cachers seem to have liked. I used a key safe mounted to the wall behind the building I work at. There are a few of these around the property so they blend in well and it's muggle proof. You could make the combo part of a multi or have them work out some kind of math problem to get it.

 

 

Muggle free since 1975

[rogheff]

I have a number of urban caches. They seem to be our favorite. I'm always looking for new ideas. We recently placed a 10 stage multi cache that uses no containers until the end. We use tags, fake plants, birdhouses, anything to help it blend into it's surroundings. Everyone around here uses micros placed in pill bottles, so we like to break that mold.

[+Coal7]

The main thing is to be creative in you cache. Everybody does film cansters and Hide a keys (Guilty) Fake rocks and tree stumps are good, Sprinkler heads are also good. You can get a small one for around a doller at one of the major home centers.

[+Jamie Z]

Ammo cans have been mistaken for bombs on university campuses around here.

 

Moral: Hiding a larger cache in an urban setting is tricky, but be especially careful where you hide something big if you do.

I know this happens, but it's not the "ammo box" part that causes the bomb scare. At last count, plastic containers were about just as likely to have the bomb squad called.

 

That said, whatever the container, I found a place where I couldn't be any more certain that it would not be mistaken for a bomb.

 

Do you have any links to where the ammo cans (plural?) were mistaken for bombs near you? I hadn't read about any of those.

 

Jamie

[+Team Perks]

Ammo cans have been mistaken for bombs on university campuses around here.

 

Moral: Hiding a larger cache in an urban setting is tricky, but be especially careful where you hide something big if you do.

I know this happens, but it's not the "ammo box" part that causes the bomb scare. At last count, plastic containers were about just as likely to have the bomb squad called.

 

That said, whatever the container, I found a place where I couldn't be any more certain that it would not be mistaken for a bomb.

 

Do you have any links to where the ammo cans (plural?) were mistaken for bombs near you? I hadn't read about any of those.

 

Jamie

Jamie, given your experience in this game, I can speak confidently that you'd find a good (i.e., not dangerous) spot for an ammo can on a college campus. I was just hoping to make the point to the OP that before they rush out and stick an ammo can on a school campus, they make sure it's someplace far enough away from any important buildings or facilities to be taken as a threat.

 

I don't have time to search at the moment, but off the top of my head I can think of one recent bomb scare at UC Riverside. I'm not sure it was posted here, but I know it was discussed at socalgeocachers.com.

 

Obviously, each campus is different. I work at UCLA, and I can't think of anywhere on my campus where you could hide an ammo can and get away with it. However, UC Santa Cruz owns thousands of acres of undeveloped land where you could hide ammo cans and PVC tubes to your heart's content.