Letterboxing

[+supertbone]

There is no letterbox in the Antelope Valley area of Southern CA and I want to place the first. What will I need to create one?

[+Team_Talisman]

Ok if I read right Geocaching only accepts Hybrid letterbox caches....

 

to do strickly a letterbox go to letterboxing

[+supertbone]

Ok if I read right Geocaching only accepts Hybrid letterbox caches....

 

to do strickly a letterbox go to letterboxing

 

I guess what I want to do is a letterbox hybrid. What do I need to do to create one?

[+Team_Talisman]

Letterbox Hybrid

A letterbox is another form of treasure hunting using clues instead of coordinates. In some cases, however, a letterbox has coordinates, and the owner has made it a letterbox and a geocache. To read more about letterboxing, visit the Letterboxing North America web site.

 

Also go into geocaching hide a cache area and look at form to fill out....

 

There will be a faq section for help

[J.A.R.S.]

I have planted geocaches and letterboxes. Here's my experience.

 

My favorite letterboxing site is Atlas Quest http://www.atlasquest.com. Have a look at the "About letterboxing" section: http://www.atlasquest.com/aboutlb/ and if you're interested in hand-carving a stamp see the tutorial: Stamp carving 101 http://www.atlasquest.com/tutorials/carving/

 

A basic letterbox is a tupperware-type of container which includes:

• a rubberstamp
  many letterboxers prefer a hand-carved eraser stamp, but you can put a commercial stamp in the box - you might want to note the type of stamp in your clues
  
• a logbook
  
• a pen or pencil
  

One of my letterbox hybrids (i.e. letterboxes posted on geocaching.com) gives finders the coords to a trailhead and then directions to the box. A few give finders the coords to a spot near the box and then directions to get to the box, while some give finders the coords to the box.

[+supertbone]

I have planted geocaches and letterboxes. Here's my experience.

 

My favorite letterboxing site is Atlas Quest http://www.atlasquest.com. Have a look at the "About letterboxing" section: http://www.atlasquest.com/aboutlb/ and if you're interested in hand-carving a stamp see the tutorial: Stamp carving 101 http://www.atlasquest.com/tutorials/carving/

 

A basic letterbox is a tupperware-type of container which includes:

• a rubberstamp
  many letterboxers prefer a hand-carved eraser stamp, but you can put a commercial stamp in the box - you might want to note the type of stamp in your clues
  
• a logbook
  
• a pen or pencil
  

One of my letterbox hybrids (i.e. letterboxes posted on geocaching.com) gives finders the coords to a trailhead and then directions to the box. A few give finders the coords to a spot near the box and then directions to get to the box, while some give finders the coords to the box.

Sweet, thanks!

[+Ed & Julie]

If my understanding of letterbox hybrids is correct, there are two types. Both have stamps in them

 

One uses clues to find the cache instead of coordinates. The listed coordinates will take you to a place to park, but then the caches has clues to the cache:

"Walk 500 paces due east until you find the tree with a split trunk. From there, go 123 degrees north until you find a boulder shaped like a pig snout. The cache is behind the snout."

 

The other type uses coordinates to the cache, but has the required stamp in the cache which classifies it as a letterbox hybrid.

 

Ed

[Keystone]

If my understanding of letterbox hybrids is correct, there are two types. Both have stamps in them

 

One uses clues to find the cache instead of coordinates. The listed coordinates will take you to a place to park, but then the caches has clues to the cache:

"Walk 500 paces due east until you find the tree with a split trunk. From there, go 123 degrees north until you find a boulder shaped like a pig snout. The cache is behind the snout."

 

The other type uses coordinates to the cache, but has the required stamp in the cache which classifies it as a letterbox hybrid.

 

Ed

While you may, in fact, have seen letterbox hybrid caches of both these types, technically only those which rely on GPS coordinates for a relevant part of the cache hunt ought to have been published. From the listing guidelines for this cache type:

 

Letterbox Hybrid

 

Letterboxing is another form of treasure hunting that uses clues to direct hunters to a hidden container. Each letterbox contains a stamp which is the signature for that box. Most letterboxers have their own personal stamps and personal logbooks. They stamp the letterbox logbook with their personal stamp, and use the stamp contained in the letterbox to “sign” their personal logbook.

 

Letterbox hybrids are a mixture of letterbox and geocache. They should contain a signature stamp that stays with the box, and they must conform to the guidelines for traditional caches and therefore must contain a logbook. They must be referenced by latitude and longitude, not just clues. Whether or not the letterbox hybrid contains trade items is up to the owner. In most cases personal stamp and personal logbook are not necessary to be a seeker of a letterbox hybrid.

(Emphasis added in boldface)

[+briansnat]

One uses clues to find the cache instead of coordinates. The listed coordinates will take you to a place to park, but then the caches has clues to the cache:

"Walk 500 paces due east until you find the tree with a split trunk. From there, go 123 degrees north until you find a boulder shaped like a pig snout. The cache is behind the snout."

 

This would correctly be listed as an offset (multi) cache, not a letterbox hybrid. A letterbox hybrid is both a letterbox AND a geocache, not a geocache that is like a letterbox.

[+yumitori]

The Tallest is a letterbox hybrid that can be found with a GPSr using the information on geocaching.com, or with clues using the information on its page on letterboxing.org.

[J.A.R.S.]

Here's Jeremy's explanation of what a letterbox is from an earlier discussion about letterboxes on gc.com

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...dpost&p=2105157 :

 

...As indicated before a letterboxing hybrid is merely a geocache that has a stamp and a logbook instead of tradable items. It's a way for people to understand not to, for example, take the stamp.