Tips on discrete searching?

[+pandaphil]

To put it kindly, I'm kind of a suspicious looking individual, so I worry a lot about catching someones attention while wandering around searching for urban or suburban caches. Especially in todays rather paranoid environment. Does anyone have any tips on how to search effectively without drawing undo attention to yourself from passing Muggles or even worse, police or security guards.

Edited August 24, 2006 by pandaphil

[+nameless301]

To put it kindly, I'm kind of a suspicious looking individual, so I worry a lot about catching someones attention while I'm poking around an urban or suburban settings. Does anyone have any tips on how to search an area effectively without drawing undo attention to yourself from passing Muggles or even worse, police or security guards.

 

Mostly what I do is if someone looks at my GPS unit oddly I pretend it is a cell phone, because it is about the size and if I get close to the area I need to look for it, I kind of pretend I am fixing my shoe or something, it is hard and hopefully you won't catch any attention.

[+Kabuthunk]

Most of my geocaching is done while mountain-biking. Hence... when I get to a cache point, I hop off my bike, and basically lean against whatever's nearby (usually whatever I think the cache is hidden in/around) and drink some water from my water bottle.

 

To everyone around it looks like I'm a biker who's taking a break for a few minutes... maybe walking around a bit and stretching (ie: looking for the cache). Seems to work for me. Only time someone looked at me suspiciously was when I was looking around in a dense patch of bushes. I already had the fallback of "I'm relaxing in the closest place to the country (since this was in the city) that I can find around here... getting back to the forest as much as I can and whatnot." But... noone even said anything.

[+Boot Group]

bring kids...they can crawl, climb, and inspect every inch of the area and people just think they're being kids

[+Team Neos]

Some people do draw more attention to themselves, but most of us aren't really as conspicuous as we think we are. We do have a friend who insists on wearing complete camoflauge every time he goes caching, and carrying lots of little black bags of "things" (water, camera, GPS, etc) plus various things clipped to his belt. He looks prepared to join some swat team at any moment--and then he wonders why people watch him in public!

 

I've noticed that if you dress "normally" for the area & weather in basic color clothes--tan, kakhi, brown, white, etc you tend to fade into the background more quickly. Some people have luck looking like the belong in an area if they carry a clip board and tape measure, or a leather journal and "bird-watching" binoculars. A camera goes a long way toward making people not so curious about what you are doing. Even if someone sees you kneeling on the ground photographing the rock under the feet of a statue, they tend to ignore you after they decide you are just trying to get an artistic shot.

 

When we cache together, we use the photo trick a lot. I've tried the "just tying my shoelace" routine as well, with less luck (really at forty-something, I ought to be able to tie my shoelace without having to redo it ten times!). Usually we just act like whatever it is we are doing, we are supposed to be doing it. It usually works.

[+Torgut]

Personally I believe that using a photographic camera is the best "alibi" for whatever weird you do out there. Once people spot the camera in your hands than they will assume that whatever strange atitude you have is just normal. For some reason the camera works just fine. If I want to inspect, let's say, a trunk of a tree, then, let's pretend I'm taking a picture of it... people will assume that for some reason I have a special interest in trunks and they will think it's Ok and won't look a second time.

 

I can't imagine how could I distract people around the scene if I just walk near a tree and start staring at the trunk.

[+oldsoldier]

I have found that, as long as you LOOK like you're supposed to be there, most people assume you are supposed to be doing what you're doing. In the woods, its a little different though.

There is one I have yet to get though, as it is a micro on my Main street downtown...right where all the vagabonds hang out. If it werent such a small town, I'd dress like one myslef, and use that as camoflage

[+alexrudd]

CITO. Muggles fall over themselves in their effort to get away if you ask that they help.

[FujiFool]

To put it kindly, I'm kind of a suspicious looking individual, so I worry a lot about catching someones attention while wandering around searching for urban or suburban caches. Especially in todays rather paranoid environment. Does anyone have any tips on how to search effectively without drawing undo attention to yourself from passing Muggles or even worse, police or security guards.

 

This has been a huge problem for us in Japan. Gaijins (foreigners) always stand out, especially when many caches are hidden in parks. It is difficult not to look like a pedophile while hanging around a playground for "no apparent" reason. I'm curious to know if other cachers in other countries experience the same thing. I did not geocache in while in Kuwait but loitering around or taking pictures of places like mosques or government buildings/facilities was enough to get you arrested.

[+Wadcutter]

Check out these threads. The question has been asked before.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=136010&hl=

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=139942&hl=

[+Big Max]

A clipboard is the best camo I have found. You can poke, crawl and climb to your heart's content as long as you pretend to write things down occasionally on a clipboard. Plus it is a great way to carry the cache pages. In some extremely urban places you can put on an orange vest and yellow hardhat and totally disappear to the general public.

[+Mike & Kate]

I live in an area where there is a decent amount of poison ivy. All I would have to do in most places is tell them I'm conducting a survey of plant-life to track the spread of poison ivy in our area. For any non-urban cache, this would be more than enough to detract onlookers from hanging around very long.

 

Granted, I've not tried this yet, but I know from experience that the average person doesn't want to spend the next to weeks scratching themselves raw.

 

[+Thrak]

Sometimes you stand out even when you think you shouldn't. I had some guy give me the weirdest looks - and keep on giving me weird looks for about 20 minutes one time. I had stepped out of the bushes in a local park and there was a guy walking a dog nearby. I needed to replace the cache and didn't want to do it with him watching me so I put my hands in the pockets of my shorts and wandered around for a while. He kept looking at me like I was a freak. I couldn't understand what his problem was. Finally he moved on a little bit and I was able to replace the cache. It was only when I got home that I realized my fly was open and that, by having my hands in my pockets as I strolled around, it was spreading the fly WIDE open. Hmmmmmmmm.......... guy comes out of the bushes and then wanders around the park with his fly spread wide open. No wonder they guy thought I was a weirdo.

[+ThePropers]

The best thing to do is not to look suspicious. I just try to look like I'm supposed to be there. In other words, if you are looking under a bench and someone walks by, don't immediately stand up and wander around a bit, then go back to looking under the bench as soon as they pass. Or don't look for the cache and keep glancing over your shoulder to see if anyone's watching you. That's the best way to look suspicious, IMO.

[+KKTH3]

You can't look suspicious if they can't see you.

[+pandaphil]

You can't look suspicious if they can't see you.

 

Hmmmm, coulda sworn I had an Elvish Cloak of Invisibility out in the garage SOMEWHERE...

 

Good tips everyone. I liked the one with the clipboard. I may go with that. And maybe go price green reflective vests too. It'd come in handy while biking. Wonder how much they cost?

Edited August 26, 2006 by pandaphil

[+crazyi]

Fake cell phone calls work great. People pay no attention to you. You can idly be picking things up or poking through things and it is just that you are restless on the phone. Until of course it rings while you are talking to yourself

[+Night Stalker]

I have this orange vest and my walking stick has a pointed end. If I need to I can start pocking it into trash and putting it in my trash bag. No one will want to get to close to actual work and move on.

[dutchmaster]

Most of my geocaching is done while mountain-biking. Hence... when I get to a cache point, I hop off my bike, and basically lean against whatever's nearby..................Seems to work for me.

 

Yup, same here, works great, especially with a camera. On a recent mtbike/caching trip, I leaned the bike against a wild apple tree where the cache was camo-ed to look like a pruned branch, only inches above the bicycle seat. I dropped the cache into my helmet, grabbed my water bottle, camera and had the easiest time caching on that busy trail. The taking pictures thing works great too.

I'll bet muggles will leave you along if you're using the gpsr as a tri-coder or just mumble to yourself and watch how quickly your ignored.

 

dm

[SAWKS]

Try picking up trash. CITO is a great way to become ignored.

[+imfrog2002]

http://www.podcacher.com/?p=205 It's a full audio file, but it has some great tips. Also, I pretend like I'm text messaging on my GPS, which makes it look like I'm not paying attention to where I'm going, when I can really be looking under bushes and stuff.

[wombatq]

The kids part (if you have some on hand) is always the best cover. As my kids are also Scouts, having a t-shirt or cap has yet to fail to expalin that they are up to adventure, not serious mischief.

[+GreyingJay]

As I posted in another thread on this topic, having teenagers is also a useful cover. I work with teens from various places including my church youth group and a summer camp I volunteer with, so I have occasionally taken 14-16 year old guys with me. These guys are great. They are enthuastic and feed off each other and have a blast. They can do practically anything, even in urban hides, and all you need to do is put on the "hapless adult authority that they're not listening to" look and you've got your cover. I had two of my guys competing to see who could do better vaults over various low-height fences and posts at a public park, distracting any muggles while I searched for a micro in a tree behind them.

 

Also, they're fare more daring than I. They'll climb trees, scale walls, bushwhack, and be a great help in retrieving those tricky hides.

[+The Caching Crew]

The kids part (if you have some on hand) is always the best cover. As my kids are also Scouts, having a t-shirt or cap has yet to fail to expalin that they are up to adventure, not serious mischief.

 

I had the kids play tag in front of a potential cache site, while I hid the cache in a muggle infested area.

 

It is hard to be seen caching with four children in bright red t-shirts running around chasing each other. The kids are great finders while playing "hide and seek" I just hope we don't loose one of them in the woods someday, I am quite fond of them.

[+Belfrypotters]

Birdwatchers and botanists get ignored a lot, so just grab a leaf and pretend to be fascinated with it, or look upwards and mutter "Was that a Parus atricapillus?". I've had people walk by me while I was in the bushes examining a leaf, comment to each other "Must be a botanist or something", then keep right on walking. If there are no bushes or birds, just pick up the litter. There's always lots of that.

[+nosenseofdirection]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Am still in a bit of a quandary -

 

For example, here I am stood at meeting place of several paths. I can see a fair way along most of them, which also means I can be seen from 100-200yd away. Other paths more obscured so passers by may suddenly appear from round a bend. Am stood by raised "flower" bed, pretty sure cache is in depths of the bushes.

 

torn between:

 

Keep eye out for people coming. Hunt in bushes when no-one's in sight. Stop, perch on wall and bask in sunlight enjoying view any time I notice someone coming.

= look suspicious, end up under police surveillance

 

and

 

Go for the "I'm meant to be here" approach and just get on with the search. Arm buried to the shoulder in the plantlife. Discover the cache. Pretend not to find it till no-one dead close. But I'm not doing the suspicious looking-over-my-shoulder bit and group of teens emerge round the corner just as I lift the cache.

= no police surveillance but cache plundered and scattered as the teens return home later

 

AFAIK neither of these consequences yet occurred ....

 

Being on the phone ain't gonna excuse being buried to the armpit in the Rhododendrons.

Edited August 31, 2006 by nosenseofdirection

[wombatq]

At all times, carry a plastic grocery bag. When hunting-hiding, pick up any and all garbage you find. It's better than an invisibility cloak.

[dunderhead]

As a Farang (thai gaijin) always attracts attention. Agree with all the suggestions, clipboards, cameras et al.

I also have a laminated nonsense ID Tag to hang around my neck, and a multimeter. I can apply the leads to anything and everything and scrutinise above, below and around any apparatus.

Edited August 31, 2006 by dunderhead

[+GreyingJay]

For example, here I am stood at meeting place of several paths. I can see a fair way along most of them, which also means I can be seen from 100-200yd away. Other paths more obscured so passers by may suddenly appear from round a bend. Am stood by raised "flower" bed, pretty sure cache is in depths of the bushes.

 

This is a case where the CITO trick would work best. Carry a garbage bag and get right in there. Bend down, pick up trash, root around all you want. You can even drop the cache itself in the trash bag and carry it all with you to a discreet spot like a park bench where you can sign the log while nobody's around. Wait until everyone who saw you the first time is gone, and then do it all over again to put the cache back.

[dunderhead]

Unable to get a hard case for my Palm, I put it in a tupperware box.

At the cache site lo and behold the cache was same as my "case"

Grabbed the cache..supermuggle area, went away and signed etc.

Put the cache in my bag, back to GZ, pretend to take close ups of plants while kneeling and groping in the bag to surreptitiously replace cache.

No prizes for guessing what I discovered on getting home.

Edited August 31, 2006 by dunderhead

[+poohstickz]

Me, I just try really hard not to look like someone who is trying really hard to appear to be inconspicuous.

 

Basically that means no spraying defoliant from Apache Gunships, avoiding razing the area with a flame thrower, and not using with my UAV for a different perspective unless I'm really sure that no one is looking.

 

Other than that, unless I'm literally where people are staring at me, I just use the power of The Force to let others continue to be preoccupied by their own little world whilst I carry on doing something that probably wouldn't look suspicious if I wasn't Geocaching.

 

For what it's worth, today some friendly soul came over to talk to me about what he thought was our shared interest in foraging for mushrooms. So, if needed, that's another handy cover but, I do concede, that it might be a little harder to pull that one off in an urban setting.

[+nosenseofdirection]

This is a case where the CITO trick would work best. Carry a garbage bag and get right in there. Bend down, pick up trash, root around all you want.

Thanks, Jay. I think I can carry that disguise off.

You can even drop the cache itself in the trash bag and carry it all with you to a discreet spot like a park bench where you can sign the log while nobody's around. Wait until everyone who saw you the first time is gone, and then do it all over again to put the cache back.

And that is genius!

[+GreyingJay]

This is a case where the CITO trick would work best. Carry a garbage bag and get right in there. Bend down, pick up trash, root around all you want.

Thanks, Jay. I think I can carry that disguise off.

 

No problem. That's something I discovered myself, when I found a cache hidden in the garden area of a very large "WELCOME TO XXXVILLE!" sign right by a highway with lots of traffic. The only way to not look suspicious is to look like you're doing something legitimate, and the place was filthy anyway. It helped that I wore khaki pants and a same-colored casual dress shirt that day, so from a distance I looked a lot like a uniformed park official...

 

I was amused yesterday to find an article in the "city" section of our local paper commending a woman for basically doing CITO every day on her commute to work. One day she got tired of seeing the trash along the streets, so now every day, twice a day, she picks up garbage on her way to and from work. I thought to myself, wow, if I ever needed to cache near a busy street, I know now exactly what my cover will be...

 

The other thing I made note of recently is what I mentioned in a previous post -- whatever it is you do to pass yourself off as being inconspicuous, only needs to work for a few seconds per person. It may seem silly and counterintuitive to you to "do the same thing again" but as far as anyone else is concerned it's the first time they've seen you do it!

 

Good luck, anyway

[+wandererrob]

A clipboard is the best camo I have found. You can poke, crawl and climb to your heart's content as long as you pretend to write things down occasionally on a clipboard. Plus it is a great way to carry the cache pages. In some extremely urban places you can put on an orange vest and yellow hardhat and totally disappear to the general public.

 

Hell, that'd just be fun anyway! Maybe bust out a tape measure or some other tool and start measuring things or something.

 

*mental note*

[+hairball45]

How about clothes ripped and filthy, three days without a shave, five without a shower, leave your denture (if so equipped) at home, and say things like "freebelsnaz. Diffineteryal sleebz." to muggles or try to hug them. They'll leave. Quickly. Leo might ask whats going on, but give a little, get a little.

hairball