How long do you look

[+Mr. 0]

I pretty much have to agree with some of the others. It depends on several factors. Mostly it depends on how long/difficult the hike in was, how interesting GZ is to me, muggles, likelyhood that it's missing, and mostly how much fun I'm having.

 

Let's say in theory I'm at GZ for a cache on a mountain top, that was a tough 5 mile hike. I would likely spend as much time as I had available to find it. The way I see it, even if I found the cache right away, that's a spot where I would probably sit around to enjoy the outdoors anyhow, so I'm not just going to scurry away after looking for a few minutes. A nice hike through the woods really appeals to me personally, so a cache like this would be high on my "fun factor" scale.

 

On the other hand, let's say there is a cache near some houses where people are outside, in some landscaping at a busy intersection. I'm probably not going to spend more than a few minutes on something like that. While I may recognize this cache's place in the grand scheme of Geocaching, and others may enjoy it because it's easy to get to, it's just low in "fun factor," to me.

 

I'm sure that there are plenty of folks who would see it the other way around, so this is just my personal opinion.

[+Too Tall John]

...An abandoned car needs to holes poked in the sheet metal with lead. Something needs explored...

Heh... Hope the cache isn't hidden in the car...

[+Miragee]

Around here, I could just about guarantee there would be a cache in the car . . .

[+cowpill]

I have spent as long as an hour...or....until the kid gets cranky then it is time to log the DNF and try again. I Iam by myself I will go untill dark.

[+Lotho]

I would say half an hour-hour max. The longest i think ive ever spent looking was around 20 minutes, but i would of continued londer if i hadnt found it then.

[+DocDiTTo]

All depends on the situation. Barring ANY external factors (muggles, location, etc) it depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I've spent an hour getting intimate with a pine tree in order to find a micro, and I've left similar hides after only a couple minutes.

 

Unlike some, I don't feel that I NEED to find every cache I go after. It's OK to walk away when I get bored, or tired of looking. And, it's OK to spend an hour or more hunting for something if doing so gives me pleasure.

 

Now, when external factors are applied, they dramatically impact the length of my search. Caches that require stealth I usually hunt for a very short period of time - it might be only 1 or 2 minutes before I decide that I'm not having fun and just leave. Park & Grabs usually don't even entice me to park. I prefer to treat them as "Drive By and Ignore". Caches that I've invested a lot of effort in, either by solving a challenging puzzle, or taking a road trip, or making a long hike I will spend a lot of time on. If the cache has been recommended to me as one with very a favorable location or hiding technique, or for some other reason, I will spend a while searching for as well.

 

I don't know what the longest I've ever hunted for a cache was... I think maybe for an hour and a half, max (for a traditional) before I called it quits. On average, I'd probably spend 10-20 minutes looking for something before I'd consider leaving. But it all depends.

[+chuckwagon101]

If my gps is screeching "DANGER! DANGER! APPROACHING CORDS!".....and I don't see a

 

BIG pile of sticks..........I'M OUTTA THERE!!