Jump to content

Designing a Night Cache


thepublixeye

Recommended Posts

I'm relatively new to this but have had a lot of fun already (searching and hiding). Now, I've got it in my head that I want to create a Night Cache for my area.

 

I would assume that there is no substitue for actaully experiencing what is already out there....but I know I may not have that opportunity soon. A buddy of mine and I attempted finding one earlier this year, but a beacon was down...leaving us unable to finish. But I see the possibility and want to put one together here.

 

What I'm asking, is aside from reflectors/firetags, what else is out there or what have you experienced that made a night cache memorable? If you've created one - what obstacles should I be watching out for?

 

Thanks in advance for thoughts/ideas!

Link to comment

I made a night cache, but it hardly gets any visits. It's called "The Guiding Fire." I spray painted a trail of flames onto trees with glow in the dark paint. It's invisible in the daylight, but glows when a UV light is shined on it. The posted coordinates lead you to an ammo can with handheld UV lights and spare batteries. From there, you search for the flames which lead you to the glowing cache.

 

I have no idea what condition the cache is in, though. I haven't had a chance to go out late at night and check.

Link to comment

I recently placed my first night cache that is getting some really positive logs.

 

The key for me was to work at dusk to place the cache and start the trail. As it got dark I was able to test it out and make sure that it works.

 

The trail to the cache was marked with fire tacks traveling overland. I felt that following an existing trail would be way too obvious. Once it was dark I would mark a tree, look for the next tree to put a tack on, walk up, place the tack, walk back to the previous tree and make sure that I could see the next tack. I did this for every tack to make sure the path could be followed. Use you gps to follow your track so you don't get lost in the woods.

 

Make sure that you can't skip tacks. In other words, look past each tack and be sure that you can't skip markers.

 

Also, I used two tacks at the start and finish the trail so that it would be a bit easier for the finder.

 

The "stealth" fire tacks are AWESOME!!! They are exactly what the company says. Almost impossible to see them during the day but a flashlight at night makes them impossible to miss.

Edited by delphic
Link to comment

I have an "urban" night cache called "Night in the City".

 

I use 3M reflective tape that is black until hit with a light at night. The tape is "retro-reflective" meaning the reflected light goes back only to the light source (unless you hold your flashlight near your head you don't see the reflection!).

 

I put small arrows at the based on black metal street lamps along sidewalks in Newport, RI. There's an arrow every time you need to take a turn (and yes, they are removable - I already lost two!). At the final are some "bracketing" arrows pointing to the obvious hide location.

Link to comment

A couple of suggestions:

 

An interesting place is just as important for a night cache as any other. I found one last week that led us along a chirt road alongside an Interstate fence then up a hill. Nice cache, we had fun, but location? Not so much.

 

Use white fire tacks to lead geocachers in, use red fire tacks on the back of the trees to lead cachers out or get them back on track if they get off the track.

Link to comment

I love night caches, but they do take a little more planning to put out.

 

You need to decide how "friendly" your trail will be. As TheAlabamaRambler mentioned, it's very nice to have a trail marking the way back out, and this is especially true if you want families with kids to hunt it. Kids don't like getting stuck in the woods in the middle of the night with no trail back to the car. (An alternative is to have the trail wrap around to end close to where you started.)

 

But if you want to try for a spookier cache, nothing beats having to make your way out of the forest without a trail leading back, especially if you work a good ghost story into the cache description! :(

 

So decide how you want it to be, rate it appropriately and have fun! Some of my favorite logs have come from my night cache.

Link to comment

Mine is a bit of a maze. The area has a relatively dense trail network so the tacks are placed beyond, but within a hundred yards of each trail junction. At one point there are two tacks on adjoining trees. From there the off trail tacks lead to the cache. My only problem is with hunters adding extra tacks before deer season. I need to clean up the extra ones after the season each year.

Link to comment

Mine is a bit of a maze. The area has a relatively dense trail network so the tacks are placed beyond, but within a hundred yards of each trail junction. At one point there are two tacks on adjoining trees. From there the off trail tacks lead to the cache. My only problem is with hunters adding extra tacks before deer season. I need to clean up the extra ones after the season each year.

 

Yep, mines like this as well. I used a system of tacks to coords to tacks so that you need the GPS for a good bit of the experience while also needing to find the markers. I chose several intersections where I would purposely place the tack out of sight, you have to choose wisely or backtrack. The trails are all nicely groomed and I marked any bad spots for safety (holes, ruts, roots etc), but the trails lead deep into the woods and a few spots have the coords leading you to markers that are a bit off the trail. The final is a couple miles from the start, but really only a half mile from where you parked, and I didn't mark the way out purposely. Oh, and the final is a big ammo can, but has a trick to finding it...and retrieving lol.

 

I like that mine has some field areas with wide open skies so we can enjoy the night skies in the completely dark area. These areas have high grass and growth on either sides of the wide trails, giving it the feel of a maze!

 

Oh, and I PURPOSELY spaced my markers so that the flashlights (even a spotlight) couldn't pick the next one up from the one you're at...make a choice! And, some are in less than obvious locations, look high and low!! I wanted it to be a challenge but not impossible...and I think the logs speak volumes as to how it's received!! :(

Link to comment

I certainly enjoy night caches. In fact, the first cache I placed was a nighttime cache.

While I also enjoy a good location, sometimes a good setup is just as enjoyable. The most memorable nighttime cache I've done is Family Night. It uses a microcontoller, photo sensor and led to provide coordinates to the next stage.

I'm asking for a microcontroller kit for Christmas so that I can create something similar. The only downside is more frequent maintenance although I'm a sucker for logs detailing a fun experience.

Link to comment

I just placed my night cache today.

 

First off, you should find an area that people can go into at night. That was my first step.

 

Second you should plan the exact area and trail you will want to put the cache and firetacks on. Try to pick a trail that is unmarked and/or seldom used. Mine was on an offshoot trail from a fire road that was unmarked and led into some dark woods.Which brings me to my next point of advice.

 

Make sure the area is cool at night. Anywhere with trees and not near a road or buildings should be good. Some night caches are along residental neighborhood bike paths and such where lots of people can see you wandering around in the dark and that sort of takes the fun out of it.

 

Also make sure you have good firetacks and that it's not in a dangerous area. Also include some sort of cool dark theme.

Link to comment

I have three night caches - all using FireTacks - but none are a trail of glints. Two use different methods to get to a spot and then cache is an offset from there (and are about 1/4 mile apart), the other the glints are binary coded co-ords (bright and dimmer tacks).

 

Nighttime Isn't Just For Sleeping

Nighttime Still Isn't Just For Sleeping

Nighttime is for Caching! No Sleeping Allowed.

Link to comment
I have three night caches - all using FireTacks - but none are a trail of glints. Two use different methods to get to a spot and then cache is an offset from there (and are about 1/4 mile apart), the other the glints are binary coded co-ords (bright and dimmer tacks).

Nighttime Isn't Just For Sleeping

Nighttime Still Isn't Just For Sleeping

Nighttime is for Caching! No Sleeping Allowed.

Oh, geeze!!! That's just plain dirty!!! :)
Link to comment

I own three night caches.

 

Etch-o-Sketch has you utilize the tracklog feature of your GPSr, as you bushwhack through a wetland environment. The reflectors are laid out in the pattern of two giant numbers, like Nazca drawings. As you complete the trail, these numbers show up on your GPSr screen. At the end of the second number, you receive instructions on some simple math which you apply to the numbers you drew, to lead you to the final.

 

Blatantly Obvious follows a similar format, only this time you are drawing a giant picture of an arrow while you bushwhack through several different environments, from wetlands to pine flats. The arrow, when complete, literally points right at the ammo can. (It's at the halfway point on the reflector trail) Those who figure it out kwickly are saved having to backtrack to the final. When you look at your GPSr screen, you can see your tracklog, in the image of the arrow.

 

Carpe Noctum is a far simpler hunt, in that you don't need to draw or write anything. Just a long, wandering bushwhack through a wetland.

 

A few things I've discovered that work for me:

 

1 ) Don't make your reflector trail visible from the parking area. Many folks, other than us kooks, enjoy the woods at night, and some will see a string of reflectors leading off into the woods as something worth following. Hopefully, they won't follow them straight to your ammo can.

 

2 ) Don't have your reflector trail end at the ammo can. Instead, have it end at a match container, or some other small container, with the coords for the final inside. That way, folks who do happen across your trail, won't be able to simply walk right to your cache.

 

3 ) Night caches don't get found very frequently. As such, a quality container is critical. An ammo can is probably your best bet.

 

4 ) Make your trail long enough to present a challenge. Each of mine exceed 1 mile in length.

 

5 ) Unless you are independently wealthy, look for an alternative to FireTacks. The regular ones are $9.99 a pack, and the stealth are 12.99, for 30 tacks. My three night caches incorporate about 400 reflectors total, due to the extensive trail lengths, which would've cost me a butt load of money had I bought Firetacks. One solution I've had success with is buying 3' rolls of 3M reflective tape, (in the mailbox section of your local hardware store), and cutting each one into 1/2" x 2" rectangles. Then I cut each rectangle diagonally, into an elongated triangle. This give me 144 reflectors, for about $5. I hang them using a staple gun, with the "arrow" pointing in the general direction of the next reflector.

 

Good luck in your endeavor, and a hearty "Thanx" for making yours a night cache! :)

Link to comment

 

5 ) Unless you are independently wealthy, look for an alternative to FireTacks. The regular ones are $9.99 a pack, and the stealth are 12.99, for 30 tacks. My three night caches incorporate about 400 reflectors total, due to the extensive trail lengths, which would've cost me a butt load of money had I bought Firetacks. One solution I've had success with is buying 3' rolls of 3M reflective tape, (in the mailbox section of your local hardware store), and cutting each one into 1/2" x 2" rectangles. Then I cut each rectangle diagonally, into an elongated triangle. This give me 144 reflectors, for about $5. I hang them using a staple gun, with the "arrow" pointing in the general direction of the next reflector.

 

Good luck in your endeavor, and a hearty "Thanx" for making yours a night cache! :rolleyes:

 

I used the tape for my first night cache and found that it doesn't seem to like the weather. I've since archived that cache. My current one uses a black light and black light paint to follow a trail of arrows and X's (which indicate a wrong path) to the final. I designed it so that you cannot find the cache in daylight. It's named Glow in the Dark, and is quite tricky.

Link to comment

Washington, eh? I reckon it gets a whole lot colder up there than it does in the swamps of Florida. :D

Did they get brittle? I've had to replace mine about every 18 months, as the humidity seeps in to them.

I like the idea of using the UV light and paint. Does sunlight break down the paint over time?

What brand of paint did you use? Did you buy a UV light, or just put a filter over an existing one?

How far apart are your markings? How close to you have to be to see them?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm quite intrigued. ;)

 

Edit to add yet another question: Can UV paint fluoresce (is that the right word?) in different colors?

Like white for the arrows and red for the Xs? :rolleyes:

Edited by Clan Riffster
Link to comment

Washington, eh? I reckon it gets a whole lot colder up there than it does in the swamps of Florida. :D

Did they get brittle? I've had to replace mine about every 18 months, as the humidity seeps in to them.

I like the idea of using the UV light and paint. Does sunlight break down the paint over time?

What brand of paint did you use? Did you buy a UV light, or just put a filter over an existing one?

How far apart are your markings? How close to you have to be to see them?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm quite intrigued. ;)

 

Edit to add yet another question: Can UV paint fluoresce (is that the right word?) in different colors?

Like white for the arrows and red for the Xs? :rolleyes:

 

The paint I use is ClearNeon, and it's about $20 on Amazon. I'm not sure about whether the sun has any effect on it. Buy plenty of cans, if you plan on using it, as it doesn't go that far. I painted primarily around trail intersections, which has not lead to positive feedback. Definitely use more than I did. Yes, it does come in different colors. I purchased a blacklight on Amazon as well. It seems to work about 6 in from the markings. If you want to know more, email me.

Link to comment

 

Use white fire tacks to lead geocachers in, use red fire tacks on the back of the trees to lead cachers out or get them back on track if they get off the track.

 

that's mighty charitable of you.

 

for our night cache we simply put a reminder on the cache page that we'll get people TO the cache, but getting them out is their problem.

 

our tack trail is not visible in reverse; not an accident. we also make the finders alternate colors: white, orange, white, orange. going out of order gives you a dead end, overlooking the lake and -surprise!- lights of the city that from a distance look a lot like the firetacks.

 

as for glow paints, you can get some lovely paints that while looking the same in daylight (like white paint), they glow different colors when hit by the light. you can make a clue that looks plain white by day but really cool red-and-blue at night.

 

and don't forget a cache container that has lights and buzzers that go off when the lid opens.

Link to comment

GC206G2 (BuckResv - Nightscape):

New nighttime multi-cache of ours. At the first stage you park at the parking area and listen to a recording on a certain radio frequency through your car radio. After that, it incorporates solar powered devices, radio control, reflector trails, light sensors, hidden speakers, combination locks, signal lights, and the final has a surprise in it triggered by opening the box.

Link to comment
I have three night caches - all using FireTacks - but none are a trail of glints. Two use different methods to get to a spot and then cache is an offset from there (and are about 1/4 mile apart), the other the glints are binary coded co-ords (bright and dimmer tacks).

Nighttime Isn't Just For Sleeping

Nighttime Still Isn't Just For Sleeping

Nighttime is for Caching! No Sleeping Allowed.

Oh, geeze!!! That's just plain dirty!!! :rolleyes:

It's not that bad! They are in groups of four, so each digit is binary coded.

Link to comment

GC206G2 (BuckResv - Nightscape):

New nighttime multi-cache of ours. At the first stage you park at the parking area and listen to a recording on a certain radio frequency through your car radio. After that, it incorporates solar powered devices, radio control, reflector trails, light sensors, hidden speakers, combination locks, signal lights, and the final has a surprise in it triggered by opening the box.

 

that has to be one of the coolest caches of all time.

Link to comment

I had a night cache that happened to be in an area that was also a big hunting area. I spent tons of time having to go back and replace fire tacks that the hunters had taken down to avoid confusion with their own. Would suggest that you do not place a night cache in a hunting area unless you are ready to endlessly conduct maintenance runs.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...