How close is your cache placement to another?

[+Cissy PSP]

Hi folks

I am new to Geocaching so I have a quick question. I have found 48 caches now and I want to place a few. When I go to the maps to find a place fairly near me, the maps show many many caches already out there. There are so many that on the map, they appear nearly overlapping each other. I know caches have to be at least 528 feet (.1 of a mile) apart.

 

How can you tell where to place mine? Do I have to go find a bunch of them in the area I want to leave one and look to see where I can place mine? That could take days and days just to find a place to hide a cache. Isn't there an easier way?

 

Thanks for your assistance.

 

Cissy

CissyPSP

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

If you have all your local ones downloaded in the GPS, stand where you want to hide one then check for the nearest cache. That should tell you how far away it is, if you are okay where you are standing or if you need to walk x ft away.

[+Nicodemus3]

I've seen some caches near or even overlapping on the map only because they were puzzle's with the actual GZ at least 0.1 miles apart.

 

But foremost, instead of looking for where there's not a cache, look for interesting places that you'd like to bring people to, and then check to see if there's already another cache on the maps by zooming up.

 

Good luck with your hides.

[+Cissy PSP]

If you have all your local ones downloaded in the GPS, stand where you want to hide one then check for the nearest cache. That should tell you how far away it is, if you are okay where you are standing or if you need to walk x ft away.

 

Thank you for great suggestion, Scrabblers. Looks like that's the way to go.

 

Cissy

[+Cissy PSP]

If you have all your local ones downloaded in the GPS, stand where you want to hide one then check for the nearest cache. That should tell you how far away it is, if you are okay where you are standing or if you need to walk x ft away.

 

Thank you for great suggestion, Scrabblers. Looks like that's the way to go.

 

Cissy

[+Cissy PSP]

I've seen some caches near or even overlapping on the map only because they were puzzle's with the actual GZ at least 0.1 miles apart.

 

But foremost, instead of looking for where there's not a cache, look for interesting places that you'd like to bring people to, and then check to see if there's already another cache on the maps by zooming up.

 

Good luck with your hides.

 

Thank you, Nicodermas! I'll try that too. I do like the idea of loading ones near where I want to hide one, then checking "find next", etc.

[knowschad]

Note, however, that method will not show you the final or intermediate stages of mystery (puzzle) caches or multi-caches. Only those stages that have a physical container matter, however, so if you have a multi where the posted coordinates put you at, say, a historical marker or something like that where you need to get numbers and do some calculations to get to the next stage... those posted coordinates (for the sign) don't matter. You could put a physical cache right next to the sign.

[+BaylorGrad]

I think the best way is to just know your area... I would try just placing one or two caches at first anyway, just to see how the process works. Just getting a visual check of where the caches are on the map feature is a pretty good way to determine how far away the cache needs to be from others.

 

Since I'm not a premium cacher, I used the pythagorean theorem to determine if my cache was .10 away from the nearest cache... Turns out it was, just barely.

[jholly]

I think the best way is to just know your area... I would try just placing one or two caches at first anyway, just to see how the process works. Just getting a visual check of where the caches are on the map feature is a pretty good way to determine how far away the cache needs to be from others.

 

Since I'm not a premium cacher, I used the pythagorean theorem to determine if my cache was .10 away from the nearest cache... Turns out it was, just barely.

All you had to do is on your unpublished, unsubmitted cache listing is scroll down to where the map is near the bottom on on the opposite side is a link for finding the nearest caches. Click that and you get a list of nearby caches and the distance. You even get the distance to PM caches if your not a premium member. Of course multi stages and mystery finals won't show, but that is the breaks of the game.

[+Cissy PSP]

Note, however, that method will not show you the final or intermediate stages of mystery (puzzle) caches or multi-caches. Only those stages that have a physical container matter, however, so if you have a multi where the posted coordinates put you at, say, a historical marker or something like that where you need to get numbers and do some calculations to get to the next stage... those posted coordinates (for the sign) don't matter. You could put a physical cache right next to the sign.

 

Wow, thank you Knowchad. Great information. I didn't find that info in the guildlines, so this is extrememly helpful.

 

Thank you!!

 

Cissy

[Keystone]

Please see the Page in the Groundspeak Knowledge Books entitled Checking for Cache Saturation. In that article, you will find all the helpful tips posted in your thread, but stitched together into one step by step guide.