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Night caching

eusty

By eusty
in United Kingdom and Ireland

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eusty

+eusty

Posted
Posted

We've never done any night caching...only when the light was fading.

 

Anyway as winter is approaching (boooo!) and there was a series published last night we thought we'd give it a go. I had some reservations as they are all nanos with a 4 difficulty rating mostly in hedgerows.....also with some very cryptic hints (not "behind the second post" etc).

 

We gave up after number 3 with stings/scratches etc etc and hadn't found any :(

 

So any hints about doing it in the dark, is it more enjoyable/easier looking for large caches? Anything we need to get first?

 

Otherwise we might just jump into the nearest thorn bush down the road!! :(

 

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FantasyRaider

+FantasyRaider

Posted
Posted

We've never done any night caching...only when the light was fading.

 

Anyway as winter is approaching (boooo!) and there was a series published last night we thought we'd give it a go. I had some reservations as they are all nanos with a 4 difficulty rating mostly in hedgerows.....also with some very cryptic hints (not "behind the second post" etc).

 

We gave up after number 3 with stings/scratches etc etc and hadn't found any :(

 

So any hints about doing it in the dark, is it more enjoyable/easier looking for large caches? Anything we need to get first?

 

Otherwise we might just jump into the nearest thorn bush down the road!! :(

 

Nano's in hedgerows? :unsure:

Nano's in hedgerows in the dark? :blink:

Nano's in hedgerows in the dark with cryptic hints? :huh:

Sounds like great fun ....NOT!

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Gushoneybun

+Gushoneybun

Posted
Posted

Take a torch :laughing:

 

Having found caches in the dark rather than specific night caching my comments would include:

 

Be prepared, check the cache pages on line, maybe look at spoiler pictures. Plan where you are going, know your route.

 

I guess decent footware as its not clear where you are standing.

 

While you are less likely to meet muggles do consider if you are spotted rumaging around with torches it will look very suspicious so keep away from houses and areas patrolled by gamekeepers.

 

Be prepared for more DNF's saying that I have missed ammo cans in broad daylight with no excuse for not finding it, so nanos and the like might be a bit harder. Consider ones with lots of DNF's if people can not find them in the day will you spot them at night.

 

Oh and do take a torch or two and some spare batteries, we use wind up torches so save on carrying batteries.

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drsolly

+drsolly

Posted
Posted

There are torches and torches.

 

Most torches are pretty useless. Get a torch with an LED element, ideally 3 watts, but 1 watt at a pinch. Don't fall for the idea that several LEDs are better than one - it isn't so. You can't focus several LEDs. Plus, they use feebler LEDs in that sort of torch.

 

I use a 3w headtorch, that leaves both hands free, and I use a walking pole, that reduces the number of times I fall over. When I'm going on a long night walk, I also carry my "Portable lighthouse", that's a 3w LED torch with a long reflector; that gives me a beam that can throw across a field to the other side a couple of hundred meters away, so I can see where the exit is.

 

If you're going on a long night walk, spare batteries. You *don't* want to find yourself forced to walk by the light of the silvery moon.

 

I love night caching. I'm all alone in the dark, and if I want, I can switch off and be totally invisible. You see the night wildlife, which is mostly different from the daylight wildlife, if you're in town then parking is easy, and there's pretty much no problem with muggles. A night walk in the countryside can be pure magic.

 

I think that about 80% of caches are no harder at night, if you have a good torch. 10% are more difficult, and 10% are actually easier. I remember one night I found a cache that was wrapped in flourescent tape (according to the cache page) but what the cache page didn't say, is that it was put inside a sort of big "birds nest". In daylight, you wouldn't have seen it, but in the night, it stood out like a lantern in the light of my torch. Other caches also relect light, albeit less than that one.

 

If you see me at an event, get me onto the subject of torches and ask to see mine; you'll wonder how you ever managed without a really good torch.

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Malpas Wanderer

+Malpas Wanderer

Posted
Posted (edited)

A lot of caches done in daylight are easier too with a good torch, especially those in ivy or dense conifer.

 

Like the doc says a good LED is good, and the whiter the light the better.

 

I'm Currently using a Nightsearcher Commander but its 750 lumens is sometimes too much. Head torch is a Princeton Apex :D

 

Not sure your difficult nano's were prime choice for first adventures. :huh:

Edited by Malpas Wanderer
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abanazar

+abanazar

Posted
Posted

I have a "LED Lenser P14" which is superb. It seems to run forever on 4 AA alkaline batteries and the focused beam is very impressive. You can switch it to a reduced power level which is great if you're in a wooded area and don't need the extreme range.

I have a LED Lenser P7 and would also recommend. Nice and compact, it will fit in my pocket. As a backup for my Petzl Myo XP head torch, it lights up caves and mines very well.

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Haggis Hunter

+Haggis Hunter

Posted
Posted

I have a "LED Lenser P14" which is superb. It seems to run forever on 4 AA alkaline batteries and the focused beam is very impressive. You can switch it to a reduced power level which is great if you're in a wooded area and don't need the extreme range.

I have a LED Lenser P7 and would also recommend. Nice and compact, it will fit in my pocket. As a backup for my Petzl Myo XP head torch, it lights up caves and mines very well.

I too have the P7 which I have issued for work. I take it with me when night caching, excellent torch.

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eusty

+eusty

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Ok it seems like the LED Lenser are the torches to go for. I'd rather get a decent torch rather than trying to pick one up off ebay, like most things you get what you pay for :)

 

Right, I like the look of the P7, but the T7 seems identical (and the same price)?

 

Also the Head Fire Triplex...anyone use one?

Edited by eusty
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mcwomble

+mcwomble

Posted
Posted

Right, I like the look of the P7, but the T7 seems identical (and the same price)?

 

One's in the (P)rofessional series, the other the (T)actical series; the latter being the "preferred" choice for military and police applications (whatever that means!).

 

By the sounds of things the T series has a better rugged grip than the P series. There may also be defence features installed.

 

I quite like the look of the MT7 and am torn between it and the P14.

Both have a similar price and luminosity but it could come down to battery size. The former needs AAA, the latter AA of which I already have quite a few rechargeable NiMH. Like I said I'm torn!

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Teacosies

+Teacosies

Posted
Posted (edited)

Right, now we have all got torches. B) Which are the best night caches to be doing with these dark nights upon us. :unsure:

 

Mine ;)

 

I have 6 Night caches and another one waiting to be reinstated, (Harvesting works in local forestry)

 

1 of 2 Barry’s Midnight Stroll - Night Cache

1 of 3 (4) First or Last? Night Cache

1 of 1 Upper Boat -Taff Trail - Night Cache

Edited by Djinnsplace
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Legochugglers

+Legochugglers

Posted
Posted

We've never done any night caching...only when the light was fading.

 

Anyway as winter is approaching (boooo!) and there was a series published last night we thought we'd give it a go. I had some reservations as they are all nanos with a 4 difficulty rating mostly in hedgerows.....also with some very cryptic hints (not "behind the second post" etc).

 

We gave up after number 3 with stings/scratches etc etc and hadn't found any :(

 

So any hints about doing it in the dark, is it more enjoyable/easier looking for large caches? Anything we need to get first?

 

Otherwise we might just jump into the nearest thorn bush down the road!! :(

 

Carrots

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JF20938

+JF20938

Posted
Posted

So any hints about doing it in the dark, is it more enjoyable/easier looking for large caches? Anything we need to get first?

 

Get into the habit of marking the location of your car with a Waypoint. Even with all those torches on your head or in your pockets, you'd be amazed at how easy it is to get lost in the middle of a dark wood or even a featureless field in the mist. That Waypoint lets to regularly check your sense of direction and, ultimately, gets you home if you do get lost. Essential for a circular series at nighttime.

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drsolly

+drsolly

Posted
Posted
As a backup for my Petzl Myo XP head torch, it lights up caves and mines very well.

 

I've been looking into Petzl headlamps with a rechargeable battery pack, but there are so many to choose from, I can't make my mind up!

 

Get something with a 3 watt single-led. AA batteries are better than a "rechargeable battery pack"; cheaper and more flexible (for example, you can carry a set of spares).

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abanazar

+abanazar

Posted
Posted
As a backup for my Petzl Myo XP head torch, it lights up caves and mines very well.

 

I've been looking into Petzl headlamps with a rechargeable battery pack, but there are so many to choose from, I can't make my mind up!

 

Get something with a 3 watt single-led. AA batteries are better than a "rechargeable battery pack"; cheaper and more flexible (for example, you can carry a set of spares).

Myo XPs are good headtorches which we've used underground a lot. They've held up well and pump out a good beam; not as much light as some of the more specialist underground kit, but then again that stuff tends to cost more.

 

We have three of them, all running well off Uniross AA 2700mAh rechargeables (3 AAs in each). We carry spare akaline AAs for easy swap-outs. When power is getting low, the Myo XPs give a useful flash signal (very disconcerting the first time I discovered this feature, as I thought it was failing when deep in a cave!). If your needs aren't particulary specialist, I'd definitely recommend this setup.

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team tisri

team tisri

Posted
Posted

So any hints about doing it in the dark, is it more enjoyable/easier looking for large caches? Anything we need to get first?

 

Get into the habit of marking the location of your car with a Waypoint. Even with all those torches on your head or in your pockets, you'd be amazed at how easy it is to get lost in the middle of a dark wood or even a featureless field in the mist. That Waypoint lets to regularly check your sense of direction and, ultimately, gets you home if you do get lost. Essential for a circular series at nighttime.

 

It's also probably a good idea to set tracking on, so you can see exactly where you've been. If you need to backtrack you know the route you took to get in. Useful if you try and take a direct route out and find a ravine (or even a river) in the way.

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Cache U Nutter

+Cache U Nutter

Posted
Posted

Last night whilst staying in Norwich I did an extreme cache in the dark. No one was around in what is usually a very busy area.

Hanging under a bridge is best done when no one is around !

Afterwards I found a nano and a small container [a sidetracked cache] both in usually very busy areas , so it is a good time to go caching.

One word of advice however, check your shoes when you get home as you don't know what you may have trod in !

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drsolly

+drsolly

Posted
Posted

I always get worried night caching alone - it's not so much me being mugged (although that does prey a little on my weak mind) but it's more of what would happen if a heavy-breathing bloke (me) walked up a hill right into a lady walking her dog. I think it would kill her.

 

I feel a lot safer night caching in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a wood, or in the middle of a graveyard, than I do in broad daylight in the middle of a town. The risk of getting eaten by a bear in this country is a lot less than the risk of getting mugged.

 

The main risks I face are: 1) Falling off my bike (bruises, dignity), 2) tripping over a bramble (bruises, dignity) and 3) getting bitten by a dog (only happened once so far, and that was in broad daylight, with the owner watching.

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mellers

+mellers

Posted
Posted

The main risks I face are: 1) Falling off my bike

 

Sorry, don't want to appear nosey (but of course I AM being, VERY nosey that is), but do you fall off your bike often? It seems to be a recurring theme...

 

If you do, I'm sure it would be VERY funny to read about on an otherwise dull Saturday morning, while I wait for my new series to be published

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drsolly

+drsolly

Posted
Posted

The main risks I face are: 1) Falling off my bike

 

Sorry, don't want to appear nosey (but of course I AM being, VERY nosey that is), but do you fall off your bike often? It seems to be a recurring theme...

 

If you do, I'm sure it would be VERY funny to read about on an otherwise dull Saturday morning, while I wait for my new series to be published

 

I wouldn't say "often", but certainly more than I'd prefer. I'd say maybe every few months. Fortunately, it's usually quite funny, as I don't get seriously injured, it's mostly my dignity that gets hurt.

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Pharisee

+Pharisee

Posted
Posted

The main risks I face are: 1) Falling off my bike

 

Sorry, don't want to appear nosey (but of course I AM being, VERY nosey that is), but do you fall off your bike often? It seems to be a recurring theme...

 

If you do, I'm sure it would be VERY funny to read about on an otherwise dull Saturday morning, while I wait for my new series to be published

 

I wouldn't say "often", but certainly more than I'd prefer. I'd say maybe every few months. Fortunately, it's usually quite funny, as I don't get seriously injured, it's mostly my dignity that gets hurt.

Last week, riding along a very wet and rutted by-way, I shouted back to my mate, "This looks a bit slippery... watch out". I made it through the muddy bit, looked back over my shoulder to see if Les had made it through also and went base over apex as the front wheel hit a rut and slid away from me... The moral... Look where you're going, not where you've been!! :lol:

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