Do you think Lab Caches and Adventure Labs should be two totally separate Cache types?

[+DARKSIDEDAN]

For me there was nothing more exciting than going to a MEGA Event for the Lab Caches. I was so excited to see what someone would come up with. I was very proud of my 40 plus Lab Caches that I had found at various MEGA Events. Then came Adventure Labs in their Thousands and my Lab Cache Finds are now more than 500. I love Adventure Labs but I can't help but think that they would have been better off with their own unique icon so that Lab Caches and Adventure Labs were two totally separate types. What do you think?

[+skullracing]

I remember back when lab caches first appeared, and it was at a Mega in NZ, and we were told they were exclusive to that event and we wouldn’t see that type of cache again in the Southern Hemisphere for another 5 years…..we’ll, obviously that changed considerably as they started to turn up at every Mega, and then the whole “adventure lab cache” appeared, which is basically the same as what Wherigo was in its very early stages (go there, answer question with a key word, go over there, answer question with a key word, etc, etc). And it seems now that there has to be a bonus “puzzle” cache offered at the end to somehow validate the lab cache by adding  an actual cache with an actual log book. 
And another thing….. they shouldn’t award you a smiley for every waypoint inside the Adlab, (5 smileys given for the one Adlab), there should only be one single smiley awarded just like a multi or a multi waypoint puzzle cache, I am sure the Project GC agree here with how Adlabs mess up all your stats, especially milestones.

If you haven’t already worked out, not a fan of this “cache” type yet, perhaps if the platform gets a lot better…like a Wherigo..

[+Gill & Tony]

I regard an adventure as a wrapper for (usually) up to 5 lab caches.  The best adventures (and the majority in my experience) follow a theme.  Each lab cache is an example of that theme.  I find them enjoyable.

 

Most adventures are more interesting and more fun than a bison tube in a slot in a sign or a systema container in the end of a guard rail. 

 

I have said many times that Groundspeak's implementation of lab caches is terrible, they should have been made mainstream long ago, they should have all the features of any other cache type.  Come on HQ, do the right thing!

[+barefootjeff]

15 hours ago, Gill & Tony said:

Most adventures are more interesting and more fun than a bison tube in a slot in a sign or a systema container in the end of a guard rail. 

 

These are some of the locations I've used for my recent physical hides:

 

 

Hardly anyone wants to do these, though, instead they much prefer bison tubes in a slot in a sign, Sistemas poked into guard rails or, better yet, quick and easy ALs where you get five quick smileys for the price of one. The advent of ALs has pretty much killed off any interest in physical multis. Most people have limited time for caching and ALs provide a much higher reward for their time than long-winded bushland caches like these.

Edited January 14, 2023 by barefootjeff

[+Gill & Tony]

3 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

 

These are some of the locations I've used for my recent physical hides:

 

 

Hardly anyone wants to do these, though, instead they much prefer bison tubes in a slot in a sign, Sistemas poked into guard rails or, better yet, quick and easy ALs where you get five quick smileys for the price of one. The advent of ALs has pretty much killed off any interest in physical multis.

I, for one, would love to do your caches shown.  However, physical limitations prevent that.   Certainly ALs aren't as much fun as your caches, but they are better than the boring P&Gs in a power trail.  Although, those have their uses given Signal's labyrinth.

 

The lack on interest in higher terrain, long hike caches well preceded AL's, the Groundspeak app was the start of that.

 

There's nothing stopping folk from creating an adventure with high terrain stages, but I agree most muggles-with-apps wouldn't attempt them.

 

I'm heading to Tasmania in a few weeks and will be spending a day in Sheffield, famous for its murals.  We will be wandering around looking at the murals.  Option one is to get a guide sheet from the local information centre and follow those instructions.  Option 2 is to do the two AL's  and get some smilies en route.  Both options are attractive, but option 2 will win.

 

[+barefootjeff]

1 hour ago, Gill & Tony said:

I, for one, would love to do your caches shown.  However, physical limitations prevent that.   Certainly ALs aren't as much fun as your caches, but they are better than the boring P&Gs in a power trail.  Although, those have their uses given Signal's labyrinth.

 

The lack on interest in higher terrain, long hike caches well preceded AL's, the Groundspeak app was the start of that.

 

There are no power trails around here, the nearest one would be the Dog's Head trail north of Maitland, but when I look at the recent Central Coast caches with the most finds on Project GC, the ones at the top are all the roadside micros poked into guard rails, signs and fences and the ones at the bottom are mine and the few others like them. The outright leader by a good margin, with 41 finds in the year since it was published, is a roadside micro AL bonus cache in Wyong.

 

A decade ago when I started, apps were already a thing and a lot of cachers were using them, but we had the likes of mrnoo17, seaeagles1997, Wests Tigers Fan and team novo putting out a steady stream of new higher terrain bushland hides which were quite popular in their day. Hides like A King's Throne Room (GC4AY4M), published in 2013, had twelve finds in its first year, with a total of 27, but has now only had one find in the last four years. My 3/3.5 multi overlooking Woy Woy Bay (top left in the photos) and hidden just on a year ago, had two finders from Sydney vying for FTF the next day and then just three more diehards since. Unless a group from Sydney or Newcastle decides to target it, it's probably had all the finders it's likely to get.

Edited January 14, 2023 by barefootjeff

[+skullracing]

On 1/14/2023 at 12:08 PM, barefootjeff said:

 

These are some of the locations I've used for my recent physical hides:

 

 

Hardly anyone wants to do these, though, instead they much prefer bison tubes in a slot in a sign, Sistemas poked into guard rails or, better yet, quick and easy ALs where you get five quick smileys for the price of one. The advent of ALs has pretty much killed off any interest in physical multis. Most people have limited time for caching and ALs provide a much higher reward for their time than long-winded bushland caches like these.

 

It seems you and I are exactly the same barefootjeff, we too have most of our cache hides (like yours) way up in the hills/bush, and as a result usually only get found once, as they are deemed too hard, or mostly because the modern cacher isn't interested in spending all day just to get one smiley (regardless of how great a day out they would have), but prefer to stick with the power trails for the easy numbers. Funny thing is, they won't go back and re-read/reminisce an old log on a power trail/mint tin in a guard rail, but you would on a cache that took you on a grand adventure up in the hills and just about beat you to death (but gave you views that will stick in your head forever)

[+barefootjeff]

9 minutes ago, skullracing said:

Funny thing is, they won't go back and re-read/reminisce an old log on a power trail/mint tin in a guard rail, but you would on a cache that took you on a grand adventure up in the hills and just about beat you to death (but gave you views that will stick in your head forever)

 

Yes, the weekend before last I went out for the day with a group of caching friends. The bushland hides were mostly ones I'd previously found but I enjoyed revisiting those much more than doing the new roadside hides we nabbed while on a drive-by AL. There were a few other bushland ones we'd planned on doing but by the time we'd finished the AL it was getting late and the others had long drives back home.

 

I must keep yours in mind when I eventually make it down to Victoria (hopefully this year).