Mystery Cache Letterbox format?

[+The_Mitch]

I found my first Letterbox cache the other day and quite enjoyed the treasure map format of following the clues from location to location.  I realize this format is no longer available and multi-caches have for the most part replaced it with waypoints.  Are there any existing Mystery caches that use this format within the guidelines? I’m interested in placing them and would like to see the GC online as well as read the logs to see if they were well received. Any shared GC’s would be appreciated.

[Keystone]

The sole distinguishing feature of the Letterbox Hybrid cache type is the presence of a letterboxing stamp.  Take away the stamp, and the cache design changes to its underlying type - whether traditional, multi-cache or mystery.

 

All caches, including Letterbox Hybrid caches, need to incorporate GPS usage as an integral part of the hunt.  That does not mean that GPS coordinates are needed at every stage!  For example, one could use GPS coordinates to navigate to a container holding the "treasure hunt" or "letterboxing" instructions that lead the finder to a final container with a logbook.  Conversely, one could follow letterboxing-style clues to a container or tag that held GPS coordinates for a final container with a logbook.

[Keystone]

I looked at the Letterbox Hybrid cache that you found recently.  In case you were wondering, that cache meets the minimum requirements for GPS usage by providing an alternative method for finding the cache using GPS.  It's down at the bottom after the "treasure hunt" clues:

 

Quote

ALTERNATE METHOD: From the posted coordinates in front of the OB Library, you can project a waypoint 360' at 107.6° to determine the exact final location.

 

You could set up a cache with the same design today.  If you included a letterboxing stamp in the final container, then it would be a Letterbox Hybrid cache.  If you didn't have a letterboxing stamp, then it would be a Multi-Cache or Mystery Cache, depending on the details.

[+The_Mitch]

11 hours ago, Keystone said:

I looked at the Letterbox Hybrid cache that you found recently.  In case you were wondering, that cache meets the minimum requirements for GPS usage by providing an alternative method for finding the cache using GPS.  It's down at the bottom after the "treasure hunt" clues:

 

 

You could set up a cache with the same design today.  If you included a letterboxing stamp in the final container, then it would be a Letterbox Hybrid cache.  If you didn't have a letterboxing stamp, then it would be a Multi-Cache or Mystery Cache, depending on the details.

Thank you. I’m not really interested in placing a letterbox hybrid cache. What differentiation is there for the treasure hunting examples you gave to make it a multi or a mystery?

[+niraD]

10 minutes ago, The_Mitch said:

Thank you. I’m not really interested in placing a letterbox hybrid cache. What differentiation is there for the treasure hunting examples you gave to make it a multi or a mystery?

There's a summary of the differences towards the end of the Help Center article Multi-Caches.

 

But there are also regional variations. I've cached in areas where types that I expected to be listed as multi-caches were consistently listed as mystery/puzzle caches, and in other areas where types that I expected to be listed as mystery/puzzle caches were consistently listed as multi-caches.

[+Isonzo Karst]

The article niraD linked has a good table at the bottom distinguishing Multi from Mystery. For Multi,  "the first stage",  is a location that MUST be visited to gather info necessary to the next stage or final. 

 

This article covers GPS usage, often neglected by the "treasure map" model, LINKY

and what the heck the gps use section of the guidelines as well LINKY

Quote, "For at least part of the search, the cache must require finders to navigate with a GPS-enabled device to specific coordinates necessary to finding the cache"

 

Reading the gps usage guideline and the article, you'll see a slight disconnect  in language . The guideline says, "require finders to naviagate...to coords". But the article, and what Keystone wrote above, both suggest "option" to navigate to coords.

 

Application of cache types has changed over time.   I owned a  Multi, and reading in these forums realized it should probably be a Mystery - it was bonus to several of my Traditionals. But listing ALL of those caches as Multi was common at the time. ;-) Trad, Trad, Trad, -> Bonus, all listed as Multi. There's still one of these in Florida LINKY

Edited July 11, 2022 by Isonzo Karst