What do you think of multi-caches?

[Rubbertoe]

I've seen a few people posting here that they are going to hide a multi-cache. In fact, a couple of those folks even said it was the first cache they've ever hidden. I'm curious as to why they would choose to hide a multi-cache rather than a regular one-stage cache, especially if it was the first they had hidden. But anyway, that isn't the question for this poll - but it might help others who are considering hiding a multi, instead of a regular cache.

 

What is your opinion of multi-caches?

(please select the answer closest to your opinion - feel free to expand in a reply)

 

The Toe Pages

[+Jennifer&Dean]

Multi caches are fun, but if you place it, you have to consider that it has a lot more things that can get screwed up. Depending on how you create it, signs can go missing or micro caches can be stolen (had that happen). I think of Multis as 3 times the work and upkeep as a regular cache. Sometimes more frustrating to do, but always fun when they are well done.

-Jennifer

 

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. (JM Barrie)

[+Mr. Snazz]

I enjoy non-urban multi-stage caches, espescially ones in which the waypoints are placed so as to guide you down a particular, and hopefully scenic, route.

[Cracker.]

I have to admit that my one and only hide is a multi.

 

GCA589

 

It didnt start out as a multi, but there were just more sights (& sites) that I wanted to share, and couldnt make up my mind on which to do, so I ended up going with a multi.

I do wish I had planned it better. It took half a dozen trips back to the area to get all the co-ords and bearings down, and to hide all 5 of the caches.

I did design it so you could do it in two seperate legs, as well as all at once.

I was happy to get the great feedback from Wheelygood. (Although it seems I did screw up by forgetting to put one of the cache coords in the previous cache...DOH!)

 

I would have to agree, a single cache would be best to do as a first. Maybe even do a few singles before a multi.

 

Art

 

www.yankeetoys.org

www.BudBuilt.com

http://www.ttora-ne.mainpage.net/

[Pantalaimon]

I like multi-caches as much as regular caches. I'm not really in it for "the credit," and multi-caches usually make for a rewarding adventure.

 

I set up a multi-cache that increases with every person's find. Somehow, I don't think Rubbertoe would enjoy that one...

 

Pan

 

Cachito ergo sum. I Geocache, therefore I am.

[+Majormd&PUNditOK]

I enjoy multi-caches, but...

 

I do think a multi-cache should be all on one "one site", meaning that you shouldn't need to get into your car and drive to the other side of the city to finish the hunt. Doesn't mean you can't disperse your caches, just count them as individual ones.

 

Also some idea as to the total time needed to complete the multi-cache should be provided so that people can plan accordingly. There's nothing wrong with multi's that require hunters to walk 10 miles to hit all of the subcaches, but this should be clearly indicated in the description.

 

- Sue

[Steak N Eggs]

I like doing muti's, but they have to be done in a way to keep the hunt from getting boring. This cache here has been the best to date in my caching adventures. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=9988

It's got a theam all the way through it, and each stage has something you need in the end to get to the GOODIE BOX.

 

I do not recomend that NEWBIES (like I once was) putting out caches at all. Especially multi caches. I have been on a few hunts that were (to put it mildly) not very fun. Go CACHE for few and see what others are doing and learn all you can before putting a multi out there in the "WILD". You'll be rewarded in the end by people SEEKING out your caches. I havn't put any multi's out there yet myself (but in the works) because I am trying to figure out how to make it an interesting challange. Something that people would find enjoyable.

 

"My gps say's it RIGHT HERE".

http://www.w6hy.org

KF6VFH

TOYOTA To Often Yuppies Overprice This Auto

[+VegasCacheHounds]

I love multis. IMHO, a well done multi with a fun twist is the best type of cache there is. Don't get me wrong, I like traditional caches as well, but its not quite the same. Of course, I like them all.

As far as driving between stages of a multi, I have no problem with it as long as it is posted as such so that one can expect it.

Come to think of it, I don't think I have done a single multi-cache yet that didn't require driving between at least two stages.

 

Shannon

 

VegasCacheHounds

[Rubbertoe]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pantalaimon:

I set up a multi-cache that increases with every person's find.

Somehow, I don't think Rubbertoe would enjoy that one...

---

 

You think right.

 

Actually... I was tempted to go after this multi that is about 15 miles from here, but I'm a bit worried about heading out that way and having problems. It is fairly new, but there have already been comments about leakage and soggy coordinates and stuff. I can't imagine the unpleasant Ohio winter has done much to improve the condition of that.

 

And the other thing that kept me from doing it... you have to drive around to all the different parks to get the legs of the cache. I like what other folks have been saying - if there is a large park with a big trail system, I'd probably be likely to nab a multicache if I could walk along and grab them up. But if I have to drive here, get a clue, get back in the car, drive there, get a clue, get back in the car, etc - it probably ain't gunna happen.

 

The Toe Pages

[+sbell111]

Soggy coordinates? The cache owner should take them home, dry them out and replace them.

 

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

[+bigredmed]

Speaking for cachers that are busy with other things. (The rumor is true, there are cachers that are busy with other things.) I would have to vote against multi's most of the time as I just don't have the time to spend a big chunk of a day chasing after a cache.

 

By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I.

[+WaldenRun]

The majority of the time, I don't hit all the stages of a multi. I really enjoy that extra mental gyrations involved in doing that.

 

-WR

 

"Why worry when you can obsess?"

[+-=(GEO)=-]

While I like regular caches for the instant gratification that they procure, I enjoy a multi-cache even more for the challenge that they present.

 

My first cache was initially a regular one but became a multi quickly because it was just too easy.

 

The next cache that I'm planning will also be a multi because I want the cacher to enjoy a nice hike over a couple miles filled with wildlife before getting to the goodie box.

 

However, I don't think that a multi with more than 4 legs is a good idea, unless there's a *really* good reason for it.

 

My $0.02...

 

Fabien.

 

A cache a day keeps the blues away...

[+gobucks]

I'm lucky enough to live in area with several well-done multi-caches and I have yet to have a bad experience with them. Multi's can be time consuming, but I don't mind breaking up the hunt into separate visits. Credit isn't much of an issue for me.

 

Some of my favorites:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=37353

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=42382

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=39263

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=38421

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=28883

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=4497 (my favorite)

 

GoBucks

(Beat Miami!)

[GrandpaCannon]

I will do either muti-caches or regular caches. I have to admit though that I am lazy and not as likely to do a multi as a single one. I also agree that if a multi is going to require that you drive between stages then the page should say so. Also an estimate of the time it will take and/or the number of stages will also be helpful. That way if your time is limited then you can choose which way to go (multi or single) Or if you need an excuse to plan a long cache day a long multi may be your ticket out of that pressing yardwork

[umc]

I really really don't like multi caches. I don't have a good reason other than I'm not a patient person and multi caches take time and patience to things I always rush.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

So far so good, somewhat new owner of a second/new Garmin GPS V 20 plus finds so far with little to no problem. We'll see what happens when there are leaves on the trees again.

[+Web-ling]

If it's a cache, I'll hunt it. I'll even do virtuals and the occasional locationless, regardless of whether they are really "caches" or not. I also do benchmarks. Whatever.

 

[+Trudy & the beast]

I have mixed emotions here. Offsets are great and may even be good for newbies to place.

 

5 or more WP in a multi cache if done right can be quite an adventure but frequently become boring. And, if you miss one WP you wind up in neverland. We recently attempted a 5 WP multi and invested nearly a dozen hours on three different days [about 4Hr/day] trying to locate a cache that no longer exists. Bummer!

 

Virts, Multi, Micro, Normal, locationless, events... we do them all. Every one of them has its' own merits.

 

Keep on caching.

tb

[+Sissy-n-CR]

We'll hunt just about anything.

 

Placing one on the other hand is a lot tougher! We screwed one up AND it's in a fee area. Wild Geo Chase There was a misinterpretation of a clue and I dropped a very important word in another clue. I feel bad about a cacher having to make a second trip and still not finding it. We tried to compensate for his time and money by offering some ammo boxes or stamp, but he likes to go anonymous. Still feel bad about that one.

 

A lot more can go wrong on a multi than a traditional. I certainly learned my lesson.

 

Almost forgot to say why we made it a multi. It's because the area is tightly controlled and we didn't want someone just come traipsing in and going off-trail.

 

CR

 

[+The Leprechauns]

We love multicaches. Period. Hunt 'em or hide 'em.

 

Our first multi, Elves in the Heights, features a hedgerow maze where your GPS is useless while you follow the turn directions on the instruction sheet, and it also requires a compass. We put the instructions at the first stage to help out people who don't read cache descriptions, and also gave a time estimate and warning about the park's short hours. Many finders have required multiple trips but all have enjoyed it. Stages 2 and 3 rely on physical objects for the coordinates to the next stage; this cuts way down on maintenance.

 

Then we placed Elves Been Workin' on the Trail Road, which runs several miles along a rails-to-trails path (including an abandoned tunnel). We placed all the stages near parking areas, to be accessible to those who don't use a bicycle, and the preliminary stages can be found in any order.

 

Now we are working on "Elves at Hogwarts" which will be a quiz multicache based on the second Harry Potter book. There are four trivia questions to be answered by picking between two choices. Each choice sends you to a different set of coordinates: the right answer gives a short easy hike, and the wrong answer takes you up a hill or across a stream. You're then sent to the next quiz question, regardless of which answer you chose. So, a total of 12 micro containers (yikes) plus a large traditional cache at the end, chock full of Harry Potter merchandise. But you will only need to visit 8 places in order to complete the cache. The quiz locations will be based on an event from the book,like finding the grave of Nearly Headless Nick in a cemetery,or finding Platform 9-3/4 where a set of abandoned railroad tracks disappear into a hillside.

 

We put an average of 15 to 20 hours into planning and hiding our multicaches. It is just as much fun, or more so, than hunting a good multi or a day's worth of single-stage caches. You REALLY get to know an area while scouting out a multi.

 

I don't recommend hiding a multi right off the bat. Our first one followed 50+ finds and an easier hide. I get disappointed by "broken" multi's where a stage is missing...maintenance is extra important for multis... and by multi's that don't really need to be multi's, they are just a series of micros hidden in rocks or trees. So far, I've shied away from multi's when they are out of my normal caching range, since they're so time-consuming. We try to hide an easy, fun cache near each of our multi's, for those who don't enjoy multis, are from out-of-town, or get stumped and need some reward to show for a day's work.

 

Well, these are just some suggestions and opinions, I am not saying our multi's are the best, 'cause I've seen better, but we've enjoyed hiding them and reading the logs. Maybe some of our ideas will be helpful to others.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Next time, instead of getting married, I think I'll just find a woman I don't like and buy her a house.

[+Geo-Johnson's]

But it all depends on what kind of mood we're in. Some days we feel like knocking off 6 or 7 relatively simple caches. Other days we're out for a long hike and multi's tend to give you that. Although I agree..........multi's are more fun if they have a puzzle of some sort involved.

 

I do have a question........I've seen a number of logs and forum posts where people have said they skipped steps on a multi and found the cache........how is that possible? We've only done a couple multi's and are currently working on the Mission Impossible cache http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=6514......I just don't see how one could complete these without doing all the steps..

 

Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.

[+malak]

quote:

---

_What is your opinion of multi-caches?_

---

 

I actually like 'em alongside regular caches, and will often choose a regular cache over a multi. But I think that a number of the multis I've done were memorable while the overwhelming majority of caches I've done, singles, while individually memorable, are not the first ones that come to mind.

 

I like to make offsets more than multis. Things like simple tricks, a choice of two or three potential locations based on statistical oddities, "find the pic and you'll find the cache", etc.

[+Alan2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by umc:

I really really don't like multi caches. I don't have a good reason other than I'm not a patient person and multi caches take time and patience to things I always rush.

---

 

Hmmm. And what does your wife think about this personality quirk of yours?

 

Alan

[+briansnat]

They're a hell of a lot better than the "walk 100 yards from the road and find a Gladware container under some sticks" variety of caches.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" - Abraham Lincoln

[Gorade]

Speaking as a newbie and one who wants to do a mutli cache first I want to do something BIG. Something BIG and fun, besides, I have a month off from college to do it, hehe.

[Tahosa and Sons]

I actually prefer them because if they are set up right they can be lots of fun.

 

But setting up multis can be a real pain in the neck. I usually try and tie them to an existing cache that I have out there so the cacher can get more bang for his buck. Go to this virtual and get some numbers then go to another virtual for some more numbers. Then fill in the blanks and climb the hill to the Cache. Now I'm trying to put the Coordinates in HDDD° MM' SS.S" and doing the math to get the 4 numbers to fill in the blanks. Here is an example of the most recent one I've done.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=43977

 

Tahosa - Dweller of the Mountain Tops.

[+Kouros]

quote:

---

I do not recomend that NEWBIES (like I once was) putting out caches at all. Especially multi caches. I have been on a few hunts that were (to put it mildly) not very fun. Go CACHE for few and see what others are doing and learn all you can before putting a multi out there in the "WILD". You'll be rewarded in the end by people SEEKING out your caches.

---

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

I placed my first cache within a day or two of starting the game, and I really regret it now... It was placed in the most awful position (almost in direct line of site) - I really didn't understand what I was doing at all.

 

Now, of course, I've moved the cache, and people have enjoyed hunting it. You learn from your mistakes, maybe, but wait a while, and place caches later!

 

------

An it harm none, do what ye will

[+briansnat]

I like to place multi caches in order to force the hunter to take a specific route to the cache site. Sometimes it's to cut down on bushwacking, and other times it's to take them along a more interesting route. I try to limit them to 2-3 legs however. Personally, I think more than that becomes a chore, both for me as a maintainer and for the hunter.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" - Abraham Lincoln

[+Skully & Mulder et al.]

At first the kids don't want to do them but once we are into it they really enjoy them. Three that come to mind, that were really enjoyable, in N. Jersey, were BrianSnat's "Improved Butler Reservoir" & the "Roaming Cache" & Artful Dodger's "Splitrock Splendor".

[+sbukosky]

I've got most all the caches found in an hour's drive around my house so like an offset or multi that give a challenge and takes up a little more time than a short walk and dig into some bark for a container. Triangulation and waypoint projecting is super fun. I don't mind having to come back home to do a little homework either.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

[+MaxEntropy]

I fit the profile.

My first and so far only cache placement is a multi cache.

I initially intended for it to be a single regular cache, but the park in which it's placed has a special path that I wanted the cache hunter to take rather than bee-line to the cache. I picked a couple of points along the path with easy clues. It turned out to be a three point virtual-multi with a regular cache ending.

As my first cache, I was particularly nervous that I may have messed it up until I got the first find report, he found it OK, it worked! Whew!

[+PI Joe]

When I plan a traditional cache I go for a spot that has value on it's own (scenic, historical, etc) but with over 300 caches in the Austin area most of the those places (that I know about) are taken. I also like geocaching for the thrill of the hunt and to me multi-caches seem to be placed more with that in mind. I don't mind that some of the intermediate stages are not in "ideal" locations for a final cache so this opens up a wider variety of placement options.

 

Lou

AKA TxHiPowr

[+Mudfrog]

I really enjoy multis for two reasons. Usually they are more challenging and as Mr Snazz said above, sometimes they take you on a little sightseeing tour too.

 

We did one yesterday Birthday Challenge, that had me scratching my head at first. Was a little challenge for us and it took us to a real nice place we had never been before!

[+Cymbaline]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BrianSnat:

I like to place multi caches in order to force the hunter to take a specific route to the cache site. Sometimes it's to cut down on bushwacking, and other times it's to take them along a more interesting route. I try to limit them to 2-3 legs however. Personally, I think more than that becomes a chore, both for me as a maintainer and for the hunter.

_

---

 

Precursor: I'm a newbie, but have found 4 caches in 3 days, one of them a 5/5. Took two days on the 5/5.

 

This one forces the hunter to go to a specific site. However, it's up to the hunter to figure out what to do next. Being a newbie, I bushwacked (bigtime) half of it. Second day, cheated and finished without a lot of bushwacking. Helluva fun time doing it, though, even though it's only a two-stage multi. Some say it's the best in Georgia.

 

I agree with you on cutting down on the principal of cutting down on bushwacking, but at the same time, for newbies like me it's part of the challenge to figure out what to do, given our skill level. I don't know (but am learning fast) how to read a topo map to save my life. I *do* now know how to work a compass like magic, and am digging out old-forgotten trig calculations from my teens. But then, there's gonna be other newbies who will never attempt a multi because it's more than a 1.5/1.5. (Shrug). Personally, I'd rather do a 4/4 or 5/5, but then i'm weird like that. More challenging the better. You (not you personally) are never going to get 100% participation in a multi, but you WILL get people to do it - stupid folx like me.

 

Even though I'm new at this, I realize that it must take a special sort of dedicated person to maintain a 4-stage+ multi-cache. Either that, or they do nothing BUT hike. I have plans for a 2-stage multi, but it's going to require special equipment, 5/4 folx need not apply. Going to take some time though.

 

Cymbaline

 

(the 5/5 site I'm talking about is River Bluff, in GA, for those interested. It's a 5/5 if you do it the stupid way, 4/3 if you do it the smart way. I'm stupid.

[+Genius Loci]

I was really pleased that this post didn’t bring out a lot of multicache haters. I sometimes get the impression that some cachers purposely avoid doing multis, and I’ve read several posts like – ‘I didn’t realize this was a multi before I started, or I wouldn’t have attempted it’. It’s refreshing to see how many of you do appreciate multi-caches.

 

Both the caches I’ve put in are multis, and they took a lot of work. I did many hours of research on and off line, made many trips to plan them, tried very hard to make each step unique, measured and remeasured the coordinates, and ran a couple of volunteer ‘guinea pigs’ through each hunt for testing purposes before finally posting the descriptions online. Although they’ve received great comments, it’s somewhat disappointing to see the two nearest regular caches (which are 1:1 ‘quickies’) attracting many more visitors.

 

It’s also interesting that the only geocachers to attempt my four part multi so far are folks with over 100 finds already. That’s too bad, because this multi is no harder than a regular, and (I humbly submit) it's more unusual and fun. What’s going on here? I think beginners shy away from multis!

 

I guess that as people start out geocaching, they prefer regular caches. Maybe because the regular caches can be done faster than multis (and newbies want to quickly boost their count) or maybe because they are more afraid of failure and perceive a multi to be a more difficult hunt. I believe that if they stick with the sport, they eventually come to appreciate the fun and challenge of going for the longer multi-caches, and discover that multis are not necessarily harder than regular caches.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Genius Loci:

I guess that as people start out geocaching, they prefer regular caches. Maybe because the regular caches can be done faster than multis (and newbies want to quickly boost their count) or maybe because they are more afraid of failure and perceive a multi to be a more difficult hunt. I believe that if they stick with the sport, they eventually come to appreciate the fun and challenge of going for the longer multi-caches, and discover that multis are not necessarily harder than regular caches.

---

 

Actually, I think people start with easy caches and work their way up. Also, those of us with small children need to have 'easy' caches to look for in order for us to involve the whole family in caching. A 2 mile hike with a 1 year old in August isn't exactly easy...

[+RJFerret]

When I started I picked which caches I did by region.

 

Rating was not an issue except as a clue to how hidden I should expect to find it.

 

Multicaches require an additional investment and have higher stakes, I think thats why fewer people visit them.

 

It takes more time, more planning, more commitment. I've noticed geocachers tend to be lazy, looking for caches right off the parking lot rather than hiking a ways into the woods.

 

Some caches I've gone too I would've preferred a more remote and more interesting locale than the first hiding spot you come to!

 

Now I've yet to complete a multi- (just picked up the first stage of one while I was doing a couple other caches in the same park), as there are only a couple in my area I've held them off until I've "used up" the others.

 

The amusing thing for those who avoid multis, the first stage of a multicache is identical to a regular cache! Nobody ever said you had to go on and find another cache (the next stage)! You can stop the hobby right then and there...

 

Oh yeah, another attraction of multis to me is there a little more `elite' in that fewer people pursue them and if you can't find an element, you won't find the end...

 

There's my perspective,

 

Randy

[+Nurse Dave]

I think we have something like 20% multicaches around this area. (Portland, OR) Or at least more than many other places do. I don't know why, but the only cache I placed was a multi because if you went right to it, you would miss some of the park it's in or miss the park all together. It's an easy walk anyway.

 

I do agree it can be frustrating that you can spend a long time doing one multi or several singles and the multi still only counts as one (ya, ya, we aren't supposed to keep score), but they say that's why there is variety.

 

---Real men cache in shorts.