Multi Caches.

[SBPhishy]

When you are making a multi cache, do you find all the coordinates first and work it all out, and actually place the caches before submitting all of it to the approvers?

 

Or do you do all of the except for actually placing the caches, and then wait for it to be approved. so you dont have to go back and fix it, if there is a problem.

 

I have been planning on actually setting everything up and then submitting it. It there is a problem, i was just going to go back and fix it.

 

Thanks

[+Melrose Plant]

I have never done a multi, although I'm planning our area's first for real soon. However, I can't see not going ahead and placing. If you follow the rules, there's such a small chance of rejection that it's not worth the extra effort of doing it twice.

[+briansnat]

I go out, place it and submit it. I make sure all the stages comply with the guidelines ahead of time, so there won't be an issue.

Edited January 23, 2004 by briansnat

[+quills]

same as briansnat. i'm planning a pretty challenging multi. i'll start by placing the cache and working my way back to each of the legs. the reason i'm doing it this way is the container is a large ammo box and it is a hike back to where i'm hiding it. we mapped this one out during hunting season and from where we parked to the hiding spot it was over 2 miles without looking for the 3 other steps.

[Tahosa and Sons]

I usually pre-plan it have all the coordinates and questions and answers ready to go. Because I'm usually looking for a particular place in the hills that I have located using National Geographic TOPO. Then I'll submit it, and once its approved I'll disable it, then go up the hill and plant it and fix the final solution.

 

This allows me a dry run through all the stages except the final solution and that is figured out once I get to the location. And since I'm about the only one around here that plants them in the back country, the .1 rule is no bother. I know where all the caches are because I've planted them up there.

[martmann]

I usually pre-plan it have all the coordinates and questions and answers ready to go.  Because I'm usually looking for a particular place in the hills that I have located using National Geographic TOPO.  Then I'll submit it, and once its approved I'll disable it, then go up the hill and plant it and fix the final solution.

 

This allows me a dry run through all the stages except the final solution and that is figured out once I get to the location.  And since I'm about the only one around here that plants them in the back country, the .1 rule is no bother.  I know where all the caches are because I've planted them up there.

Why let it get approved then disable it?

 

If the cache isn't in-place you should not activate it, and let it get approved. Why not just plant it and work everything out before you activate it? You know, like the way it's supposed to work.

 

From your post it sounds like there aren't a lot of cachers there, but if I saw an approved cache listed, printed up the sheet, and went hunting for it (after approval, but before you got around to disabling it), I'd be pretty upset to find out that you let it get approved without even putting the cache there. You don't sit by the computer the whole time between activation and approval, do you? It ain't right.

 

You do know you can submit a cache without activating it right? (well technically you have to de-activate it right after you submit it, but the effect is the same, you have a printable cache page that you can play with, edit, and use to do your dry run, then when you're happy with it just "Click to activate" to put it in the approval Queue, that way an approver doesn't have to look at it while you have the cache in your house).

Edited January 23, 2004 by martmann

[+Dawgies]

We place it and then submit. Only had a problem once when we got to close to a bridge, a quick fix and it was a go!

[+briansnat]

Another trick I use is to place the actual cache near the beginning of the hunt, or a road and use the various legs to bring the hunter along the route I want them to take. This has 2 advantages. First, you don't have to cart a bulky ammo box on a long hike. And it makes maintenance easier, as you're more likely to have to take care of the cache itself than any of the legs.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Another trick I use is to place the actual cache near the beginning of the hunt, or a road and use the various legs to bring the hunter along the route I want them to take.

One sneaky son of a gun I know did exactly that with a cache that took you around a large lake and brought you back about 75 feet from where you started.

[The_Brownies]

When you are making a multi cache, do you find all the coordinates first and work it all out, and actually place the caches before submitting all of it to the approvers?

 

Put the whole thing together and then submit it.

Edited January 23, 2004 by The_Brownies

[+CT Trampers]

Another trick I use is to place the actual cache near the beginning of the hunt, or a road and use the various legs to bring the hunter along the route I want them to take. This has 2 advantages. First, you don't have to cart a bulky ammo box on a long hike. And it makes maintenance easier, as you're more likely to have to take care of the cache itself than any of the legs.

 

That is an excellent idea-

[+rusty_tlc]

One suggestion I would have for placing your first multi. Get a caching friend to try it out ahead of time. It might save a lot of frustration. You might only want to do this once or twice, just until you feel comfortabel.

[SBPhishy]

Yeah, I think I' gonna "make" my friend do this cache to test it out. I feel bad though, because I want other people to have the chance to get a FTF... So, I may just do it myself and pretend...

[+Johnnie Stalkers]

I would definitely agree with getting it together and placing it first. The work you put into it will help in the end. We recently placed a mystery (technically a multi, but we didn't want to give to much away ) that involves about a mile trip ending within about 100 yards of the starting point. Because of the nature of the clues I needed to know all the coords where dead on before I placed the cache. If you have concerns, discuss your plans with an approver. I believe they would much rather answer questions before hand than have to tell a fellow cacher to go change something, especially the numerous legs of a multi. PM me if you want some specifics on what we did.

[+Genius Loci]

Another trick I use is to place the actual cache near the beginning of the hunt - briansnat

 

Some hunters feel that it's nice to finish off a multi and be faced with only a relatively short walk back to their vehicle. In fact, at least one I know considers this to be common courtesy on the part of the multicache placer. It's also better for 'dramatic effect', since the climax of the cache is usually the final find, and after that, it's less exciting anyway.

 

Personally, it doesn't matter to me. I consider the 'return trip' to my vehicle part of the fun, and sometimes it's more challenging than the rest of the hunt.

 

In fact, we've gotten so used to this 'trick' that by now, a good pal of mine always checks out the vicinity of the parking area at the beginning of the multi before doing any of the steps. Yep, it has saved him a lot of shoe leather in some cases! - GL

[+flossmoor]

We have way too many multis where I live where the end cache is close to the beginning cache, or the legs of the cache ping-pong you back and forth along the same stretch of land... so I avoid doing the same.

 

I worked a multi recently where the cache designer intended the hunters to walk an entirely circular path. It was a three parter, in which he planted the first cache a few hundred feet from the beginning of the trail, another one half way along the trail, and the third one a few hundred feet from the end of the trail.

 

The problem? A road bisected the path. The placements, I'm certain, where designed in part to reduce maintenance time of the three parts. However, it likewise became obvious to me, so instead of walking the entire path, I may have walked a total of 1000 feet, and drove the rest.

 

Perhaps a way to defeat this from occurring (though it would involve a little extra walking for maintenance runs) would be to place one or two legs equadistant between the ends of path "segments": in this case, one leg 1/6 the way from the path beginning, one leg 1/3 the way from the path beginning (which is 1/6 the way from the path bisection by the road), one leg 1/3 the way from the pat end (which is likewise 1/6 the way from the path bisection by the road), and the final 1/6 the way from the path end. This alignment would force the victi... er, cacher... to consider walking the entire path as the shortest distance between all points, thereby foiling people like... well, me.

[+rover-r-us]

i go to the end and work my way back to the start.

[+JMBella]

Another trick I use is to place the actual cache near the beginning of the hunt, or a road and use the various legs to bring the hunter along the route I want them to take. This has 2 advantages. First, you don't have to cart a bulky ammo box on a long hike. And it makes maintenance easier, as you're more likely to have to take care of the cache itself than any of the legs.

Plus the finders like that it brings them back or close their car.

 

When I hide a multi I usually make it up as I go along. I don't have the patients to plan it out and go back again to hide the cache. I like instant gratification. I usually have a good idea of how and where I want to hide them but I just do everything on the spot, Starting with the last cache first.

[SBPhishy]

Do any of you ever worry that someone will place a cache next to your final cache of the multi, (say its a really great spot) before you finish all the paperwork and this and that to get yours approved? (like printing out clues, and having them laminated, etc etc.)

[+briansnat]

Do any of you ever worry that someone will place a cache next to your final cache of the multi, (say its a really great spot) before you finish all the paperwork and this and that to get yours approved? (like printing out clues, and having them laminated, etc etc.)

 

No, because I submit the cache as soon as its placed. I'll use hand written coordinate at first, then go back and replace them with printed, laminated coordinates later.

[+Kealia]

I don't have the patients to plan it out and go back again to hide the cache.

Umm, are you a doctor?